22 INCARNATIONS OF LORD VISHNU

INCARNATIONS OF LORD VISHNU [SRIMAD BHAGAVATHAM]

प्रजापतिष्चरति गर्भेरन्तर् अजायमानो बहुधा विजायते  |

-यजुर वेद [Yajur Veda]

Meaning : In the midst of this huge conception and projection of the cosmic universe, the formless one moves about in shape of all. Although birthless [''अजायमानो''] He will born as many [''बहुदा विजायते'']

This sentence clearly states that Lord Vishnu takes many forms even though he is formless.

Now take a look at this famous Gita Sloka

यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत ।

अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम्‌ ॥

परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम्‌ ।

धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे ॥

Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, and a predominance rise of irreligion, at that time I descend myself.

To deliver the pios and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to re-establish the principle of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium.

The above two slokas say the reason for the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Srimad Bhagavatha puranam says even though there are many incarnations, 22 incarnations have been discussed here. Yes, 22 and not 10 Dashavatharas, many of us knows their are only 10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Now lets know, what are they.

sa eva prathamam devah koumaram sargam ashritah |

chachara dushcharam brahma brahmacharyam akhanditham || 

1. Lord firstly appeared as sanath kumaras namely Sanaka, Sanathana, Sanandana and Sanat kumaras.  Also known as Brahma manasa puthras. They underwent severe brahmacharya [celibacy] and teached the process of brahma realization.

dvithiyam tu bhavaya asya rasatalagataam mahim |

uddharishyannupadatta yagneshah soukaram vapuh||

2. In his second incarnation as Varaha [Yagna Varaha Murti] Lord Vishnu uplifted the earth from the most downward part of the universe Rasatala, and destroyed the Demon Hiranyaksha.

truteyam rushisargam vai devarshityamupetya sa |

tatram satvata maacashta naishkarmyam karmanaam yatah ||

3.The third incarnation is as Narada maha muni, who is the great sage amongst the devas. He teached the importance of service towards god and also non fruititive actions [ nishkamya karma].

turve dharmakalasarge naranarayanaavrusi |

bhutvaatmo pashamopetamakarot dushcharam tapah ||

4. Then he incarnated as Nara Narayana, the twin sons of the king Dharma, and undertook severe penance to have control over senses [ indriya nigrahana].

panchamah kapilo naama siddheshah kaalaviplutam |

provaachaasuraye sankhyam tatvagramavinirnayam ||

5. Fifth incarnated as the sage Kapila, son of the great Kardama Prajapathi and Devahuthi, And explained the philosophy of sankhyam and srusti tatvam to the brahmin named Asuri, which lost in the course of time.

shastam attrera patyatvam vrutah prapthonasuyayaa |

anvikshi kimalarkaaya prahladaadibhya uchivaan ||

6. The sixth was as the guru Dattatreya, son of the sage Atri and Sati Anasuya. He explained the divine concepts to Prahlada,  Alarka and others.

tatah saptama akutyam rucheryagnobhyajayata |

sa yamadyaih suraganai rapatsvayambhuvantaram ||

7. The seventh incarnation is Yagna, who is son of Prajapati Ruchi and Akuti, ruled the period of Swayambhuva Manu.

ashtame merudevyam tu nabherjata urukramah |

darshayan varma dheeraanaam sarvashramanamaskrutam ||

8. The eight is Rishabha, son of the king Nabhi and Merudevi. He showed the path of controlling senses that even the kshatriyas can also  perform  and respected by the one in every ashrams [Brahmacharyashram, Grihastashram, Vana prasthu and Sanyasi ashram].

rushibhiryachitho bheje navamam pardhivam vapuh |

durgdhemamoshadherviprastenayam sa ushathamah  ||

9. Lord Vishnu incarnated as Pruthu and he cultivated the land when the earth lost its own capability to produce. because of him now we are able to see and enjoy the beauty of our earth. Because of him the earth is called as Prithvi.

