Dashavatara

The ten avatars of Lord Vishnu and the special place of Shri Krishna among them.

• The Dashavatara: Ten Avatars of Lord Vishnu – What an avatar is, Shri Krishna's promise in the Gita "yada yada hi dharmasya", the list of ten avatars and Krishna's special place among them.
• Matsya Avatar: The Divine Fish – At the time of the great deluge the Lord became a fish to protect King Satyavrata, the seven sages and the Vedas.
• Kurma Avatar: The Divine Tortoise – During the churning of the ocean the Lord became a great tortoise and held Mount Mandara on his back.
• Varaha Avatar: The Divine Boar – As the cosmic boar the Lord lifted the Earth out of the waters and slew the demon Hiranyaksha.
• Narasimha Avatar: The Man-Lion – To protect the child devotee Prahlada, the Lord burst from a pillar as the man-lion and ended Hiranyakashipu.
• Vamana Avatar: The Divine Dwarf – As the dwarf brahmin Vamana the Lord asked King Bali for three steps of land and, as Trivikrama, measured all the worlds.
• Parashurama Avatar: Rama with the Axe – Parashurama, son of the sage Jamadagni, humbled the tyrannical kings of his age and then returned to austerity.
• Shri Rama Avatar: The Ideal King – Shri Rama, Maryada Purushottama, set the ideal of dharma and freed the world from the terror of Ravana.
• Shri Krishna Avatar: The Supreme Lord Himself – Shri Krishna, who appeared at the end of Dvapara Yuga and whom the Bhagavatam calls the Lord himself; in some lists the eighth avatar is Balarama.
• Buddha Avatar: The Compassionate One – Buddha, who at the start of Kali Yuga brought the message of compassion and non-violence; some lists place Balarama here, others Buddha.
• Kalki Avatar: The One Yet to Come – At the end of Kali Yuga, Lord Kalki will ride forth on a white horse, end adharma and usher in a new Satya Yuga.