In Dasavatara, Lord Vishnu is born as a fish, a turtle, a boar, a man-lion and He then takes human forms. He is born as a bachelor boy, a king, as a king maker, a good elder brother and as a vigilante. These avataras remind us that every life form and every livelihood has divine possibilities.
Nothing is inferior to another.
Thiruchanda Virutham – The Fourth set of Ten
782. You were Yama to Kalanemi. (In Ramayana, Kalanemi is killed by Hanuman. He is subsequently reborn as Kansa and is killed by Krishna.) Your praises are innumerable! As an infant, you consumed all the worlds during the deluge. You are the warrior who fells his foes by his bow & arrow! You grant salvation to those who are devoted to you!
783. Leading an army of monkeys, you built a bridge across the turbulent ocean and you aimed your ferocious arrows at the Asuras of Lanka. You are the Lord with lotus feet who, as Vamana, measured three paces and left not even a tiny parcel of land for Mahabali!
784. You killed Ravana whose teeth were as powerful as lightning and showed mercy on his brother Vibhishana and crowned him king! You are the consort of the soft spoken Nappinnai. You are Pundarikakshan who is auspicious and who is golden colored! (Pundarikakshan is the presiding deity of the temple at Thiruvellarai, near Trichy, one of the 108 divya desams)
785. You are the meaning of everything. You rule everything. You are the light in the flame. You are the Vedas. You are the yagna. You are the earth and the sky. Then, wonder of all, you became a cowherd!
786. My Lord! You hold the conch and the discus. You then showed your love to all creatures by incarnating as a fish and a tortoise. You then became a son to a slender waisted maiden in the cowherd clan. You are wonderful!
787. You were born to bejeweled maiden in the cowherd clan. You kicked Sakatasura to death with your tender feet. You suckled the poisonous millk of Putana and sucked away her life instead. You are then showered with kisses from the cowherd girls who wear golden bangles on their slender arms!
788. You are the Kanna who shook the fruits & vegetables from the tree and who killed the Kesi asura – the horse faced asura. You drank your mother’s milk. You then (stole) and ate butter. You then drank the poisonous milk (of Putana). You then put mud in your mouth. Ages ago, you were both the Varaha as well as the Vamana!
789. You broke the tusk of the mad Kuvalaya elephant. You then danced on the hoods of the Kaliya snake. My Lord! You dance merrily with pots of curd. You are colored dark like the rain bearing clouds. You wear cool, fragrant flowers on your chest. You are the one who killed the wicked Kalanemi!
790. You churned the oceans with a mighty mountain. Then you built a bridge across the ocean (in Rama avatar). You destroyed the King of Lanka – the island which is surrounded by water on all sides. You are the thunder cloud who lifted the Govardhana Mountain like an umbrella.
791. You protected the elephant Gajendra. On the other hand, you subdued Kuvalaya elephant. You protected the cows that grazed peacefully. Then, you stole the butter made out of their milk. When it rained heavily, you protected the cows by lifting the Govardhana Mountain. To seek the hand of Nappinnai, you felled the seven ferocious bulls. You are truly a big surprise!
Which avatar of the Lord is your favorite? 🙂