The meaning of the word Avatar in English is “incarnation (of a god)”. In Sanskrit, it means “descent” or “descended from the sky”. It mainly refers to gods coming to Earth in different forms. Hindus believe that there are many planets in the universe. Hindu gods live on some of them and descend on Earth in material forms, especially to restore dharma (righteousness).
Avatar Meaning:
Avatar is originally a Sanskrit word and is derived from the prefix “ava” (down) and the root “tra” (to cross over). Therefore, the word Avatar in general means “descended from the sky”.
Avatar Meaning in Hindi and Marathi:
The meaning of the word avatar in Hindi and Marathi is the same, i.e., an incarnation of a god in a material form”, but there are some other meanings as well. In Marathi, the word avatar is used for “appearance” also, especially an unkempt one. The word is also used for the birth of divine humans.
Avatar Meaning in Computers:
In computers, an avatar means a static or moving image of or other graphic representation that is used by the users on social media, forums, etc., as their identity.
Dashavatara:
Dashavatara is a group of the 10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu. These are the most popular avatars in Hinduism. Hindus believe that Lord Vishnu is the protector of dharma and Earth.
Whenever the evil forces become stronger than the moral forces, and there is a need to restore dharma (righteousness), Lord Vishnu incarnates and eradicates the evil forces and restores dharma.
There are a total of 24 Vishnu avatars. Their names are as follows: Adi Purusha, four Sanath Kumars, Narada, Nara and Narayana, Kapila, Dattatreya, Yajna, Rishabha, Prithu, Dhanvantari, Mohini, Hayagreeva, Vyasa, Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parshuram, Rama, Balarama, Krishna, Buddha, and Kalki. (The names may vary slightly.)
You May Also Like to Read: Dashavatara – The 10 Avatars of Lord Vishnu.
Avatars of Other Gods:
Other than Lord Vishnu, other gods and goddesses, like Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesha, Goddess Parvati, Goddess Lakshmi, and others, also incarnate on Earth. Sometimes, they are the main “heroes,” and sometimes, they assist the main avatar.
E.g., In the Ramayana, Lord Rama is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, Goddess Sita of Goddess Lakshmi, Lakshman of Sheshanaga, and Hanuman of Lord Shiva.
Why Do Gods Take Avatar?
There could be many reasons behind this. Following are some of the probable reasons:
1. For Sports/Entertainment:
Per some streams of Hindu philosophy, the universe is a playground for gods. Generally, they only observe what is happening but sometimes participate in the game. Through their life, they set an example for people on how to live a righteous life. Their behavior guides people for generations about what is right and what is wrong.
2. To Restore Dharma and Eradicate Evil:
As we use a computer, we need to clean unnecessary files and viruses from time to time. If we do not maintain our system, it stands a high risk of collapsing. Similarly, Earth requires cleansing from time to time. This world is designed like that only. If the cleansing is stopped, the world will collapse.
In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna says, “Whenever O Bharata, dharma declines and adharma is on the rise, then I manifest myself. To eradicate evil and restore dharma, I manifest myself from age to age”.
Therefore, gods take avatars on Earth and restore dharma, sometimes by killing evils.
3. To Guide People:
Not necessarily, all avatars came on Earth to kill evils, but many times gods incarnated as sages and guided humanity through difficult times.
Avatars Are Not Always in Human Forms:
It is generally believed that avatars are in human forms only, but it is not true. Some of the earlier Vishnu avatars were in animal or part-animal-part-human forms. E.g., Varaha, Narasimha, Kurma, etc.
Difference Between an Avatar and a Prophet:
Sometimes, these words are used interchangeably, but there is a slight difference between a prophet and an avatar. A prophet is an individual who claims to be in contact with the divine and speaks on his/her behalf, while an avatar carries a divine part of a god in his/her body and hence is termed as “a god on earth”.
Are Avatars Clones?
I think the incarnations of gods are actually their clones. They possess most of the divine properties of that god, but they are not as powerful as their original form. Gods generally avoid coming to Earth. They create clones with sufficient powers to get the jobs done and send them to Earth. It is a high-level science that is beyond our understanding currently.
In the Shiva Purana, Lord Shiva creates Veerabhadra from a lock of his hair. The celestial nymph, Urvashi, was created from the thighs of the sages Nara and Narayana. There are many such examples in the Hindu texts.
Avatars in the Movie “Avatar”:
The movie Avatar (2009) is one of the most successful Hollywood movies. In this movie, humans, before invading a planet called Pandora, send Na’vi-human hybrids called “avatars” on the planet.
To create these hybrids, scientists take DNA samples from a Na’vi and a human and create an in-vitro embryo in a lab. After they are fully grown, they are allowed to mix with the people of Pandora. The humans whose DNA samples are used to create avatars can control them remotely with their minds with psionic link technology.
This fictional scientific concept sounds great, but nobody knows if the gods use the same technology for real avatars or not.