Shaktyavesha avatara


A shaktyavesha avatara is the power-embodied avatara of a deity in the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. 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 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.

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 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:
  1. Shesha, empowered for the personal service of Vishnu and bearing all the planets within the universe
  2. Brahma, empowered for the creation of the cosmos
  3. The Four Kumaras, empowered to distribute transcendental knowledge
  4. Narada, empowered to distribute devotional service
  5. Prithu, empowered to rule and maintain living entities
  6. Parashurama, empowered to cut down rogues and demons