Year II-Chap.4-DASHA AVATAR - Ygic.us

CHAPTER FOURMatsya Kurma Varaha NarasimhaVamana Parasurama Rama BalaramaKrishnaKalkiDASHA AVATAR

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARDASHA AVATAR (TEN INCARNATIONS OF LORD VISHNU)INTRODUCTIONWhenever Dharma (righteousness) declines and Adharma(evil) prospers, Lord Vishnu whose duty it is to preservethis world often bodies himself forth to restore thebalance in the world. Vishnu took nine avataras, tenth oneis yet to come. They are: Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha,Vamana, Parasurama, Rama, Balarama and Krishna. The tenthone will be Kalki. Srimad Bhagavatam, a very sacredscripture deals with these avatars of Lord Vishnu. It waswritten by Sage Veda Vyasa.The Avatar concept is closely related to themeasurement of time in Hindu theology, which has its basison one working day of Lord Brahma.According to the Bhagwat Purana, Brahma, the creator,is the causal effect of the predetermined periodic creationand dissolution of the universe.Each creation or Kalpa is equal to one day and eachdissolution or Pralaya is equal to one night in the life ofBrahma. A Kalpa and a Pralaya last for 4,320 million humanyears each.Every Kalpa has 1000 cycles of 4 Yugas (ages). The 4Yugas are called Krita or Satya, Treta, Dwapara and Kali.Each cycle of 4 Yugas is completed in 4,320,000 humanyears.Dasha Avatar starts with the form of a lowly fish andwork up to a noble man, cast in the image of God. Thefanciful find a parallel to Darwin’s theory of evolution inthe progression of these avatars.The Avatars enable the common folk to speak of orlisten to stories of divine doings, which are a simple wayof proceeding towards Godhead, particularly in this KaliYuga.1. MATSYA AVATARA (FISH-INCARNATION)Matsya, the Fish, is the first incarnation of LordVishnu in the course of the Deluge; He saved humanity'sforebears from the flood and also the Vedas.At the end of the previous kalpa (creation)Lord Brahma went to sleep. When Brahma wassleeping an asura by name Hayagriva (a horsefaceddemon who resided at the bottom of theocean) stole the Vedas from him. Lord Vishnudecided to retrieve the Vedas from the asura and84

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARtook the form of a fish.There was, then, a king by name Satyavrata who ruledthe world at that time. He was a saint among men: a greatdevotee of Lord Narayana (another name of Vishnu).One day Satyavrata was performinghis morning ablutions on the banks of theriver Kritamala. When he had taken up thewater in his cupped palms he found a tinyfish in the water held in his hands. Whenhe was about to drop it back into theriver, the fish spoke in a human voiceand said, “O kind King, do not throw meback into the water. I am afraid thatother creatures of the river will sooneat me up.” The king was touched by theappeal in the voice of the fish. He dropped the fish intohis kamandalu and took it to his hermitage.That night, however, the fish grew and grew till itfilled the whole kamandalu. In the morning when Satyavratawent to see if it was all right, the fish said, “O king,this kamandalu is too small; please find a more spaciousvessel for me.” The king placed it in a large pot filledwith water. Within an hour the fish had outgrown the pot.Satyavrata then placed it in apond and the same thing happened.The king kept on placing it inlarger and larger areas filledwith water and yet the fish hadnot enough space to move about. Itgrew so big; the king finally tookit to the sea and dropped itthere. The fish said, “O valiantking, do not leave me here and go. The gigantic creaturesof the sea may eat me.”Satyavrata smiled slightly and said, “You are a verystrange fish. I have neither seen nor heard of a wonderfulcreature like you. In one day you have grown big enough tocover the largest of lakes. You are no ordinary fish. Iknow who you are. You are Lord Narayana.”Satyavrata prostrated himself before the fish andsaid,”I know you assume different forms and come to earthfor the good of all. Since you have revealed yourself to meplease tell me why you have taken this form.”The Lord in the form of fish said, “You are right. Ihave taken this form with a purpose. Seven days from todaythe three worlds will be submerged under the waters.Mahapralaya (Dissolution of creation) is coming. When the85

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARworld goes completely under, a spacious boat sent by mewill approach you. Be on the look out for it. When you seeit you will have to enter it. Meanwhile, you must collectall the herbs and seeds and animals you want for the nextkalpa. Then, along with the sapta rihis (seven sages), getinto the boat and await me. Don’t forget to bring Vasuki,king of the serpents with you.” Then the fish set off onits other mission.The fish approached theasura Hyagriva who stole theVedas from Brahma; the asurawas filled with terror onseeing the gigantic fish comingtowards him. He did not want tolose the Vedas. But LordNarayana in the form of fishsoon put an end to him andretrieved the Vedas from him.On the seventh day Satyavrata saw dark cloudsenveloping the heavens and the rains came. The earth wasfast disappearing and, at a distance he saw the promisedboat coming fast towards him. As soon as the boat touchedthe shores, Satyavrata, along with the sapta rishis and theselect living creatures, entered it.Satyavrata and sapta rishis were meditating on theLord. As their boat was tossed about by the turbulentocean, they suddenly saw the fish approach them. It had ahorn now and was golden incolor. It lit up thedarkening skies, reassuringthe inmates of the boat. Asinstructed by the Lord,Satyavrata tied the boat tothe horn of the fish usingVasuki as a rope.When they sailed onthat vast expanse of water, throughout that night ofBrahma, Vishnu taught Satyavrata and sapta rishis the AtmaVidya (Self-knowledge).Lord Vishnu restored the Vedas to Brahma at the end ofthe Pralaya. When the world was re-created, king Satyavratawas born as Swayambhuva Manu, the progenitor of mankind.86

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARActivity 28(Matsya-avatara)Fill in the blanks.Complete the following story with the appropriate words given below.Vedas Hyagriva safety danger fish Satyavrata1. The asura once stole the Vedas and hid themunder the waters.2. The Lord took the incarnation of a .3. One day, while praying, King found a small fishin the palm of his hands.4. The king and the seven sages were led to during thedissolution of the world.5. The Lord killed the asura and restored the .87

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATAR2. KURMA AVATARA (TORTOISE-INCARNATION)Kurma, the tortoise, is the second incarnation of LordVishnu in the course of the churning of the milky ocean(Samudramathana); He supported the Mount Mandara, whichstarted sinking when the gods and the demons churned theocean to get Amrita (ambrosia).Rishi Durvasa was once insulted by the proud Indra,the king of devas (gods). So the rishi cursed Indra that heand the three worlds ruled by him should lose all his gloryand prosperity. As a result, the gods became very weak andthe asuras (demons) became very strong and powerful. Indra,pale, drawn, and lustreless went to Brahma on Mount Meru.Brahma did not know what to do. So Brahma, Indra and otherdevas went to Sri Vishnu, and asked Him to help them.To the distressed devas,Lord Vishnu said, “The asurasare now powerful. So make peacewith them. Ask their help inchurning the Milky Ocean. MakeMount Mandara as a churning-rodand Vasuki, the king of the serpents, as the rope forturning it. As a result of this, Amrita shall come out;drinking which you shall all become immortal and regainyour lost sovereignty.”“Be kind and courteous to the asuras. They will helpyou to churn the ocean. You will see many things coming outof it. But do not express any anger, greed or desire forthem. Your aim is only the Amrita and I shall help you toget it,” said Lord Vishnu to the devas.Brahma returned to his own abode while Indra and thedevas set out for the court of Bali, the king of asuras andthe grandson of Prahlada.Indra explained to him SriVishnu’s plan for churningthe ocean. Bali was a wiseand clever commander and heknew this was not the timeto fight but to make peace.So he agreed to the plansof the devas. The devas andtheir cousins, asuras then went to the Mount Mandara anduprooted the golden mountain. They carried it to theseashore. The mountain however was too heavy for them andthey dropped it on the way and a number of devas and asuraswere crushed under it. Indra prayed to Lord Vishnu forhelp. Soon Lord Vishnu came on his Garuda vahana. With the88

