Kalki Avatar

In the year , 2001-2002 we were said to be in the 5102nd year out of the total of 432,000 years of the KALIYUGA. The Kali Yuga is said to come to and end after 426,898 years. During this period, the evil forces would progressively gain control and destroy all good ones by the time Kaliyuga comes to a close. BRAHMA is believed to have told NARADA about all the Avatars including the apocalyptic KALKI AVATAR. According to Puranas, when the evil becomes unbearable, Lord Vishnu will be born in a village called 'SAMBALAM' on the banks of Ganges as the son of a Brahmin couple called VISHNUYASAS and SUMATHI. He will be riding a white horse called ?kalkam (karkam) and wielding a sharp sword will traverse the entire Universe in three nights weeding out all evil forces and establishing a Krita yuga back again -thus being the harbinger of the 'Golden Age' on earth. May the Lord who now appears to us in Archaa form and who is going to take this form of Kalki put an end to our cycle of births and deaths in Samsaara.

Paritranaya saadunaam vinashayasa dushkrudham dharma
samsthaba narthaya sambavami yuge yuge

Meaning :

Whenever evil over-takes the good and the world is sinking with sins at that time I will come to annihilate the evil and establish righteousness.

Source : http://dasavatharastotra.blogspot.com/

Krishna Avatar

In this avathar Lord Krishna gave Bhagavat Gita to mankind - a compilation that is a religious classic with profound phylosophical thoughts. Gita has taught many things to mankind - to lead a life of love, affection,devotion,duty to parents,duty to country etc. God Sri Krishna says he liberates mankind from their sins when they completely surrender to him and helps them attain perfection. He also says in Gita "abandoning all rites and duties take refuge in me alone. Do not grieve for I shall librate you from all sins. Kamsa the king of Madhurapuri was a cruel ruler.He imprisoned his father and took over the reign. He got his sister Devaki whom he loved very much married to Vasudeva and was bringing them home when Yogamaya appeared in the sky and warned Kamsa that the eighth child of Devaki born with the astrologoical star "Rohini"
would kill him. Immediately kamsa was very restless and consulted his friend Jarasanda and according to his advice imrpisoned both Devaki and Vasudeva. When ever devaki gave birth to a child he would immediately kill the baby. Devaki and Vasudeva were very sad and prayed to God Vishnu. The God appeared before them and said "I will be born as your 8th child and I will kill Kamsa Do not worry and have peace of mind." So saying God disappeared. Aside to the story of Krishna avathar: In the mean time Sri vishnu ordered Aadhi-sesha his five-hooded snake to go into Devaki's womb to be the seveth child. But He said this child would in time be transfered to the womb of Rohini the first wife of Vasudeva and would be born as Balarama - another avathar of the God. God again ordained that Yokamaya Shakthi would be born as a girl child to Yasoda a lady in the yadava clan in Gokulam at the same time when Sri vishnu would be born as Lord Krishna to Devaki. When Devaki gave birth to Lord Krishna God ordered Vasudeva to take the baby to Gokulam leave it with Yasoda and bring the female child born to Yasoda to the prison to be with Devaki. By Gods will the jail gates unlocked by themselves, the guards fell asleep to facilitate Vasudeva to take the child to Gakulam as divinely ordained. Further the river Yamuna which was in spate parted to open a path for vasudeva to pass with the child on his head. It was raining also. By Gods instruction a five-hooded snake opened its hood like an umbralla over the child to protect it from the rain. He reached to gokulam and exchanged the children and he came back to the jail with Yogamaya born as a female child. The doors closed and locked itself automatically. All the gaurds woke up from deep slumber. As soon as he left the child with devaki Immediatly the child began to cry. The guards immediately informed to Kamsa that a child was born to Devaki. Kamsa immediately went to the jail and was surprised and confused to find that the eighth child was a baby girl. However he snached the baby and dashed it head against the jail wall. The baby rose up and appeared as Devi Yokamaya and said "Oh merciless king why are you trying to kill me ? The one to kill you is already born and is growing up somewere. You cannot escape from death." saying this Yogamaya disappeared. Kamsa was stunned and went to his palace a worried person. He felt very restless. In the mean time grand celebrations were going on in Gokulam over the birth of Sri Krishna. Kamsa heard about this and sent his men to Gokulam to find out how many children were born with Rohini as their zodiac star. They went to Gokulam and found that 25 such children were born and informed Kamsa accordingly.They also told him that grand celebrations were going on in one Nandan's house Kamsa somehow felt very uncomfortable about the birth of Krishna to Nandan and Yasoda and tried various means to kill the child but did not succeed. In time Lord Krishna killed the cruel king. Nandan sent young Krishna to a hermit for 'gurukula-vasam' for his formal education. Krishna learnt all the sasthras and all the arts. On finishing his education he shifted to Dwaraka from Madhura. He distroyed all the evil forces and and established Dharma. Krishna helped the 'Pancha-pandavas' the five brothers among whom Arjuna was Krishna's very close friend.He helped them win the war with 'Kowrawas' - the evil 100.During the war between the Kowravas" and the 'Pandavas' Lord Krishna gave the message of Bhagvat Gita to Arjuna and to the world.
Sources : Wikipedia

