How Hinduism Inspired Pop-Culture Avatars

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"Avatar" became a household word in the 2000s with Avatar: The Last Airbender and James Cameron's movie series Avatar. But what is an avatar? The idea actually derives from Hinduism.
Thumbnail art by @hotcyder
Bibliography:
-Barbara Holdrege, Bhakti and Embodiment, 2015.
-Couture, André, “Avatāra”, in: Brill’s Encyclopedia of Hinduism Online, Editor-in-Chief Associate Editors Knut A. Jacobsen, Helene Basu, Angelika Malinar, Vasudha Narayanan. Consulted online on 02 February 2024
-Couture, André, “Viṣṇu”, in: Brill’s Encyclopedia of Hinduism Online, Editor-in-Chief Associate Editors Knut A. Jacobsen, Helene Basu, Angelika Malinar, Vasudha Narayanan. Consulted online on 02 February 2024
-Couture, André, “From Vishnu’s Deeds to Vishnu’s Play,” Journal of Indian Philosophy, June 2001.
-Simon Brodbeck, Divine Descent of the Four World-Ages in the Mahabharata, 2022.
Noel Sheth, “Hindu Avatar and Christian Incarnation: A Comparison,” Philosophy East and West, Vol. 52, No. 1 (Jan 2002). 98 - 125.
-Lochtefeld, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Volume 2, N-Z, 2002.
-Gitagovinda of Jayadeva, editor and translator Barbara Stoler Miller. (Columbia University Press: 1977)
-Tracy Coleman, Avatara, Oxford Bibliographies Online, 2018.
-Cush et. al., Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Routledge: 2008.
-Kinnard, “When is the Buddha Not the Buddha? The Hindu/Buddhist Battle over Bodhgaya and Its Buddha Image,” Journal of the American Academy of Religion 66/4.
-Freda Matchett, Krsna: Lord or Avatara?, (Routledge: 2001).
-Devadatta Kali, In Praise of the Goddess: The Devimahatmya and Its Meaning, (Nicolas-Hays, Inc.: 2003).
-Suvira Jaiswal, The Origin and Development of Vaisnavism,1981.
00:00 The rise of "avatar"
1:21 Avatar = Divine Descent
4:35 Vishnu and his avataras
9:20 Avataras outside Vaishnavism
11:16 How avatar was adopted in English
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images

[@ReligionForBreakfast]

Use code RFBINCOGNI at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan: incogni.com/rfbincogni.

[@markstancliff9514]

Hey Mark, are you a Christian? ✝️

[@snehashispanda4808]

Kindly explain Advaita vedanta Thank you

[@godofdream9112]

Sorry sir, but Ramayana is not epic, but our history... we literally had to prove that in Indian supreme court.... to make ram mandir. also i want you to read "Satyarth Prakash", you will like it for sure.

[@omarlittle-hales8237]

SALaM, SHLAMa, SHLOMo, SHALoM, NAMASTe, PEACe. 1. The British Colonists Created The Caste System, For Their Divide & Rule Policies. 2. They Also Created Sikhism To Divide & Rule Hinduism & Islam. 3. The Greek philosopher Pythagoras is considered the father of ethical vegetarianism. The Pythagorean way of life was followed by a number of important personalities and influenced vegetarian nutrition until the 19th century. The exact beginning of idol worship as known in current Hinduism is unknown. It could actually be quite recent (Recent like around 500 BC. ). During the period of the Indus Valley civilization, there many statues and idol like objects found. Historians have shown that at the time of the oldest Hindu sacred text, the Rig Veda (dated to the second millennium B.C.), cow meat was consumed by Indians. Over time, particularly from the fourth century B.C., vegetarianism began to spread among India's Buddhists, Jains and some Hindus. Archaeological evidence from the islands of the Aegean Sea have yielded Neolithic era Cycladic figures from 4th and 3rd millennium BC, idols in namaste posture from Indus Valley civilization sites from the 3rd millennium BC, and much older petroglyphs around the world show humans began producing sophisticated images. 4. Many Verses Within The Vedas, Avesta, Cannon, Psalms, Torah & Gospel, Still Have Authentic Verses. 5. The Corrupted Verses From These Scriptures Sent, Are All The Double Dutch Verses, Which Contradict The Nature Of God. 6. All These Scriptures Testify God Being One. 7. All Later Verses With A Trinity Were Added, Some With Multiple Marvel Like Gods [Hinduism]. 8. The Noah Family: Vedas: There Is Only One God, There Is Only One Source, There Is Only One Supply. Avesta Zoroastrian: There Is Only One Wise God, Whom Is Uncreated. Buddhist Cannon: There Is Only One God, Whom Created Good & Evil. 9. The Abraham Family: Torah [Old Testament]: The LORD is our God, the LORD is one. Gospel [New Testament]: I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me. Quran [Last Testament]: Say He Is God, The One, The Absolute, He Begets Not, Nor Is He Begotten, There Is None Comparable Unto God.

