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The story of Vishnu's divine incarnations, spanning the Treta and Dwapara yugas, reveals the eternal struggle to maintain cosmic balance through the preservation of dharma.
Characters in the story:
Lord Vishnu: Lord Vishnu is one of the three major deities in Hinduism, known as the preserver of the universe and the protector of dharma (righteousness). He is often depicted with four arms holding a conch shell, a discus, a mace, and a lotus flower.
Lord Indra: Lord Indra is a prominent deity in Hinduism and is known as the king of the gods and ruler of the heavens. He is associated with thunder, lightning, and rain, and is often depicted riding a white elephant named Airavata.
Lord Surya: Lord Surya is the Sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all considered equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a means to realize Brahman.
Lord Rama: Lord Rama is one of the most revered deities in Hinduism and is the seventh avataar of Lord Vishnu. He is known for his virtues of righteousness, courage, and devotion, and is considered a symbol of ideal human behavior and the victory of good over evil.
Vali: Vali, also known as Bali, was a vanara king of Kishkindha in the Hindu epic Ramayana. He was the husband of Tara, the son of Indra, the elder brother of Sugriva, and the father of Angada.
Sugriva: Sugriva is the younger brother of Vali, whom he succeeded as ruler of the vanara kingdom of Kishkindha. As the king of the vanaras, Sugriva aided Rama in his quest to liberate his wife Sita from captivity at the hands of the rakshasa king Ravana.
Lord Krishna: Lord Krishna is one of the most popular and revered deities in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avataar of Lord Vishnu and is known for his divine teachings in the Bhagavad Gita and for his role in the epic Mahabharata.
Arjuna: Arjuna is a skilled and virtuous warrior prince and one of the central characters in Mahabharata. He is renowned for his archery prowess and is a key figure in the Kurukshetra War, where he faces moral dilemmas on the battlefield, eventually receiving divine guidance from Lord Krishna.
Karna: Karna is a prominent character in Mahabharata. He is known for his valor, generosity, and tragic fate, as he was the son of the sun god Surya, but was abandoned at birth and raised by a low-caste charioteer.
In the grand narrative of creation, Vishnu assumes the role of the preserver, safeguarding dharma and sustaining the world throughout the four yugas. Over the course of his eternal existence, Vishnu undergoes numerous reincarnations to fulfill his sacred duty of preserving the world and upholding the laws of the Vedas, restoring balance. The “Dashavatar,” a sacred cycle, consists of ten distinct reincarnations, with nine already fulfilled and the tenth eagerly anticipated.
One illustration of this balance is evident in the Treta and Dwapara yugas, and the following is an explanation of this narrative.
During the Treta Yuga, King Vali stood as one of the mightiest rulers, blessed as the son of Lord Indra. However, his actions deviated from the righteous path as he banished his brother, Sugriva, and enslaved his wife, Ruma — transgressions against the moral principles expected of a king. Sugriva, the son of Lord Surya, sought refuge in the Rishyamuka mountains, well aware of his inferior strength compared to Vali. He dared not challenge Vali, fearing defeat or death.
In this time of crisis, Sugriva’s path crossed with Rama’s. Rama vowed to help Sugriva regain his kingdom and rescue his wife. He proposed a duel between Sugriva and Vali, a seemingly ill-fated endeavor, given Vali’s overwhelming power. However, during the fateful battle, Rama intervened, launching an arrow that brought Vali’s life to an end. Sugriva reclaimed his throne and wife, while Rama continued his quest to rescue Sita in Lanka.
After Rama’s earthly sojourn concluded, and he returned to Vaikuntha as Vishnu, both Lord Surya and Indra paid him a visit. Indra expressed his sorrow over the loss of his son, Vali, a death that seemed improbable without Vishnu’s interference. Vishnu, empathizing with Indra’s plight, explained that his divine role was to preserve dharma, and Vali had aligned himself with adharma. Nevertheless, Vishnu acknowledged that Vali’s demise had disrupted the balance, and he prophesied his return in the next yuga, Dwapar, to restore it.
In Dwapar Yuga, Vishnu manifested as Krishna. Arjuna, one of the Pandavas, was the son of Lord Indra, while Karna, the valiant warrior championing the Kauravas, was the son of Lord Surya.
In the epic clash between Arjuna and Karna during Mahabharata, Karna possessed superior archery skills and prowess. As the battle raged on, Arjuna gradually pushed Karna’s chariot back by ten steps with the force of his arrows. However, Karna’s chariot wheel became mired in the earth, a consequence of a curse he had incurred from the Earth Goddess.
At this critical juncture, Karna forgot the incantations for invoking the formidable Brahmastra due to the curse of his guru Parashurama. He alighted from his chariot to free the stuck wheel and requested a pause from Arjuna, emphasizing the rules of honorable combat. But Krishna counseled Arjuna to attack Karna. Arjuna was surprised, but Krishna reminded Arjuna of Karna’s role in Draupadi’s insult in the court and also how Karna killed Abhimanyu by stabbing him in the back. These actions of Karna were adharmic, and he needed to be punished.
Arjuna invoked the Anjalikastra weapon, which severed Karna’s head and led to his demise. Arjuna’s actions were also necessitated by Karna’s curses, one from the Earth Goddess and another from a Brahmin, which dictated that his wheel would become stuck, and he would die weaponless. Krishna’s encouragement ensured the fulfillment of these curses.
In this climactic battle, Vishnu’s promise to Indra was realized, as Arjuna, the son of Lord Indra, triumphed over Karna, the son of Lord Surya, thereby restoring the cosmic balance.
Thus, through the divine orchestrations of Vishnu across the yugas, balance was restored, and dharma prevailed, ensuring the eternal cycle of creation continued unharmed.