Balarama Avatar

Balarama was born as the brother of Krishna. Balrama is a symbol of strenght, an obedient son, an ideal brother and husband, an ideal man and god. He is a protector from desires, the divinity of strength or the strength of the divine, symbolizing duty, honesty and simplicity.
Vishnu incarnated as Balarama when Indra and the other gods came to lord Vishnu and asked for release from the demon son Kamsa, king of Mathura. Vishnu took one black and one white hair from his head and promised that these two would come to fight against the demons. This way, first Balrama (the white hair) and then Krishna (the black hair). Etymologically, Balarama derives from the Sanskrit words bala (meaning "strength") and Rama (a name of god). Accordingly, Balarama is considered to be extremely strong and, as such, he is also known by strength monikers such as Halayudha ("carrier of the plow"). Though overshadowed in worship by his brother Krishna, Balarama still plays a role in Hindu tales and remains a popular deity for some Hindus today. Together with Krishna he grew up in a cowherd's family. At an early age, he killed the demon Dhenuka, accompanied Krishna to Mathura and supported him until Kamsa was killed. Balarama also released Krishna´s son, Samba, from Duryodhana's prison. His wife was Revati, king Raivata´s daughter. They had two sons, Nistha and Ulmuka. Balarama was a weapon expert and is famous for his ability as an instructor of combat tactics. He taught both Duryodhana of the Kauravas and Bhima of the Pandavas the art of fighting with a mace. When war broke out between the corrupted Kauravas and the dharma-abiding Pandavas, Balarama considered himself equally affectionate toward both parties and so decided to side with neither group. Bhima, a warrior of greater strength, eventually defeated Duryodhana, a warrior of greater skill, by dealing him a blow below the navel with his mace. Upon hearing of this, Balarama threatened to kill Bhima, and was only prevented from doing so by Krishna.
Balarama's death is described in the Bhagavata Purana. After taking part in the battle that caused the destruction of the remainder of the Yadu dynasty, Balarama witnessed the disappearance of Krishna from the earthly realm. Having seen this, he then sat down in a meditative state and produced a great white snake from his mouth, that is, the holy serpent Shesha of whom he is sometimes said to be an incarnation. Shesha then carried Balarama into the ocean and out of the physical world.

There is not much significance in this avathar. From the evolutionary angle this avathar marks the period when humans started a settled way of life taking to agriculture

Sources : sanatansociety.org , newworldencyclopedia

Thanks to Padma , who collected all the points .

Rama Avatar

Rama avathar is called Dharma Avathar. He not only overcame 'adharma' (evil forces) but also taught mankind how to lead a perfect life of truthfulness, kindness, obeisance to parents etc.In RAMA Avatar, Lord Vishnu incarnates himself as RAMA ,he is one of the more popular figures and deities in Hinduism, The majority of details concerning Rama come from the Ramayana, one of the two great epics of India. Born as the eldest son of Kaushalya and Dasharatha, king of Ayodhya, Rama is referred to within Hinduism as Maryada Purushottama, literally the Perfect Man or Lord of Restrictions. Lord Rama is the central character in the epic RAMAYANA , in this myriad of topics are covered, including war, love, brotherhood,ideal man , son etc.

