When I was a restless little tiny tot, my mother would read me bedtime stories. The stories were such that would set me thinking so much that my hyper-active brain would get tired and doze off to sleep.Smart mum eh!
The most favourite of them all was Lord Venkateshwara’s Dashavatar stories. Yes. I have grown up with a whole lot of Indian mythology colouring my dreams. And that has made me a staunch believer in the pantheon of Hindu Gods and Godesses. Each page had awe-inspiring illustrations. And I reveled in the beautiful, magnanimous tales of the different yugas. Many values to learn and imbibe, each did carry!
This love and belief in Lord Vankateshwara continued and when me and my hubby paid a visit to the holy pilgrimage of Tirupati for the first time, I felt like I was living a mythological tale. The temple architecture in all its magnificent splendour transported me to a different realm of devotion.
In my enthralled almost trance like experience, A little girl came up to me near the Padmavati temple and placed a tray like cardboard box in my hand. Like a typical mumbaite would I didn’t shoo away the beggar like filthily clad girl. Instead I raised the flap of the box to see what she had to offer me. What fell before my eyes was like the manifestation of what I was reminiscing having seen down my memory lane!
As if all those images had just danced off the stage of my memories into this rectangular thin and bright saffron coloured cardboard box. Each little figurine was an exquisitely moulded avatar of Lord Venkateshwara. This array of small idols may have been a common memorabilia available there. However their appearance that very instant when I was thinking of them shouted out ‘Symbolic’ to me! I took it as the Lords reciprocation for my devotion.
I have now mounted the idols onto a crimson suede backed golden frame. The frame is proudly displayed against the red offset of my studio wall.
Ten Incarnations of Vishnu - From Left to right - Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vaman, Parashurama, Rama, Balarama, Krishna & Kalki avatars.
The first Avatar - Matsyavatara, or the form of the fish was taken by Lord Vishnu during a deluge that submerged the earth. Vishnu commanded a rishi to gather together samples of all species and wait in a boat. Then He as the gigantic golden fish, dragged the boat through the deluge and later enabled Lord Brahma to start the act of creation all over again. (See the similarity with the Noah’s Ark? ) This story had always enthralled me the most.
Next is the Koorma Avatara where Vishnu took the form of a tortoise.
The third form of the wild boar - the Varaaha Avatara, dived into the ocean, and saved Bhoomi Devi, with his massive snout, from sinking to the bottom of the ocean.
Lord Vishnu had to reincarnate himself as the Narasimhaavatara to destroy the demon king Hiranyakashipu. This was a long and interesting story that always left me awestruck and with a little fear of the mighty God. My mother told me that it was a symbolic lesson too for naughty girls like me! On a more serious note she would tell me that there is a little tendency of letting the demon within us grow. We do that when we forget righteousness or stray away from the truth. So every time we did something otherwise Lord Vishnu would surely take a small step to correct us.
Lord Vishnu took the form of Vamana the midget to destroy the demon Bali.Then came Parasurama to douse the ego of the Kshatriya rulers who were tyrannizing the sages in penance.
Mumma and I then read The Ramayana in short that spoke of the glory of Lord Rama. Short stories from the Mahabharata spoke of Balarama and Krishna.
The 10th avatar - The Kalki is yet to appear they say!
