avatar
Publié le 22/02/2012
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A Sanskrit word for "descent"; in HINDUISM
the appearance of a god on Earth, especially the
appearance of the god VISHNU. The BHAGAVAD-GITA
says that whenever evil waxes and virtue wanes,
Vishnu appears on Earth to restore order. There
are many avatars of Vishnu, but ten has become
the standard number. Temples in India are often
dedicated to Vishnu's "ten avatars."
Ideas vary about who these ten avatars are.
The list often includes a tortoise on whose back
the gods churned the ocean of milk; a one-horned
sea creature who saved MANU, the ancestor of all
human beings, from the FLOOD; a boar who raised
the Earth on its tusks when it sank into the oceans;
a dwarf who rescued the three worlds from an evil
ruler; a man-lion who defeated an enemy immune
to most creatures; Parasurama ("Rama with the
axe"); RAMA; KRISHNA; the BUDDHA; and Kalki, the
avatar who will come on a white horse and begin a
golden age. Some Hindus think JESUS was an avatar
of Vishnu, too. This is an identifi cation that Christians
generally reject.
Liens utiles
- avatar - encyclopédie.
- avatar n.
- Définition: AVATAR, substantif masculin.
- Citations avec avatar, nom masculin
- «Au regard de l'éternité, la mort n'est qu'un avatar» Schopenhauer. Commentez cette citation.