Prince of Ayodhya :
King Dasaratha performs a putrakamesti yagna , a sacrifice to obtain offspring by pleasing the gods. He gives the sacred, sacrificial nectar to his three wives according to their seniority: Kousalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi. On the night of the ninth day after Amavasya, Rama was born. He is the eldest brother to Bharata, son of Kaikeyi, and the twin sons of Sumitra, Lakshmana and Shatrughna. Rama is dark-complexioned, mainly bluish – a symbol of divinity. The Ramayana describes the relationship between the brothers as intensely loving and devotional,
Initiation of the Avatara :
Sage Vishwamitra takes the two princes, Rama and Lakshmana, to the Swayamvara ceremony for Sita. The challenge is to string the bow of Shiva, and shoot an arrow with it. This task is considered impossible for any ordinary king or living being, as this is the personal weapon of Shiva, more powerful, holy and of divine creation than conceivable. While attempting to string the bow, Rama breaks it in two. This feat of strength spreads his fame across the worlds and seals his marriage to Sita. When it was time king Dasaratha wanted to crown Rama as the king and retire to the forest to devote his time to penance renouncing all pleasures of life. Kaikeyi the third wife of dasaratha and a step-mother to Rama however wanted her son Bharatha to be crowned the king Long time earlier King Dasaratha Promised kaikeyi two favours she would ask for. She however did not ask for anything at that time , now she invoked the promise that King dasaratha had made and asked that Bharatha be crowned the King instead of Rama. Her second wish was that Rama should be banished to the forest and live there for 14 years as an ascetic before returning to the kingdom. King dasaratha was distressed, but Rama realizes that the king must not break a solemn promise at any time, and neither should a son disobey his father's command. Sita joins her husband in exile despite his discouraging her, as it is her duty and out of love for Rama that she must be at his side at all times. His younger brother Lakshmana also immediately decides to join Rama rather than remain in the city.

Once Ravana's sister Soorpanagai was wandering around in the forest and ran into Rama and Lakshmana and was struck by the handsome features of the princes. She went up to Rama and spoke to him coyly to entice him but Rama was so much devoted to Sita that he would not countanence any other women in his life. He chasticed her and drove her away. She next went to Lakshmana with similar intentions. But Lakshmana did not like her obsene manners and to spite her he cut off her nose with his sword. Soorpanaga vowed to take revenge on both the brothers She ran to her brother Ravana and misrepresented her encounter with Rama and Lakshmana. She also told him about the rare beauty of Sita and kindled his desire to possess Sita. Ravana took help from Marchan , and inturn Marichan took the form of a deer and went near the ashram. Sita was so struck by the beauty of the animal and wanted to keep it in the ashram. She asked Rama to bring the deer to her. Rama went after the animal which was running fast taking Rama away from the ashram. At one point the deer gave out a cry "hey Lakshmana" mimicrying the voice of Rama. Sita was panic stricken and thought Rama was in deep trouble and asked Lakshmana to immediately go and see what was wrong. All the while Ravana was watching and when Lakshmana was out of sight pounced upon Sita and carried her away in his sky-chariot to Lanka. Rama was disconsolate when he returned and found sita missing. He upbraided Lakshmana for leaving sita un-guarded. On regaining composure they both set forth in search of sita. On their way they saw the wounded jatayu the eagle who told them that he saw Ravana the King of Lanka carrying away Sita south-ward. Jatayu was wounded by Ravana when he tried to rescue sita.So Rama and Lakshmana went south-ward towards Lanka in search of Sita. On the way they met Hanuman who became most faithful and devoted to Rama. Through Hanuman Rama got the following of Sugriva and his army of monkeys. Hanuman found sita in the asoka-vana in Lanka disconsolate and sorrounded by evil-ladies. Rama set forth with the army of monkeys to rescue sita.Knowing the prowess of Ravana Rama prayed to lord for strength to fight Ravana and his hordes. Shiva granted him the boon. Armed with this Rama invaded Lanka. After an epic battle he vanquished Ravana and his army and rescued Sita.
Agni pariksha :
After Rama slays Ravana and wins the war, Sita wants to come before him in the state which over a year's imprisonment had reduced her to, Rama arranges for Sita to be bathed and given beautiful garments before they are re-united. But even as Sita comes before him in great excitement and happiness, Rama does not look at her, staring fixedly at the ground. He tells her that he had fought the war only to avenge the dishonour that Ravana had inflicted on Rama, and now Sita was free to go where she pleased. At this sudden turn of events, all the vanaras, rakshasas, Sugriva, Hanuman and Lakshmana are deeply shocked . Sita begs Lakshmana to build her a pyre upon which she could end her life, as she could not live without Rama. At this point, Lakshmana is angered at Rama for the first time in his life, but following Rama's nod, he builds a pyre for Sita. At the great shock and sorrow of the watchers, Sita walks into the flames. But to their greater shock and wonder, she is completely unharmed. Instead, she glows radiantly from the centre of the pyre. Immediately Rama runs to Sita and embraces her. He had never doubted her purity for a second, but, as he explains to a dazzled Sita, the people of the world would not have accepted or honoured her as a queen or a woman if she had not passed this Agni pariksha before the eyes of millions, where Agni would destroy the impure and sinful, but not touch the pure and innocent
Maryada Purushottama :
As a person, Rama personifies the characteristics of an ideal person (purushottama) who is to be emulated. He had within him all the desirable virtues that any individual would seek to aspire, and he fulfils all his moral obligations (maryada). Rama's purity and piety in his intentions and actions inspires affection and devotion for him from a variety of characters from different backgrounds. For example, he gave up his rightful claim to the throne, and agreed to go into exile for fourteen years, to fulfill the vow that his father had given to Kaikeyi, one of King Dashratha's wives. This is in spite of the fact that Kaikeyi's son, Bharat, begged him to return back to Ayodhya and said that he did not want to rule in place of Rama. But Rama considered his dharma as a son above that of his own birthright and his life's ambition. For such supreme sacrifices, and many other qualities, Shri Rama is considered a maryada purushottam.
Maha-vishnu took this incarnation to show to the world an example in
virtuous living. From another angle this marks the period when humans
evolved as a perfect being in the long process of evolution.

