AVATAR! More than 1 ?

I found this by chance thought it might be interesting, as "avatar" has more than 1 meaning:



In Sanskirt avatar literally means "Descent", or in a broader sense the term means reincarnation of the same soul in a different body. In Hinduism avatar is a incarnation of the Divine who functions as a mediator humans and God. The incarnations Vishnu, the sky god and protector of the universe, are examples of avatar.

This "Descent" meaning of the word is expressed in the sacred writings of the Ramayana and Mahabharata: however this meaning is not present in the Vedas nor the Upanishads.

The avatars appearing in the previous mentioned sacred writings are Rama and Krishna the last incarnations of Vishnu and the of the most beloved and worshiped gods in the Hindu pantheon. Krishna is considered the perfect example of the Divine.

Vishnu is believed to have had anywhere from ten to thirty-nine incarnations, although the potenial number of avatars are numerous. Each avatar appears when the world is in crisis. Vishnu's final avatar is believed to be Kali, appearing at the end of Kali Yuga, a present era, and will destroy the wicked to usher in Maha Yuga, a new era.

Hindus believe Gautama Bubbha to be an avatar!

There are devotional movements, called Bhakti, in Hinduism which center themselves around avatar figures. Such movements claim to derive the avatar's Siddhis or psychic abilities and paranormal powers such as to leviate, bilocate, and such!



So, has anyone else found another meaning for the Avatar then?



Sky

well I wonder if there's any other meanings of the word Avatar then?





blackwidow

any deity appearing in human form (or otherwise physical form) is said to be an "avatar". Cats were said to be avatars of Satan, in reference to witches... Jesus could be said to be an avatar of God (after all, according to their own word, they are all part of the holy triinty).