Daśāvatāra Stotra
The Daśāvatāra Stotra is a hymn to the ten avatāras (descents) of Bhagavān Vishṇu. It is found in the Kalki Purāṇa, Dvithīyāmśa, chapter 3. The kings who had been turned into women at the svayaṃvara of Padmāvatī sang it. Kalki had told them to bathe in the Revā river, and it had given them back their forms as men. They praised Kalki as the tenth and last avatāra in the line of the ten descents. The stotra tells each avatāra in short and ends with a prayer to Kalki, who had saved them from their suffering.
The setting
Bṛhadratha married Kalki and Padmāvatī at Siṃhala Dvīpa. Then the kings who had been turned into women at the svayaṃvara came to Kalki. At his command they bathed in the Revā river. At once they were given back their own forms as men.
They were amazed at this divine grace. They saw in Kalki the full nature of Bhagavān Vishṇu, and in reverence they sang this Daśāvatāra Stotra.
The ten avatāras in the stotra
Matsya
The three worlds were drowned in the waters of pralaya (the dissolution) and the sound of the Veda could no longer be heard. Bhagavān Vishṇu came down in the form of a fish (Matsya) and set dharma right again.
Varāha
The mighty Hiraṇyāksha had beaten Devendra, taken svarga and sunk the earth in the waters. Bhagavān Vishṇu came down as Varāha, slew Hiraṇyāksha and lifted the earth out of the waters.
Kūrma
The devas and asuras wanted amṛta (the drink of deathlessness). They churned the Kshīra-sāgara (the Ocean of Milk) with the mountain Mandara as the churning rod. The mountain began to sink. Bhagavān Vishṇu took the form of Kūrma, put Mandara on his back and held up the churning.
Narasiṃha
Hiraṇyakaśipu had conquered the three worlds and oppressed the devas. He had received a vara from Brahmā that he could not be killed by any weapon, by night or by day, in the sky, on the earth or in Pātāla, by a deva, gandharva, kinnara or human. Bhagavān Vishṇu took the form of Narasiṃha. At twilight, on a doorstep, he split Hiraṇyakaśipu open with his nails.
Vāmana
The mighty Bali Cakravartī had conquered all three worlds. Bhagavān Vishṇu became Vāmana, born as the younger brother of Indra. He went to the yajña of Bali and asked for three steps of earth. Bali always kept his word, and he gave the dāna (gift). Bhagavān Vishṇu grew into a cosmic form (Trivikrama) and covered earth and sky in two steps. He put the third step on the head of Bali and sent him to Pātāla.
Bali never broke his promise to give. For this reason Bhagavān Vishṇu himself stands as the doorkeeper of Bali and always gives him darśana (sight of him).
Paraśurāma
The Haihaya kings and others were drunk with pride and broke every limit. Bhagavān Vishṇu was born in the Bhṛgu line as Paraśurāma, the son of Jamadagni. He cleared the earth of wrongdoing kshatriyas twenty-one times and left the earth without kshatriyas.
Rāma
The asura Rāvaṇa, born to Viśravas in the line of Pulastya, was tormenting the worlds. Bhagavān Vishṇu came down as the son of Daśaratha of the Sūrya line. He studied under Viśvāmitra. He went to the forest for fourteen years. During that time Rāvaṇa carried off Sītā. Using this as the reason, Bhagavān Vishṇu built the setu (bridge) with his army of monkeys and slew Rāvaṇa.
Kṛshṇa
Then Bhagavān Vishṇu came down in the Yadu line as the son of Vasudeva. He killed countless rākshasas on the earth and lightened the burden of the earth. All the devas serve him.
Buddha
Some people were using for their own selfish ends the rules of the Veda that Brahmā had set. Bhagavān Vishṇu came down as Buddha and taught them right living and freedom from desire. He told them: “Do not become bound by desire, do not become slaves of the indriyas (senses), do not become servants of māyā.” Though he seemed to turn away from the Vedas, he did not turn away from right living.
Kalki
The kings say to Kalki: “Now, in the Kali Yuga, you have come down as Kalki. You have come to destroy the Kali line, the Buddhist pāshaṇḍas and the hordes of mlecchas, and to set up again the veda-dharma, which is the ground of the world. You took away from us the painful state of being women into which we had fallen, and you raised us up. What words can tell of your grace?”
The closing appeal
The kings ended their stotra with these words: “O Bhagavān Kalki! You are the bridge between this world and the next, and you are far beyond our reach. And we were fooled by the arrows of Manmatha at a mere svayaṃvara, and slaves of our senses, and we fell so low. To see your lotus feet is the hardest of all blessings to win. O ocean of compassion, you who have taken shelter of us, we who have taken shelter of you, protect us with the glance of your grace (kṛpā-kaṭāksha).”
Sources
- Kalki Purāṇa, Dvithīyāmśa, chapter 3