God: Incarnations/ Avatars
Das Avtâr as The Hindu Theory Of Evolution
Parur S Ganesan, Dasavatara: The Hindu Theory Of Evolution, January 25, 2018: The Times of India
The Dasavatara, the ten incarnations described in the Bhagavatham is not just a story of God periodically incarnating to set right an erring world and establish dharma, righteousness. It carries a scientific account of the evolution of humankind, with a religio-mythological flavour that makes it palatable for public consumption.
Until the 19th century, when Charles Darwin propounded the theory of evolution, the West had blind faith in the religious story of Creator and creation. Darwin’s ‘The Origin of Species’ published in 1850, created a sensation but it offended the orthodox and the clergy. India found nothing new in Darwin’s theory, as it was a scientific restatement of the Dasavatara detailed in the Bhagavatam. The story began with the fish, aqua, and culminated in the human with biological and intellectual evolutionary stages in between, spanning the stages of amphibian, land animal, man-animal, dwarf, brute-man, perfect man and practical man.
As is characteristic of Indian mythology, the evolution theory, too, was presented not in isolation as a concept, but with a religious and spiritual flavour.
Take the Bhagwad Gita, the great political-spiritual discourse given by Krishna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra – with tempers running high not only among the two warring cousins but also of the audience of the great epic, Mahabharata. Sandwiched in that battle climax is Krishna’s discourse of a new philosophy, presented with easy charm. If the same Gita essence had been presented to the world as an isolated, dry piece of philosophy, would it have gained as much acceptance and popularity among a vast cross-section of people?
In line with this Hindu practice of presenting religion and laws with support stories, parables and anecdotes, the theory of evolution, too, began with a fish story and ended with the emergence of the worldly-wise, practical man. Matsya, Kurma, Varahascha, Narasimhascha, Vamanah, Ramo, Ramascha, Ramascha, Krishna, Kalki Janardana. That is, fish, tortoise, boar, man-animal, dwarf, Rama-1, Rama-2, Rama-3, Krishna, Kalki Janardana in that order. As Matsya, God retrieved the Vedas which were stolen by Hayagreeva who had hidden himself with the booty under the ocean. In Matsya avatar, the tortoise lifted on its back and kept afloat the Mandhara mountain which started sinking while churning the ocean of milk. The atrocities of Hiranyaksha against nature saw the Varaha avatar followed by Narasimha, the man-animal, to annihilate Hiranyakasipu. The human form was the next stage and it evolved as dwarf to cut to size the ego of Mahabali, though he was a just and popular ruler.
The inherent urge to survive (Darwin’s theory of survival of the fittest) crystallised in the creation of the Rama trio – first, Parasurama who symbolised survival of the physically strong man. Later comes the sober, intellectually superior perfect man, Sri Rama. This stage of evolution and story is contained in the immortal epic, Ramayana. The danger of one being too idealistic and perfect, cut off from realities is realised and thus evolved Sri Krishna, the practical man, together with the third Rama – Balarama who invented and promoted agriculture.
Bhagavatam was perhaps the first document to come out with the theory of evolution from fish to man, similar to Darwin’s theory, except that the Hindu concept of evolution was also about eventual enlightenment.
