Avtars & Messengers in Hinduism

Avatar according to common Hindus

Common Hindus have the following concept of Avatar. Avatar is the Sanskrit term where ‘Av’ means ‘down’ and ‘tr’ means ’passover’. Thus Avatar means to descend down or to come down. The meaning of ‘Avatar’ in the oxford Dictionary is, “(In Hindu Mythology) the descent of a deity or released soul to earth in bodily form”. In simple words, Avatar according to common Hindus means Almighty God coming down to earth in bodily form.

A Common Hindu believes that God Almighty comes down to the earth in some bodily form to protect the religion, to set an example or to set the rules for human beings.

There is no reference of Avatars anywhere in the Vedas, the most sacred of the Hindu scriptures i.e. sruti. However it is found in the smrti i.e., the Puranas and the Itihasas.

It is mentioned in the most popular and widely read book of Hinduism

i) Bhagavad Geeta Chapter 4 verse 7-8:

Whenever there is a decay of righteousness, O Bharata, And a rise of unrighteousness, then I manifest Myself. For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked and for the establishment of righteousness, I am born in every age.
(Bhagavad Geeta 4:7-8)

ii) It is mentioned in Bhagawata Purana:

“Whenever there is deterioration in righteousness and waxing of sinfulness, the glorious lord incarnates himself.”
(Bhagawata Purana 9:24:56)

No Concept of Avatar but Messenger in Veda and Islam

Islam does not believe that Almighty God takes human forms. He chooses a man amongst men and communicates with them on a higher level to deliver his message to the human beings – such individuals are called Messengers of God.

‘Avatar’, as mentioned earlier, is derived from ‘Av’ and ‘tr’, which means to descend down or come down. Some scholars state that God’s Avatar indicates a possessive case and actually means the coming of a man “who is in special relationship with God”. Mention of such chosen men of God appears in several places in all the four Vedas. Thus if we have to reconcile Bhagavad Gita and Purana with the most authoritative scripture the Vedas, we have to agree that Bhagavad Gita and the Puranas, when they speak about Avatars, they refer to chosen men of God. Islam calls such men Prophets