Shaktyavesha avatara explained

A shaktyavesha avatara is the power-embodied avatara (incarnation) of a deity in the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism.^[1] The concept refers to living beings who are empowered by a deity towards the performance of certain acts or the achievement of a given mission. A portion of the potencies of a deity is believed to be present (āveśā) within a shaktyavesha avatara, invested with divine power. Vyasa, the Four Kumaras, Narada, Shesha, and Brahma are generally regarded to be the shaktyavesha avatars of Vishnu or Krishna in Vaishnavism.^[2]

Literature

Garga Samhita

The Garga Samhita states that a shaktyavesha avatara is one of the six forms of incarnation of the deity Krishna, identified with Vishnu. The purpose of such an incarnation is regarded to be to enter a jiva (living being) in order to perform a given mission, after which the deity departs from this form.

Chaitanya Charitamrita

The Chaitanya Charitamrita offers six categories of the shaktyavesha avatars of Krishna and their purposes:^[3]

1. Shesha, empowered for the personal service of Vishnu (sva-sevana-śakti) and bearing all the planets within the universe (bhū-dhāraṇa-śakti)
2. Brahma, empowered for the creation of the cosmos (sṛṣṭi-śakti)
3. The Four Kumaras, empowered to distribute transcendental knowledge (jñāna-śakti)
4. Narada, empowered to distribute devotional service (bhakti-śakti)
5. Prithu, empowered to rule and maintain living entities (pālana-śakti)
6. Parashurama, empowered to cut down rogues and demons (duṣṭa-damana-śakti)

See also

• Avatar
• Dashavatara
• Chaturvyuha

Notes and References

1. Book: Caṭṭopādhyāẏa . Rāmapada . A Vaiṣṇava Interpretation of the Brahmasūtras: Vedānta and Theism . Chattopadhyay . Ramampada . 1992 . BRILL . 978-90-04-09570-0 . 211–212 . en.
2. Book: Knapp, Stephen . The Heart of Hinduism: The Eastern Path to Freedom, Empowerment, and Illumination . 2005 . iUniverse . 978-0-595-35075-9 . 513 . en.
3. Sri Caitanya Caritamrita | Web site: Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya-lila Chapter 20 Verse 246 . 2008-12-20 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081209091445/http://vedabase.net/cc/madhya/20/246/ . 2008-12-09 .