rupam sa jagruhe matsyum chakshusodadhisamplave |

navyaropya mahimayyamapadyaivasvantam manum ||

10. Then the lord incarnated as Matya, to save Vaivasvata manu when the process of destruction [pralaya] after the period of Chakshusha manu took place. He in the form of fish showed the way to Vaivasvata manu, and other sages who was in the boat when the whole world is in deep water.

surasuranamudadhem mathnatam mandarachalam |

dadhre kamatharupena prushta ekadashe vibhum ||

11. The eleventh was in the form of Kurma, when the both devas [Suras ] and demons [ Asuras] were performing the process of churning the ocean [sagara madhanam] with the help of Mandhara hill, he helped the mountain to sustain in his back to complete the process of extracting nectar .

dhanvantaram dvadashamam trayodashamameva cha |

apayayatsurananyanmohinya mohayan striya ||

12. Here the two incarnations are in consequence of the same situation mentioned above. After completion of the process of churning the ocean, the amrith has been extracted which was brought up by Dhanvantari, the twelth incarnation, who is the lord of all medicines or ayurveda. And the lord incarnated as a beautiful lady Mohini and he distributed the amrit to devas and also slayed the demon who is after become the two different forms Rahu and Ketu. And who is also the mother of swamy Ayyappa, father being Lord Shiva. 

chaturdasam narasimham bibhraddhaityenadrumurgitam |

dadara karajairuraverakam katakrudyatha ||

14. The fourteenth incarnation of lord Vishnu is Narasimha, half human and half lion. He saved Prahlada by killing his father demon Hiranyakahyap.

panchadasham vamanakam krutyagadadhvaram baleh |

padatrayam yachamanah pratyaditsustripishtapam ||

15. The next incarnation is as Vamana a small boy, who is son of Aditi, mother of all gods and sage Kashyap, father of gods and demons [sura and asuras] and he by asking the three steps of land to the king Bali sent him to patala loka by stepping on his head.

avatare shodashame pasyan brahmadruho nrupam |

tri saptakrutvah kupito nihkshatramakaronmaheem ||

16. The sixteenth incarnation is of Bhargava Rama popular as Parashurama who destroyed the kshatriyas for 21 times for miss using their powers. And he is also one of the 8 Chiranjeevis.

tatah saptadashe jatah satyavatyam parasharat |

chakre vedataroh shaka drushtvapumsolpamedhasah ||

 

17. The seventh incarnation  is as the great sage Vyasa, son of Parashara and Sathyavathi. He is the author of ashtadasa 18 Puranas, which contains the complete knowledge of Vedas [veda saram].

naradevatvamapannah surakaryachikershaya |

samudranigrahadeni chakre veryanyatah param ||

18. Lord Vishnu as his eighteenth incarnation appeared as Lord Rama, who ruled his people for 11000 years after killing the Demon Ravana, who kidnapped Sita devi and was torturing all deva's. 

ekonavimshe vimshatime vrushni shu prapya janmani |

ramakrishnaviti bhuvo bhagavanaharadbharam ||

19. In the nineteenth and twenty incarnation the Lord appeared as Bala rama and Sri Krishna in the clan Yadavas, and reduced the burden of world [ bhubharam].

tatah kalou sampravrutte sammohaya suradvisham |

buddho namnanjanasutah kekateshu bhavishyati ||

21. In the begining of Kali yuga Lord Vishnu will appear as Buddha, the son of Anjana at the place of Gaya. He will win the hearts of those persons, who only show hatred towards devotees by his divine grace.

athasou yugasandhyayam dasyuprayeshu rajasu |

janita vishnuyashaso namna kalkirjagatpatih ||

22. At the end of kali yuga Lord Vishnu appear as Kalki, as the son of a Brahmana Vishnuyashasu, in the place of Shambala at that time every king will exploit the people, and behave like a thief.

The above two sentences from Srimad Bhagavatha puran are said even before the incarnations take place. Is'nt it exciting to know that the incarnation is yet to take place.

And it does'nt mean there are no other incarnations of Lord Vishnu, as already mentioned above that only few are discussed in Srimad Bhagavatham, and there are innumerable incarnations, where Hayagreeva, Lord Vishnu with horse head is one of them.