The Mohini Avatar of Lord Vishnu is a famous episode in Hindu mythology. According to the story, during the churning of the ocean of milk, the gods and demons united in order to obtain the amrita, the elixir of immortality. After the amrita was obtained, the demons quickly claimed it for themselves and refused to share it with the gods. In order to restore balance and obtain the amrita for the gods, Lord Vishnu took on the form of a beautiful woman, known as Mohini.

The Mohini Avatar is considered to be the most beautiful and enchanting form of Lord Vishnu, and her beauty was said to be so captivating that it bewitched the demons and they were unable to resist her charms. She then tricked the demons into giving her the amrita and distributed it among the gods, ensuring their immortality.

The Mohini Avatar is often depicted in Hindu art and is considered to be a symbol of the power of beauty and charm. It is also considered to be a symbol of the power of illusion and the ability to deceive. The story of the Mohini Avatar is often interpreted as a metaphor for the power of maya, the illusion that obscures the true nature of reality.

In addition to its religious and spiritual significance, the Mohini Avatar is also considered to have cultural and historical significance. Many traditional Indian dance forms, such as the Mohiniyattam, are based on the story of the Mohini Avatar, and depict the beauty and charm of Lord Vishnu in the form of a woman.

In summary, The Mohini Avatar of Lord Vishnu is a famous episode in Hindu mythology, where Lord Vishnu took on the form of a beautiful woman, known as Mohini, during the churning of the ocean of milk, to obtain the amrita, the elixir of immortality from demons and distributed it among the gods, ensuring their immortality. It is considered to be the most beautiful and enchanting form of Lord Vishnu and it is also considered to be a symbol of the power of beauty and charm, illusion and the ability to deceive. It has cultural and historical significance as many traditional Indian dance forms, such as the Mohiniyattam, are based on the story of the Mohini Avatar.

Importance of Lord Vishnu’s mantra is detailed below.

SHAANTAAKAARAM BHUJAGASHAYANAM PADMANAABHAM SURESHAM
VISHWAADHAARAM GAGANASADRASHAM MEGHAVARNAM SHUBHAANGAM.
LAKSHMIKAANTAM KAMALANAYANAM YOGIBHIRDHYAANAGAMYAM
VANDE VISHNUM BHAVABHAYAHARAM SARVALOKAIKANAATHAM

MEANING
I bow to Lord Vishnu the One Master of the Universe, who is ever peaceful, who reclines on the great serpent bed, from whose navel springs the Lotus of the Creative Power, who is the Supreme Being, who supports the entire universe, who is all-pervading as the sky, who is dark like the clouds and has a beautiful form; the Lord of Lakshmi, the lotus-eyed One, whom the yogis are able to perceive through meditation, He, who is the destroyer of the fear of Samsar.

Shantakaram – Lord Vishnu

Shantakaram Bhujagshayanam

Significance of Garuda as the Vehicle of Vishnu

It is the heart of man that is referred to as a bird. It carries the thought of God; it moves swiftly to where He is. His abode is Vaikuntha meaning a place where there is no shadow of grief. How far is it? It is within the hearing distance of every grief – stricken heart. “I do not dwell in Vaikuntha or in the heart of Yogis. I am present wherever my devotees sing my praise Oh Narada”.

The Efficacy of Vishnu Mantra

Lord Vishnu is so compassionate and merciful. Once sage Bhrigu wanted to test the Trinity (the three gods of creation, sustenance and destruction namely Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva) as to who is the most tolerant one. When he used abusive language at the Brahmaloka and Shivaloka, he was duly cursed and punished by them.

Then he went to Vaikunt, the abode of Lord Vishnu. By way of testing the patience and tolerance of the Lord, he kicked the Lord with his foot. At once, Lord Vishnu caught hold of the sage’s feet and caressed it saying that by kicking, the foot would have invited some pain and therefore he wanted to ease his discomfort.

The sage was so amazed with the degree to which the Lord can put up with the act of dishonour. This incident was enough for him to conclude that Lord Vishnu was the most merciful, loving and compassionate Lord.

Praying to Lord Vishnu is a way to get his blessings in abundance. Daily prayers to Vishnu is advised to get the most positive results. Those who want to get their wishes fulfilled must chant Vishnu Mantra on a daily basis completing a round of 108 times.

Wake up early in the morning, light ghee lamp and incense in front of the picture or idol of Lord Vishnu and offer some pure water and flowers besides any prasad you might feel comfortable with. Be seated in front of the altar and chat the mantra sincerely contemplating on the meaning. You will find your wishes coming true in due course with the blessings of Lord Vishnu.

This is the final article of 21 incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Here, we see lot of incarnations from Dashavatara are mentioned here as well. Notable addition is Vyasa avatara, who is also known as Krishna Dwaipayana.

