[Author’s Name]
[Institution’s Name]
Essay on The Avatars of Hinduism
The Hindu faith is that relating to the ten Avatars, or incarnations, of Vishnu. The first and earliest is called the Matsya- avatar, that is, the incarnation of the god in the form of a fish. And what was the cause of it? It was the loss of the four books of the Vedas. Brahma, under whose care they were left, fell asleep, and a giant, his enemy, availed himself of the opportunity to steal the sacred volumes. Having escaped unperceived, the giant hid himself in the sea with his precious booty, which he swallowed, thinking it would be safer in his bowels.
Vishnu, having been informed of what had happened, changed himself into a fish, and went in pursuit of this enemy of the gods. After a long search, he at length discovered the giant in the deepest abyss of the ocean. He attacked him, vanquished him, and tore him in pieces. He then plucked the hidden books from the giant's entrails, and restored them to the god who was their author and guardian (Feldhaus, Anne. 1995).One of the commonest names of Vishnu in the southern part of the Peninsula is Perumal. His devotees are fond of invoking him under the name of Narayana; and he has a thousand other names, of which the Brahmins have composed a species of litany which they call Harismarana.
The worship rendered to Vishnu, that the sign of the namam, which his followers trace on their forehead, is the distinctive symbol of that worship. His cult is more general than that Siva, especially among the Brahmins, whose favorite god pears to be Vishnu. He is represented with four arms, and hence is sometimes named the four-armed god. The bird garuda is his vehicle. He bears the title of redeemer and preserver of all that exists......
