Visnu and his Avatara

1. Incarnations of Visnu. Avatara: ‘descent forms’. Manifests himself in times of darkness, when dharma has disappeared from view.

2. Mythology focuses on the creation, destruction and recreation of the cosmos.

1. Matsya, the Fish: saves the king Manu, saved from cosmic deluge by the Fish (I.22-5)
2. Tortoise places himself at the bottom of the ocean of milk as support for Mt Mandara (I.26-9)
3. The Boar rescues the earth (personified as goddess Bhudevi) from the bottom of the cosmic ocean, brings to surface, spreads her out, piles up mountains and divides into seven continents (I.32-4)
4. Man-lion (Narasimha) destroys demon Hiranyakasipu, who tries to destroy his son Prahlada, a devotee of Visnu (I.35-39)
5. The Dwarf Vamana strides across universe, defeats the demon Bali (I.43-7)
6. Parasurama (with axe): destroys Ksatriyas who threaten the Brahmans (I.49-50)
7. Rama of the Ramayana
8. Krisna
9. Buddha leads the wicked and demons astray as so hastens the end of the current age of darkness (I.57).
10. Kalki “the white horse” will come at the end of the dark age to destroy the wicked and restore purity and righteousness (I.58-62)