15. The dwarf Incarnation – Vaman Avtar

Vishnu incarnated as a dwarf brahman to restore the authority of Indra over the heaven, as it has been taken by MahaBali asura king. King Mahabali was a generous man He believed that he can help any one and can donate whatever they ask. The dwarf came to Bali and desired that it might be granted as much of land as could be encompassed in three of its steps. Mahabali consented against the warning of his Guru. Vamana then revealed his identity and enlarged to gigantic proportions to stride over the three worlds. He stepped from heaven to earth with the first step, from earth to the netherworld with the second. King Mahabali, unable to fulfil his promise, offered his head for the third. Vamana then placed his foot and gave the king immortality for his humility.

16. The Ram with axe incarnation – Parashuram Incarnation

When kshatriya kings became ruthless and started exploiting their subjects, Lord Vishnu took  sixteenth  incarnation as Parshuram. Parashurama destroyed all the kshatriyas in the world twenty-one times, so that good might once again prevail. He received an axe after undertaking terrible penance to please Lord Shiva, who in turn taught him the martial arts.

17. Vyasa Avtar

Lord Vishnu incarnated himself as a sage  Krishna Dvaipayana. He was the son of Parashara and Satyavati He recompiled the sacred texts of the Vedas so that they might become more easily understandable to men.  It was thus that there came to be four Vedas. He came to be known as Vedavyasa because he had divided the Vedas. He also wrote eighteen Mahapurans and Mahabharat.

Ved Vyasa and Lord Ganesha

18. The Ram Incarnation

Ram is considered as 18 incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Ram is considered as one of the most important incarnations. Rama is referred to within Hinduism as Maryada Purushottama  which literally means Perfect Man or Lord of Self-Control or Lord of Virtue. Rama’s life and journey is one of adherence to dharma despite harsh tests and obstacles and many pains of life and time. He is pictured as the ideal man and the perfect human.

Rama and Ravana – The Ramayana

19. Krishna and Balram Incarnation

Lord Vishnu incarnated as  yadavas named Balram and Krishna. Balram killed Pralambasura  and many more demons. Lord Krishna on other hand fought against the exploitation right from his childhood and killed many demons like Kalayavan, Kansa, Jarasandh etc. He gave the divine knowledge of Gita to Arjun during the battle of Kurukshetra.

20. The Buddha Incarnation

Buddha was twentieth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, He was the originator of Buddhism. In the Kaliyuga the demons were completely subjugated by the deities. Shukracharya the teacher of the demons instigated the demons to perform Yagya so that they could regain power and authority. Fearing this the deities prayed to Lord Vishnu for help. Lord Vishnu took incarnation as Buddha and dissuaded the demons from performing Yagya as it involves violence the demons stopped performing Yagyas.

21. The Kalki Incarnation

This Incarnation is still to take place. At the end of Kalyug, Kalki avtar of Lord Vishnu shall take place in the house of brahmin Vishnuyasha. He would re-establish the superiority of Virtuosity and religiousness.

This article is second in the series of 21 incarnations of Lord Vishnu. We see that some of the famous avatars of him appear here also such as fish and Narsingh incarnations.

8. The Rishabha deva Incarnation

Rishabha deva is eighth avtar of Vishnu. Rishabh Dev was born to king Nabhi and Marudevi. His mother Marudevi was the daughter of Indra. His most important lesson he taught mankind was that material possessions cause envy and unhappiness.

He attained that state of Paramhansa (an ascetic of highest order who has controlled his anger) which is an uphill task. He was given the title of ‘Jin’ which means a ‘ a knower’. His followers are known as Jains.

 9. The Incarnation of Raja Prithu

The ninth incarnation of Vishnu was as a king. Lord Vishnu took this incarnation on the request or (prarthana) of sages hence, he got the name Prithu. King Prithu was son of an evil king Vena. Vena was killed by the sages  leaving the kingdom without an heir and in famine due to the anarchy of Vena So, the sages churned Vena’s body, out of which first appeared a dark dwarf hunter, a symbol of Vena’s evil.  On further churning, Prithu emerged from right arm of the corpse.  To end the famine Prithu chased the earth (Prithvi) who fled from his wrath as a cow. Prithvi said if you will kill me it would mean an end to his subkects too. Thus,Prithu lowered his weapons and promised to be her guardian. Finally, Prithu milked her using Manu as a calf, and received all vegetation and grain as her milk, in his hands for the welfare of humanity. This is considered that as a very supreme incarnation, because the earth has remained full of vegetation’s after that. Earth was named Prithvi after King Prithu.

10. The Fish Incarnation

All the oceans had unified into a single ocean in the ‘Manvantara’ of ‘Chakshusha’. At this time, the whole world  was flooded with water.  The Manu who ruled over this manvantara was known as Vaivasvata Manu.  As a fish, Vishnu told Vaivasvata Manu to build a boat and save himself and the rest of humanity from the waters of the flood. Lord Vishnu in his 10th incarnation as a Matsya (Fish) rescued the earth from ‘Maya’ the demon.

