Dashavatara
The ten principal descents of Vishnu, each taken to restore dharma in its age.
Dashavatara
| Avatara | Form | Age | Story |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Matsya | The fish | Satya Yuga | Saves Manu, the seven sages and the Vedas from the great flood, towing their boat to safety. |
| 2. Kurma | The tortoise | Satya Yuga | Bears Mount Mandara on his back so the gods and asuras can churn the ocean of milk. |
| 3. Varaha | The boar | Satya Yuga | Lifts the Earth from the depths of the ocean on his tusks after slaying Hiranyaksha. |
| 4. Narasimha | The man-lion | Satya Yuga | Emerges from a pillar at dusk to destroy Hiranyakashipu and protect the child devotee Prahlada. |
| 5. Vamana | The dwarf | Treta Yuga | Asks King Bali for three steps of land and spans the worlds in two, placing the third on Bali's head. |
| 6. Parashurama | Rama with the axe | Treta Yuga | The warrior-sage who humbles the arrogant kings of his time. |
| 7. Rama | The prince of Ayodhya | Treta Yuga | The ideal king, who defeats Ravana and rescues Sita; the hero of the Ramayana. |
| 8. Krishna | The cowherd and charioteer | Dvapara Yuga | Teacher of the Bhagavad Gita and guide of the Pandavas. Some lists place Balarama here. |
| 9. Buddha | The awakened one | Kali Yuga | Taught compassion and non-violence; in some regional lists Balarama or Jagannath takes this place. |
| 10. Kalki | The rider on the white horse | End of Kali Yuga | Yet to come; will end the age of darkness and begin a new Satya Yuga. |
Times are local to New Delhi, Delhi, India, worked out with the sidereal (Lahiri) zodiac. Sunrise and sunset are for the upper edge of the Sun with normal refraction.