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARmere glance He revived the devas and then, placing MountMandara on Garuda’s back, He flew to the seashore, followedby the devas and the asuras. After the mountain was safelydeposited on the ocean Sri Vishnu summoned Vasuki, theserpent king to be the churning rope and said that Vasukiwould receive his share of nectar and the jagged surface ofMandara would not hurt the serpent king at all. Reassured,Vasuki allowed himself to be wound round Mandara.The asuras wanted to hold the mouth end of the snakeso the devas headed by Sri Vishnu went to the tail end.Thus holding the two ends of the snake the devas and theasuras began to churn the ocean.In spite of the many powerful arms that were engagedin the task the mountainMandara sank into theocean because of its greatweight. Sri Vishnu assumedthe form of a Giant Tortoise – Kurma. He dived to thebottom of the ocean and lifted the mountain up on His back.The churning went on. Pulled powerfully in both thedirections Vasuki could not bear it. Fire and smoke cameout of the thousand mouths of Vasuki. The devas and theasuras started suffocating. The Lord took pity on everyoneand commanded the rain clouds to collect and cool the air.The rains came and a soft cool breeze blew from the ocean.The devas and the asuras continued their churning.The fist thing that came out of the ocean was the mostdeadly poison Halahala! Its poisonous fumes choked thedevas and the asuras. In sheer terrorthey went to Kailasa and took refuge atthe feet of Lord Shiva. Shiva gatheredall the poison in the palm of his handand swallowed it up. But his consort,Mother Parvati, fearing for her Lord,quickly caught his throat with her hands.So the dread Kalakuta stayed thereforever staining the white neck of theLord with blue. So Lord Shiva is alsoknown as Neelakanta.As soon as the poison was removed, the devas and theasuras were able to churn the ocean once again. As theycontinued churning, many precious things rose to thesurface. They are:o A sacred sacrificial vessel called Surabhi, ando A beautiful wish-yielding cow, Kamadhenu, claimed bythe Rishis.89

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARo The famous white horse, Uchchaishravas, taken by Bali.o A magnificent white elephant, Airavata, given to Indra.o The Kaustubha gem, lotus-colored and beautiful, adornedthe chest of Sri Vishnu.o The Parijata tree or Kalpavriksha, which fulfills allwishes, ando Beautiful women called apsaras, given to Indra.o Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune, chose Vishnu as herhusband and the Lord placed her on his chest. Brahma,Shiva and all the gods worshippedHer; the rishis chanted Vedichymns and sprinkled on Her holywater from golden pots.o A lotus-eyed beauty called Suraor Varuni, the goddess of allintoxicating drinks, taken by theasuras.o At last came a magnificent youth,Dhanvantari, an amsa (part) ofLord Vishnu, with the jar ofAmrita (ambrosia) in his hands.When the asuras saw this, they were filled with greed.They snatched the jar from the hands of the divine youth,and even started fighting among themselves for the Amrita.Taking this opportunity Lord Vishnu took the form ofMohini, the enchantress. She was so lovely that at onceall the asuras fell in love with her. They gave her the potof Amrita and asked her to distribute it to whomsoever shepleased. Mohini said, “I will do so if you promise not toquestion my actions.” Not knowing who she really was, theasuras readily agreed in a frenzy of passion.Mohini (Lord Vishnu) knew that it was not right togive Amrita, the nectar of immortality to the asuras whoare aggressive by nature.She therefore asked thedevas and the asuras toassemble in two differentrows and began distributingthe Amrita to the devas.Rahu, one of the daityas (asuras), had disguisedhimself as a deva and had sat with them. He also got Amritaand swallowed it. Surya and Chandra (the Sun and the Moon)soon spotted him, and Sri Vishnu cut off his head with Hischakra. Since he had already tasted Amrita he was immortal.His body that had not absorbed Amrita fell down senseless,90

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARlifeless; but his head was alive. Brahma made Rahu one ofthe planets, which causes the eclipses of the Sun and theMoon, showing his (Rahu’s) eternal enmity to them.By the time Mohini reached the end of the row ofdevas, she made sure that thenectar was exhausted. Then LordVishnu assumed His own form andleft the place on the back ofGaruda. The daityas suddenlywoke up from their infatuationand were furious when theylearnt how they had beencheated. They launched aterrible war against the devas.But the devas were immortal with Sri Vishnu on their side.So the asuras suffered a miserable defeat.Thus the devas who were gentle in nature sought refugein Lord and regained their lost sovereignty.91

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARActivity 29(Kurma-avatara)Fill in the blanksComplete the story with the appropriate words.Rama mountain devas Mohini asuraskurma snake Ravana Dhanvantari pole1. The and fought many warsin the heavens.2. To churn the ocean the devas used the Mandara asa churning staff.3. The Vasuki was the churning rope.4. The Lord incarnated as a to hold the mountain onhis back.5. The Lord also incarnated as to distract the asuras.6. The Lord came as with the nectar ofimmortality.Activity 30(Kurma-avatara)Identify the items that emerged during the churning of the ocean.1. Her milk was used for Vedic rituals.2. It was swallowed by Lord Shiva.3. She married Lord Narayana.4. The tusker that was given to Indra.5. Bali took this white animal.6. The Lord wore it as an ornament.7. It was known as the Parijata.92

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATAR3. VARAHA AVATARA (BOAR-INCARNATION)Varaha, the boar, is the third incarnation of LordVishnu; He killed the demon Hiranyaksha and lifted theearth out of the floodwaters in which it had beensubmerged.After Pralaya, and at the beginning of the presentkalpa, while Brahma was busy in the work of creation,Bhudevi (Mother Earth) being tossed about on the waves sankto the bed of the ocean and Swayambhuva Manu, the first manand Shatarupa, the first woman came into being.Manu and Shatarupa approached LordBrahma and bowed to Him. Manu asked hisfather how he might serve Him in theprocess of creation. Brahma said to him,“Beget many virtuous children and rule overthe earth, for you shall be the ruler ofmen.”Manu said, “I shall obey your wishes.But please let me know where my progeny andI should live. Bhudevi lies submerged.”Brahma was troubled. He thought tohimself, “What shall I do? I will have tobring the earth up to proceed with the work of creation.”He prayed to Lord Narayana, “O Lord Vishnu, it’s you whocommanded me to create the entire universe; please help meto solve this problem.”As Brahma meditated on the Lord, a tiny boar, hardlyas big as his thumb, emerged from one of his nostrils.Brahma wondered what weird creature it was, coming out ofhis nostril. As Brahma gazed at itamazed, it grew and grew till it wasthe size of a large elephant. Brahmawas full of wonder and thought if thatcould be Lord Vishnu Himself.While Brahma pondered thus, theboar, which was now as large as a hugemountain, roared. Then, emittinganother terrifying roar, it took onemighty leap into the air, tore theclouds with its hoofs and dived into the ocean. Brahma wasnow sure that it was none other than Lord Vishnu.The boar nosed its way about the ocean-bed, in searchof the earth. It reached the other end of that fathomlessocean and discovered Bhudevi.Meanwhile, the mighty asura, Hiranyaksha, one of thetwin sons of Sage Kashyapa and Diti, entered Indraloka93

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATAR(Heaven) and roared out a challenge. But he found no onethere. Everyone one, including Indra was in hiding. So hewent into the ocean and challenged its ruler, Varuna.Varuna was old, wise and shrewd. He said to Hiranyaksha, “Iam too old now. I have given up fighting since long ago.The desire to fight has left me. Lord Vishnu is the one youshould approach. He alone would be an equal opponent toyou. Go seek him out.”Hiranyaksha, thirstingfor a good fight, went insearch of Sri Vishnu. SageNarada told him that Vishnuhad taken the form of a boarto lift the earth up fromthe oceanic waters. SoHiranyaksha charged towards the ocean-bed. The boar hadjust dug his tusk into the ocean-bed and lifting Bhudevionto it begun rising towards the surface.Hiranyaksha challenged the beast with a roar, “Comeon, you beast! I know you are Narayana. Leave Bhudevialone. Brahma has entrusted her to us. You cannot take heraway. Till now you have been defeating the asuras by yourYogamaya (power of illusory creation). Not anymore. Now Ihave found you. I shall fight you and avenge all the asurasyou have killed.”The boar ignored him and continuedlifting the earth up. Hiranyakshapursued Him, all the while jeering thatHe was a coward, fleeing from a worthychallenge. But the boar did not evenlook back. Lord’s aim was first to takeBhudevi to safety.After coming to the surface of theocean, Sri Vishnu firmly placed Bhudevion it and blessed her so that the earthmay continue functioning on its own. Hethen turned towards Hiranyaksha and said, “O wretch, scaredaway by your mace, we who have stolen the earth must takeour stand in the battlefield. For, having incurred thewrath of a powerful enemy, where can we go?”Hiranyaksha became furious; He lifted his mace andsprang towards the animal. But the boar stepped aside andraised his own. They fought for a long while, each strikingout with his mace. Everyone came to watch this magnificentfight.94