Parasuram Avatar

Parasurama was born to Rishi Jamadhagni and his wife Renuka, as the fifth boy.He was initially named Bargava Rama and later on when he took to great penance ,lasting over 10 years in the Himalayas ( Kailash) , Bargava Rama was renamed Parasurama by Lord Siva himself , who gave him his Siva Dhanus and the Parasu (the Axe) as the boons for his deep penance and devotion and blessed him toachieve his objectives with the help of those gadgets . Parasurama , primarily did the penance to Lord Siva, only to get enough powers to avenge the kshatriyarulers , who were harming the sages.

Vasugi sage jamadhagni's wife was very devoted to her husband and her children and looked after all the students with kindness and great care. Everday she used to go to the river closed by very early in the morning to bathe. After taking bath she would make an earthern pot and fetch water for the family. One day as she was making the pot a 'gandharva' ( celestial beings) passed over-head in the sky. She saw the reflection of the gandharva in the river water and was struck by the handsome features just for a moment. That wavering of the mind was considered being untrue to her husband. As a result that day however much she tried she could not make the pot. It broke every time she shaped it. Vasugi was unnerved by this and was afraid to go home. Sage Jamadhagni sensed this through his mental powers and became incensed that his wife admired the beauty of some one other than her husband. Wanting to punish her he ordered Parasurama to behead his mother. Being an obedient son he immediately carried out his father's order.
However Parasurama was overcome with great grief and also felt very angry towards his father. He developed a cruel nature though he remained a sage all his life.

In Vaikuntam , Mahavishnu and Mahalakshmi were talking to each other. Goddess Lakshmi questions her husband Mahavishnu , how He could take an avatar like that in the world , where He is forced to cut His own mother’s head based on theorders of His father and how can He give word to His father without understanding the details of the wishes of His father. Was it not an act of arrogance or immature behaviour ? She says she was unable to understand the significance of this Avatar. While this may look a bit strange , actually Goddess Lakshmi wanted the Lord Himself to convey to the world , the significance of this Avatar . As usual Lord Vishnu then replies calmly and says that, He wanted to prove to the world how even a well read and accomplished person can succumb to the ego , if he does not have self control. While the saying "Pithru Devo Bhava" is to be observed , so also the saying "Mathru Devo Bhava" , which is equally important.When He talks of Mathru here , the Lord covers all the Women folk in the universe.He even says , because of the impulsive action of Parasurama , in only desiring to fulfill his promise to his father , he engaged himself in such acruel action , which when goes in history , is not going to bring him a big fame and despite all his other achievements and accomplishments it would remain as ablemish in his life history. Also the path chosen by any one to achieve his objectives should be bounded by the laid down laws of the universe. Moreover ,persons should never be self centered and impulsive in their actions . Persons should use their head more than their heart whiletaking crucial decisions in life .