[@commodusmeridius4718]

Buddhism Buddhism

[@Hiraeth1992]

Not only Avatars but also The Matrix, Star Wars, Oppenheimer, Interstellar, Doctor Strange, and Species, to name a few.

[@chaitanyabhorkar6158]

​@@MotivationXDalso the concept that our world is fake is also explored in Upanishads and is the core philosophy behind Advaita Vedanta.

[@khanshiranyor3974]

Eastern Ways of life are fascinating.

[@sorryminati4719]

​@@chaitanyabhorkar6158true, but that is not ONLY present in Upanishads. Even Greeks philosophy has some traces of non dual thoughts. Also, the world being fake is not there in Upanishads. I think you mean non duality and indefiniteness of the nature of the universe is what you are referring to, aka Maya

[@Vayu_Aksh]

​​@@sorryminati4719Greeks learnt this from india lol,read history how Greeks came in india and took the knowledge from here,Upanishads are far more older than any Greek thing understand,but yeah he might have picked Greek one

[@bruhmoment8090]

@@sorryminati4719 It is present in the Yoga Vasishtha tho

[@mtarkes]

The most Hindu Hollywood movie I ever watched was Matrix.

[@Buffoon800]

Fr

[@tusharsachdeva8810]

Matrix ❌ moh maya ✔️

[@hirenbhudia9065]

I believe game of thrones is closely related to mahabharata

[@anamelessmonster]

​@@hirenbhudia9065😂😂😂

[@kingstersubham256]

​@@hirenbhudia9065 it us not even close compared to complexity of characters in Mahabharata

[@ghiblikami5329]

Interestingly James Cameron's aliens in Avatar called the Navi were modeled after Visnu's appearance. The blue skin, yellow marks all over the body, all indicative of inspiration from the actual Hindu avatars.

[@mohanlalpremranjannaik107]

Plus "Navi" translates to belly button in sanskrit. If you see a picture of lord Vishnu you would see a lotus sprouting from his Navi/ belly button and creats lord Bramha( maker of universe)

[@VeganSanatani]

I get the blue skin , but yellow marks ? Since when did Bhagwan Vishnu have those.

[@ghiblikami5329]

@@VeganSanatani Lord Visnu has the vaishnava tilak marks on 12 different parts of his body including the one prominent on his forehead which the Navi aliens in the Avatar movie also have. Check out the pictures and you'll see the similarity.

[@anandhakaram]

That's quite fascinating.

[@VeganSanatani]

@@ghiblikami5329 is there any scriptural truth to this ? Because it's seems kinda strange

[@Rishabh.sukidayo.]

The concept of Amrit in Avatar 2 just shocked me . It was just same as Sanskrit concept

[@nolanblake6003]

i agree with you and bro, i predict they are gonna again use our sanskrit words in their upcoming sequels.

[@computerkidgaming7758]

U don't own them they are concepts to be shared @@nolanblake6003

[@nadiahapsari3359]

Wait,which one was that again? Pretty sure I missed it

[@nolanblake6003]

@@nadiahapsari3359 The whole "Avatar" is sanskrit + "amrit" from the whale in Avatar the way of water. PS: they mention it when they about to hunt Pandoran whale, remember bud

[@amritpalsingh8103]

I heard you were talking bout me😅

[@melonlord2283]

Naruto also uses a lot of Hindu concepts. Concept of chakra, re- incarnation, six paths of pain

[@faktiman381]

Most of asian nations are heavily influenced spiritually by indic religions

[@gamerz000.]

