15 - Incarnations of Vishnu

The lord said: 

1. Lord Hari, the primeval being, thought of incarnating himself. He appeared as Vishnu, the repository of all virtuous deeds. 

2. Lord Vishnu, the germ of all creation, incarnated as Vasudeva. He entered the womb of Maya and created Vayu. 

3. He entered the womb of Jaya and was born as Samkarshana1 (Balarama).

1. Samkarshana, Balabhadra, Rama. He was the elder brother of Shri Krishna and the eighth incarnation of Mahavishnu.

4. The lord was born as Pradyumna. He created Sarasvati, Bharati and the Goddess (Durga). 

5. He created Mahat (in subtle form) with sixteen digits accompanied by ego. I shall now tell you the sixteen digits. 

6-7. They are: Five primary elements (mahabhutas),2 five organs of actions (karmendriya)3 and five organs of knowledge (jnanendriyas)4 and one mind.5

2. Five gross elements: earth, water, fire, wind and ether. 

3. Karmendriyas: Organs of activity, viz., (1) anus, (2) phallus (3) bands, (4) feet, (5) Speech. 

4. Jnanendriyas or buddhindriyas: (1) ears, (2) skin (3) eyes, (4) tongue and (5) nose. 

5. Some regard manas as the eleventh indriya (maras tvekadasam smrutam).

Thereafter was born Aniruddha. The omnipotent lord gathered Souls and created Gods Brahma and others and invested them with the gross body. O lord of birds, then the primeval Purusha Vishnu was born as Sanat Kumara.6

6. Sanat Kumara--also known as Sanat Sujata. He is one of the four Sanakadis, the other three being Sanaka, Sanandana and Santana 

The Sanakadis were the mental sons of Brahma who as infants were asked to create subjects. But they being the incarnations of Sattva (purity) were not prepared to undertake creation. They remained celibates for ever.

8. The lord then became Sanandana and in that form he practised celibacy and subdued the ten organs of senses, a feat which cannot be accomplished by everybody. The prince Sanandana was no other than the lord himself. 

9. Lord Vishnu became a hog1 and took the earth out of waters. He slew Hiranyaksha, protected the pious and established rule of law over the earth.

1. The earth was merged under water by Hiranyaksha. Mahi Vishnu incarnated as the boar and brought the earth out of water by his large teeth. 

10. The lord incarnated himself as Mahidasa from his mother Yamini and father who was not a sage. In his incarnation as Mahidasa2 he preached philosophy of Pancharatra.

2. Mahidasa-a preacher of Pancharatra system of philosophy.

11. Vishnu, known as Narayana, was born in Badari3 for effacing sin and destroying impurities. He practiced penance, taught sages and humbled celestial women.

3. Badari–Badarikashrama, Badaryashrama. A holy place in the Himalayas where Nara and Narayana performed penance for thousands of years.

12. The lord became Kapila,4 explained tattvas, removed doubts and instructed Asuri.5

4. Kapila was an authority on Sankhya. He has written two books, Samkhya-pravachana and Tattva-Samasa. 

5. Asuri--a disciple of Kapila. Compare—

No work of Asuri has so far been discovered.

13. The lord was born of Atri and Anasuya. He was known as Datta.6 He imparted instructions in logic to his disciple Alarka.7

6. Datta Atreya the son of hermit Atri. Anasuya the consort of Atri gave birth to Dattatreya. But Dattatreya was an incarnation of Mahavishnu. 

7. Alarka-No work is ascribed to him.

14. Born in the Solar race from Akuti8 and constituted of permanency (consciousness and bliss) he ruled in the Svayambhuva Manvantara together with the Devas.

8. Akuti-wife of Ruchi Prajapati.

15. O lord of birds, the wide-strider Vishnu was born of Nabhi9 and Marudevi, the daughter of Agnidhra and showed marvels to the honourable learned men of Bharata.

9. Nabhi-the eldest son of Agnidhra. He was the father of Rushabha whose son is Bharata. India was called Bharata after the name of this high-souled king. 

16. Lord Hari incarnated himself as tortoise1 supporting the Mandara2 mountain when it was being used by gods and asuras for churning the ocean.

1. Incarnation as tortoise. Mahavishnu incarnated as tortoise and supported the Mandara mountain when it was being used for churning the milky ocean. 

