The Sanskrit terms Daśāvatāra and Daśāvatārā can be transliterated into English as Dasavatara or Dashavatara, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).

Alternative spellings of this word include Dashavtar.

Images (photo gallery)

In Hinduism

Shilpashastra (iconography)

Source: Shodhganga: The significance of the mūla-beras (śilpa)

Daśāvatāra (दशावतार) refers to the “ten incarnations of Lord Viṣṇu”, as defined according to texts dealing with śilpa (arts and crafs), known as śilpaśāstras.—The ten avatāras (incarnation) of Lord Viṣṇu are Matsya, Kūrma, Varāha, Narasiṃha, Vāmana, Paraśurāma, Raghurāma, Balarāma, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and Kalki. The hand gestures for the daśāvatāra in dancing and iconography are similar in some cases and dissimilar in most of the cases.

1. Matsya-avatāra,
2. Kūrma-avatāra,
3. Varāha-avatāra,
4. Narasiṃha-avatāra,
5. Vāmana-avatāra,
6. Paraśurāma-avatāra,
7. Raghurāma-avatāra,
8. Balarāma-avatāra,
9. Kṛṣṇa-avatāra,
10. Kalki-avatāra.

context information

Shilpashastra (शिल्पशास्त्र, śilpaśāstra) represents the ancient Indian science (shastra) of creative arts (shilpa) such as sculpture, iconography and painting. Closely related to Vastushastra (architecture), they often share the same literature.

Natyashastra (theatrics and dramaturgy)

Source: archive.org: The mirror of gesture (abhinaya-darpana)

Hands of the Ten Avatars of Viṣṇu (Daśāvatāra):

1. Matsya,
2. Kūrma,
3. Narasiṃha,
4. Vāmana,
5. Paraśurāma,
6. Raghurāma,
7. Balarāma,
8. Kṛṣṇa,
9. Kalka;

(Buddha is omitted)

context information

Natyashastra (नाट्यशास्त्र, nāṭyaśāstra) refers to both the ancient Indian tradition (śāstra) of performing arts, (nāṭya, e.g., theatrics, drama, dance, music), as well as the name of a Sanskrit work dealing with these subjects. It also teaches the rules for composing dramatic plays (nataka) and poetic works (kavya).

General definition (in Hinduism)

Source: Wisdom Library: Hinduism

Daśāvatāra (दशावतार) is a Sanskrit word referring to the ten incarnations of Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu is the name of a major Hindu deity and forms part of the trinity of supreme divinity (trimūrti) together with Brahmā and Śiva. They are seen as the cosmic personifications of creation (brahmā), maintenance (viṣṇu), and destruction (śiva).

They ten incarnations of Viṣṇu are:

1. Matsya,
2. Kūrma,
3. Varāha,
4. Nṛsiṃha,
5. Vāmana (Trivikrama),
6. Paraśurāma,
7. Rāma,
8. Kṛṣṇa,
9. Buddha,
10. and Kalki.

Also see the list of aṃśāvatāra, which includes twenty-one forms of Viṣṇu.

Source: WikiPedia: Hinduism

Dashavatara refers to the ten avatars of Vishnu, the Hindu God of universal preservation. The word Dashavatara derives from daśa, meaning “ten” and avatar (avatāra), meaning “descent”.

Yuga: The first four avatars of Vishnu appeared in Satya or Krita Yuga, the first of the four Yugas, also called 'The Golden Age'. The Kali-yuga is described as ending with the appearance of Kalki, who will defeat the wicked, liberate the virtuous, and initiate a new Satya or Kalki Yuga.

1. Matsya, the fish (Satya Yuga).
2. Kurma, the tortoise (Satya Yuga).
3. Varaha, the boar (Satya Yuga).
4. Narasimha, half-man/half-lion (Satya Yuga).
5. Vamana, the dwarf, (Treta Yuga).
6. Parashurama, Warrior with the axe, (Treta Yuga).
7. Rama, Ramachandra, the prince and king of Ayodhya, (Treta Yuga).
8. Krishna: the eighth son of Devaki and Vasudeva. (Dwapara Yuga),
9. Buddha: Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism (Dwapara Yuga),
10. Kalki: final incarnation (end of Kali Yuga).

Languages of India and abroad

Marathi-English dictionary

Source: DDSA: The Aryabhusan school dictionary, Marathi-English

daśāvatāra (दशावतार).—m The ten incarnations of viṣṇu.

context information

Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.

