Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Avatharams of Lord Vishnu
Sriman C Saibaba on the JETUSA yahoogroups asked the following question:
"Humble pranams at the Lotus Feet of Swamy! With the divine enlightenment from 'Swamy' on various subjects, disciples like me, same age as 'SWAMY', and to have HIS Darshan, Bhashan and Margadarshan.
We all know that Lord Vishnu has Ten Incarnations as Matsya, Koorma, Varaha, Nrusimha, Vamana, Parasurama, Rama, Krishna, Budha and Kalki. Some even say that Balarama is also the Incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Is it correct? Similarly, I am little bit confused since Lord Venkateshwara, the presiding deity of Tirumala and Lord Jagannath, the presiding deity of Puri are not in the Ten Incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Of course, Lord has many manifestations, but Avatarams like Matsya, Koorma and Vamana have got mentioned in the ten incarnations, whereas the Lord of Seven Hills and the Lord of Shri Kshetra have not been mentioned. I would like to pray 'SWAMY' to enlighten all of us the reasons for this.
I am further confused about Lord Vishnu as to whether the Vishnu who has incarnated in the ten Avatarams and the Vishnu to whom 'Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram' is recited are One and the Same. I may kindly be excused if I am wrong in my questions. But I could not resist myself to get enlightened by Swamy.
Jai Shrimannarayana"
Swamiji replied to the question as follows:
"PRIYA SRIMAN SAIBABAJI!
JAI SRIMANNARAYAANA!
ACCORDING TO LORD KRISHNA HIS INCARNATIONS ARE INNUMERABLE. VYASA BHAGAVAN ALSO DECLARES THE SAME. FOR THE SAKE OF OUR UNDERSTANDING THEY HAVE CHOSEN 10 IN AN ORDER LIKE FISH, TURTLE, BORE ETC., AMONG THESE, SOME ARE DIRECT INCARNATIONS VIZ., VA:MANA, RAMA, KRISHNA ETC., BUT INCARNATIONS LIKE PARASURAMA, BALARAMA ARE NOT DIRECT AVATHARAS. THEY ARE CALLED AVE:SA AVATHARAMS. IT MEANS FOR SOME TIME LORD IMPOSES ON THEM AND DOES SOME WORK THROUGH THEM. LATER HE WITHDRAWS THE IMPOSITION. THEN THAT AVATHARAM WILL BE OVER. IT IS THE SAME WITH BOTH OF THE ABOVE, WE CAN OBSERVE. AFTER RAMA TOOK BACK BOW FROM PARASURAMA, HE BECAME A NORMAL SAGE. SO ALSO AFTER YAMUNA RIVER DIVERSION, BALARAMA'S IMPOSITION ALSO WAS WITHDRAWN.
THERE ARE MANY MORE AVATHARAS LIKE RISHIS AND KINGS LIKE PRUTTHU ETC., THE VISHNU SAHASRA NAMA WE CHANT AND THE VISHNU WHO HAS TAKEN MANY AN INCARNATION, IS ONE AND THE SAME. THOSE AVATHARAS WHICH KEEP MOVING ON THIS EARTH AND DO SOMETHING ARE CALLED 'VIBHAVA AVATHARAS' OR INCARNATIONS. WHERE AS THOSE AVATHARA WHCIH ARE APPEARING ON THIS EARTH, EITHER BY PRAYERS OF SOME OR BY HIMSELF (SWAYAM VYAKTHA), IN AN IMMOBILE FORM (deity IN THE TEMPLES) ARE CALLED 'ARCHA AVATHARAMS'. IT IS SAID THIS ARCHA AVATHARA IS MORE POWERFUL THAN VIBHAVAS AND OTHER FORMS OF GOD.
LORD PURI JAGANNADHJI, LORD VENKATESWARA SWAMY CAME HERE TO BE AS ARCHA MURHIS ONLY. HENCE, THEY WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THE TEN AVATHARAS LIST. AS WE HAVE ALREADY MENTIONED AVAATHARAS ARE NOT JUST ONLY TEN. THEY ARE BEYOND THE COUNT." ¶ 9:58 PM
Photo courtesy: http://www.veden-akademie.de/images/dasavatar.jpg
Sriman C Saibaba on the JETUSA yahoogroups asked the following question:
"Humble pranams at the Lotus Feet of Swamy! With the divine enlightenment from 'Swamy' on various subjects, disciples like me, same age as 'SWAMY', and to have HIS Darshan, Bhashan and Margadarshan.