​@@faktiman381 I mean Buddhism kind of also spreaded a little bit of hindu culture as Buddha himself was previously hindu

[@jyotiradityachoudhury7987]

​@@gamerz000. Buddhism is basically a atheist religion which denies rituals and all . Takes inspiration from basic concepts of dharma , karma etc . Considers the founder buddha as incarnation and all other Devas like Rudra, indra as some sought of demigods or angels . Its more about meditation, goodwill and all

[@gamerz000.]

@@jyotiradityachoudhury7987 as I said I am not telling Buddhism isn't atheist but the relegion itself is heavily based upon Hinduism

[@itsoblivion8124]

​@@jyotiradityachoudhury7987 buddhism is not athiesm and especially the form of Buddhism that is followed in eastern asia is mahayana buddhism . Mahayana buddhism isn't athiesm in any sense

[@Kastelt]

I know next to nothing about Hindu religion but it's honestly so interesting

[@itsoblivion8124]

hindu doctrines are quite mainstream in popular culture and many people believe in that but recognises themselves as spiritualistic or new ager. 40% of usa ,western population and eastern population believes in the notion of *aura,aura cleanse,karma, reincarnation ,Chakras, oneness, divinity of meditation,higher self, manifestation meditation, self realisation,hypnosis and unity with absolute consiousness.* *Transcendental view of consiousness is also emerged out of upanishads.* All these concepts are heavily used in movies and other form of pop culture like spiritual vibrational energy and many others.

[@oof9420]

​@@itsoblivion8124not quite but mostly you're not wrong

[@VeganSanatani]

It is...if you like reading, I suggest you start from Tatvabodh, then Satyarth prakash, then Bhagwat geeta. And then the 4 core books, i.e the Vedas.

[@Kastelt]

@@VeganSanatani thanks, I'll search for them

[@sivami777]

​@@VeganSanatanisuggest him/her original scriptures

[@xXKillaBGXx]

In the DASARATHA-JĀTAKA (A Buddhist source/literature), the Buddha himself claimed to be Rama in a past life.

[@mohanlalpremranjannaik107]

Dasaratha jataka is another version of Ramayan

[@Lunatictornado]

​@@mohanlalpremranjannaik107it's the wrong one since it says that mata Sita was 8 years when married with bhagwan ram

[@NewTypeStarling]

fr@@Lunatictornado

[@nowwhat6716]

It's entirely different story as ram and SITA are brother and sister in this one. It's as if those characters were from previous story that was so popular everyone incorporated it into their religion i.e ram is Ramayana, ram in jataka tales, and ram In Jain story. Incase of jataka tales it's just the story design to Tech children to understand concepts and philosophy, hell it's in the title itself tales

[@proximacentury1110]

No that's after dwija sanskaar ​@@Lunatictornado

[@Divyansh_Karmakar_2003]

As a Hindu I see many Hinduism influences in Hollywood movies. For western people, I think Hinduism seems quite interesting to them. Cause in Indian spiritual cities there're many white skinned westerners live and practice the spiritual practices of Hinduism. Most of them even change their names into Hindu name.

[@sivami777]

Really ??name ? I want to know

[@diogoduarte4097]

We may not believe in all ideas of hinduism literally, but we can't deny that hindus enrich the world.

[@pessoinha1]

I’m Brazilian and here lots of people follow some kind of branch of hinduism. Here it’s mixed with our own spiritualities, like indiginous, african and even european Christianity.

[@Iyalo-cw7eb]

@@pessoinha1 lots? that's not true

[@nikkeipvck8529]

You mean Iskcon followers..yup they change their name to Saraswati Das kinda names

[@harsh.d.rajput]

Yup, Hinduism is very interesting Infinite

[@overreviews]

Welcome to Hinduism world

[@Xyz04]

Hindusim is fake . The word hindu was given by muslim 😂

[@computerkidgaming7758]

the guy seems to already be hindu(check his name ) @@overreviews

[@takshikakumar6820]

Thanks brother. welcome to hindu culture.

