Dasavataram and the theory of Evolution!!!

Prelude:

Hey.. I am not a cine buff and it's got nothing to do with either Kamal Hassan or the Butterfly theory!

I am of a deep belief that all the so called 'myths' & ‘superstitions’ that have been legacies of our ancestors, have an abstract meaning for us to comprehend.
Good thoughts like ‘Truth triumphs’, ‘Good defeats the bad’, ‘Hardwork bears the best fruits’ and many noble qualities were showcased by Gods during their avatars.
But are the above the only things they teach us??? I guess there is more into it.
I've always been fascinated by the voluminous Hindu mythology right from my childhood when my grandma used to tell bed time stories. My favourite among those were the Dasavataram of Lord Vishnu. I used to simply love the idols of the ten avatars on display at Kolu during Navarathris (Again.. It’s not the film I am talking about!!).
And, as years went by, I came across the Darwinian Theory of Evolution. And I was amazed by this gentleman’s great vision of the past and the future. Though science wasn’t among my favourites, this particular theory had quite an impact on me.

And it was during my early college life that I found something really interesting. We used to chit chat a lot in our Hostel as there were no other sources of recreation. And on a particular day, we started to discus about the evolution of man. A guy (who happened to be an atheist) started to bring Darwin’s theory into picture in his protest against the myths saying there can’t be any avtars if man has evolved from a monkey and blah blah…. Though his main target that point of time was Christianity as he was challenging the concept of ‘the forbidden apple’ with the Darwinian theory, I couldn’t stand that as a Believer of God.
The burning desire to outwit him made me think hard like never before.. And man.. What a discovery it was!!! I got hold of a wonderful connection between evolution and Dasavataram out of nowhere…

Darwin’s theory in brief:

Life originated in water… Then creatures started adapting gradually to the shores.. and gave way to amphibians.. Then came the land animals. And from then evolved humans... Darwin puts a never ending comma on the future saying life will get destroyed along with the planet and may start all over again on another place under favorable circumstances!

And this has a definite connection with the ten Avatars of Vishnu…

As we all know, the avtars in chronological order are:

1. Matsya : A Fish indicating that life originated in water.

2. Kurma: A turtle(amphibian) indicating the movement towards land.

3. Varaaha: A Boar indicating evolution into a Land animal.

4. Narasimha: A half Human-half animal creature indicating the intermediate stages of evolution of man from animal.

5. Vaamana: A dwarf indicating the completed evolution of man from animal.

6. Parasurama: The ferocious warrior indicating the primitive man’s temper.

7. Raama: The ideal human with all the qualities considered to be ideal. This avtar indicates the early stages of civilized man who strictly followed the law of their land and led highly principled life.


8.&9. Krishna & Balarama: These avtars bring into picture the different ideologies of good persons. Though Krishna & Balarama were brothers, they had difference of opinion on certain cases. Yet they lived amicably. This showcases the medieval era where different dynasties with different ideologies co-existed.
(And a good friend of mine put a better thory saying Balarama( the elder one) represents the period when man turned to farming from hunting. Balarama in fact carries a plough to signify it. And Krishna (the younger one) represents the period of the thinking man with his crafty weapons like the Chakra signifying it.)

10. Kalki: He is believed to appear at the end of kali yug in 427,000 years time when a great destruction of earth will take place according to the Garuda Puraanam. This avatar indicates the near future when people might have to fight against many stigmas like the spread of deadly diseases, drying up of resources, international wars, terrorism, Nuclear Weapons, etc.

This is where Darwin loses hope on humans and says the end to the world is inevitable. But “cometh the hour, commeth the man (Kalki)” says the Puraanas.

We only have to wait and watch!!!

(It was shocking to check out later that the connection between Dasavataram and Darwinian Theory was already under research for many years. And I definitely wasn’t the first one to discover it. So sad na…. )