History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v7.c91.261

v7.c91.261

One of the important topics dwelt upon at length in the Purāṇas is that of *avatāras*. This emphasis on the conception of avatāras has greatly influenced the forms of religious worship, vratas and festivals. The subject of avatāras has been dealt with in the H. of Dh. vol II. pp. 717-724. It has been shown there that the beginnings of the doctrine of avatāras and of some of the well-known avatāras may be traced to the Vedic Literature viz. to the Śatapatha-Brāhmaṇa (story of Manu and the fish in I. 8. 1. 1-6), story of Kūrma (tortoise) in Śatapatha VII. 5. 1. 5, of Varāha (Boar) in Śat. Br. XIV. 1. 2. 11, Vāmana (Dwarf) in Śat. Br. I. 2. 5. 1 ff., Kṛṣṇa, son of Devakī, in Chān. Up. III. 17. 6 and that the number of avatāras and the names also varied. But the treatment was not exhaustive and hence some details are added here from the Purāṇas and from general considerations.