Some discussions on Avatars

An article by Sri S. Kannan :

Here are  three important questions :

1.  Why Sri Narasimhar is considered to be a purna avataram of Lord Vishnu?

2.  Which Avatara preceded and Succeeded Krishna Avatar?

3.  Krishna played a significant role in the Mahabaratha besides his teachings in the Bhagavad Gita.

Let us take these one by one.

According to me there is no big difference between a purna avatharam and an amsa avatharam.   The manifestation of the Supreme in such Amsa Avataarams is limited  to the accomplishment of a particular event that the Divine takes a form and descends to fulfill.No doubt the purpose of Narasimha avataaram may be deemed to have been accomplised once Hiranyakasipu was slain.  But if you look closely, the purpose of the avataaram was not to slay Hiranyakasipu, but to establish the fact that God pervades all things and is ever present in every thing created. He descended not merely for saving the devas and the world from the tyranny of Hiranyakasipu, but to fulfill the truth proclaimed by his beloved devotee Prahlada that his Sriman Narayana is present in pillar or dust.  He was angry that Hiranyakasipu doubted this truth and wanted to test the same by using his mace against a pillar.  He took the Man Lion form because that was what Hiranyakasipu wanted - that he can be conquerred by neither man or beast, neither inside outside the house and neither during day or night.  We always feel that we are wiser than God and feel that we are invincible without realising that it is He within us makes us feel so and makes us pay the price too.  So Sri Nrisimha is considered to be a purna avataara since to this day His divinity can be perceived by those who stand by their conviction that God pervades all.  Another thing that occurs to me is that Sri Nrisimha is none other than Lord Sudarshana the divine discuss of Sriman Narayana.  Sri Sudarshana is Lord Maha Vishnu and Lord Maha Vishnu is Sri Sudarshana who is the embodiment of Time, Space and Cause and effect or the eternal manifestation of the Supreme.

The various avataarams taken by the Divine are described differently by different puranas.  The most accepted version is that Sri Krishna Avataaram is preceeded by Sri Balarama Avataaram and followed by Sri Kalki Avataaram.  Some of the modern pundits consider Gautama Budha to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, perhaps to provide a bridge between Buddhism and Hinduism.

The entire life of Lord Krishna is significant right from his birth to Devaki and Vasudeva, His growing up in Nandagopa's household, His pranks at vraja bhoomi, so on and so forth.  With His grace some of these can be covered in the next part of Sri Krishna Sharanam Mama. The different aspects of the Lord are worshipped in the different places you have mentioned.  In Pandaripuram He is with His consort Ruckmani waiting on a slab of brick for his devotee to come back from the service of his parents. In Udipi He holds the churning stick as He did in Vraja as a young boy. In Guruvayoor He shows His aspects of bala Krishna as well as His form of Sriman Narayana. To some extent what you say is correct. The forms of the Lord follow the cultural tradition of the place, but in most cases it is how He manifested to some divine soul who had captured the same in the form of art.

You have also asked about the necessity of the Lord taking more than one avataaram at a particular time. The case is Parasurama - Rama and Balarama - Krishna.  The purpose of Sri Parasurama avataaram is different from Sri Rama avataaram and so is the case of Sri Balarama and Sri Krishna.  While Sri Parasurama incarnated to curb the menace of the kshatriyas, Sri Rama lived as a human to show the way to mankind and to deliver the worlds from Ravana.  Sri Balarama is considered to be an aspect of Adhi Sesha (like Sri Lakshmana who is not considered to be an avataara although all the other three brothers are also Amsa of the supreme Maha Vishnu) and His purpose was to annihilate the demons and be with Sri Krishna.  So, the Divine incarnates to establish dharma at different points of time leading to multiple manifestations according to the requirements.  If as Sridhar suggested Sri Krishna has to take one more avataaram now in India, I think one avataaram might not be sufficient !

The 22 Avataarams of the Lord are listed in Baghavvata Puranam. It includes apart from the normal 10, amsa avatarams like Nara, Narayana, Naradha, Kapila, Vyasa, Dattatreya, Danvantari, Mohini, Yagnya,Rishaba, Pruthu,and Buddha. The same purana says that the avataaras of the Supreme are limitless.  As Bhagavan said in the Gita, He incarnates again and again to protect the satvic and to destroy the wicked.

OM TAT SAT