2. Mandara--a mountain in the cast of Bharata, near Kailasa. It was used as the churning stick when the milk-ocean was churned.

17-18. Lord Hari was born as Dhanvantari3 who was as bright as an emerald.

3. Dhanvantari-born from the ocean of Milk when it was being churned by Devas and Asuras.

Lest the undesirable things should occur, the lord seized the jar of nectar and assumed the form of a pretty damsel Mohini4 and deluded the puffed Asuras.

4. Mohini-When Devas and Asuras quarrelled with each other over the right of partaking the nectar obtained from the sea of milk, Mahavishnu appeared before them in the guise of Mohini and turned the attention of Asuras on her while the nectar was carried away by Devas.

19. The noble lord incarnated himself as Nrusimha5 and killed Hiranyakashipu6 by tearing up his thighs with his nails.

5. Nrusimha or Narasimha --Incarnation as lion-man for killing Hiranyakashipu, the brother of Hiranyaksha and protecting Prahlada, a devotee, against his aggressive designs. 

6. Hiranyakashipu-son of Kashyapa and Diti and brother of Hiranyaksha, Vajranga and Simhika, he was a terror to the devotees of Maha-Vishnu, including his son Prahlada. 

20. The lord was born as Vamana7 to Aditi and Kashyapa for restoring to Indra the land which had been usurped by Bali.

7. Vamana-an incarnation of Mahavishnu. In the guise of a dwarfish brahmin, Mahavishnu begged Mahabali of the entire earth and thrust him to the nether regions.

21. The lord was born to sage Jamadagni and was known as Parashurama.8 He wanted to liberate the earth from the yoke of Kshatriyas who hated the Brahmanas.

8. Parashurama-An incarnation of Mahavishnu. He destroyed the wicked Kshatriya kings as a revenge for the death of his father Jamadagni by Sahasrarjuna Karttavirya. 

22. The lord was born as Vyasa1 from Parashara-Satyavati. He divided the Vedas into four Samhitas for his pupils -Paila and others.

1. Vyasa-son of Parashara from Kali, the daughter of a fisherman. He arranged the Vedas into four Samhitas. The Mahabharata and the Puranas are ascribed to him.

23. The lord was born in the house of Raghu2 in the Solar dynasty, to Kaushalya, and Dasharatha. He challenged the ocean to fight and subjugated him. He fought against Ravana and killed him.

2. Rama (Dasharathi)-an incarnation of Mahavishnu. He defeated the Brahmin sage Parasurama and killed the Brahmin asura Ravana.

24. Then, in the twenty-eighth Dvapara age, lord Vishnu incarnated as Vyasa. 

Born as the son of Parashara and Satyavati,3 he classified the Vedas into four divisions.

3. Satyavati-Called by various names: Kali, Matsyagandha, she was the fisherman's daughter. By copulating with her, Sage Parashara got a son named Vyasa. Later on, she married Shantanu and delivered two sons Chitrangada and Vichitravirya.

25. The lord was born as Krishna4 to Devaki and Vasudeva. He killed Kamsa and his associates, and protected the Pandavas.

4. Krishna-a full incarnation of Mahavishnu. Born in the Yadava dynasty as the son of Vasudeva and Devaki, Shri Krishna was the ninth of the ten incarnations of Mahavishnu.

26. Then in the Kali age, the lord was born in the Kikatas5 as Buddha.6 He deluded the asuras and flouted the Vedas.

5. Kikatas-name of a country, modern Bihar. 

6. Buddha, better known as Gautama Buddha. He was the ninth incarnation of Mahavishnu, born to convert every asura to Buddhism and send him to hell.

27. Then, at the interval between Kalki7 and Satya age, the lord will be born in the house of Vishnugupta and slay the rulers who have turned thieves.

7. Kalki-an incarnation of Mahavishnu. As the son of Vishnuyashas he will destroy all lawless people; restore normalcy, establish four classes and four stages of life. This would be at the end of Kali and the beginning of Kruta age. 

28-29. The incarnations of Vishnu Narayana are twenty-four: beginning with Keshava and Samkarshana. Those beginning with Vishva are one thousand. Those beginning with Para are enumerable. 

These incarnations are of lord Narayana himself. There is not the slightest variation in this statement. 

30. Lord Vishnu is complete in all respects by virtue of strength, form and qualities. He is eternal by virtue of his eternal qualities, not otherwise.