Brush up your MYTHOLOGY - Each avatar of Lord Vishnu has a story

Of the 10 recognised incarnations of Lord Vishnu, legend has it that nine have already appeared before us.
Let us have a look at these various avatars.

The first one of these takes the form of Matsya or fish. Hindu mythology believes that the world is subject to a cycle of periodical destruction. It was during one such cycle that the four Vedas were submerged beneath the water. In order for Brahma to carry on with his work of creation, the Vedas were a must as they were manuals of instruction. Vishnu was commanded to recover these books and to do so, he took the form of a fish.

In his next incarnation, Vishnu takes the form of a tortoise, Kachyup or Kurma that took the newly created, trembling earth upon its back to give it some form of stability.

The third incarnation is that of Varaha or boar. Taking this form, Vishnu is supposed to have descended into the water and drawn up the earth with the help of his huge tusks. Narasimha is Vishnu’s fourth incarnation. This form of a half-lion, half-man was taken by Vishnu in order to kill the evil Hiranyakashipu whom no man or animal could destroy.

Vamana or dwarf is the fifth avatar of Vishnu. The sixth avatar takes the form of an axe-like weapon known as ParsuParashurama, while the seventh and eighth avatars of this great God are those of the most famous heroes of mythology, Ram and Krishna. Rama was the son of Dasharatha, King of Ayodhya, who appeared to destroy the arch-demon Ravana, while Krishna, deemed to be the most perfect avatar of Vishnu, came to the world to kill those who commit evil and to establish the rule of righteousness.

Vishnu’s ninth avatar is that of Balram, the elder brother of Krishna. It is said in the Mahabharata that Vishnu took two hairs: one black and one white and Balram and Krishna were born of them.

The tenth incarnation of Vishnu is yet to appear. But legend has it that it will appear seated on a white horse with a drawn sword in its hand — ready to destroy and rid the world of all evil. This incarnation will appear, according to mythology, at the end of the period of Kali Yug. Next week we will continue our section on mythology with some interesting anecdotes on Lord Shiva.