Sanskrit dictionary

Source: DDSA: The practical Sanskrit-English dictionary

Daśāvatārā (दशावतारा).—m. (pl.) the ten incarnations of Viṣṇu; see under अवतार (avatāra).

Derivable forms: daśāvatārāḥ (दशावताराः).

Daśāvatārā is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms daśan and avatārā (अवतारा).

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Daśāvatāra (दशावतार).—m.

(-raḥ) A name of Vishnu. E. daśa ten, and avatāra descent; the deity of whom there are ten descents from heaven, for the purpose of protecting or punishing mankind: see avatāra .

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Aufrecht Catalogus Catalogorum

1) Daśāvatāra (दशावतार) as mentioned in Aufrecht’s Catalogus Catalogorum:—stotra. Oppert. 67. 1118. 2854.

2) Daśāvatāra (दशावतार):—Sv. Ulwar 272.

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1) Daśāvatāra (दशावतार):—[from daśa] m. (= śa-rūpa) Viṣṇu, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]

2) [v.s. ...] n. Name of an observance (performed on the 10th day of the light half of Bhādrapada, [Vrata-prakāśa x]), [Bhaviṣya-purāṇa, khaṇḍa 1 & 2: bhaviṣya-purāṇa & bhaviṣyottara-purāṇa ii, 60]

Source: Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dictionaries: Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary

Daśāvatāra (दशावतार):—[daśā+vatāra] (raḥ) 1. m. A name of Vishnu.

[Sanskrit to German]

Dashavatara in German

context information

Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.

Hindi dictionary

Source: DDSA: A practical Hindi-English dictionary

Daśāvatāra (दशावतार) [Also spelled dashavtar]:—(nm) the ten incarnations of Lord vishnu viz. [matsya, kacchapa, varāha, nṛsiṃha, vāmana, paraśurāma, rāma, kṛṣṇa, buddha] and [kalki].

context information

...

Kannada-English dictionary

Source: Alar: Kannada-English corpus

Daśāvatāra (ದಶಾವತಾರ):—

1) [noun] (myth.) collectively, the ten principal incarnations of Viṣṇu.

2) [noun] Viṣṇu himself.

context information

Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.

See also (Relevant definitions)

Partial matches: Dasa, Dashan, Avatara.

Starts with: Dashavatara Temple, Dashavataracarita, Dashavataracharita, Dashavataragamjipu, Dashavatarakavya, Dashavatarakhandaprashasti, Dashavataramanjari, Dashavataramurtistotra, Dashavataraparishishta, Dashavatarastotra, Dashavatarastuti, Dashavatarasuprabhata.

Full-text (+19): Kalki, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Dashavataracarita, Matsya, Dashavatara Temple, Varaha, Krishna, Balarama, Raghurama, Sindhu, Kurma, Narasimhavatara, Vamanadeva, Nrisimha, Dashavtar, Kamatha, Bhrigukulatilaka, Kankalamurti.

Relevant text

Search found 13 books and stories containing Dashavatara, Dasa-avatara, Daśa-avatāra, Daśan-avatārā, Dasan-avatara, Daśāvatāra, Dasavatara, Daśāvatārā, Daśavatāra, Dasha-avatara, Dashan-avatara; (plurals include: Dashavataras, avataras, avatāras, avatārās, Daśāvatāras, Dasavataras, Daśāvatārās, Daśavatāras). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

The Matsya Purana (critical study) (by Kushal Kalita)

Part 1.3 - Incarnations of Viṣṇu < [Chapter 4 - Religious aspects of the Matsyapurāṇa]

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Puranic encyclopaedia (by Vettam Mani)

Story of Agni-purāṇa

Story of Avatāra

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Triveni Journal

Reviews < [October 1968]

Is There Bhakti Rasa in Mahabharata? < [January – March, 1997]

Ramayana and Five Arts < [January 1952]

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Chaitanya Mangala

Song 9 < [Advaita-tattwa-kathana (Description of the Truth of Lord Advaita)]

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Vastu-shastra (5): Temple Architecture (by D. N. Shukla)

Layanas—Early Mauryan Specimens < [Chapter 12 - History of Hindu Temples (Prāsādas and Vimānas)]

Temples at Ellora and Elephanta < [Chapter 12 - History of Hindu Temples (Prāsādas and Vimānas)]

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The Shiva Purana (by J. L. Shastri)

Chapter 13 - The creation of Brahmā and Viṣṇu < [Section 7.1 - Vāyavīya-saṃhitā (1)]

Chapter 16 - The battle of the gods < [Section 2.5 - Rudra-saṃhitā (5): Yuddha-khaṇḍa]

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Click here for all 13 books