sources : http://d.scribd.com/

Vamana Avatar

Vamana was born to Aditi and Kashyapa . Vamana is known to be the younger brother of Indra.
The legend of Bhagavata has it that the Vamana avatar was taken by Vishnu to restore Indra's authority over the heavens, which was taken away by force by the demon king Bali in Dravida.There is an interesting story behind this avatharam. Emperor Mahaballi ruled over the Pathala-loka. Instead of being confined to his-loka he captured the other lokas and was ruling over them. The Gods and others from other lokas Implored to God to put Mahabali in his place. Once Mahabali was performaing a big "yaga"( offering things in the sacrificial fire) and at the end of the yaga was giving away gold and other things in charity. Whoever went to the palace on that day could ask whatever they wished and the king would certainly oblige them. God seized this opportunity and came to Mahabali's palace as a dwarf-mendicant. The dwarf asked the King for just 3 footmeasure of land for himself. The king was perplexed and wondering why the dwarf was asking for only a 3 foot-measure of land when he could ask for acres and acres of land. However the king agred and asked the dwarf the measure the land with his feet. ho! God assumed gigantic proportions his head reaching up to the sky - the highest world above and his feet down at Pathala-loka the lowest of the worlds below the earth. God took one step and that covered all the worlds above the second step covered all the worlds below and there was no place left for his third foot measure. God asked king " Mahabali , I have taken two steps and have covered all the lokas tell me where to keep my foot for the third foot-measure"Mahabali realising that the dwarf was no other than God himself Bowed before the dwarf and said " Please my lord you may keep your foot over my head as the third measure." Accordingly God put his foot on Mahabali's head and pressed hard to push the King to 'Pathala'loka' and told him "O king! this is where you belong and you should confine your self to this loka only." Mahabali realised his folly and ruled long over Pathala-loka. This is to show the people that they should live in their own places and should not be so greedy to occupy the other lands. Thus , Vamana taught King Mahabali that arrogance and pride should be abandoned if any advancement in life is to be made, and that wealth should never be taken for granted since it can so easily be taken away. Vamana then took on the form of Mahavishnu. He was pleased by King Mahabali's determination and ability to keep his promise in the face of his spiritual master's curse and the prospect of losing all his wealth. Vishnu named the King Mahabali since he was a Mahatma (great soul). He allowed Mahabali to return to the spiritual sky to associate with Prahalada (the demoniac Hiranyakashipu's pious son, also a descendant of the demon race) and other divine beings. Mahavishnu also declared that Mahabali would be able to rule the universe in the following yuga (age). Mahabali was the grandson of Prahlada being the son of Prahlada's son Virochana who was killed in a battle with the Devas.
Mahabali is supposed to return every year to the land of his people, to ensure that they are prosperous. This is celebrated as the Onam festival in Kerala, where he is also called Maveli (which is a contraction of Mahabali - the Great Bali).