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARAs the hour of twilight drew near, Brahma reminded theboar that the asuras become stonger as night draws nearerand so to rid the world from that sinner right away.Hearing Brahma’s words,Hiranyaksha hurled his mace at theanimal. Varaha caught the mace asif it were a toy. They then beganto wrestle with each other.Finally with his strong and verypowerful fist the Lord in the formof Varaha killed Hiranyaksha.The beings of the three worlds wept in joyous relief,and rejoicingly burst into praise of Mahavishnu.Activity 31(Varaha-avatara)Fill in the blanksComplete the story with the appropriate words.creation tusk swordboar lion Earth Hiranyaksha1. Mother was submerged in the oceanic waters.2. Lord Vishnu, as a , jumped into the deep waters.3. There he fought the rakshasa named .4. He lifted Mother Earth on his and saved her.5. Thus the process of continued uninterrupted.95

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATAR4. NARASIMHA AVATARA (MAN-LION INCARNATION)Narasimha, the Man-lion, is the fourth incarnation ofLord Vishnu; He killed the demon Hiranyakasipu who was anon-believer in the existence of an omnipresent andomnipotent God and who tortured his own son Prahlada, agreat devotee of Lord Vishnu, by emerging out of a pillarshown by the demon.Hiranyakasipu was an asura (demon) King. Hewas a mighty ruler but evil minded. He hated God.He hated God because his brother Hiranyaksha waskilled by the incarnation of Lord Vishnu - VarahaAvatara. Hiranyaksha challenged Lord Vishnu whileHe was lifting the earth from the bottom of theocean of Pralaya and was killed during thefight. Hiranyakasipu vowed to avenge thedeath of his brother. He went to MountMandara and performed the most rigorous“meditation” – tapas. Anthills and grass grew onhim but he did not move. The force of his tapas wasso great that the earth rocked, the waters of theoceans raised high, the mountains toppled over andthe stars and planets darted about in panic. Andmany places just caught fire! Unable to toleratethe destruction caused by his tapas, the devas went toBrahma the creator and pleaded with him to save them fromthe disaster. Brahma went to Hiranyakasipu’s ashram and wasamazed at his tapas. He took some water from his Kamandalu,and sprinkling it on Hiranyakasipu, asked him what boon hewanted. The holy water rejuvenated theasura. He emerged handsome andradiant. Immediately Hiranyakasipuprostrated before Brahma and said,“Lord, grant me this boon. Let me notdie in the hands of any being createdby you, nor at the hands of any beingnot created by you, be it god, man,demon, animal or even an inanimatething. Let it not be by day or bynight, indoors or outdoors, in the sky or on the earth; letit not be by any weapon whatsoever.” Hiranyakasipu alsowanted complete sovereignty in the worlds of men, demonsand gods."$o be it - Tathaastu” granted 8rahma, the creator ofthe Universe.On the strength of his boon, Hiranyakasipu becamearrogant. He conquered the three worlds and became their96

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARsupreme overlord. He hated God so much that he wanted thepeople in his kingdom to disregard all the scriptures andoffer prayers to him only. People were fed up with his ruleof terror. They secretly prayed to Lord Vishnu.The devas in desperation approached Lord Narayana andasked for his help. Lord Vishnuconsoled them and said, “Havepatience, O devas. I know the evilthat is the asura. He will be a fatherof a good son who will be devoted tome. When the asura seeks to kill mydevotee, I shall slay him in spite ofhis boon from Brahma.” Comforted byhis words devas went away from hispresence and patiently waited for the good times to come.Hiranyakasipu became the father of four sons and theyoungest of them was Prahlada. From birth itself, he was agreat devotee of Lord Vishnu (Hari Bhakta). When Prahladawas five years old he started learning the daitya lessonsfrom his teachers Chanda and Amarka, the sons ofSukracharya (the guru of the asuras). He repeated thelessons to please the gurus (teachers) but he did notapprove of them in his heart.Some time passed. The gurus thought they could nowpresent him to his father. And so they took young Prahladato the presence of Hiranyakasipu. Prahlada did hissalutations to his father. With tears of joy Hiranyakasiputook his child and placed him on his lap. He then asked hischild to tell him of something what he had learnt.Prahlada replied, “Father, I have learnt NINEimportant lessons which will help me.” “And what are they?”asked the father. “They are”, the childreplied, “Shravana, listening: Kirtana,Singing: Smarana, Meditation:Padasevana, serving: Archana, Praising:Vandana, Worshipping: Dasya, slaving:Sakhyam, Friendship and Atmanivedana,Surrender of the self.” Hiranya wasvery happy that Prahlada had learnt hislessons well. He thought he would beimmensely pleased if Prahlada follows any one of thesemethods to serve him. But Prahlada said, “Father, these arethe methods of worshipping Narayana. The Lord, who is allpervading, can be approached by any one of these ninemethods and that is the lesson I have been fortunate enoughto learn.”97

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARHiranyakasipu was really furious that his son praiseshis dread enemy, Narayana, who killed his beloved brother.He ordered the asuras to kill the child. The asuras piercedthe little boy with their pointed and poison-tipped spearsand tridents. But nothing happened to Prahlada, for hismind was concentrated upon the Lord, and the brave boy didnot even feel the spear and trident thrusts!The asura king tried various means of putting Prahladato death. He ordered him to be trampled upon by a madelephant. The enraged animal came rushing towards Prahlada,but stopped just a few yards away, bowed its head andturned away! Prahlada was then rolled down a mountain. Hisfood was poisoned. He was bitten by poisonous snakes. Hewas locked up in a solitary cell for days without food. Hewas thrown into the sea. He was burnt by fire. But healways came out of them safe and sound! This is the graceof the Lord - Narayana Kripa.Hiranyakasipu was now thoroughlyfrustrated. It was a challenge to hisauthority and a tremendous blow to hispride. Due to his boon from Brahma, hehad never known failure. The teachersof Prahlada tried to calmHiranyakasipu by saying that Prahladawas still too small to know what hewas saying and that in time he wouldlearn to behave like true daitya.But Prahlada did not change. He continued to repeatLord Vishnu’s name. He also taught young kids of his age tochant the names of Lord Vishnu. This news reachedHiranyakasipu. He was very angry and ordered the youngPrahlada to be brought before him. He told Prahlada thattime and again he has disobeyed him by praying to LordVishnu. He asked Prahlada where Lord Vishnu is. Prahladafolded his palms before his father and humbly said, “He iseverywhere.”“Everywhere?” asked Hiranyakasipu.His red eyes came to rest on a hugepillar in the council hall. He askedPrahlada “Is he then, inside thispillar?” “Yes, He is,” replied Prahlada.“I am going to kill you. If he is in thispillar let him come out and protect you,"said Hiranyakasipu. He jumped down fromhis seat and hit the pillar with hisstrong and powerful fist.98

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARSuddenly the pillar split into two and out of thepillar came a mighty being - half man - half lion (Nara-Simham). He was the man-lion avatara of Lord Vishnu.Hiranyakasipu lifted his iron mace to strike him. But theNarasimha roared a tremendous roar, which was like a man'slaughter and a lion’s roar put together. With a great ease,He picked Hiranyakasipu, carried him to the door of thehall, sat on the threshold and placed him on his lap acrosshis thighs.Hiranyakasipu looked helplesslyaround. It was neither day nor nightbut twilight hour. He was on thethreshold of the hall that wasneither inside the house nor outsideit. He was caught by a strangecreature that was neither a man nor abeast. He was placed on the lap thatwas neither in the sky nor on theearth. With a great roar Narasimhatore open his belly with his claws and killed Hiranyakasipuwithout using any weapons. Thus Lord Vishnu took theNarasimha form and killed him satisfying all the conditionsin the boon the asura got. He also killed all his wickedsupporters. There was a great rejoicing in the threeworlds.Flowers showered on Him from above. Prahladaprostrated in front of Lord Vishnu and praised Him. LordVishnu placed His hand on the head of His little devoteeand asked him whatever wish he wants. Prahlada did not wantany boon except the everlasting devotion - Bhakti - andlove for Lord Vishnu.And the Lord blessed him; "You have asked me for noreward. Yet it is my wish that you should rule as a Kingand enjoy". Prahlada bowed his head in obedience to thewish of Lord Vishnu.Thus did Vishnu, by the faith of his devotee, preventthe triumph of evil and establish virtue.* It was Jaya and Vijaya, the two gatekeepers of Vaikunta (the abode ofSri Vishnu), who were born as Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakasipu, the twinsons of Diti and Sage Kashyapa. Jaya and Vijaya were cursed by the fourmind-born sons (Sanaka, Sananda, Sanatana and Sanatkumara) of Brahmabecause they did not allow the four rishis to see Lord Vishnu andworship Him. Their position by the side of the Lord made them proud. Sothey were cursed to be away from Narayana. They were born as the abovesaid asuras in their first janma (birth) in Satya Yuga. KRODHA (anger)was predominant in them and it was accompanied by MADA (arrogance).They were finally killed by Lord Himself in Varaha avatara andNarasimha avatara and went back to Him.99

