Aṃśāvatāra Parva

The Aṃśāvatāra Parva is the seventh sub-parva of the Ādi Parva of the Mahābhārata. It covers Chapters 59 to 67. It gives the reason for the Mahābhārata war. The earth is pressed down beyond what she can bear by adharma and by asuras who have taken birth as kings and warriors. She appeals to Brahmā, and Brahmā brings her appeal to Bhagavān Vishṇu. Bhagavān Vishṇu commands all the devas to send their aṃśas (portions of themselves) to be born on earth, so that the asuras can be slain.

The parva then lists the families of all beings, from the wives of Kaśyapa down to the Ādityas, Vasus, Rudras, Daityas, Dānavas, birds, animals and ṛshis. After that it names which deva or asura took which human form for the war.

The earth’s appeal and Bhagavān Vishṇu’s command

As the cycle of the yugas went on, the earth became overburdened. Asuras who had been beaten in the wars between the devas and the Dānavas had taken birth among men, in the bodies of kings and warriors. They kept their pride, their violence and their wish to conquer. The weight of these beings, their armies and their adharma pressed on the earth more than she could bear.

The earth took the form of a distressed cow and went to Brahmā, and she laid her suffering before him. Moved by her plea, Brahmā took her to the ocean of milk, to the home of Bhagavān Vishṇu. There Brahmā prayed, and Bhagavān Vishṇu acknowledged the earth’s burden.

Bhagavān Vishṇu declared that the time had come. He commanded all the devas, the Ādityas, Vasus, Rudras, Aśvins, gandharvas, apsarases and others, to send their aṃśas to be born among men. Bhagavān Vishṇu himself would come down as Kṛshṇa Vāsudeva, the son of Vasudeva, to guide the outcome. So the Mahābhārata war was planned as a divine undertaking for the relief of the earth.

The lineages of the beings (Chapters 65 and 66)

Before it names the individual aṃśāvatāras, the parva gives a full list of creation through Kaśyapa Prajāpati and his thirteen wives, all daughters of Daksha.

The line of Aditi: the twelve Ādityas

Kaśyapa and Aditi had twelve Ādityas: Dhātā, Mitra, Aryamā, Śakra (Indra), Varuṇa, Aṃśa, Bhaga, Vivasvān (Sūrya), Pūshā, Savitā, Tvashṭā and Vishṇu. These twelve are the sovereign rulers of the order of the devas.

The line of Diti: the Daityas

Kaśyapa and Diti had the great Daityas, Hiraṇyakaśipu, Hiraṇyāksha and their line. They were the chief enemies of the devas in all the wars between them.

The line of Danu: the Dānavas

Kaśyapa and Danu had the Dānavas, another clan of enemies of the devas.

The eight Vasus

The eight Vasus are Dhara, Dhruva, Soma, Āpa, Anila (Vāyu), Anala (Agni), Pratyūsha and Prabhāsa. They are children of another wife of Kaśyapa. From Prabhāsa and the sister of Bṛhaspati was born Skanda (Kārttikeya). From Prabhāsa also came Viśvakarman, the craftsman of the devas.

The children of Dharma and of Adharma

Dharma had wives named Hrī, Svadhā, Satī, Sambhūti, Kshamā, Prīti, Smṛti and Vasudhā, and from them came beings of righteousness. Adharma was joined with Niṛtti. From them came Bhaya (Fear), Mahābhaya (Great Fear), Mṛtyu (Death) and Vyādhi (Disease).

The bird-daughters of Tāmrā

Kaśyapa and Tāmrā had daughters who became the mothers of the kinds of birds: Krauñcī (owls), Bhāsī (vultures), Śyenī (eagles and hawks), Dhṛtarāshṭrī (geese and swans) and Śukī (parrots and mynahs).

The animal-daughters of Krodhavaśā

From Krodhavaśā came the mothers of animals. Among them was the line that produced Airāvata, the divine elephant.

The line of Kadrū: the Nāgas

Kaśyapa and Kadrū had Vāsuki, Śesha and the thousands of nāgas who fill the world below the earth.

The line of Vinatā: Garuḍa and Aruṇa

Kaśyapa and Vinatā had Aruṇa (the dawn, charioteer of Sūrya) and Garuḍa (the great eagle-lord, the vāhana, or mount, of Bhagavān Vishṇu).

The line of Bhṛgu: Śukra and Paraśurāma

From Bhṛgu came Kavi, and his son was Śukrācārya, the teacher of the asuras. From Cyavana came Aurva. From Aurva came Ṛcīka, from Ṛcīka came Jamadagni, and from Jamadagni came Paraśurāma. He is the avatāra who cleared the earth of the adharma of the kshatriyas twenty-one times.

Dhātā and Vidhātā

Bhṛgu’s daughters Āyati and Niyati had Dhātā and Vidhātā. They are the twin ordainers of creation. They live with Meru and keep the order of the world.

The list of the aṃśāvatāras (Chapter 67)

The parva ends with the list of which deva or being took human birth as which person in the Mahābhārata.

• Arjuna was born as the son of Indra (Śakra). He is Indra’s own aṃśa.
• Yudhishṭhira was born as the son of Dharmarāja. He is Dharma’s own aṃśa.
• Bhīmasena was born as the son of Vāyu. He is Vāyu’s own aṃśa.
• Nakula and Sahadeva were born as sons of the Aśvinīkumāras through Mādrī.
• Bhīshma is the Vasu named Dyau. Vasishṭha laid a śāpa (a curse) on him to live the longest among men. He was born as the son of Gaṅgā and Śantanu.
• Droṇa was born from the aṃśa of Bṛhaspati, the teacher of the devas.
• Karṇa was born as the son of Sūrya (Vivasvān) through Kuntī.
• Vidura was born as a partial form of Yama (Dharmarāja), because of the śāpa of Māṇḍavya.
• Duryodhana was born as the form of Kali, the spirit of discord and adharma in the present age.
• Śakuni was born as the form of Dvāpara.

The asuras who had taken birth as powerful but unrighteous kings in various dynasties were to be the opponents of the Pāṇḍavas, and they would be slain in the great war. Kṛshṇa Vāsudeva himself came down as the highest guide.

Sources

• Mahābhārata, Ādi Parva, Aṃśāvatāra Parva, Chapters 59–67