Sources : http://en.wikipedia.org/

Narasimham Avatar

The Lords fourth incarnation was Nara-simham. This incarnation was demi-human- Half human and Half animal(lion). Nara means human simham means lion. There is an interesting story to explain how and why God took this incarnation. Once Sage Doorwasa went to vishnu-lokha to worship Lord Vishnu. But the guards at the gate - Jayan and Vijayan didn't allow the saint inside to see the lord. The sage got very angry and cast a curse that the two should leave the heavens and be born in the earth as rakshasa- cruel and violent human beings and went away. The two guards were very sad and worried. After thinking for a long time they went inside and saw Lord Vishnu. They told him about the curse cast by the sage Doorvasa. However even Lord Vishnu could not reverse the curse. The guards should not have stopped sage Doorvasa at the gate. Vishnu said You both should not have stoped that sage and I can do nothing about the sage's curse but I can give a new boon that is: you both can come back to me as my enemy after 3 births or you can come back to me as my devotee after 30 births. Take your choice. They said 'O lord we don't want 30 births. Please we want to come back to you soon in 3 births even though the three births would be as your enemies'. Lord Vishnu agreed to this. So in that order their first birth was as Hiranyaksha & Hiranyakasibu
brothers. These brothers were very cruel.
Lord Vishnu in his previous avatara of Varaha, killed Hiranyaksha. Greatly angered by this, started to abhor Lord Vishnu and his followers. To which end he decides to attempt to kill Vishnu by gaining mystical powers, which he believes Brahma, the chief among the devas will award him if he undergoes many years of great austerity and penance. This initially seems to work as planned with Brahma becoming pleased by Hiranyakashipu's austerities. Brahma thus appears before Hiranyakashipu and offers him a boon that he will personally make true anything he wishes for. In reply to which Hiranyakashipu requests the following:
O my lord, O best of the givers of benediction, if you will kindly grant me the benediction I desire, please let me not meet death from any of the living entities created by you. Grant me that I not die within any residence or outside any residence, during the daytime or at night, nor on the ground or in the sky. Grant me that my death not be brought about by any weapon, nor by any human being or animal. Grant me that I not meet death from any entity, living or nonliving. Grant me, further, that I not be killed by any demigod or demon or by any great snake from the lower planets. Since no one can kill you in the battlefield, you have no competitor. Therefore, grant me the benediction that I too may have no rival. Give me sole lordship over all the living entities and presiding deities, and give me all the glories obtained by that position. Furthermore, give me all the mystic powers attained by long austerities and the practice of yoga, for these cannot be lost at any time.
One day while Hiranyakashipu was performing austerities at Mandaracala Mountain, his home was attacked by Indra and the other devas, seizing the opportunity in his absence. At this point the divine sage, Narada intervened in order to protect Kayadu, who he describes as 'sinless'. Following this event Narada takes Kayadu into his care and while under the guidance of Narada, her unborn child (Hiranyakashipu's son) Prahlada, became affected by the transcendental instructions of the sage even at such a young stage of development. Thus, Prahlada when later growing as a child began to show symptoms of this earlier training by Narada, gradually becoming recognised as a devoted follower of Vishnu, much to his father's disappointment. Hiranyakashipu eventually becomes so angry and upset at his son's devotion to Vishnu (who he sees as his mortal enemy) that he decides he must kill him but each time he attempts to kill the boy, Prahlada is protected by Vishnu's mystical power. When asked, Prahlada refuses to acknowledge his father as the supreme lord of the universe and claims that Vishnu is all-pervading and omnipresent. To which Hiranyakashipu points to a nearby pillar and asks if 'his Vishnu' is in it:most unfortunate Prahlada, you have always described a supreme being other than me, a supreme being who is above everything, who is the controller of everyone, and who is all-pervading. But where is He? If He is everywhere, then why is He not present before me in this pillar?"Prahlada answers He is in pillars, and he is in the smallest twig. Hiranyakashipu, unable to control his anger, smashes the pillar with his mace, and then following a tumultuous sound, Vishnu in the form of Narasimha appears from it and in defence of Prahlada moves to attack his father. In order to kill Hiranyakashipu and not upset the boon given by Brahma, the form of Narasimha was chosen. Hiranyakashipu could not be killed by human, deva or animal, Narasimha is neither one of these, as he is a form of Vishnu incarnate as a part-human, part-animal. He comes upon Hiranyakashipu at twilight (when it is neither day nor night) on the threshold of a courtyard (neither indoors nor out), and puts the demon on his thighs (neither earth nor space). Using his sharp nails (neither animate nor inanimate) as weapons, he disembowels and kills the demon.
Even after killing Hiranyakashipu none of the present demigods were able to calm Narasimha's fury, not even Shiva. So all the gods and goddesses called his consort, the goddess Lakshmi, but she was also unable to do so. Then, at the request of Brahma, Prahlada was presented to Narasimha, and finally, he was calmed by the prayers of his devotee. Before parting, Narasimha rewards the wise Prahlada by crowning him king.

Sources : wikipedia.

