Incarnations

  Almost all the scriptures mention about the incarnations, avatara, manifest forms of the supreme Lord. When the doctrines enunciated in the Vedic texts are properly understood, it becomes clear that "Everything is the manifest form of that One supreme power only." Behind this manifestation lies the divine desire, deveccha. 'Will' of the Lord. "The Lord Willed", says the Veda. Eko'ham bahusyam | "I am alone, I shall become many," says the Lord. Thus the phenomenal objective world, transient, ever-hanging, and impermanent has appeared (to us who look at it?). 

   In all there are 39 incarnations specifically mentioned in the scriptures. Some of these are matsya, kurma, varaha, nrasimha indicate the different stages of evolution of life on this planet.  However, we cannot exclude many of the plants and animals from this incarnation principle since these too have come to be worshiped by us. Cow and the Tulsi plant are examples. These are divine, in the sense have attained divinity! The secret of evolution revealed in the Vedic texts that need a careful decoding. The incarnations of the Lord such as Fish (matsya), turtle (kurma) boar (varaha) and Lion faced man (nara-simha)- rather an intermediate stage when Man was evolving from the animal state, are all symbolic. These are explained in the mythological stories for the benefit of common man who cannot understand the intricacies of symbolism in the scriptures like the Veda, agama shastra,  including the Bhagavad-Gita. Our ability to understand all these secrets is highly limited due to our inability to spend mote time for all these. But, those who study well can know these secrets, the coded language of the scriptures. mere reading or hearing the puranas will not help us here.

   As regards the  incarnations of Rama, Balarama, Parashurama, Krishna, Buddha or Kalki, it is very clear that all these are mere names and forms depicted in the Purana like the Vishnu purana and Padma purana. One has to look deep within oneself as directed by the Lord, Bhagavan Sri Krishna in the Gita. He says, "I am not somebody whom one can know; I am not easily known from the study of scriptures, and even the devi devata or learned sages can ever know Me since I am of no name or form. I am not an object to be known. I dwell in the heart of all. It is I who seated in all as the self of all eat, think, and act! " 

 Vishvaksena Samhita of the Pancharatra says, All avataras spring, emerge or manifest from Aniruddha, either directly or indirectly. Maheshvara or Shiva has come indirectly from Aniruddha through Brahman; so also Hayshirsha (Hayavadana) from the matsya, a direct avatara of Sri Krishna. Lakshmi Tantra says, all manifest forms of Gods (vibhava avatara) are from Aniruddha  On the other hand, Padma Tantra says, all the ten avataras manifest from" Matsya, Kurma and Varaha from Vasudeva; Narasimha, Vamana, Sri Rama and Parashurama from Sankarshana; Balarama from Pradyumna; and Krishna and Kalki from Aniruddha. All other avataras may be inferred from this. Even a Crooked Mango tree in Dandakaranya is said to be an avatar as stated in the Vishvaksens Samhita.
 This is how, one can understand that all are manifest forms of Supreme Lord only and Lord Shree Krishna Paramatma says, "He is the Self, the Atma, of all". Thus, there is no other God's avatara different from the 'Self'.
 "The Self is all". Ayam atmaa brahm | Atma eva Brahmaa ||

   "All living beings are the manifest forms of Brahman. Sarvam kahluvidam brahmaa  Evenm the non-moving objects are endowed with the energy, chaitanya, power of the Lord. there is nothing that is not divine here. Those who do not realize this are fools, says the Lord.|"