dharma samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge |

   Bhagavan Shree Krishna says that, "He will appear again and again on this Planet Earth to restore dharma, resurrect the Veda." There are several great convulsions and catastrophes like the sinking and rising of large land masses (like the Atlantis, the Lost Continent), earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, and other devastations that have struck the earth in the past Twenty-seven yugas, that have gone by, of the seven manvantaras, At least, there have been four glacial epochs* causing withdrawal of seas followed by a peak hot period melting ice and the consequent floodings on a vast scale during the last one million years. These four Great Ice Age are marked in the geomorphological history. Obviously, there is some meaning in restoring the Veda and other ancient scriptures that have been lost.

   There are 39 incarnations so far of which twenty five avatar are cited in many texts. Pancharatra gives the complete list. The most common names of incarnations of the Lord, that are popular are: matsya (fish), kurma (Tortoise), varaha (Bear), nr.simha (half-lion and half man), vamana (dwarf), parashurama, Shree Rama, Shree Krishna, the Buddha and Kalki. (See: Introduction to Pancharatra, by Otto Schrader, pp 46-49). The most interesting point here is that of the Lord taking the form of animals and half-lion and half man! There are also examples of incarnation as Mango tree! This aspect of animal face attached to human form has raised several questions. Is there a period in the ancient history that life forms like Ganesh or Narasinha existed? Some body has proposed transplantation of head by surgery also! There are pictures of Gods of Veda with face of goat, horse, cat, bear, attached to human form. The Sphinx in Egypt is the best example of a lion's body with a human face in contrast to our lions face of a human form. Obviously these curious things have to be explained.

  One plausible explanation may be that the earth has undergone lots of changes over time and there has been a gradual evolution from aquatic, amphibian, arboreal, reptilian, and mammalian forms to human as at present. Each and every period had a marvellous expansion in consciousness attaining to divinity, plants, birds, animals, no exception! Thus, we see even a tiny plant and a snake being worshiped by man in India. The fundamental principle here is that of incarnation and divinity inherent in all living beings. Even a stone called saligrama  (blackstone) is worshiped as Sudarshana or a Shivalingam! The Tirumala Tirupati Venkataramana idol  and Gokarna and the Kashi Vishveshwara are the best examples to cite a few.

    Lord Krishna has clearly stated in the Gitopadesha that "He exists as chaitanya, cit-shakti or consciousness in all moving and non-moving beings and there is nothing without Him in this universe!" Everything is pervaded by consciousness, Vishnu.

  However, the the possibility of such a feat, reaching divinity by humans these days, remains a remote possibility. Even Lord Krishna lamented on the affairs at the end of dwapara yuga, say 3500 years ago, when people were indulging in excessive drinking and committing atrocious crimes (even in His presence!). See Uddhava Gita for more details. He even stated that people would commit heinous crimes and there will be no law and order; dharma would collapse, and drunkards would rule the Kingdom in Kaliyuga. It has come true!
    This Kaliyug has to end disastrously! Only those who take to yoga and attain spiritually high level of conscious existence would become the seed for the next Manvantara. The pious ones will appear as pitrus of next yuga.

*Glacial epochs: Wurm, Riss, Mindel and Gunz.during the last 1 million years.