Varaha Avatar

Lord Vishnu’s next incarnation was in the form of a boar. It is called Varaha Avataram. The mythological story behind this avathar is as follows: Lord Brahma, the Creator of the Universe, was engaged in the mighty assignment of the creation of the cosmos. But Earth or Bhoomadevi , was in a topsy -turvy state, being ravaged by the surging waves. Ultimately, the wretched Bhoomadevi sank to the bottom of the measureless depths of the ocean. Lord Brahma witnessing such terrible misery, fervently appealed to the Benevolent Authority of Lord vishnu, "O Lord, please come to my rescue and retrieve Mother Earth". As he uttered this prayer with an attitude of absolute helplessness, a tiny white boar, even smaller than the size of his thumb, appeared out one of his nostrils. To his sheer surprise, the boar continued outgrowing, until it has assumed a gigantic structure. Brahma realized the Boar or Varaha, as the Protector, Lord Vishnu. With a thundering roar, the Boar stormed through the clouds and zealously plunged into the ocean. After a frantic search, the Varaha Avatar discovered Bhoomadevi , stuck in the ocean-bed. Penetrating the ocean-bed with his tough tusks, he dug up Bhoomadevi. Then, he carried Bhoomidevi upwards, towards the surface. Meanwhile, there arrived the disruptive demon or Asura, called Hiranyaksha. Hiranyaaksha had turned out to be a formidable foe of the Devas or gods, after achieving boon from Brahma, through a severe penance. He heinously used to invite the Devas for combat, threaten them with his ferocity and defeat them decisively. He approached Varuna, the God of water, for the malicious sport. But Varuna understood his mal intentions, and own self-limitation, unsuitable to be at par with the Asura`s stength. He refused and at the same time, suggested Hiranyaksha to pose a challenge to Vishnu. He met Narada Muni, the Divine sage and a dedicated devotee of Lord Vishnu, and gathered the news from him, that Vishnu was escalating upwards with Bhoomadevi on his tusks, from the ocean. The impudent Hiranyaksha, blinded by pride and overriding arrogance, leaped into the ocean. He noticed the Varaha Avatar of Vishnu, bearing Bhoomadevi, and rushed upto him, instigating the Lord for a fight - " Hey beast, leave Bhoomadevi alone and come and fight me." The Varaha, heedless of the Asura`s loathsome activities, first deposited Bhoomadevi on the shore, to ensure her safety. He bestowed Divine Benediction on Bhoomadevi, " May you fit into the Divine order". It was time to ward off the evil with the greatest of valor, exercisable by Vishnu only. A tremendous battle was generated. Simultaneously, Brahma, spurred the wrathful Varaha, with the caution, "Twilight is approaching and in an hour he will become more powerful and formidable. So, slay him quickly and rid us of all menance." The urgency propelled the Lord to fiercely cast the crushing deathblow upon the viscious Asura. The Asura was destroyed andb the Bliss of peace and order, was restored to the Universe.Brahma and Devas, expressed their gratitude by eulogizing The Lord`s Magnificence. Varaha Avatar, like Matsya and Kurma Avatar, reinforces the inviolable truth, that God can take any form, while coming to the rescue of the virtuous. Therefore, true religion must impart the essential education that God resides in every creature, because all are but His Manifestations.
Source : http://d.scribd.com/ , http://www.indianetzone.com/