[@HardCore_Islamist]

Yeah its full of fairy tales. You got an elephant God 🐘 A blue God 💙 A monkey God 🐒 A cow God 🐄 You got 4 elephants holding the earth on top of a turtle 🐢. The list if crazy and irrational things in Hinduism don't end...

[@statickk14]

The movie Matrix, uses many concepts from Advaita Vedanta.

[@avinandan7898]

dont know much about vedanta.. which concepts ?

[@atharvsharma9581]

@@avinandan7898 the concept of matrix of illusion world is similar to maya,maya meaning an illusion,there was a lot different actual world and one manifested world shown to humans,same concept of maya says that the world is a illusion of senses

[@Jeevitham15011]

@@avinandan7898 The Adviata Vendanta is basically "Maya". Where many people believe that "Brahma" (The Hindu god which created the material world) actually made the world as an illusion called "Maya". So basically some people think the world is an illusion, controlled by a greater power. Almost the exact same as 'The Matrix'! Also the fight scenes in 'The Matrix' are hilariously similar to south indian movies.

[@bhagyasankar2070]

@@Jeevitham15011 brahma the creator god of the trinity & Brahman or Parabrahman are different. advaitha siddhantam also centers on oneness of everything in existence & maya being the thing that creates the illusion of separation or difference

[@Jeevitham15011]

@@bhagyasankar2070 Ok thank you for informing!

[@Bear-re5xm]

Everything changed when King Ravana attacked....

[@ccp_hater]

*kidnapped

[@AinzWoolGown]

​@@ccp_hater When Ravanas sister tried to seduce and didn't take no for an answer. And when laxman over reacted and cut her nose

[@sillymesilly]

Noped. He is long in line of Asuras Rakshasas wrecking havoc

[@sillymesilly]

@@AinzWoolGownthat was punishment for adultary.

[@proximacentury1110]

Ravan was evil his early life deeds​@@AinzWoolGown

[@Sticklemako]

Major correction, Shiva, Vishnu, Lakshmi and Parvathi have all had avatars in Hinduism.. Shiva takes the avatara of hanuman for example or parvati taking the avatara of Krishnas elder sister to deny Kamsa the success of removing his future end.. Vishnus many aspects have taken avataras as the Alwars in south indian vaishnavism too

[@sorryminati4719]

Edit: Hanuman is not an avatara of Shiva in many schools of thought other than Shaivism. Just adding that

[@sreevalsans1869]

hanuman is not avatar of shiva..It only written in tulsidas ramayan. and it is not an ancient scripture only 500 year old

[@shaiv27]

श्री हनुमान भगवान शिव के अवतार नहीं हैं, बल्कि वे अंश हैं, भगवान शिव के अंतिम अवतार कलियुग में श्री लकुलिसाचार्य थे

[@vishwamax]

Shiva has 22 avatars. Shri Hanuman Ji is an ansha of Rudra who himself was an avatar of Bhagwan Shiv. Hanuman tantrik Siddhi mantra is as follows: "ॐ हं हनुमते रुद्रात्मकाय हुं फट"

[@saketsaurav3447]

Bro Parvati was not krishna's elder sister. She was mayadevi an energy of Vishnu

[@nanucit]

I'm not gonna lie you got me at "sergeant forgettable name" 😂😂😂😂

[@Asmodeus406]

The epic cult of bible is great mythological story i like it

[@ssppeeaarr]

jake sully. wheelchair vet. future turok mukto leader of the navi aliens. lol. apparently cameron was inspired by hinduism and blue alien cat dream he once had...

[@lonewolfe2502]

Did you see that third eye in doctor strange? That's a straight up copy of Lord Shiva. They only turned the eyes sideways. 😂

[@abhinavraj9351]

I BRO LORD OF SEAS

[@mayankindian3750]

Wow 😮🕉️🤗🥰😌❤️

[@myglobalyt]

Did you saw doctor stranger hand when red circle come out which is actually the havan yagya yantra from hindu😂

[@sanketvaria9734]

the another difference is that if lord shive opens his third eye. then the universe is doomed until you calm him down.

