Avatāra
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Avatāra (devanāgarī: अवतार) is a Sanskrit word meaning "descent", and in Hinduism refers to a deliberate incarnation of a deity or supreme being on earth.
In H. P. Blavatsky words:
Avatâra (Sk.) Divine incarnation. The descent of a god or some exalted Being, who has progressed beyond the necessity of Rebirths, into the body of a simple mortal. Krishna was an avatar of Vishnu. The Dalai Lama is regarded as an avatar of Avalokiteswara, and the Teschu Lama as one of Tson-kha-pa, or Amitâbha. There are two kinds of avatars: those born from woman, and the parentless, the anupapâdaka.[1]
Notes
- ↑ Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, The Theosophical Glossary (Krotona, CA: Theosophical Publishing House, 1973), 44.
Further reading
- Avatāra at Theosopedia