The Dashavatara are the ten forms Vishnu takes to set the world right: Matsya the fish, Kurma the tortoise, Varaha the boar, Narasimha the man-lion, Vamana the small boy, Parashurama the warrior sage, Rama, Krishna, Buddha (in many lists; some families place Balarama here), and Kalki, who is yet to come. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna explains why: whenever goodness fades, he comes again, age after age. For a child, the ten are ten adventures, each with one value: protect the small, be steady, lift others up, stand by the truth, be humble, use strength for good, keep your word, find joy, be kind, and never lose hope.
In this article
Why does Vishnu take avatars?
"Avatar" means "one who comes down". Our tradition holds that Vishnu, the protector of the world, comes down in a new form whenever the world loses its balance. Krishna says it himself in the Bhagavad Gita:
Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati Bharata, abhyutthanam adharmasya tadatmanam srijamyaham. Paritranaya sadhunam, vinashaya cha dushkritam, dharma samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge.
"Whenever goodness fades and wrong grows strong, I come. To protect the good, to end what is wrong, and to set the right way again, I come, age after age."
Bhagavad Gita 4.7-8.The Bhagavata Purana counts many more than ten avatars (its first book lists over twenty). The famous list of ten, the Dashavatara, became the best-loved, sung by Jayadeva in the Gita Govinda in the 12th century and carved on temple walls across India.
Bhagavata Purana 1.3; Jayadeva, Gita Govinda.The 10 avatars, one by one
Tap each avatar for the story, its source, an old painting, and the value to take from it.
🐟1. Matsya, the fish
A king named Satyavrata found a tiny fish in his cupped hands, asking for protection. He kept it in a pot, then a pond, then a lake, as it kept growing. The fish was Vishnu. He warned the king of a great flood, and guided his boat, carrying seeds of every plant and the wise sages, safely through the waters.
Tradition Bhagavata Purana 8.24.
Value: protect the small; small things can grow big. Ask her: "Who small can you take care of?"🐢2. Kurma, the tortoise
The gods and asuras churned the ocean of milk, using a mountain as the churning rod. But the mountain began to sink. Vishnu became a giant tortoise and held the mountain on his back, steady, so the churning could go on.
Tradition Bhagavata Purana 8.7.
Value: be steady, so others can do their work. Ask her: "Who holds you steady?"🐗3. Varaha, the boar
The Earth sank to the bottom of the cosmic ocean. Vishnu took the form of a great boar, dived deep, and lifted the Earth back up on his tusks.
Tradition Bhagavata Purana 3.13.
Value: when someone falls, lift them up. Ask her: "When did you help someone get up?"🦁4. Narasimha, the man-lion
The boy Prahlada loved Vishnu, but his father, King Hiranyakashipu, wanted everyone to worship only him. When the angry king struck a pillar and asked "is your Vishnu in here too?", Vishnu came out of the pillar as Narasimha, half man and half lion, and protected the boy.
Tradition Bhagavata Purana 7.8.
Value: goodness protects those who are true. For small children: stay on Prahlada being kept safe, not on the fight.☂️5. Vamana, the small boy
King Mahabali was generous and powerful, and had taken over the heavens. Vishnu came to him as Vamana, a small boy, and asked for just three steps of land. Bali agreed. Vamana grew enormous: one step covered the earth, the second the sky. For the third, Bali kept his word and offered his own head. Vishnu blessed him for it.
Tradition Bhagavata Purana 8.18-23. In Kerala, tradition holds that Mahabali visits his people every year at Onam.
Value: be humble, and keep your word. Ask her: "Who kept their promise in this story?"🪓6. Parashurama, the warrior sage
A sage born to a sage, who carried an axe given by Shiva. He was known for his great strength and for his devotion to his father, and he later became a teacher of warriors.
Tradition Bhagavata Purana 9.15-16.
Value: strength is for doing what is right. Ask her: "What good thing can you use your strength for?"🏹7. Rama, the prince who kept his word
On the day he was to be crowned, Rama was asked to go to the forest for fourteen years so his father's promise would be kept. He went calmly, with Sita and Lakshmana, and later, with Hanuman's help, rescued Sita from Ravana.
Tradition Valmiki Ramayana.
Value: keep your word, even when it is hard. Ask her: "What did Rama do when his plans changed?"🪈8. Krishna, the joyful protector
Born in a prison and raised among cowherds in Gokul, Krishna played the flute, stole butter, lifted Govardhan hill to shelter his village from a storm, and, as a grown man, taught the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna.
Tradition Bhagavata Purana, Book 10; Mahabharata.
Value: be joyful, and protect the people around you. Ask her: "How did Krishna help his whole village?"🪷9. Buddha, the kind one
Many lists of the ten, including Jayadeva's Gita Govinda, place the Buddha here, honoured for his compassion for all living beings. In some regions, especially in the South, Balarama, Krishna's elder brother, takes this place instead.