[@mohann2289]

Actually shiva doesn't have third eye physicallly, it means the mental eye of Shiva that is in everybody,

[@axnyslie]

Good timing on the video for me I am leaving for India tomorrow, first stop Varanasi.

[@Pharaohof21stcentury]

Visit ayodhya and rishikesh also

[@Billyb_007]

Where you from

[@percentbigfoot]

Hope you have a great trip. If at any point you feel overwhelmed, remember you can relax either up north, or down south. The east and west are adventures. The central spiritual and traditional.

[@khanshiranyor3974]

People come to varanasi to wash away their sins. The city has to live with all of those sins left there by people from all walks of life. I wish to visit it one day as well.

[@Pharaohof21stcentury]

@khanshiranyor3974 first you should visit Haridwar and Rishikesh then Varanasi

[@palmercolson7037]

The first time I heard the use of the word Avatar outside of Hinduism was the TV show Andromeda. The ship was controlled by an AI called Andromeda. Essentially, the ships avatar had three manifestations: a face on a screen for the main systems, a holographic image acting as an assistant, and a robot that could go on missions. So, the Avatar had three different avatars on the show. This allowed the writers a way to further the plot occasionally by having the three meet somewhere and discuss things.

[@samarthpawar1504]

this is so similar to the three main gods "Trimurty"- Brahma(the creator, in this case the main systems), Vishnu(the protector, in this case assistant who guides) and Shiva( the destroyer, in this case the robot who would be executing the missions)

[@_iarna_]

The multiplayer D&D-esque first person graphical dungeon crawl game called Avatar was first released in 1979 on PLATO systems. (Richard Garriott may not have been aware of it, but he certainly wasn't the first to use the term in that context.)

[@Fr.O.G.]

Yeah, I just made a reply saying DnD was using the term "avatar" pretty early.

[@Am-ih5nf]

Yea there’s also a lot of errors in what he said about Hinduism.

[@jayjeckel]

Yep, and within the first twenty seconds of the video, forums are (by the modern retroactive definition) the prime example of Web 2.0, not part of Web 1.0. But that's all right, I'll cut him some slack as his specialty is religion and not nerd or geek history.

[@spelcheak]

@@Am-ih5nf such as?

[@geoffreyrichards6079]

It’s possible that the earliest pop-culture exposure to the terminology was back in the ‘60s, when the whole hippie movement started obsessing over many concepts from Eastern religions.

[@mattstefon4878]

Have you done a video specifically on the concept and term “dharma”? Could be a good topic given the many uses in multiple traditions.

[@WhiteGeared]

I think he did - I only remember that it means 'apparel'. The implication is that we are animals but as God has bestowed us with faculties we ought to respect that by covering our savage outside with clothes and Savage inside with dharma.

[@sunnyinamdar1609]

So as a correction. Dharma Is not fully translatable in a single English word. It's nearest translation is Duty. But it's more in line with Nature or essence. For example, the dharma of a parent is to provide for the children. Protect their children. Pass in good morals and virtues etc. And there are multiple dharma's one could have. So someone would have duties to be a dutiful partner. A son or daughter. A member of the community. Etc. The duty of your nature mentioned in our texts is poorly described as a birth given caste. But really it was a social observation of the many types of people, careers, and how they interact with each other. And how they contribute to a holistic society. A duty of a warrior class is to use violence when absolutely necessary in the protection of truth and justice. The duty of a priestly or spiritual individual is to focus their attention on spiritual enlightenment through living clean and pure and promoting good. There are farmers, traders, labourers each with their own duty to society. Focussing on the divine in every action of your duty is the main goal. Eknath easwaran describes dharma fantastically and I only apologize if I haven't managed to sum them up better.

[@user-rb9vp1of4z]

Dharma means "to hold" And that is why it seems to have so many different meaning whereas it is just the word being used in different contexts Like that which holds a society together is the dharma of the society and that which holds the individual together is the dharma of the individual and that is why dharma seems to have so many different meanings It applies to every aspect of life so that is why some of its defination can contradict

[@samsung123451]

@@user-rb9vp1of4z Wrong.. Dharm means Duty... a Kings Dharma is to rule the kingdom.... not to Hold the kingdom...