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARActivity 32(Narasimha-avatara)Matching:Show the relationships by drawing lines between the columns.WHO RELATED TO WHOM HOWHiranyakasipu Vishnu brotherJaya & Vijaya Hiranyaksha servantsDiti Vishnu wifePrahlada Kashyapa sonHiranyakasipu Diti & Kashyapa devotee100

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATAR5. VAMANA AVATARA (DWARF-INCARNATION)Vamana, the dwarf, is the fifth incarnation of LordVishnu. When Bali the asura king conquered the threeworlds, Indra was deprived of his heavenly kingdom. At therequest of Aditi, the mother of Indra, Lord Vishnuincarnated as Vamana, to help Indra get back his kingdom.Bali, the son of Virochana,and the grandson of Prahlada wasthe king of the asuras. He hadmany times been defeated by Indrain battle. Now he wanted to takerevenge. Guided by his guru Sukra,he performed the Vishvajitsacrifice to gain mastery over thethree worlds. From the sacrificial fire he received agolden chariot, some horses, a golden bow, and two quiverswith an inexhaustible supply of arrows, and a divinekavacha or protective armor.Donning the armor, Balimounted the chariot with thebow in his hand and thequiver fastened to hisshoulder. And with an immensearmy he proceeded towardsIndra’s city by nameAmaravati (built by the divinearchitect Vishvakarma). As Balilaid siege to the city, Indra went to his guru Brihaspatiand said, “My Lord, what should we do? Bali is now ridingsome strange power. We may fail in beating him back.”Brihaspati said, “You are right. Baliat the moment is invincible. No one will beable to stand up to Bali except Narayana. Iwould advise you to retreat from heaventill the tide turns in your favor.” “Andwhen will that be?” asked Indra. “When hisguru curses him for ignoring his counsel,”said Brihaspati.So Indra and the other devas abandoned heaven. Balipromptly occupied it with his asura hordes, and became lordof the three worlds. Sukracharya (acharya=guru) told him thathe could now perform Ashvamedha yagna. Bali performed ahundred Ashvamedhas. His fame spread all over the world. Hewas well known for his generosity and his goodness.101

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARMeanwhile, Aditi, the mother of Indra and the otherdevas was very unhappy since her sons hadbeen defeated. When her husband SageKashayapa returned after a long spell ofmeditation in the forest, she told him ofher sorrows. Kashayapa said to her,“Worship Lord Narayana, who dwells in thehearts of all. He and he alone can helpyou. Pray to him.” “Tell me the quickestmeans of doing it,” asked Aditi.Kashyapa said, “There is a vrata by name PAYOVRATA(vow of milk). During the bright half of the month ofPhalguna (lunar month corresponding to latter half of February andformer half of March), you should worship Narayana day andnight with only milk as your food. Recite the mantra: OMNAMO BHAGAVATE VASUDEVAYA. If you observe this vrata withintense devotion and concentration the Lord will grant yourwishes.”Focusing her mind on Lord Vishnu, Aditi observed thevrata for twelve long days. On the thirteenth day the Lordappeared before her and said: “Mother of Gods, I am pleasedwith your vrata and I will grant you your wish. I will beborn as your son to protect your progeny.”Soon the Lord was born as a son to Aditi.There was great rejoicing in the three worlds.The child grew up to a boy. He was small madeand he was indeed a VAMANA, which meant‘dwarf’. When the time came Upanayana (thesacred thread ceremony) was performed forhim, and Vamana was initiated intobrahmacharya ashrama. The gods and goddessespresented him with all the necessary thingswhich a brahmachari (celibate) needs.Annapurna (Goddess Parvati) gave Vamana hisfirst Bhiksha (alms).At this time Bali was performing an Ashvamedha yaga onthe banks of the river Narmada. He had invited all theBrahmins of the land. Vamana alsowent there. Bali and all otherpriests rose to receive him. Baligave Vamana a special seat,washed his feet with water, andsprinkled his own head with thewashings. Then he prostratedbefore him and said, “What is itthat you wish, O Brahmin? I shall give you anything you askfor, be it land, gold, houses, cows or horses.”102

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARActivity 33(Vamana-avatara)Fill in the blanksComplete the story with the appropriate words:Heavens water-pot three earth brahminagreed umbrella ego fire huge1. The Lord incarnated as a young .2. In one hand, Vamana carried an .3. In the other hand, Vamana carried a .4. He asked the powerful King Bali for paces of land.5. The proud king .6. Vamana suddenly grew to be .7. Taking one step, the Lord covered the .8. Taking another step, the Lord covered the .9. With the third step, the Lord destroyed the king’s .105

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATAR6. PARASURAMA AVATARAParasurama (Rama with the battle-axe) is the sixthincarnation of Lord Vishnu born to rid the world of sinfulkings like the Hehayas.King Kartaviryarjuna, theruler of the Hehayas, hadpropitiated Lord Dattatreya(incarnation of the Trinity born tosage-couple Atri and Anasuya) andsecured from him boons thatmade him invincible. But Arjunamisused his powers and became amerciless tyrant. The devas andthe rishis appealed to LordVishnu to protect them from his tyranny. To vanquish himand all such evil Kshatriyas (warriors), Lord Vishnu, inresponse to the prayers of the devas and the rishis, cameto earth as Rama, the youngest son of Sage Jamadagni, andhis wife, Renuka.Though Rama was theson of a Brahman, he waskshatriya by nature. He hadan inordinate love forweapons and his favoritewas the axe. So he came tobe known as Parasurama.One day, while Parasurama and his brothers were away,Arjuna entered Jamadagni’s ashram. The rishi entertainedthe king and his entire host with the help of Kamadhenu,the divine cow. Kartavirya was greatly impressed by thepowers of Kamadhenu: so much so, he became jealous ofJamadagni. He instructed his men to seize the cow and hercalf and bring them to his city. His orders were obeyed andthe cow and calf were carried by force to Mahishmati, thecapital of Hehaya. When Parasurama returned to the ashramhe came to know that the king took the cow and the calfaway.Brandishing his axe, an enraged Parasurama stormedinto Mahishmati. Kartavirya was alarmed and dispatched apart of his army to meethim. But the terribleParasurama destroyed themin no time. Not a singleman escaped alive. Enragedat the destruction of thecore of his army, Arjuna himself rushed forward. But as106

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARArjuna rushed towards him, Parasurama lopped off all histhousand arms and then brought his axe down on the tyrant’sneck. Parasurama then led Kamadhenu and her calf to hisfather.But not for long, the sons ofArjuna were bent on avenging the deathof their father. One day, whileParasurama and his brothers were awayin the woods, the sons of Kartaviryacame to the ashrama of Jamadagni. Therishi was seated in front of the fireand Renuka was attending on him. Thesons of the king rushed towards therishi with their swords raised. Renukaknew what they were planning to do.She implored them not to kill her husband but they wouldnot listen. They cut off the head of the rishi who wasmeditating on the Lord and ran away from the spot.Renuka shouted,“Rama! Rama!” andhearing her voice at adistance Parasuramarushed to the ashram tosee what had happened.He saw his dead fatherand was horrified. Heasked his mother whowere the foul murderers. But Renuka’s agony was so deepthat she could only beat her chest and cry. Full of angerand grief, Parasurama made a vow: “Twenty-one times haveyou beaten your chest, mother. I shall wipe out the vilerace of the kshatriyas as many times.”Parasurama decided to destroythe evil kshatriyas. He went withthe speed of lightning toMahishmati and killed the sons ofKartavirya. Then one by one hemassacred twenty-one generationsof kshatriyas on earth. Finally,he went to the mountains to dosevere penances.Thus did Lord Vishnu, asParasurama, exterminate those evilkshatriyas like Hehayas who had become a great burden toBhoomidevi (earth) and her children.107

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARActivity 34(Parasurama-avatara)Fill in the blanksComplete the story by filling in the appropriate words:Parasurama Jamadagni Renukaunrighteous Kamadhenu all1. Parasurama was the son of sage and2. King Kartavirya Arjuna stole the cow named3. The king’s sons killed ’s father.4. Parasurama destroyed the kshatriyas.7. RAMA AVATARARama (one who charms everyone with his excellentqualities), one of the two most popular incarnations ofLord Vishnu, comes next in series. His story is too wellknownto need repetition. His story, the Ramayana has nowbecome an immortal epic. His name is known as the ‘Tarakamantra,’the Mantra that takes one across the ocean oftransmigration.* It was Jaya and Vijaya, the two gatekeepers of Vaikunta, who wereborn as Ravana and Kumbhakarna, the sons of Kaikesi (daughter of arakshasa king, Sumali of netherworld) and Sage Vishrava (father ofKubera, the God of wealth/treasurer who ruled Lanka for sometime beforeRavana). They were born as the above said asuras in their second janma(birth) in Treta Yuga. KAMA (desire) was predominant in Ravana and itwas accompanied by MADA (arrogance). The brothers were finally killedby Lord Himself in Rama avatara and went back to Him.108

