Vishnu, the preserver in the Trimurti, is said to descend to earth in avatars (incarnations) to restore dharma whenever it declines. The ten principal avatars are known as the Dashavatar (daśāvatāra). Below is a brief summary of each; the two most widely worshipped—Rama and Krishna—are then described in more detail.
| Avatar | What the avatar did |
|---|---|
| Matsya | Fish avatar. Saved the Vedas and the sage Manu from the great deluge (pralaya), so that life and knowledge could be restored. |
| Kurma | Tortoise avatar. Supported the Mandara mountain on his back during the churning of the ocean (Samudra Manthan), enabling the devas to obtain amrita (nectar of immortality). |
| Varaha | Boar avatar. Rescued the earth (Bhudevi) from the demon Hiranyaksha, who had dragged her to the bottom of the cosmic ocean. |
| Narasimha | Half-man, half-lion avatar. Slew the demon Hiranyakashipu to protect his devotee Prahlada, appearing at twilight to circumvent the demon’s boon. |
| Vamana | Dwarf avatar. Asked the asura king Bali for three paces of land; then expanded to cosmic form (Trivikrama) to reclaim the three worlds and restore them to the devas. |
| Parashurama | Warrior with the axe (parashu). Destroyed the corrupt Kshatriya class that had oppressed sages and Brahmins, and restored order. |
| Rama | Prince of Ayodhya and hero of the Ramayana. Defeated the demon king Ravana, rescued Sita, and ruled as the ideal king (Maryada Purushottama). Embodiment of dharma. |
| Krishna | Divine cowherd and teacher. Taught the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna; central to the Mahabharata and to bhakti. Worshipped as child (Balakrishna), friend, and supreme lord. |
| Buddha | In many traditions, the Buddha is included as the ninth avatar—teaching compassion, non-violence, and the middle path to restore peace and curb ritual excess. |
| Kalki | Future avatar. Said to appear at the end of the present age (Kali Yuga) on a white horse, to destroy adharma and restore righteousness and order. |
Rama
Rama is the seventh avatar of Vishnu and the hero of the epic Ramayana. He is revered as the ideal king, son, husband, and embodiment of dharma (righteousness). Born in Ayodhya, Rama is depicted with a bow and arrow; his consort is Sita, and his devoted ally is Hanuman. His life story—exile, Sita’s abduction by Ravana, and the eventual victory of good over evil—is a cornerstone of Hindu devotion and moral teaching.
Where to find his story: The Ramayana of Valmiki (in Sanskrit) is the classic source. A reliable place to read it online is the Valmiki Ramayana at IIT Kanpur (valmiki.iitk.ac.in): it offers the full Sanskrit text with English and other language translations, organised by chapter (sarga) and by verse (shloka), so you can follow the original and study it in depth. In North India, Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas (in Awadhi/Hindi) is widely read and recited. The epic is also retold in regional languages and in the Tamil Kamba Ramayanam.
Krishna
Krishna is the eighth avatar of Vishnu and one of the most beloved deities in Hinduism. He is worshipped as a divine child, a playful cowherd (Gopala), the teacher of the Bhagavad Gita, and the supreme lord of bhakti. His life encompasses his birth in Mathura, childhood and youth in Vrindavan (leelas with the gopis and the lifting of Govardhana), and his role in the Mahabharata as the charioteer and guide of Arjuna at Kurukshetra.
Where to find his story: The Mahabharata (including the Bhagavad Gita) tells his role in the Kurukshetra war and his teachings on dharma and devotion. The Bhagavata Purana (Srimad Bhagavatam) recounts his birth, childhood leelas, and his life in detail. The Harivamsha and regional texts such as the Gita Govinda (by Jayadeva) also celebrate his life and devotion.