We all know that Lord Vishnu has Ten Incarnations as Matsya, Koorma, Varaha, Nrusimha, Vamana, Parasurama, Rama, Krishna, Budha and Kalki. Some even say that Balarama is also the Incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Is it correct? Similarly, I am little bit confused since Lord Venkateshwara, the presiding deity of Tirumala and Lord Jagannath, the presiding deity of Puri are not in the Ten Incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Of course, Lord has many manifestations, but Avatarams like Matsya, Koorma and Vamana have got mentioned in the ten incarnations, whereas the Lord of Seven Hills and the Lord of Shri Kshetra have not been mentioned. I would like to pray 'SWAMY' to enlighten all of us the reasons for this.
I am further confused about Lord Vishnu as to whether the Vishnu who has incarnated in the ten Avatarams and the Vishnu to whom 'Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram' is recited are One and the Same. I may kindly be excused if I am wrong in my questions. But I could not resist myself to get enlightened by Swamy.
Jai Shrimannarayana"
Swamiji replied to the question as follows:
"PRIYA SRIMAN SAIBABAJI!
JAI SRIMANNARAYAANA!
ACCORDING TO LORD KRISHNA HIS INCARNATIONS ARE INNUMERABLE. VYASA BHAGAVAN ALSO DECLARES THE SAME. FOR THE SAKE OF OUR UNDERSTANDING THEY HAVE CHOSEN 10 IN AN ORDER LIKE FISH, TURTLE, BORE ETC., AMONG THESE, SOME ARE DIRECT INCARNATIONS VIZ., VA:MANA, RAMA, KRISHNA ETC., BUT INCARNATIONS LIKE PARASURAMA, BALARAMA ARE NOT DIRECT AVATHARAS. THEY ARE CALLED AVE:SA AVATHARAMS. IT MEANS FOR SOME TIME LORD IMPOSES ON THEM AND DOES SOME WORK THROUGH THEM. LATER HE WITHDRAWS THE IMPOSITION. THEN THAT AVATHARAM WILL BE OVER. IT IS THE SAME WITH BOTH OF THE ABOVE, WE CAN OBSERVE. AFTER RAMA TOOK BACK BOW FROM PARASURAMA, HE BECAME A NORMAL SAGE. SO ALSO AFTER YAMUNA RIVER DIVERSION, BALARAMA'S IMPOSITION ALSO WAS WITHDRAWN.
THERE ARE MANY MORE AVATHARAS LIKE RISHIS AND KINGS LIKE PRUTTHU ETC., THE VISHNU SAHASRA NAMA WE CHANT AND THE VISHNU WHO HAS TAKEN MANY AN INCARNATION, IS ONE AND THE SAME. THOSE AVATHARAS WHICH KEEP MOVING ON THIS EARTH AND DO SOMETHING ARE CALLED 'VIBHAVA AVATHARAS' OR INCARNATIONS. WHERE AS THOSE AVATHARA WHCIH ARE APPEARING ON THIS EARTH, EITHER BY PRAYERS OF SOME OR BY HIMSELF (SWAYAM VYAKTHA), IN AN IMMOBILE FORM (deity IN THE TEMPLES) ARE CALLED 'ARCHA AVATHARAMS'. IT IS SAID THIS ARCHA AVATHARA IS MORE POWERFUL THAN VIBHAVAS AND OTHER FORMS OF GOD.
LORD PURI JAGANNADHJI, LORD VENKATESWARA SWAMY CAME HERE TO BE AS ARCHA MURHIS ONLY. HENCE, THEY WERE NOT INCLUDED IN THE TEN AVATHARAS LIST. AS WE HAVE ALREADY MENTIONED AVAATHARAS ARE NOT JUST ONLY TEN. THEY ARE BEYOND THE COUNT." ¶ 9:58 PM
