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Dasavataram: This song extols the ten incarnations of Maha Vishnu, who reclines on Adisesha in the Milky ocean. This is a classic composition in which lyrics have been penned by Udumalai Sri Narayana Kavi and music composed by Sri G. Ramanathan. Matsya Avatara- To restore the Vedas from demon Somukha, who stole the four Vedas from Lord Brahma and hid them under the ocean, Maha Vishnu, on the request of Brahma, incarnated as a mighty fish to defeat the demon and retrieve the Vedas for the well being of man kind. Koorma Avatara- As the Devas and Asuras begin churning the milky ocean in a thirst for the elixir of immortality, the Mandara mountain is used as the churner. During the churning, when the mountain begins to sink and the Devas and Asuras are left helpless, unable to continue the churning, Maha Vishnu’s timely manifestation as a tortoise is the legend of the Avatara. The Lord bears the mountain on His shell and felicitates the churning. Varaha Avatara- Hiranyaksha, a heinous demon, approaches and attacks Mother Earth by rolling Her like a rug and hides Her inside the ocean. Bhu Devi (Mother Earth), who was held captive by the demon, pleads Maha Vishnu for help. The Lord compassionately assumes the form of a boar with His tusks raises Her aloft from the depths of the ocean, thereby rescuing Her from his clutches. The Lord, as Varaha, also destroys the evil Hiranyaksha in a combat. Narasimha Avatara- Prahlada, the pious and devout son of King Hiranyakashipu, is ever immersed in the thought of Narayana. Hiranyakashipu, being an enemy of Maha Vishnu, is annoyed and enraged by his son’s devotion to the Lord, and asks the child where Vishnu is. As Prahlada promptly replies saying that his Lord is everywhere, Maha Vishnu, the omnipresent Lord breaks open a pillar in the palace and arrives in front of Prahlada and Hiranyakashipu in a gory yet majestic form of a half-man and half-lion. Vamana Avatara- As King Mahabali was performing the Yagna, the Lord approached the King as an invincible dwarf who appeared there in order to put an end to Bali’s growing powers and supremacy and thereby protect the Devas. When the King was ready to offer anything to the dwarf, the Lord asked him for three feet of land. Taking the miniscule plea for granted, King Mahabali agreed to offer Him the three feet of land, despite Sage Sukracharya, his Guru, advising him that the dwarf was no ordinary human. As King Bali offered Him the three feet of land, the Lord takes the Viswaroopa and grows infinitely. His first step touched the land, the second step reached the Heavens and when the Lord asked the King where the third step should be placed, the King understood the Lord’s play and surrendered to Him, asking Him to place the third step on his head. The Lord places His foot on Mahabali’s head and sends him to Paathaala (Netherworld). Parasurama Avatara- In this Avatara, the Lord incarnated as a valorous Brahmin who took to destroying the arrogant Kshatriyas with his ’Parashu’ (axe). It is said that the Lord, as Parashurama, travelled the whole Earth killing the sons of Kartavirya and the arrogant Kshatriyas to avenge the killing of His father, Jamadagni. Rama Avatara- The seventh incarnation of Maha Vishnu is the well known Rama Avatara, where in He is born to King Dasaratha in the Solar Dynasty in Ayodhya. Stories of Rama’s feats are popularly mentioned in different lores. When the ten-headed Ravana of Lanka held the Ashta-dik Paalakas (Gods of the eight directions) captive, Lord Sri Rama, the stoic prince, came to their rescue and defeated Ravana and the other Asuras. Balarama Avatara- In this incarnation, the powerful and mighty Balarama or Baladeva was born as the seventh child to Devaki and Vasudeva. Balarama, with His strong arms, conquered river Yamuna by tilling the land with His Halayudha (weapon of plough). Krishna Avatara- Ever surrounded and adored by Gopis and the cows, Krishna, the charming Lord becomes the darling son of Yashoda and Nandagopa. The lores of Sri Krishna right from His birth to the end of His incarnation, are compiled in Srimad Bhagavatham. Krishna, the cousin and protector of the Pandavas, puppeteered the Kurukshetra war between the two groups of brothers- Pandavas and Kauravas, and ensured the victory of the former. Krishna’s Upadesha to Arjuna on the battle field are recorded as verses and compiled as the ’Bhagavad Gita’. Avatara of Kali Yuga- When deceit, treachery, manipulations, injustice and evil practises become a commonality, and when the actors of this farcical drama in the playhouse of Kali Yuga indulge in illicit deeds fearlessly, Maha Vishnu manifests as the compassionate Lord to restore Dharma in this last Yuga.
