Stories Of Fourteen Manus And Ten Incarnations Of Lord Vishnu

Swayambhuva Manu ruled the earth for years. The subjects were happy and prosperous in their kingdom. They wrote 'Manusmriti', which is not found in its original form today. Lord Vishnu is the supreme worshiped deity of the Hindus. His glory has been described in detail in religious texts. There is a description of Lord Vishnu taking twenty-four incarnations for the welfare of the people. Among these, 10 incarnations are considered especially important and completely dedicated themselves to the betterment of the world. Lord Rama and Krishna are two such human incarnations of Lord Vishnu, who lived their lives like ordinary human beings and set exemplary examples for humans.

Different numbers of Manu are found in different Hindu texts. Eight Manus are mentioned in the Mahabharata. Fourteen Manu's in Shvetavarah Kalp. According to Hindu texts, Swayambhuva 'Manu' has been called the first man of the world and his wife Shatrupa the first woman. The whole world is pervaded by the progeny of this couple. 'Manav' (man) is called 'Manushya' (human) because of being the descendant of Manu. Swayambhuva Manu ruled the earth for years. The subjects were happy and prosperous in their kingdom. They wrote 'Manusmriti', which is not found in its original form today. Lord Vishnu is the supreme worshiped deity of the Hindus. His glory has been described in detail in religious texts. There is a description of Lord Vishnu taking twenty-four incarnations for the welfare of the people. Among these, 10 incarnations are considered especially important and completely dedicated themselves to the betterment of the world. Lord Rama and Krishna are two such human incarnations of Lord Vishnu, who lived their lives like ordinary human beings and set exemplary examples for humans. The stories of fourteen Manu and ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu are given in the present book, which is not only interesting but also inspiring and informative.

In Puranic lore, Vishnu is the preserver of the universe and the cosmic order. The Dasha Avatar is the Puranic story of the ten incarnations of Vishnu who descends to the terrestrial world to establish stability and order, time and again. The avatars occur in a sequence – the first was matsya or fish representing life in water, followed by kurma or turtle signifying life in water and on land, then varaha or boar alluding to terrestrial life and so on. The sequence of the avatars could be taken to symbolise various stages in the evolution of life culminating in the advent of the perfect being.

According to Hindu mythology, Lord Vishnu, the God of Preservation is supposed to be responsible for the sustenance, protection and maintenance of the Universe. To establish righteousness and destroy injustice in the world, he has incarnated in different life forms in various ages. Each incarnation has an interesting story associated with it which describes the feats of Vishnu. Such personifications are popularly believed to be ten in all though there is no upper limit to them. Children are inquisitive by nature and have often wondered why God incarnated himself time and again. In this book, each incarnation of Lord Vishnu has been presented in a manner that will be enlightening, educational and fun for children as well as grown-ups.

Vishnu, the Supreme Being, is the preserver, the protector of the good and the guardian of dharma. Seated on Adi Shesha, the many-hooded serpent, in the primeval waters, he watches over his devotees and rewards the pious. And whenever dharma is in danger, he incarnates himself on earth to rid it of evil. Beginning with an investigation of the possible non-Vedic, Dravidian origins of Vishnu, this book describes his form, aspects and attributes, and his avatars or incarnations: Matsya, the fish; Kurma, the tortoise; Varaha, the boar; Narasimha, the man-lion; Vamana, the dwarf; Parashurama; Rama; Krishna; and Kalki, the final destroyer. Combining the skill of a storyteller with the insight of a scholar, Nanditha Krishna has brought to glorious life perhaps the most powerful and revered god in the Hindu pantheon.

The stories of the ten incarnations of Vishnu are not only important in Hinduism, but also have wider benefits. They teach us that no matter how powerful evil is, truth ultimately triumphs. Every incarnation incarnated for a specific purpose. Matsya saved Manu and the Saptarishis, Varaha saved the earth, Rama destroyed unrighteousness – these stories teach the importance of dutifulness and fulfilling moral obligations. Not only but these stories teach the lesson of not giving up even in difficult situations and make us believe that the power to face challenges lies within us.

Study of the various forms of Vishnu in Hindu mythology.