Avatars and male deities

• An avatar is an incarnation or representation of a god , usually as a human or animal
• Hindus believe Vishnu shows himself as many different avatars at special times and for special reasons
• Vishnu has 10 avatars , and the most important are :

  • Rama (7th avatar)  
  • Krishnu (8th avatar) 
• For Hindus , the story of Rama and Sita illustrates the human virtues of wisdom , justice , equality , obedience , loyalty and devotion - The return of the happy couple is celebrated each year at Diwali
• Hanuman

  • Monkey warrior god  
  • According to some legends, he was Shiva and Parvati’s (Shakti) child , but he was adopted by the wind go Vayu  
  • Remembered for his devotion to duty – especially Rama and Sita  
  • Able to leap colossal distances , which he used to help rescue Sita from captivity in Sri Lanka  
  • Symbol is a mace which represents strength and authority 
• Krishna

  • Most well-known avatar of Vishnu, the word ‘Krishna’ in Sanskrit means ‘dark’  
  • His skin is dark blue , and he wears yellow robes to represent Earth  
  • The story of his life is in the Puranas , and his teachings are found in the Bhagavad Gita  
  • According to the Puranas , he was born in jail and rescued and taken to live in the forest , where he was looked after by his cowherd foster parents  
  • Pictured playing the flute and entertaining milkmaids in the village (gopis)  
  • Favourite gopi was Radha – their devotion represents God’s never ending love for his followers 
• Ganesha

  • Elephant headed god , was the son of Shiva and Parvati  
  • Was born whilst Shiva was away , and when Shiva returned , Ganesha was guarding the door whilst Parvati had a bath  
  • Ganesha did not recognise Shiva and would not let him in so Shiva cut of his head  
  • Parvati insisted Ganesha be brought back to life , so Shiva sent messengers to bring back the first head they could find , which was a baby elephant’s  
  • Seen as the god of good luck and remover of obstacles , so is celebrated before big events like weddings  
  • Is thought to guard gates and doorways