Dasavatar – 10 Avatars Of Lord Vishnu & Importance Of Worshipping Them
Dasavatars – 10 Avatars Of Lord Vishnu
Lord Vishnu incarnated himself in various forms to restore dharma and destroy injustice. Ten Avatars of Lord Vishnu are generally recognized as the most important avatars. They are:
Matsya Avatar
Matsya is the first avatar of Lord Vishnu. This avatar is associated with the beginning of the world. Lord Vishnu took this avatar to rescue the first man, King Manu – a great devotee of Lord Vishnu performed a several penances to meet Lord Vishnu. The first reason for the Matsya Avatar was to grant His wish & save him from the flood at the end of Satya Yuga. Another reason was to save the Vedas from the demon Hayagriva who had stolen the Vedas from Lord Brahma & hidden it at the bottom of the ocean. Matsya killed Hayagriva & returned the Vedas to Brahma. Lord Vishnu sees to it that the knowledge of the Vedas passes from one Yuga to another.
Kurma Avatar
The Mandara Mountain & the snake Vasuki is used as the churning stick & rope during the churning of the milky ocean. Once the churning starts, the mountain starts drowning in the ocean. At that time, Lord Vishnu took the Kurma Avatar (form of tortoise) to support the base of the mountain to keep it afloat.
Lord Vishnu had taken this avatar to help the Gods to win the ‘Amirtham’ over the demons during the churning of the ocean.
Varaha Avatar
In the Varaha avatar, Lord Vishnu incarnated as boar to save the earth from a deluge by killing the demon Hiranayaksha so that Lord Brahma could start creation.
The lesser known truth about Varaha Avatar of Lord Vishnu has also to rescue his beloved devotees Jaya & Vijaya – Gate keepers of Vaikunta. Due to their curses, they were born as Hiranayaksha & Hiranyakashipu in the Satya Yuga. Lord Vishnu fought with the demon for 1000 years & killed him to rescue the earth. Then Varaha brought the earth back from the depths of the ocean on his two tusks for creation to begin.
Narasimha Avatar
Hiranyakashipu was very angry after his brother Hiranyaksha’s death. He performed severe penance and got the boon of choosing His death wish from Lord Brahma. Lord Vishnu took this avatar to help his ardent devotee Prahlad (Son of Hiranyakashipu). Hiranyakashipu furious at the devotion of Prahlad to Vishnu and he tried to kill Prahlad many times but none was successful. Finally, he points to a pillar and asks to Prahlad if ‘His Lord’ is in it. Prahlad replies “He was & He will be”. Hiranyakashipu become too angry and smashes the pillar with his mace. Lord Vishnu appears from the cracked pillar in the form of Narasimha, a half man and half lion appearance. He placed Hiranyakashipu on his thighs and kills him by tearing open his body with His sharp claws.
Lord Vishnu saved his devotee, prevented the success of evil and established righteousness.
Click Here To Know How To Worship 10 Avatars of Lord Vishnu in Different Ways
Vamana Avatar
This avatar starts with Demon King Mahabali – grandson of Prahlad. He performs severe penance to Lord Brahma and asks for power equal to Indra. Lord Brahma notices that Mahabali was a righteous man and he granted the boon. Lord Vishnu incarnates as a Vamana- dwarf Brahmin to protect Indra. Vamana came to Mahabali and asks to grant him land measuring his three feet. King Mahabali grants the boon. Vamana started growing in size and his first foot covered the earth and the second covered the sky. There was no place for the third foot, King Mahabali offered his head to land the third, thus burying himself into the nether world. Lord Vishnu granted him a boon for all the good deed done by him that he could visit his people annually.
Parasurama Avatar
Parasurama is son of Saptarishi & Renuka. He is one of the seven Chiranjivi (Immortal) and he lived during the Dvapara Yuga. He got an axe (Parasu) after performing severe penance to Lord Shiva. He played lead roles in the Ramayana & Mahabharata. He is also fought back to save Konkan, Malabar and Kerala.
Rama Avatar
The most famous of them all, Lord Rama appeared on earth to kill Ravana and rescue his consort Sita from his clutches. He symbolises great values of virtue, truth, faith and strength and most important he’s an ideal human being.
Balarama Avatar
Balarama – elder brother of Lord Krishna came into existence to assist Lord Krishna in slaying demon Khamsa.
Krishna Avatar
Krishna Avatar plays an important role in shaping the goodness of mankind as the Bhagwad Gita has become the perfect guide for posterity to follow. He also kills Khamsa, his maternal uncle.
Kalki Avatar
Kalki Avatar will appear on a white horse with a gleaming sword in his hand. This marks the end of Kali Yuga wherein all evil and gloom will come to an end and another Yuga will begin.
Importance Of Worshipping 10 Avatars Of Lord Vishnu
All the avatars are so powerful that they have the ability to mitigate the suffering of humans. Get relief from major health problems, remove bad karmas, ward off planetary doshas, and get prosperity, spiritual knowledge and wisdom by offering special rituals to Dasavatar of Lord Vishnu. They bless them with wealth, power and remove effects of negative forces.