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARActivity 35(Rama-avatara)Fill in the blanksComplete the story by filling in the appropriate words:Lanka fourteen Janaka bowrakshasas Dasaratha Ayodhya holy1. King had four sons, the eldest being Rama.2. Rama successfully broke the and married Sita.3. Rama was sent to the forest for years.4. In the forest, Rama destroyed the who weredisturbing the sages.5. Ravana came In the disguise of a man and carried Sitaaway.6. Rama killed Ravana and returned to with Sita.109

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATAR8. and 9. BALARAMA AVATARA and KRISHNA AVATARABalarama (Rama the strong), the elder brother of SriKrishna is the eighth incarnation and Krishna (one who isdark in complexion), who is very popular, is the ninthincarnation of Lord Vishnu. They were born towards the endof Dwapara yuga to rid the world from the arrogant andunrighteous kings and asuras. (Krishna is the greatexpounder of the ‘Song Celestial,’ the Bhagavad Gita.)Mother Earth burdened with sinners took refuge inBrahma in the form of a cow. Brahma in turn prayed to LordVishnu. In response to the prayers, Vishnu and Adishesha(another aspect of Vishnu; the serpent on which Vishnu rests)incarnated as Krishna and Balarama in the Yadu house, asthe sons of Vasudeva & Devaki and all the devas incarnatedas their kith and kin to aid them in their mission.KRISHNA and BALARAMA’S BIRTHVasudeva was a Yadava prince and son of Shura whoruled Shurasena; and Devaki was the niece of King Ugrasenawho ruled Mathura. They got married. Later, Vasudeva andDevaki were imprisoned by Devaki’s brother Kamsa whoimprisoned his own father Ugrasena and became the ruler ofMathura. He did this because he was told by a heavenlyvoice that the eighth child of his sister would kill him.Kamsa killed all of her six children.When the seventh child was due, it was miraculouslytransferred to the womb of Rohini, the second wife ofVasudeva, in Gokul. Kamsa thought that Devaki lost herseventh child. Later, a son (Balarama) was born to Rohini.It was midnight when the eighth child(Krishna) was born to Devaki. He too wasmiraculously carried to Gokul and leftwith Nanda, the head of cowherds at Gokuland baby girl born to Yashoda (Nanda’swife) was brought back to Mathura byVasudeva. Kamsa tried to kill the babygirl. But it rose into the sky, and avoice said that the person who will killhim was still alive. Regretting hisactions, Kamsa released Vasudeva andDevaki from prison. But his repentance wasshort lived.Kamsa sent his wicked asura friends-POOTANA, SHAKATA, TRINAVARTA to destroy all newborn babies.But they were all killed by baby Krishna. People who couldnot bear Kamsa’s rule of tyranny left Mathura and fled toneighboring kingdoms.110

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARAT GOKULA…Meanwhile, Krishna and Balarama were growing up inGokul. Krishna, who was very mischievous, used to stealbutter in other houses and gopis (wives of cowherds) wouldcomplain to Yashoda. But looking at his innocent face thegopis would soon forget their anger.Krishna ate mud one day. Yashodaasked him to open his mouth. When hedid, Yashoda saw the entire universeinside his mouth.One day, Yashoda wanted to punishhim for his mischief and tied him to amortar. Trying to untie himself heuprooted two huge trees in thecourtyard from which two heavenly beings rose. They weresons of Kubera relieved from the curse of Narada. Theypraised the Lord and left the earth. Later, Yashoda cameand untied Krishna.One day, a fruit-selling lady who passed by Nanda’shouse gave some fruits for Krishna who in turn filled herbasket with precious gems without her knowledge.Nanda and all the Gopas (cowherds) now decided toabandon Gokula and go to Brindavan for the safety of theirdarling Krishna and all the children. When Krishna wasabout three years old, they all left Gokul and slowlysettled down in Brindavan.ADVENTURES IN BRINDAVANBrindavan is located at the foot of a small mountainGovardhana which is surrounded by the forest full of grassand river Yamuna is flowing close by.Balarama and Krishna liked the newplace. They wished to explore the forestand took the calves to graze. While thecalves graze the grass, they would playgames with their friends. They playedflutes and danced, adorned themselveswith wild flowers and peacock feathers.One day, they saw a calf that was notone of theirs. Krishna approaching thecalf from behind held its hind legsfirmly twirled him around and threw iton top of a tree. It was a demon VATSAin disguise and fell down dead in histrue form, crushing a number of treesunder his weight.When they were a little older, Krishna and Balaramawere allowed to take the older cattle to the forest to111

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARgraze. They would carry their morning meal with them, androam all day with their friends, from forest to forest,with their herd. One day, when they took the cows to thebanks of Yamuna to quench their thirst, they saw a hugecrane. It was BAKASURA, a friend of Kamsa who came indisguise to kill Krishna. But Krishna put an end to him.Another day, when the boys were playing, AGHASURA, thebrother of Pootana and Bakasura assumed the form of anenormous serpent and tried to kill them. But he was killedby Krishna and everyone was safe.When Krishna and Balarama were six years old, theywere allowed to go further deep into the forest with theircows. There was a palmgrove in which a wicked asura namedDHENUKA lived in the guise of a donkey. So no one dared togo there and eat the fruit. But Balarama killed Dhenuka andhelped the cowherd boys to venture fearlessly into theforest to eat the palm fruit and graze the cattle.Balarama and Krishna were usually inseparable. Oneday, however, Krishna went with his other friends to grazethe cows, leaving Balarama behind. Close by the bank ofYamuna, there was a lake called Madu and its water waspoisoned by Kaliya, the dread snake who lived there. Thecattle and the boys who quenched their thirst in the lakecollapsed. Unable to bear this, Krishna dived into the lakeand began to splash on the water playfully. Disturbed bythe sound, the angry Kaliya with his five heads came outand caught Krishna in his coils. Someboys rushed to tell Nanda andeveryone from Gokula hurried to thespot and was horrified. Krishna grewbigger and bigger until he got freefrom Kaliya’s hold. The serpent thenhissed and spitted out venom onKrishna through his tongues. ButKrishna playfully avoided his attack.Suddenly he leaped into the sky,landed right on Kaliya’s heads anddanced in a rhythm, stepping from onehead to another. Kaliya would raiseone head to sting him but quicklyKrishna would jump on it. Kaliya gottired and blood oozed out from hismouths. Just then his wives andchildren came, worshipped Krishna and pleaded with him tospare Kaliya’s life. Krishna let him go but asked him toleave the lake. Kaliya begged his pardon and left the MaduLake with his family. The water of the lake became112

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARmiraculously pure and clear. The cows and the boys had gotup as though from a long sleep. Everyone rejoiced.Another day, when Krishna, Balarama and their friendswere grazing their cattle by the riverside,PRALAMBHA, the asura, came there in the guiseof a cowherd. Krishna allowed him to play withthem. At the end of a game, Pralambha hurriedand carried away Balarama on his back with theintention of killing him. When he went faraway from the other boys he assumed his asuraform. Balarama with his fist, hit Pralambha onhis head. The blow was so strong the asurafell down dead. The boys had now reached thespot and were relieved to see Balarama safe and sound.Later, when they were playing games, all on a sudden aforest fire broke out on that hot summer day. The flamesspread rapidly and surrounded them. The children werepanic-stricken and cried out: “Krishna! Balarama! Help us!”Krishna said: “Please do not be afraid. Just close youreyes.” The boys obeyed him. Krishna sucked all the firetowards him and swallowed it. When the boys opened theireyes, they found themselves safe in the shade of a tree.They went home and talked about the achievements ofBalarama and Krishna. People of Brindavan thought that twodivine beings had been born in the midst of their children.And the gopas and the gopikas (gopis) would wait everyevening to see the beautiful vision of Krishna.One day, when Krishna and his friends were grazingtheir cows on the slopes of the Govardhana hill, he saidthat people who give generously like trees, which live onlyfor the good of others and not for themselves, are blessed.The rainy season was drawing near and in Vraja, peoplewere preparing for a Yagna to worship Indra, the god ofrain that gives life to all beings. But Krishna suggestedin worshipping their cows that give them wealth, and theGovardhana Mountain that gives grass to theircows. People agreed and instead of worshippingIndra they worshipped the cows and theMountain. Indra took it as an insult anddecided to take revenge on the people of Vrajaby creating a very heavy rain to wash away thewhole village. People ran to Krishna for help.He came to the rescue by lifting theGovardhana Mountain and holding it in his handas an umbrella, under which people with theircattle and belongings took shelter for sevendays and seven nights, until the rain stopped. Then the113

