AVATARS IN BHAKTI

The Divine manifesting itself on the earth in some form, be it animal or human, in order to aid humankind in times of trouble, is the phenomenon of the avatar.  It is an underlying theme of bhakti, the way of devotion.  Krishna as the charioteer in the Bhagavad Gita is the supreme example of the avatar.  Avatars, though, are endless and beyond count in bhakti.

While the Bhagavad Gita is the major bhakti text, the Bhagavata Purana is of equal importance. The Purana is a grand synthesis of the many themes and schools of bhakti, and contains not only bhakti presented in its fullest, but also many legends, folk stories, discourses, theological and philosophical asides, and bits of anthropology and sociology, centered around hundreds of avatars, saints, heroes, gods, and holy people.