[@samsung123451]

It simply means your "Divine Duty" for eg: A Trees dharma is to provide...fruits, shade and oxygen...a Soldiers Dharma is to protect the country... a kings dharma is to Rule his kingdom with sincerity... a teachers dharma is to spread knowledge... I dont why some f00ls give different explanations to such a simple word....

[@maxteraform]

Wasn't it cool when Vishnu came as an avatar to stop humans from obtaining unobtanium Edit: Forgot to make a TLA reference unfortunately

[@JamesTAbernathy]

But when the world needed him most, he vanished! There, I fixed it for you. ❤

[@mhuntprofessional]

This has been the BEST comment section.

[@feliche2292]

I didn't get it

[@nowhereman6019]

Lord Vishnu would absolutely do that though, he's cool.

[@bensomethingetc]

“If you were supposed to get it, it would just be called obtanium bro.” -Lord Vishnu

[@Dipankarr_]

Hinduism ❤🕉️

[@cmaxxen]

Smooooth transition to the sponsor. So slick.

[@themadoneplays7842]

Yeah, this is why ATLA was so good. The creators did their homework on the avatar concept in religion and while it's not exactly how it is in the Hindu region does depict it as a being whose purpose is to keep balance in the world.

[@akale2620]

Avtar cartoon is more buddha like than hindu

[@themadoneplays7842]

@@akale2620 True, but the elements of the Hindu version are there albeit superficially.

[@MrGksarathy]

​@@themadoneplays7842The role of the Avatar also somewhat matches that of the Dashāvatāra, which I think evokes the spirit of it far more than any specific mechanical similarities.

[@themadoneplays7842]

@@MrGksarathy true thus is why ATLA was so good in this respect. It really did justice to the concept.

[@daksh6388]

​@@akale2620Philosophical there isn't much difference between Buddhism and Hinduism (Philosophy of Upanishads) , Buddhism rejects the vedas that's it, even Buddhism in places like Thailand, Cambodia has alot of hindu elements in it.

[@Sticklemako]

East and south east asia have also been using avatar and other hindu names and concepts in their pop culture for generations.. Japanese anime and games have especially used these

[@harshavardhanreddy9562]

well the japanese made better ramayana movie than indians

[@pratikshinde4229]

Yup that's facts​@@harshavardhanreddy9562

[@Shourya899]

​@@harshavardhanreddy9562Japanese are really very respectful people the father of the anime was a buddhist and his works on the Buddha manga and other yokai boddhisatav movies manga I forgot the name and also the manga artists d@ed before he already have plans to release an anime movie on shree krishnas life and epic Mahabharata and also kanishka 1 the Hindu animist tengeist king of kushans not kanishka 2 kaniska one shows as badd@$$ villain in berserk manage ana dalso many hindu association even in Chinese movies dramas as the mahatab buddhist tibetians animist also have hindu Gods worshiped so they also have them shown and also ma kaali ancient temple build by Qing Dynasty kings and folk native indigenous religion revival in communist country afters moa communist revival one leader came transform chinas culture and traditions back again even taiwnas communist reastablished them and tibetians buddhist monks build ancient Hindu temples in both Tibet and China and hare Krishna movement and immigrantion temple s build in Syria Lebanon Afghanistan few years ago .and also in Taiwan Singapore even the sino-indians and 500000+Chinese who escaped china with their people and tibetians+ included their ancestors approximately 2.5 million+ in India and China Town in northeast Indian and Kolkata where more then 1 lakhs+ Chinese live etc.

[@user-jt3dw6vv4x]

That's not surprising at all. Apart from the spread of Hinduism to Southeast Asia, which influenced local culture, Buddhism also transported elements of Hindu origin to East Asia. It's part of the local culture. The use of the Avatar and these other elements in the West is more interesting because Eastern religions are not native to the West and they're not part of the local culture.

[@shannum23]

​@@harshavardhanreddy9562 Agreed. Till this day no better movie on Ramayana has been made!

[@breezy7091]

I gotta say, that was one of the smoothest transitions into a sponsor I've ever seen! Thank you for all the great content!