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARpeople of Vraja came out and went back to their homes.Krishna replaced the hill. The people of Brindavan thankedhim and once again marveled at the achievements of Krishna.Meanwhile, when Krishna was alone, Indra with all his pridevanished- approached Krishna and begged his pardon.One morning, Nanda entered the waters of Yamuna totake bath. The sun had not yet risen and the time was saidto belong to the asuras. An asura grabbed him and took himto the presence of Varuna, the lord of the waters. When thegopalas (gopas) saw him disappear underwater, they criedout for Krishna who rushed to the spot, dived into thewater, went to the netherworld and entered the palace ofVaruna. Varuna fell at Krishna’s feet; worshipped him andbegged his pardon for the ignorant act ofhis servant who seized his father. Krishnathen went back to the earth and to Brindavanwith Nanda.Nanda was amazed at the Bhakti(devotion) which Varuna showed to his sonand related the events to his friends. Theybelieved that Krishna is the lord of Lordsand wondered if he will reveal to them histrue self. Krishna learnt what was in theirminds, and revealed to them his infiniteform but soon came back to normal.On a Shivaratri day, Krishna, Nanda and other cowherdsvisited Ambikavana, a forest nearby. After a holy dip inthe river Sarasvati (that has joined Yamunaand Ganga near Prayag-present day Allahabad)they worshipped Lord Shiva. They fastedand slept in the riverbank that night.Suddenly a huge python pounced on thesleeping Nanda. He woke up in panic andshouted, “Krishna! Help me.” Krishnawent near and touched the snake with hisfeet. The python vanished. In its placestood a Vidhyadhara, a divine beingcalled Sudarshana who was cursed to be a python by therishis called Angirasas for his ill-thought about them outof his pride. Sudarshana worshipped Krishna and went backto his home Gandharvaloka.Once, there came a servant of Kubera (the god of wealth)by name Shankhachuda and carried away the gopis. They criedfor help. The two brothers approached him with huge trees.Shankhachuda got frightened and ran for his life releasingthe gopis. Leaving Balarama behind, Krishna chased him andwith one blow from his hand, he hit the wicked one on the114

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARhead. He died on the spot. Krishna took his crest-jewel andpresented it to Balarama.An asura by name ARISHTA in the formof bull came to Brindavan to killKrishna. But Krishna with all his mightpulled out its sharp horns; attacked thebull with the horns and killed him.Meanwhile, Sage Narada visited Kamsaand revealed him the truth that theeighth son of Devaki is still alive inBrindavan in the house of Nanda and allthe asuras sent by him were killed by Krishna and hisbrother Balarama. Kamsa got furious. He put Vasudeva andDevaki in prison. He then sent the last of his asurafriends KESHI and VYOMA to Vraja to kill the brothers butthe asuras were killed by Krishna.Kamsa now carefully planned to invite the brothers toMathura and kill them in a wrestling match. He sent Akrura,a Yadava chief to Vraja to bring Krishna and Balarama toMathura in the pretext of celebrating Dhanur-yagna (thebow-sacrifice). Akrura was a devotee of Krishna; he reachedBrindavan and conveyed Kamsa’s message as well as hisintention of killing them; the brothers laughed. The nextday, early morning, Krishna and Balarama left for Mathurawith Akrura in the royal chariot. The gopis bid themfarewell with heavy hearts. Nanda and the cowherds followedAkrura in their carts loaded with gifts for Kamsa.They took a break at the banksof Yamuna. The brothers did theirmorning rites in the river and wentback to the chariot and seatedthemselves. Akrura then went to dohis rites when he was blessed byKrishna with the vision of Narayanareclining on Adishesha. Akrurasaluted Krishna, the lord of Lordsand drove the chariot ahead. Theyall reached Mathura. (Krishna wasabout fifteen years old then.)AT MATHURA…Akrura informed Kamsa that his mission was successful.Balarama and Krishna went to see the sights of the citywith the cowherds. While they admired the city, people ofMathura admired them. Some women stopped the brothers andoffered worship. Just then Krishna saw a washer man passby. He took some silk clothes from him for all of them andgot dressed. Then they came upon a weaver who gave them115

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARgood-looking shawls. Krishna was pleased and blessed himwith health and prosperity. Then, a flower man welcomedthem and presented them a garlandof finest flowers. Krishna blessedhim too. Later, they saw abeautiful woman called Trivakrawith a hunchback. She was amaidservant of Kamsa who makesspecial sandal paste and ointmentsfor him. She offered them to thebrothers. Krishna was pleased andstraightened her body.Krishna and his companions then reached the site ofthe sacrifice. They saw the large and mighty bow studdedwith expensive jewels and guarded by soldiers. Ignoringtheir protests, Krishna reachedfor the bow, lifted it, strung itand split it into two. Thesoldiers surrounded him. Krishnaand Balarama using the pieces ofbow as weapons killed all thesoldiers. Then they left the halland roamed about. At sunset, theyreturned to their camp, had theirmeal and slept peacefully.Meanwhile, Kamsa heard abouteverything that had happened at the sacrificial site; hewas worried.Next day, Kamsa inaugurated the festival of wrestlingmatches. The champions like Chanura and Mushtika arrived onthe scene. When Krishna and Balarama arrived at the site,an elephant by name Kuvalayapeeda blocked the entrance.Krishna called out the Mahout (elephant keeper) to allowthem to pass. But, as already told by Kamsa, the Mahoutprovoked the elephant to attack Krishna. Krishna pulled outthe tusks of the elephant and with them finished off boththe elephant and its keeper. ThenKrishna and Balarama entered thearena. Chanura and Mushtikachallenged the boys. The fightbegan. Krishna soon put an end toChanura and Balarama that ofMushtika. Then Krishna reachedKamsa, threw him down and killedhim. Enraged by this, Kamsa’s eightyounger brothers rushed at Krishnaand Balarama. They were all killed by Balarama. Thereafter,116

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARKrishna and Balarama hurried to the prison to free Vasudevaand Devaki.Balarama and Krishna bowed respectfully before theirparents and comforted them for their long separation fromtheir own sons. Vasudeva clasped Krishna in a fond embrace.The brothers also released their grandfather Ugrasenafrom prison and they placed him back on the throne. Krishnawelcomed back all the subjects who had fled from Mathura interror of Kamsa and restored to them their rightfulproperties and homes. People lived happily thereafter.Some days passed. Krishna and Balarama requested Nandato return to Vraja and comfort all their dear ones there.They said they would be coming there as soon as their workin Mathura was over. Nanda and the gopas bade them good-byeand returned to Vraja with heavy hearts.Soon, at the request of Vasudeva, Gargacharya, thefamily priest of the Yadavas performed the Upanayana ofBalarama and Krishna. Then the boys set out for SageSandipani’s ashram in Avanti (modernUjjaini) to go through their formaleducation in gurukula with the sageas their guru. They learnt theVedas, Shastras, how to wieldweapons and all the sixty-four artsand crafts in just sixty-four days.At the end of their training, theyhumbly addressed their guru andasked him what he would like fromthem as gurudakshina. Sandipani being aware of theirextraordinary powers consulted his wife and asked them torestore their lost son in the sea at Prabhasa (in Gujarat).The brothers immediately left for Prabhasa in theirchariot. They sat on the seashore for a while, when thelord of the oceans appeared before them and said,Panchajana, an asura who dwells under the sea took the boyaway. Krishna promptly dived into the ocean and killed theasura. But he could not find the boy. Then they went toYama, the lord of death and asked him to restore theirguru’s son. Yama’s servants brought theson of Sandipani. Krishna took him withthem and came back to the earth to theirguru’s ashram. Sandipani and his wifeoverjoyed to see their son back. The sageblessed Krishna and Balarama. They tookleave of the couple and their newcompanions in the gurukula and came backto Mathura.117

