Editing Avatar (section)

{{Short description|Material appearance or incarnation of a god on Earth in Hinduism}}
{{About|the concept in Hinduism|the 2009 film|Avatar (2009 film){{!}}''Avatar'' (2009 film)|other uses}}
{{redirect|Avatāra|the Dubai restaurant|Avatāra (restaurant)}}
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[[File:Dashavtar closeup national museum india.JPG|thumb|Hindu god [[Vishnu]]'s [[Dashavatara|ten major avatars]] (Balarama-Krishna version) [[Dasavatara shrine]], 18th century ivory, [[National Museum, New Delhi]]]]
{{Hinduism}}
{{Contains special characters|Indic}}
'''Avatar''' ({{Langx|sa|अवतार}}, {{IAST3|Avatāra}}; {{IPA|sa|ɐʋɐt̪aːɾɐ|pron}}) is a concept within [[Hinduism]] that in Sanskrit literally means {{gloss|descent}}. It signifies the material appearance or [[incarnation]] of a powerful [[deity]], or [[Spirit (vital essence)|spirit]] on Earth.<ref name=jameslochtefeldavatar/><ref>{{cite book|author=Geoffrey Parrinder |author-link=Geoffrey Parrinder|title=Avatar and Incarnation: The Divine in Human Form in the World's Religions |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VkV5AAAAMAAJ |year=1997|publisher=Oneworld |isbn=978-1-85168-130-3|pages=19–20 }}</ref> The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes used to refer to any [[guru]] or revered human being.<ref name=monierwilliamsavatar/>{{sfn|Sheth|2002|pp=98-99}}

The word ''avatar'' does not appear in the Vedic literature;<ref name="Bassuk1987p3">{{cite book|author=Daniel E Bassuk |title=Incarnation in Hinduism and Christianity: The Myth of the God-Man |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k3iwCwAAQBAJ |year=1987|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-1-349-08642-9 |pages=2–4}}</ref> however, it appears in developed forms in post-Vedic literature, and as a noun particularly in the [[Purana|Puranic]] literature after the 6th century CE.{{sfn|Hacker|1978|pp=424, also 405–409, 414–417}} Despite that, the concept of an avatar is compatible with the content of the Vedic literature like the [[Upanishads]] as it is symbolic imagery of the [[Saguna Brahman]] concept in the philosophy of Hinduism. The ''[[Rigveda]]'' describes [[Indra]] as endowed with a mysterious power of assuming any form at will.<ref>Rig Veda 3.53.8 (Maghavan); 6.47.18 (Indra)</ref><ref>Swami Harshananda, ''A Concise Encyclopaedia of Hinduism'', Ramakrishna Math, Bangalore (2008) Vol.1, page 221</ref><!--Commenting out the following, because we don't interpret WP:Primary in Wikipedia, please also add a secondary source for this: Some of the Avataras from the list of the ten Avataras of Vishnu, are mentioned in the earlier Vedic literature. ''[[Satapatha Brahmana]]'' mentions the stories of the Matsya, Kurma, Varaha and Vamana Avataras.<ref>Satapatha Brahmana 1.8.1.1–6; 7.5.1.5; 14.1.2.11; 1.2.5.1</ref> --> The ''[[Bhagavad Gita]]'' expounds the doctrine of Avatara but with terms other than ''avatar''.{{sfn|Hacker|1978|pp=424, also 405–409, 414–417}}{{sfn|Sheth|2002|pages=98–99}}

Theologically, the term is most often associated with the Hindu god [[Vishnu]], though the idea has been applied to other deities.<ref name="Gale's">{{cite book|last=Kinsley|first=David|title=Gale's Encyclopedia of Religion|editor=Lindsay Jones|publisher=Thomson Gale|year=2005|edition=Second|volume=2|pages=707–708|isbn=978-0-02-865735-6}}</ref> Varying lists of avatars of Vishnu appear in Hindu scriptures, including the ten [[Dashavatara]] of the ''[[Garuda Purana]]'' and the twenty-two avatars in the ''[[Bhagavata Purana]]'', though the latter adds that the incarnations of Vishnu are innumerable.<ref name="Bryant">{{cite book| last=Bryant| first=Edwin Francis|title=Krishna: A Sourcebook| publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] US| year=2007| page=18 | isbn=978-0-19-514891-6| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0z02cZe8PU8C&pg=PT32}}</ref> The avatars of Vishnu are important in [[Vaishnavism]] theology. In the goddess-based [[Shaktism]] tradition of Hinduism, avatars of the [[Devi]] in different appearances such as [[Tripura Sundari]], [[Durga]], [[Chandi]], [[Chamunda]], [[Mahakali]], and [[Kali]] are commonly found.{{sfn|Sheth|2002|pages=98–125}}<ref name="Hawley">{{cite book|last=Hawley|first=John Stratton|author2=Vasudha Narayanan|title=The life of Hinduism|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|year=2006|page=174|isbn=978-0-520-24914-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7DLj1tYmoTQC&pg=PA174}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=David R. Kinsley |title=Tantric Visions of the Divine Feminine: The Ten Mahāvidyās |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gkCsrfghkZ4C |year=1998|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-1522-3 |pages=115–119}}</ref> While avatars of other deities such as [[Ganesha]] and [[Shiva]] are also mentioned in medieval Hindu texts, this is minor and occasional.<ref>James Lochtefeld (2002), "Shiva" in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. 2: N-Z, Rosen Publishing, {{ISBN|0-8239-2287-1}}, page 635</ref> The incarnation doctrine is one of the important differences between Vaishnavism and Shaivism traditions of Hinduism.<ref name=laiengavatar/><ref name=ryanjonesavatar/>

[[Incarnation]] concepts that are in some aspects similar to ''avatar'' are also found in [[Buddhism]],{{sfn|Sheth|2002|pp=115–116 with note 2}} [[Christianity]],<ref name="Bassuk1987p3"/> and other religions.{{sfn|Sheth|2002|pp=115–116 with note 2}}

The scriptures of [[Sikhism]] include the names of numerous Hindu gods and goddesses, but it rejected the doctrine of savior incarnation and endorsed the view of Hindu [[Bhakti]] movement saints such as [[Namdev]], that formless eternal god is within the human heart, and man is his own savior.<ref name=enesbittavatar/><ref>Christopher Shackle and Arvind Mandair (2005), ''Teachings of the Sikh Gurus'', Routledge, {{ISBN|978-0415266048}}, pp. xxxiv–xli</ref>