Episode 251

In Hinduism, the trinity of gods—Brahmā, Vishnu, and Shiva—are believed to be responsible for creation, preservation, and annihilation of the Universe, respectively. Although Vishnu appears second in the triad, he is very popular because of his identity as the supreme being. In the Vedic period, he was not placed in the foremost rank, but in the post-Vedic period, Vishnu was identified as the supreme God who from time to time descends from heaven, assuming many avatāras (incarnations), to put an end to evil and to establish Dharma (religious law). विष्णु के अवतार तीन श्रेणियों के हैं: अवतार, आवेश और अमश। अवतार में , विष्णु पूर्ण रूप में अवतार लेते हैं, जबकि आवेश में, वे आंशिक रूप से अवतार लेते हैं; यह कमोबेश अस्थायी प्रकृति का हो सकता है। राम और कृष्ण के अवतार "पूर्ण" हैं, जबकि परशुराम का अवतार केवल आंशिक है। अम्सा में , विष्णु के आदेश से, उनके गुण और पहलू कभी-कभी सामान्य मनुष्यों के जीवन को बेहतर बनाने के लिए संत प्राणियों के रूप में पृथ्वी पर पैदा होते हैं। पुराणों (प्राचीन ग्रंथों) में दस से बीस अवतारों की गणना की गई हैs, of which ten are major: Matsya (fish), Kūrma (tortoise), Varāha (boar), Narasimha (man-lion), Vāmana (dwarf), Parashurāma, Rāma, Balarāma, Krishna, and Kalki. There are three different versions concerning the eighth and ninth incarnations. According to the first tradition (Mahābhārata, Sāntiparvan, and the Bhāgavata Purāṇa), Balarāma and Krishna are accepted as the eighth and ninth incarnations. The second tradition (Bhāgavata Purāṇa and the Matsya Purāṇa) treats the eighth and ninth as Krishna and the Buddha. The third tradition (Agni Purāṇa) regards Balarāma and the Buddha as the eighth and ninth incarnations. Chronologically, this belief is of later origin. The second tradition, which regards Krishna and the Buddha as the eighth and ninth incarnations, came into vogue only after the Buddha was adopted as an avatāra of Vishnu, dropping Balarāma, who then was recognized as an avatāra of Sesha rather than Vishnu. Courtesy encyclopaedia