Things to Learn From Lord Vishnu’s 10 Avatars

Lord Vishnu, also known as Narayana, is an important Hindu deities among three supreme Gods, Trinity. He was born as 12th Aditya to Kashyap and Aditi in the form of a Dwarf. Lord Vishnu has a large number of devotees who follow Vaishnavism. It is believed that Lord Vishnu resides in the Vaikunth river on a bed made of thousand serpents. He is portrayed with four hands that hold Sanhka, gada, lotus flower and chakra. According to Hindu Mythology, Lord Vishnu is the saviour of the universe, and he has been visiting the world in ten avatars whenever the universe is in trouble. All his avatars serve a definite purpose. Things to learn from Vishnu’s ten chronological avatars are as under :

MATSYA

Lord Vishnu’s first avatar was in the form of Matsya, a fish, which symbolises creation. Since the evolution of life began underwater, fish was one of the first forms of life. Hence Lord Vishnu magically emerged as a fish. It was done to save Manu from Pralaya.

Matsya forewarns mankind of the coming floods and emphasizes preserving one’s resources. One should, therefore, preserve one’s resources for the hard times which are unseen in life. Furthermore, those who have Vishnu murti installed at their homes; shall, by default, always remember to plan one's resources & live a balanced life.

KURMA

Lord Vishnu took another avatar in the form of a Kurma or tortoise. It is an amphibian that can survive on land and underwater and is symbolic of a balance between good and evil. There was a scuffle between Devtas and the Asuras for getting the divine Amrit during the historical period. Hence to maintain a balance, Lord Vishnu, in the form of a tortoise, bore the weight of the Mandara mountain when Devtas and Asuras were churning the ocean for the Nectar.

VARAHA

Whenever evil powers overpowered others and were uncontrollable, Lord Vishnu appeared on earth being the saviour of the universe. Another avtar in which Lord Vishnu emerged was that of Varaha or wild boar. When Hiranyaksh drowned the earth inside the ocean, Lord Vishnu, as Varaha fought a battle with him, defeated him and set earth free from his clutches. Thus, it led to the growth of evolution on earth.

VAMAN

One of the main avatars of Lord Vishnu was that of a Vaman, i.e. a dwarf. History tells that once the three lokas, i.e. the Prithvi, the Deva and the Patal Lok, were overpowered by King Bali. To get it free from the clutches of King Bali, Lord Vishnu went to his Yagna in the form of a Vamana and asked him to give him only a portion of land that could cover his tiny feet. King Bali agreed to the same but eventually realised that the Vaman was none other than Lord Vishnu, to whom he had to bow down. Hence, one cannot have everything in life, and one should be contented with whatever is available to oneself. A Vishnu idol kept on your study/work table shall always remind you of such a thought.

NARASIMHA

To restore Dharma in life, Lord Vishnu emerged as Narsimha on Earth. Narsimha was half-lion and half-human, thus symbolising wittiness and cleverness. Prahalad, though being born in a Raksha Gana, was a firm believer and devotee of God. His father was against such an act, and he tried to kill Prahalad. But Lord Vishnu, in the avatar of Narsimha, saved his devotee Prahalad and restored Dharma. It indicates that God is Almighty and is present everywhere & he shall always be there with you in tough times.

PARSHA RAMA

To save Brahmins and saints from the Kshatriya Kings, Lord Vishnu appeared on earth as Parshu Rama. He stood by the Brahmins, fought for them and defeated various kings who were torturing the Brahmins. He used an axe as his weapon. It indicates that a Saint or a humble person should resort to fighting evil for his survival in this world.

RAMA

Lord Vishnu emerged on earth during the Treta Yuga in the form of Maryada Purshottam Lord Ram. Lord Ram is honoured as a dignified and magnificent personality who followed ethics and principles in life without hindering life's hurdles. During his avatar as Lord Rama, he killed the King of Lanka – Ravana, to get back his kidnapped spouse. Like Lord Rama, we should follow ethics, our duties & set principles in life.

BALARAMA

Lord Vishnu, in his eight incarnations, emerged as Balarama. Also known to be an avatar of SheshNag, he was symbolic of strength and wisdom. His weapon was a plough, which farmers used for agricultural purposes. He always fought against the evil powers.

Lord Balarama’s using plough as a weapon focussed on the importance of fighting against the evil and importance of agriculture in life.

KRISHNA

Lord Vishnu emerged in the dynamic avatar of Lord Krishna and is one of the most revered deities among Hindu Gods. He killed the evil King Kansa and imparted supreme knowledge of Dharma & Karma to the world. His skilful & practical advice to Arjun during Mahabharata and his teachings are compiled in Bhagavad Gita, which is still followed in the present days. His teachings were based on truth & practical aspects, which followed the religion and favoured the righteous.

Likewise, as taught by Lord Krishna, one should follow the religion and the righteous.

KALKI

Another avatar of Lord Vishnu, which is likely to come, is that of Kalki. Kalki shall emerge to rejuvenate existence by ending the darkest and destructive period to remove adharma and restoring Satya Yuga. When many Central Asian Tribes attacked India, and people were waiting for Lord Vishnu to emerge as Kalki to save people from the clutches of Yavanas. This last avatar of Lord Vishnu is expected to be witnessed by the world in the coming times, which shall mark the beginning of Satya Yuga. So in situations where you are feeling tensed, simply meditate in front of a Vishnu statue for a couple of minutes & feel the difference.