[@MonicaLee1995]

Are you going to do more hindu videos?? perhaps a series?

[@tawan20082008]

no

[@sorryminati4719]

​@@thiruvettiPraveen mohan concocts bullsh** for most of his videos, making up and relating modern technology to primeval objects when they are not related at all. He is not a great representative for hindu structures at all.

[@subhadramahanta452]

​​@@thiruvettiHe can be a bit farfetching at times though, which can at times lead people to question his other, respectively much more logical claims as well. Would rather suggest reading about different philosophies under the umbrella of Sanatan Dharm

[@thiruvetti]

@@subhadramahanta452 Even Hsitory channel and Netflix documentaries stretch their topics too far. He is an independent youtuber. Let him express his mind. He has been attacked by youtube company a lot. He needs more support than hate (not for u but in general)

[@Krankenwagen571]

​@@subhadramahanta452 he's a propagandist

[@robbruss8506]

Most games have a player be the hero of the story "restoring balance and virtue to the world" as you said. Even Mario could be called an avatar in that sense.

[@sophiejones3554]

True, or at least that's one of the options the game gives you. I suppose you could argue that even in the original conception, there's the possibility of the avatar not fulfilling their intended purpose or even going against it. Hmmm... I'm not sure Mario counts since the Mushroom Kingdom is a persistant world in which Mario lives a life independent of the player. The player's interaction with him is more like the Judeo-Christian concept of possession. You control his body for a while and grant him capabilities beyond his normal skills and then he goes back to his regular life of plumbing in the Mushroom Kingdom. That being said, the Legend of Zelda I think does use the concept of an avatar in it's original form. Link is the avatar of The Hero of Time within the game's lore, which is you. It's a persistent world, which you have the ability to enter at any point on it's timeline (well timelines), which gives you a divine status in relation to the characters within the world: they experience time linearly, but you have the ability to rewind it and even jump between timelines. The games were released out of chronological order, at least according to the now canonized continuity (although like with the Mahabharata, the games weren't originally supposed to form a continuity, fans just started organizing them that way). Unlike Mario, Link's *only* reason for existing is to restore order in the world: which would seem to make him an avatāra in the truest sense. Link can even have different names, if you want: "Link" is just the placeholder name.

[@Vor567tez]

No. Avatar strictly means a god taking a different form on earth to restore balance. We just don't call random heroes avatar. We need to make connection that they r incarnation of some god.

[@robbruss8506]

@@Vor567tez yes. Lol

[@NewTypeStarling]

yes bro Jai Shree Ram@@Vor567tez

[@Swastikanothookcross]

Not really. Avatar is basically god himself in Human form. Not every saviour or hero is an avatar.

[@SanatanSagas-]

We are all living beings are avatars of Vishnu. -Bhagavad Gita

[@keenanarthur8381]

Having studied with both Hindu and Buddhist teachers from various lineages, sectarians in both religions love to put the other down. Having recently translated the Avadhūta Gītā attributed to Dattātreya (the three-fold avatāra of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and ŚIva who simultaneously transcends and encompasses dichotomies such as creation/destruction and orthodoxy/heterodoxy) and having studied his mythology extensively, Dattātreya is my favorite avatār.

[@tawan20082008]

you don’t study enough bro

[@Mrityormokshiya]

Even Vasiṣṭha and Viśvāmitra had rivalry from in Rigveda. The Rishis used to ask in suktas to the gods who is the greatest and each stuti states how each god is the greatest. It takes a wise mind to understand the kavya. This is the great play of the Devatas after all. So each sect's myopic followers accuse other of being heterodox and claiming that other Devatas aren't supreme like their ishta Devata, but Gods are just laughing :D

[@BeholdTheEternal]

Dattetreya is indeed amazing. I have his image in my shrine apart of my "teachers" in which he is included.