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARKrishna then sent his message of love to the people ofVraja through his dear friend and a respectful ministerUddhava.Krishna and Balarama learnt about all their relationsfrom their parents. Vasudeva had heard that his sisterKunti and her sons Pandavas were not treated well by theKauravas in Hastinapur after she lost her husband.According to his father’s wish, Krishna sent Akrura toHastina to find out the state of affairs there. Akrurastayed there for sometime and saw that the Pandavas werebeing ill treated in many ways by their cousins. Hegathered all the information he wanted, came back toMathura and reported to Vasudeva, Krishna and Balarama.RISE OF DWARAKAMeanwhile, Kamsa’s two queens Asti aand Prapti wentback to their father’s house after the death of theirhusband and related to their father Jarasandha, the rulerof Magadha, how Kamsa had been killed by Krishna. EnragedJarasandha collected a huge army and surrounded the city ofMathura on all sides to avenge the death of his son-in-law.That very moment, two chariots equipped with weapons anddriven by able charioteers appeared from heavens. Krishnaand Balarama ascended the chariots and with their smallarmy destroyed the whole army of Jarasandha but let him gofree. Jarasandha gathered another army and attacked Mathuraagain and again for seventeen times and seventeen times hisarmy was destroyed. On the eighteenth occasion, just beforeJarasandha reached Mathura, his ally and another kingKalayavana surrounded the city with his own army. Krishnawanted his subjects to be safe. He, after consultingBalarama had a strong and invincible fortress city calledDwaraka built by the divinearchitect Vishvakarma in thesea in Gujarat. The devassent many gifts for this newcity. With the divine power,Krishna transferred hisbeloved subjects to the new city. (Krishna was about thirtyyears old when he established a kingdom in Dwaraka.)Now Krishna and Balarama went to fight withKalayavana. Soon, Kalayavana and his army were destroyed.On Krishna’s bidding, the Yadava soldiers took all theprecious objects from the defeated army to Dwaraka. Justthen, Jarasandha approached Mathura for the eighteenthtime. Krishna thought of a different plan. Krishna andBalarama pretended to flee and reached the top of a hill.Furious Jarasandha set fire to the mountain on all sides.118

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARThe brothers jumped down the hill: from there, withoutbeing noticed by the enemy went safely to Dwaraka. Thinkingthat the brothers were destroyed Jarasandha returned to hiskingdom in peace.NARAKASURAThe devas were once harassed by Narakasura. They wereso desperate that Indra came to Krishna and asked for hishelp. Krishna agreed to do so. He reached Pragjyotishapura,the capital city of Narakasura on his vehicle-Garuda.Krishna easily broke intoall the barriers thatsurrounded the city. Then heblew his conch-Panchajanyathat woke up the demon Murawho slept under the water.The five-headed Mura withhis trident rushed at Krishna who destroyed it and finallykilled Mura with his chakra. He also killed all the sevensons of Mura who attacked him and finally, Narakasurahimself. Mother Earth approached Krishna with the earringsof Aditi (mother of devas) and the umbrella of Varuna thatwere stolen by Narakasura. Then Krishna went to Amaravati(in heaven) and returned the earrings of Aditi to Indra.BANASURAAniruddha, the grandson of Krishna was held captive byBanasura, the son of Bali, who ruled Shonitapura guarded byLord Shiva himself. Krishna and Balarama with their Yadavaarmy marched towards Shonitapura and attacked the city onall sides. Lord Shiva came to fight for his devotee(Banasura) and his son Subrahmanya had come with him.Krishna fought with Shiva and Pradyumna (Krishna’s son)fought with Subrahmanya. Balarama took care of the rest ofthe army of Banasura. Krishna’s Saranga bow was busy and sowas Shiva’s Pinaka. Duringthe fight Shiva was made tosleep by the arrow,Jrumbhana-astra. ThenKrishna attacked the asuraand finally he took up hisSudarshana chakra and cutoff Banasura’s arms leavingonly four out of onethousand. Humbled Banasurabowed Krishna and releasedAniruddha. With his grandson, Krishna returned to Dwarakawhere they received a joyous welcome.119

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARYAMUNAOnce, Balarama visited Brindavan, prostrated beforeNanda and Yashoda and spent two full months with them andwith all his old friends. One day, he went to the banks ofYamuna and wished the river Yamuna to come to the spotwhere he was; but she did not. Furious Balarama lifted hisweapon, the plough and tried to drag the river out of itscourse. Yamuna being shocked begged his pardon and prayedto him to spare her. The greathearted Balarama dropped hisweapon and let her free. It is said, even now, there can beseen the groove which was caused by Balarama when he triedto change the course of Yamuna.PAUNDRAKAWhen Balarama was in Vraja, Krishna received a messagefrom Paundraka, the king of Karusha and a friend ofNarakasura that he was the true Vaasudeva and Krishna wasan imposter who carries his insignia, so he wanted Krishnato give up or fight with him. Krishna told the messengerthat he will not give up his disc and other insignia and infact, he would use his disc to destroy the king and hisfoolish friends who mislead him into this self-deception.After the messenger left Krishna preparedto attack that fool Paundraka who wasstaying with his friend, the king ofKashi. Krishna led his army to Kashi.Paundraka who was dressed exactly likeKrishna with a conch-shell, a disc, a maceand yellow garments came out to meet hischallenge along with the king of Kashi. Ina matter of moments, Krishna with hischakra cut off Paundraka’s head as well asthe king of Kashi’s head. The king ofKashi’s head flew off and landed at thegates of his palace. Sudakshina, theprince of Kashi, was shocked at the sight. He wanted toavenge his father’s death. He performed a yagna from whicha fiend emerged and it rushed to Dwaraka. The people ofDwaraka were terrified. Krishna ordered his chakra toattack the fiend. The disc chased the fire fiend thatentered Kashi and since Sudakshina had sent it, the fiendturned against him and burned him up. The chakra then wentback to Lord Krishna.DVIVIDHAOnce, Balarama spent some time wandering in theforests on the hill Raivataka. It was near their countryAnarta (modern Saurashtra in Gujarat). He met an apeDvividha in the forest. Dvividha who was enraged by the120

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARslaying of Narakasura created a great havoc in the regionof Anarta where Krishna lived. The same Dvividha causedtrouble to Balarama there inthe hill. Furious Balarama tookhis weapons, the plough and thepestle. When Dvividha tried tohit Balarama with an uprootedtree he hit him with hispestle. Then with immense fistsDvividha hit Balarama on hischest. Balarama dropped hisweapons and hit him on the chinthat put an end to Dvividha. People of Anarta rejoiced.HASTINAPURASamba, the son of Krishna was held captive by theKauravas in Hastinapura. Narada conveyed the news toYadavas who were ready to attack the Kauravas with theirarmy. But Balarama intervened and said he will go toHastinapura and persuade them to free Samba so the fight inthe family could be avoided. Balarama with some wise oldmen went to Hastinapur and gently requested the Kauravas torelease Samba. But the Kauravasinsulted Balarama and arrogantlywalked away without even waitingfor Balarama’s reply. Balarama gotfurious. With his plough, hestarted to drag the whole cityHastinapura towards the riverGanga. The earth was shaking andKauravas were panic-stricken. Theyhurriedly released Samba. With folded hands they approachedBalarama, begged his pardon and pleaded with him to sparetheir city and people. Balarama spared their life andreturned to Dwaraka with Samba. It is said that till today,the city of Hastinapura on its southern side is leanedtowards the Ganga, evidence of Balarama’s prowess.JARASANDHAOne day, Krishna received a message from the manykings, who were defeated and held captive by Jarasandha(Kamsa’s father-in-law who attacked Mathura 18 times) in his capitalcity Girivraja, requesting Krishna to come and releasethem. At the same time, Narada arrived on the scene andsaid that Pandavas would like Krishna to be present at theRajasuya Yagna they plan to perform. Krishna asked Uddhavawhat he should do now. To perform the yagna, the Pandavashad to gain supremacy over the entire land also defeatingJarasandha. So Uddhava suggested that Bhima (the Pandava)121