Koorma Avatar

The second of the ten Avataras of Vishnu, the legend is that at a very remote period when the gods felt their powers weakened and were desirous of obtaining amrita the beverage of immortality, Vishnu directed them to churn, together with the demons, the ocean of milk. Vishnu told Brahma and the other gods that they should have a temporary truce with the demons. The two sides should get together to churn the ocean. Vishnu would ensure that the devas benefited more from this churning of the ocean than the daityas did. The truce was agreed upon and the two sides got ready to churn the ocean. The mountain Mandara was used as a churning rod and great sake Vasuki as the rope for churning. The devas grasped Vasuki’s tail and the daityas grasped Vasuki’s head. But as the churning began, the mountain Mandara which had no base, started to get immersed in the ocean. What was to be done? Lord Vishnu came to the rescue. He adopted the form of a turtle and the peak was balanced on the turtle’s back. As the churning continued, terrible poison named kalkuta emerged from the depths of the ocean and was swallowed by Shiva. Shiva’s throat became blue from this poison and he is therefore known as Nilakantha, blue of throat. The goddess Varuni, the goddess of wine (sura), came out next. The gods readily accepted her and thus they came to be known as suras. But the demons rejected Varuni and were therefore known as asuras. She was followed by the Parijata tree, a beautiful tree that came to occupy the pride of place in Indra’s garden. A jewel named koustubha emerged and was accepted by Vishnu as his adornment. Three wonderful animals came out next - the cow Kapila, the horse Ucchaishrava and the elephant Airavata. They were followed by the apsaras, beautiful women who became the dancers of heaven. They were known as apsaras because they emerged from ap (water). The goddess Lakshmi or Shri came out next and was united with Vishnu. Finally,Dhanvantari emerged with a pot of amrita (the life - giving drink) in his hands. Dhanvantari was the originator of medicine (ayurveda). The daityas led by Jambha gave half of the amrita to the devas and departed with the remaining half. But Vishnu quickly adopted the form of a beautiful woman. So beautiful was the woman that the demons were charmed. “Pretty lady,” they said. “ take the amrita and serve it to us. Marry us.” Vishnu accepted the amrita, but he had no intention of giving it to the demons. He served it to the gods instead. There was only one demon who was somewhat clever. His name was Rahu. He adopted the form of Chandra, the moon-god, and succeeded in drinking some of the amrita. The sungod and the moon-god noticed what was happening and reported it to Vishnu. Vishnu there upon cut off Rahu’s head with a sword. But Rahu had drunk the amrita, so he could not die. He prayed to Vishnu and Vishnu granted him a boon. The boon was that occasionally Rahu would be permitted to swallow up the sun.You can see this happening at the time of the solar and the lunar eclipses. People who give alms during such eclipses are blessed. The gods obtained the amrita and the demons did not. Thus, the gods became more powerful than the demons. They defeated the demons and regained heaven. Lord VISHNU in this manner saved his True Devotees from dissolution so as to hand down divine knowledge and saved the VEDAS from destruction so as ensure CREATION after the DISSOLUTION.
Sources : http://www16.brinkster.com/manimangalam/ , http://d.scribd.com/

Matsya Avatar

The Matsya Avatar is the first incarnations of Lord Vishnu. The Matsya avatar never made into a independent status for worship. It has no temples.

Once when Lord Brahma, was about to fall asleep, at the end of the Kalpa (one day of Brahma - equal to 4320 million year), a cunning demon named Hayagriva had been hanging around, took the advantage to steal from Lord Brahma, the Vedas. But Lord Vishnu caught the asura , in this act, and to retrieve the Vedas. Lord Vishnu noticed King Satyavrata, who was doing the rituals of offerring water to God. Immediately Lord Vishnu took the form of a fish (Matsya), descended into water. When Stayavrata scooped water fromthe river, he found a tiny fish inside his kamandalam , then he tried to leave it back into river , the fish entreated the Stayavrata , not to leave him in the river as it would be eaten up by big fish. The fish grew bigger and bigger that , lakes were not enough, so the king thought of leaving it in the ocean as he had no other way, when he reached ocean, Fish again pleaded the king not to leave in the ocean, as it will be eaten by big fish. The king got suspicious and realised that it is Lord Vishnu in the form of fish. When King asked God, why he is in the form of fish? Lord replied his devotee, In a weeks time, the ocean will rise high and inundate the entire universe. Lord Vishnu gave the Satyavrata the knowledge he would require for his role as Manu in the next cycle. At that time a boat will come approaching you , do collect all seeds, Plants, animals, sages, and Vasuki serpant, as required for the next spell of creation and get into the boat and wait for me. As said by lord Vishnu,Pralayam began ,A boat approached satyavrata and all went inside the boat , and a fish with a horn came near and ordered them to tie up the boat to its horn with the help of vasuki serpant as rope.Lord Vishnu,(Matsya) left for fulfilling its mission. Hayagriva saw the gigantic fish approaching him and was overtaken by fear. He held the Vedas tightly in his mouth. But soon the Divine Fish slew him and recovered the Vedas and restored them to Brahma for him to resume the function of Creation at the appropriate time.Thus lord Vishnu saved the mankind from dissolution.

Source : http://www.webonautics.com/