11. The Tortoise Incarnation

At the time of churning of Ocean (samudra manthan) Vishnu incarnated as turtle. The gods (devas) and demons (asuras) churned the ocean with Mount Mandara as a churning rod. But this would not have been possible had there not been a base on which Mount Mandara could rest.  This base was provided by the back of the turtle.

12. The Dhanvantari Incarnation

As the churning continued  Dhanvantari came out with a pot of amrita ( a life-giving drink) in his hands, which he gave to the Gods. Dhanvantari was Vishnu’s twelfth incarnation. Dhanvantari was also the originator of all medical science.

Lord Dhanvantari

13. The Mohini Incarnation

Lord Vishnu took his thirteenth incarnation as a most enchanting woman enchanted the demons by his beautiful appearance of a woman, and took away the pot filled up with ambrosia from them and gave it to the deities. The deities were thus protected from the demons.

Read the full story of Mohini avatar here

14. The man – lion incarnation (Narasimha Avtar)

Lord Vishnu took his fourteenth incarnation as half man and half lion. Vishnu incarnated as Narsimha, upper portion was that of a lion and the lower portion was that of a human. In this Incarnation Vishnu protected Prahlad from his father Hiranyakashipu a demon. . Lord Brahma has blessed Hiranyakashipu that a human being can not kill him. Vishnu incarnated this form and killed Hiranyakashipu by tearing his body apart  by his nails.

Lord Vishnu’s 21 incarnations

Lord Vishnu’s ten incarnations or Dashavataras are famous, but few people know that actually there are twenty one incarnations.As per Hindu Mythology and Puranas, Lord Vishnu has 21 incarnations.

1. Samnak, Sanandan, Sanatan and Sanat- Kumar 

These four Kumaras are the eldest sons of the creator-god Brahma. They are said to be lord Vishnu’s first incarnation. All four brothers studied Vedas from their childhood. They always travelled together. They are said to wander throughout the materialistic and spiritualistic universe without any desire but with purpose to teach. The four Kumaras undertook lifelong vows of celibacy (brahamacharya) against the wishes of their father. They all learned Vedas at an early age of five. The Kumaras remained in form of children due to their spiritual virtues.

2. The Varaha or Boar Incarnation of Lord Vishnu

Vishnu incarnated as varaha or boar to retrieve the earth. When the demon Hiranyaksha stole the earth (Bhudevi) and hid her in the primordial waters, Vishnu appeared as Varaha to rescue her. Varaha killed  the demon and retrieved the Earth from the ocean, lifting it on his tusks, and restored Bhudevi to her place in the universe.

3. The Narada Incarnation

In many Hindu scriptures, divine sage Narada is considered a saktyavesa-avatara or partial-manifestation (avtar) of God. He is  empowered to perform miraculous tasks on Vishnu’s behalf. In this avtar, Narad became great devotee of Lord Vishnu and is described to be always chanting the name of “Narayan” He also taught the Satvan- Mantra, in this incarnation.

4. The Nara- Narayan incarnation

The hindu deity pair, Nara and Narayan are twin brother incarnation of Vishnu on earth. The twins were son of Dharma and his wife Murti. They came on Earth for the welfare of mankind. They performed great penances at the holy spot of Badrinath.

5. The Incarnation of Kapil – The Sage

Kapil, the vedic sage was considered as one of the founder of Samkhya school of philosophy. Hindu mythology regards Kapila as a descendant of Manu, the primal human being, and a grandson of the creator-god Brahma or as an avatar of the god Vishnu. An exemplar of Yogic stringency, Kapila is said to have produced an inner store of such intense heat (tapas) that he was capable of reducing to ashes the 60,000 sons of the Vedic king Sagara. After his father left home, Kapila instructed his mother, Devahuti in the philosophy of yoga and devotional worship of Lord Vishnu, enabling her to achieve liberation (moksha). He is known for teaching a process of liberation known as bhakti yoga.

6. The Dattatretya Incarnation

Dattatreya had descended into the realm of world as progeny of Atri and Anusuya, a sage couple of the Vedic age.  Dattatretya, taight knowledge to various devotees. The three heads signified as Brahma: ‘Tejas’ personified, Vishnu: ‘Ojas‘ personified, Shiva: ‘Tapas’ personified. Under these heads, illumination of knowledge, vigorosity of action and stringency of penance were represented as three aspects or state of being of the same.

7. The Suyash Incarnation

Suyash was born to Prajapati and Akuti. The main thrust of Suyash , teaching was based on the values of helpfulness and protecting each other during the time of crisis. He had rescued a ‘Devagana’ named Yama and also the Manvantar named as ‘Swayambhuva’.