Dasavatara - Piyusha Vir

 88th of 2021. Dasavatara by Piyusha Vir and Illustrated by Aparajitha Vaasudev, is the well known story, of the 10 incarnations of Vishnu. Each time evil threatens, Vishnu appears to rescue the world!  

This book has 10 stories of 10 avatars of Vishnu, out of the 24 that he is believed to have. Interestingly, of the 10, the only change, from what we had been reciting since childhood, has a change only in Buddha in the book which we had been reciting as Balaram. 

The work 'myth' comes from the Greek word 'mythos' which means a story that is unrelated to the real world - a figment of our imaginatin. 

The sheer number of religious texts that Hindus have is mind-boggling. And guess what, it is believed that one person wrote them all - Rishi Vyas. 

Vishu has four arms, he carries a mace (gada) in one hand, a shankh (conch) in another and a lotus in his third hand. On his fourth hand is a discus or the chakra (known as the Sudarshana Chakra, It's a deadly weapon). His choice of vehicle is Garuda - a mighty eagle and he resided in Vaikuntha. 

Of the 10 avatara only Rama and Krishna are considered to be Gods, so the chant 'Hare Rama, Hare Krishna'. Some don't consider Krishna and Buddha as an Avtara. This book covers:

1. Matsya or Fish - Aiken to Noha's story, Satyavrata was asked to collect all necessary things to get into a boat, pulled by the fish before a mighty flood. The talking fish shared the knowledge of the Vedas and when water receded, the fish blessed him and swam away. 
2. Kurma or Tortoise - Only avatara where the asuras and the devas come together and work toward a common goal, of getting out of Durvasa curse that Indra and his kingdom would be destroyed, because of his show of humility. To get out of the curse, they had to get amrut or the nector, with mount Mandara as the churning stick and Vasuki the snake wound around it, Gods holding the tail of the snake and asuras holding the head, churning was in full enthusiasm. When they got the amrit, there was a fight. Lord appeared as Mohini, and agreed to distribute, starting with the Gods, and finished with them and disappeared, leaving nothing for asuras. 
3. Waraha or Bore - When a demon named Hiranyaksha dragged the earth to the bottom of the sea, Vishnu took the form of a boar in order to rescue it. ... Then Varaha slew the demon and raised the earth out of the water with his tusks.
4. Narasimha - The Lord appeared as a half-man-half-lion to eliminate an Asura king named Hiranyakashipu. ... Hailed as the preserver and sustainer of the universe, Vishnu transformed into a ferocious form to eliminate Asura king Hiranyakashipu, who had created havoc in the three worlds.
5. Vamana -  Bhali also known as Mahabhali was a loved and learned ruler who kept capturing other kingdoms and accumulating his. To stop him Vishnu as a dwarf took three strides, with which he measured out the three worlds: earth, heaven, and not know where to place his third, Bhali said he could keep it on his head. Bhali was a devotee of Vishu as well. Pleased by his devotion, Vamana permited Bhali to visit earth once in a year. 
6. Parasuram - Parashurama was born to the Brahman sage Jamadagni and the princess Renuka, a member of the Kshatriya class. When Jamadagni suspected Renuka of an unchaste thought, he ordered Parashurama to cut off her head, which the obedient son did. Later, to avenge the murder of his father by a Kshatriya, he killed all the male Kshatriyas on earth 21 successive times In Hindu Mythology, the myth is the retrieval of Kerala from the sea, by Parasurama, a warrior sage. Parasurama, threw his battle axe into the sea after he reached Gokuram from Kanyakumari. As a result, the land of Kerala arose, reclaimed (Not created) from the waters. It is believed that Even today, Parashurama is doing penance on the Mandaranchal mountain, he would be training Kalki. 
7. Rama or Maryada Purshottam - Prince Rama's quest to rescue his beloved wife Sita from the clutches of Ravana with the help of an army of monkeys. He is known for his strict self-discipline and unwavering adherence to the path of dharma and righteousness. 
8. Krishna - He is known as the only complete avtara manifested to put an end to the evil.
9. Buddha - Siddhartha left home at the age of twenty-nine, eventually Yashodhara and Rahula, along with other family members and relatives joined him and attained monkhood. 
10. Kalki - Not much is known about him, there are many prophesies regarding his birth and arrival. Kalki is considered to be the most destructive and yet to be born. He is supposed to arrive when virtues would have disappeared from the world. 

The world yuga refers to 'aeon' or age. As per Hindu beliefs, time is divided into four yugas - Satya, Treta, Dvapara and Kali. Each avatar of Vishnu arrived in a particular yuga. They occur cyclically with values declining at the end of each yuga. Satya Yuga was the most dignified and Kali most horrendous.