Tradition Bhagavata Purana 1.3.24; Gita Govinda.
Value: be kind to every living being. Ask her: "How can we be kind to an animal today?"🐎10. Kalki, the one yet to come
Our tradition holds that at the end of this age, when goodness has faded, Vishnu will come as Kalki, riding a white horse, to begin a new, good age.
Tradition Bhagavata Purana 12.2.
Value: never lose hope; good always comes back. Ask her: "What good thing are you hoping for?"The pattern an engineer notices
Lay the ten out in a row, as the old painting at the top does, and something stands out. The first form lives in water. The second lives in water and on land. The third walks on land. The fourth is half animal, half human. The fifth is a small human. After that come humans growing in wisdom and strength.
Engineer's note
Many readers see in this order a journey: from water, to land, to human. It is a beautiful pattern to notice with your child, and a great first lesson in sequence: what comes first, what comes next, what comes after. Ask her to tell you the order back. That is the same skill she will later use for counting, stories and recipes.
A memory chant for little ones
"Fish, turtle, boar, then lion-man; little boy, then axe-man; Rama, Krishna, Buddha kind; Kalki comes in time." Say it with a clap on each name. Use your family's version for the ninth if it differs.
Why does telling these stories again and again help? Even 3-year-olds remember better when practice is spread over days rather than crammed. One avatar a night, for ten nights, is spaced practice made into a bedtime ritual.
Vlach, Sandhofer & Kornell, Cognition, 2008.How to tell the Dashavatara to your child
Just the animals and their sounds. "Vishnu became a fish: swim, swim! A turtle: slow, slow. A boar: dig, dig! A lion: roar!" Act out each one. The names come later.
One avatar a night, for ten nights. Tell the short story, show her the painting, then ask "what did Vishnu do to help?" On the eleventh night, let her tell you the order.
Tell the full stories and the Gita line: "whenever goodness fades, I come again." Ask her: "If you could be one avatar for a day, which would you be, and whom would you help?"
Play this with your child
Which avatar held a mountain on his back?
Kurma the tortoise! Ask her to be a tortoise and hold a pillow on her back.
How many steps did Vamana ask for?
Three steps! Take three giant steps across the room together.
Which avatar comes first?
The fish! Now can she say what comes next?
Read next in this series
- How we designed Vishnu's Mahavatar Read
- 10 Indian values and the story behind each Read
- Onam: Mahabali and Vamana Read
Questions parents ask
What are the 10 avatars of Vishnu in order?
Matsya (fish), Kurma (tortoise), Varaha (boar), Narasimha (man-lion), Vamana (small boy), Parashurama (warrior sage), Rama, Krishna, Buddha (or Balarama in some traditions), and Kalki, who is yet to come.
Why did Vishnu take avatars?
In the Bhagavad Gita (4.7-8), Krishna says that whenever goodness fades and wrong grows strong, he comes again, age after age, to protect the good and set the right way again.
Is Buddha an avatar of Vishnu?
Many lists of the ten, including Jayadeva's Gita Govinda and the Bhagavata Purana's list, include the Buddha. In some regions, especially in the South, Balarama takes the ninth place instead.
Which avatar of Vishnu is yet to come?
Kalki. Our tradition holds that he will come at the end of the present age, riding a white horse, to begin a new, good age.
How do I explain the Dashavatara to a toddler?
Start with the animals and their actions: swim like the fish, walk slow like the tortoise, dig like the boar, roar like the lion. Add one short story a night as she grows, and ask her to tell you the order.
What does "Dashavatara" mean?
"Dasha" means ten and "avatara" means one who comes down. Dashavatara means the ten forms in which Vishnu comes down to the world.
If we want thoughtful adults tomorrow, we must be equally thoughtful about childhood today.
Manjunath · father, ex-VinFast lead design engineer, founder of VedaPlay
Follow the build, and the stories we test at home, on Instagram: @manjunath.build
Sources
- Bhagavad Gita 4.7-8.
- Bhagavata Purana 1.3; 3.13 (Varaha); 7.8 (Narasimha); 8.7 (Kurma); 8.18-23 (Vamana); 8.24 (Matsya); 9.15-16 (Parashurama); Book 10 (Krishna); 12.2 (Kalki).
- Valmiki Ramayana. Jayadeva, Gita Govinda (12th century).
- Vlach HA, Sandhofer CM, Kornell N (2008). Cognition 109:163-167.
- Paintings, all public domain via Wikimedia Commons: Ten incarnations of Vishnu; Ravi Varma Press prints (Matsya, Kurma, Kalki); Raja Ravi Varma (Varaha, Rama, Krishna); Thanjavur painting and Parashurama, British Museum; Vamana and Bali, Metropolitan Museum of Art; Buddha, Royal Collection.
