Avatars: Divine or Human

Posted by Harsh Nevatia Apr 24, 2008

In Hinduism avatars are the incarnations of the supreme God. Traditionally Vishnu has ten major avatars known as Dashavatar, out of the later five are in human form. The Bhagavata Purana lists twenty-four avatars of Vishnu.

In my discussions on various forums on Hinduism I have come across the following conceptions of avatars.

• Avatars are God in human form but without human qualities.
• Avatars are God in human form and take on human qualities.
• Avatars are legendary persons who have been deified.
• Avatars are created from a combination of many legendary figures.

For Hindus the last two definitions are inconceivable because the go against basic belief. Secular historians and sociologists have suggested these options because they base their opinions on evidence and not on belief.

Hindus argue about the first two options. The problem arises because the avatars exhibit both divine and human characteristics. Those who believe that avatars are divine go to great lengths to offer explanations for the human qualities. The fundamental problem seems to be a reluctance to accept that the Divine would take human characteristics. But there is a valid reason for them to do so.

In the most quoted verse of the Bhagwad Gita it is said that God descends to earth as an avatar in order to annihilate evil and thus restore the balance between righteousness and evil. But there is no doubt that God can do that without taking on an avatar. The reason for taking an avatar with human characteristics is to pass on the message that humans have the capacity to combat evil. But then there are times when the avatars use divine powers to kill demons.

In my opinion it is dangerous to make far-reaching generalizations. Each event must be taken in its proper context and appropriate lessons drawn