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARcould defeat Jarasandha, when all the captive kings can bereleased and then the yagna can also be performed in thepresence of Krishna. Krishna agreed to Uddhava’s wisecounsel. He sent the messenger back to the captive kingswith the promise that they would soon be released. ThenKrishna went to Indraprasta. The Pandavas, in consultationwith Krishna, decided to perform Rajasuya Yajna. All thekings except Jarasandha had surrendered to their supremacy.So Krishna, Bhima and Arjuna (the Pandava) went toGirivraja in the guise of Brahmins and asked Jarasandha aduel with one of them asalms. Jarasandha agreed tofight with Bhima. After along fight, Bhima, with thehelp of Krishna who knewthat Jarasandha was givenlife by putting two halvesof his body together, torehis body into two and won the fight. The captive kings wereall released by Krishna. They praised him in gratitude andwent back to their kingdoms.RAJASUYA YAGNA and SHISHUPALAKrishna, Bhima and Arjuna returned victorious toIndraprasta. With Krishna’s permission, Yudhishtira (theeldest of the Pandavas) began the preparations for theYagna. All the sages, kings and people were invited toattend the yagna. Guided by learned priests, Yudhishtiraperformed all the requisite rituals of the Rajasuya Yagna.Then with his younger brother Sahadeva’s proposalYudhishtira offered his firstworship to Lord Krishna. Everyonewas happy except Shishupala, theprince of Chedi. He hated Krishnaand he was jealous of him. Heinsulted Krishna saying ill of himin front of everyone. Krishna wasvery calm but when Shishupala lungedat him Krishna released his chakraand cut off his head.DWARAKA UNDER SIEGEWhile Krishna and Balarama were staying at Indraprastaafter the Rajasuya, Dwaraka was attacked by Salva, thefriend of Shishupala and Jarasandha. He attacked Dwaraka toavenge the death of his friends. In the absence of Krishna,his brave son Pradyumna led the Yadava army and met Salva’sarmy in a fierce battle. Salva had a vehicle, as a boonfrom Lord Shiva to attack Yadavas that was able to travel122

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARanywhere–in air, water or on land. It could carry thousandsof soldiers and Salva attacked Dwaraka seated on thatvehicle. For twenty-seven long days, the battle continued.When Krishna and Balarama returned from Indraprasta, theyfound their beloved cityDwaraka under siege. LeavingBalarama behind to guard thecity and the citizens,Krishna hurried to thebattlefield and fought withSalva. Krishna with his macefirst shattered the Salva’svehicle to bits that fell into the ocean and finallyreleased his chakra that killed Salva.Dantavakra, now came to fightwith Krishna to avenge the death ofhis cousin-brother Shishupala and hisfriends. He was also a cousin ofKrishna as Shishupala was. He hitKrishna with his gada (mace).Unruffled by this sudden attackKrishna took up his own gada-Kaumodakiand with it, hit Dantavakra on hischest, killing him that very moment.Now Viduratha, the brother of Dantavakra, came to thefield but he too was soon killed by Krishna.The long, long battle was at an end and the Yadavasentered the city in triumph.SUDAMAIt was after this incident that Sudama, a poor Brahminwho became a close friend of Krishna in gurukula ofSandipani, visited Krishna on the insistence of his wife.He took with him Krishna’s favoritedish, Powa as a gift for Krishna.Krishna received Sudama with greataffection and honored him. They recalledthe many happy days they had spenttogether at childhood. Later, Krishnanoticed the bundle that Sudama hadbrought for him; he snatched it fromSudama, opened it and ate a handful ofrice dish with great enjoyment. The nextmorning Sudama took leave of Krishna andreached his village. He saw a palacestanding in place of his old home. Hecould hardly recognize his wife who came out of the palacein fine clothes and ornaments to receive him. Sudama123

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARpraised Lord Krishna for his benevolence and lived a happyand devout life.KURUKSHETRA WARKrishna’s cousins, the virtuous Pandavaswere unlawfully deprived of their kingdom bytheir cousins, the arrogant Kauravas, and warbroke out between them at Kurukshetra (inHaryana). With Krishna by their side, thePandavas won the war in which all the Kauravaswere exterminated. Krishna was about ninetyyears old at the time of this war. It was onthis battlefield Krishna taught ‘BhagavadGita’ to Arjuna.When the Kurukshetra war was going on, Balarama wenton a thirtha yatra (pilgrimage to holy rivers) and visitedmany rishis during which he killed an asura called Palvalawho was disrupting the yagna performed by the rishis.Thus did Balarama and Krishna fulfill their purpose ofincarnation ridding the world from the arrogant kings andthe asuras. Krishna is said to have lived for one-hundredand twenty-five years and left the earth on February 18,3102 BC when the present Kali Yuga (Iron Age) started.*It was Vijaya, the gatekeeper of Vaikunta, who was born as Shishupala(the son of Damaghosha and Shrutashravas, siater of Vasudeva), in histhird and last janma in Dwapara Yuga. MATSARA (jealousy) waspredominant in him and it was accompanied by MADA (arrogance). He wasfinally killed by Lord Himself in Krishna avatara and went back to Him.**It was Jaya, the gatekeeper of Vaikunta, who was born as Dantavakra(the son of Shrutadevi-sister of Vasudeva and Vriddhasarma-the Lord ofKarusha), in his third and last janma in Dwapara Yuga. He was finallykilled by Lord Himself in Krishna avatara and went back to Him.124

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATAREKASLOKAM BHAGAVATAMAadau Devakidevi-garbha-jananam Gopee-grihe vardhanamMaayaa-pootana-jeevi-taapa-haranam Govardhano-dhaaranamKamsachchedana-kauravaadi-hananam Kunteesutaa-paalanamHyetad-Bhaagavatam Purana-kadhitam Shreekrishna-leelamritam.Meaning:In the beginning, Krishna was born from Devaki’s womb; he grew up in the house ofGopi-Yashoda. Then he slayed wicked Pootana, sanctified Govardhana Mountain.He slayed Kamsa, ended the Kauravas, took care of Kunti’s sons. This isBhagavatam; this is the nectar of the wonderful and pleasing acts of Krishna that isnarrated in the Purana.125

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARActivity 36(Balarama-avatara & Krishna-avatara)I. Choose the fifteen names of the wicked asuras who were killed byKrishna and Balarama. Mark them with an X.Hiranyaksha Putana Shakata TrinavartaVatsa Baka Aghasura RavanaDhenuka Hiranyakasipu Pralambha ArishtaKeshi Vyoma Panchajana MuraNarakasura Palvala Kumbhakarna BanasuraII. Choose the six names of the arrogant kings and princes who were killedby Krishna. Mark them with an X.Kamsa Kartavirya-arjuna Kalayavana SalvaPaundraka Shishupala Dantavakra VidurathaIII. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate words given below.Kauravas Govardhana Kaliya Jarasandha gopis Dvividha1. Krishna danced on , the snake and subdued it.2. Krishna lifted the mountain to protect thepeople of Brindavan from Indra’s anger.3. Balarama killed an ape by name .4. Krishna aided Bhima, the Pandava to kill .5. The arrogant were all killed in Kurukshetra war.126

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATAR10. KALKI AVATARAKalki, the tenth incarnation of Lord Vishnu is yet tocome. It is said, he will descend upon the earth by the endof the present age (Kali Yuga). Riding on the back of awhite horse, with a drawn sword, he will destroy theenemies of Dharma and re-establish it in all its glory andthe new cycle of four yugas will again begin with theGolden Age called Satya Yuga.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------EKASLOKAM DASHAVATARAMVedaanuddharate jagannivahate Bhoogolam-UdbibhrateDaityam-Daarayate Balim-Chhalayate Kshatrakshayam-KurvatePaulastyam-Jayate Halam-Kalayate KaarunyamaatnavateMlechchhaan-Moorchchhayate Dashaakrutikrute Krishnaaya Tubhyam NamahaMeaning:Salutations to Sri Krishna (Vishnu) who restored the Vedas (Matsya), who retained theworld on his back (Kurma), who saved the Mother Earth (Varaha), who tore open the asura(Narasimha), who took everything from Bali (Vamana), who destroyed the evil kshatriyas(Parasurama), who won Ravana (Rama), who had the plough in his hand (Balarama), whowas calm, gentle, kind and joyful (Krishna) and who will destroy all the enemies of Dharma(Kalki). These are the ten forms of Krishna (Hari or Vishnu).--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------In this list of Dasha avatar, considering Sri Krishna as VishnuHimself (as Poornavatara-the incarnation in Toto), his place, orBalarama’s place is sometimes taken over by Buddha. In 560B.C., as history says, Gautama Buddha was born as the son ofSakya King Suddhodana of Kapilavastu and Queen Mayadevi.Raised as a prince, he was unaware of the pain and afflictions ofhuman life. One day, he happened to see an old man, a sick man,and a dead man, for the first time; that made him introspectiveand question how human suffering could be removed. One night,Prince Siddhartha, silently leaving his wife Yashodhara and hisbaby son behind, went in search of truth. He got enlightenedunder a Bodhi tree at Bodhgaya (Bihar) and later came to beknown as the Buddha. The Buddha taught ahimsa (non-injury), asthe basis of righteousness and nirvana or moksha (liberation), asthe ultimate end of this life through the eight-fold path. He heldhis first sermon in the deer park at Sarnath, near Varanasi.127

Year IIChapter 4-DASHA AVATARBelow is the map of India showing some of the important places in Ancient India.128