[@rustomkanishka]

My mother worshipped Dattatreya, as he was the main family deity of her clan. You usually see him depicted in his 3 headed form, only a few temples have him as a single headed deity. I remember going to this one temple as a kid and seeing the one headed deity and confirming it was Dattatreya with my mum. This temple was in western Maharashtra, and i remember it to be quite scenic, and on the banks of the Krishna river. Later I asked her how the three headed one wore a T shirt. The hiding i received is one of the steps on my long journey towards atheism. (I got five religions dumped on my head, there are some cool stories there, but I don't feel any sense of faith either way)

[@BeholdTheEternal]

@@rustomkanishka I see. Yes in my local temple which is a smaller replication of the Southern Meenakshi Temple, Dattatreya is only one headed. When people focus on the devas and incarnates as literal, silly and childish argumentation and diversion arises. In the Gita of Dattetreya, it is strictly Advaita. Therefore the three heads of the trinity are only metaphorical representation of the power of the ultimate Brahman, God. God destroys ignorance (Shiva), and again preserves holiness and righteousness in the heart (Vishnu), and yet creates as well (Brahma). Therefore Dattetreya should represent Sagun Brahman, as a form or icon of God--just as the rest. This is my interpretation anyway. Swami Chinmayananda interprets all puranic stories and figures in likewise ways like the Ramayana and Mahabharata. He believed that taking it all as literal is breaking down the seriousness and philosophical side of Sanatana Dharma. I have to agree in most cases although devotion is quite important as well. Some paths help others more than others. Just my position and thoughts anyway. Dattetreya is a nice figure!

[@FrankyBabes]

Probably the best transition into a sponsor read I've seen

[@BlackReaper0]

The etymology of avatar is super cool!

[@VeganSanatani]

It comes from the - ava or avani+ Vitarana ana or avani meaning - The earth Vitarana meaning - to dwell So.. When paramIshwar (almighty) comes to live in earth, it's called Avataran

[@RespecT-yk2pc]

​@@VeganSanataniNaruto....copied all of these but they changed meaning 😂😂Asura ko dev kar diya😂😂

[@VeganSanatani]

@@RespecT-yk2pc lol...may be Naruto ne Zoroastrians se lia hoga 😂

[@PartiallyAnonymous456]

​@@VeganSanatanilol sahi mein Bhagwaan indra ko devil bulaate ye

[@isan_vl]

i’m loving the frequency of uploads lately, it’s making me realize this is one of my favorite channels

[@emenefer]

I always wanted to know the connection between all the different english uses of the word avatar! I never bothered to search it on wikipedia. Super interesting video!

[@Shiv-vb1re]

This is the most accurate information about hinduism i have heard from a foreigner

[@ffbst5327]

Hinduism is eternal🕉️♾️

[@sickegless9years452]

Hinduism❌ Sanatan dharma ✅

[@i_nehatiwari]

❤❤

[@TheDuaneGuy]

​@@sickegless9years452Hinduism is a mixed up culture...or religion...while sanatan isn't even religion...Idiots took it in a wrong way...where they worship stones...

[@Ri57490]

idol worship and polytheism can never be the truth. It's 'trendy' and 'cool' for Hollywood (Hollywood itself is a corrupt and degenerate industry behind the scenes).

[@Inferno-rq5cd]

​@@Ri57490hinduism is not polytheism it it worship of one god with different forms...study well first then come to argue😂

[@MrGksarathy]

This was always super weird for me, since I had grown up on the tales of the Dashāvatāram, yet I kept hearing the word outside that context.

[@EmjayUltra]

That ad transition was smooooooth

[@KV-db9gw]

Oh yeah

[@bobkerolls13]

I'm glad you mentioned the Ultima connection because that was my first introduction to the word and concept. Every time I see the word avatar now I hear it in the bombastic voice acting of the characters in those games. After watching this video I found it interesting that since you play as a god-like character (usually actually *you* transported to this game world in that fiction), and are sent to restore balance or just "fix" the world, it seems to be closer in meaning to the original usage.

[@jasonblalock4429]

And that's not just the case in Ultima 4. It's established that the Avatar is (typically) summoned to Britannia during times of crisis, similar to the states of adharma talked about in the video. And not even necessarily to fight. Ultima 6 is explicitly about being a peacemaker and *preventing* a war between Humans and Gargoyles through compassion and understanding. (That said, the series also has a running theme of "The Avatar discovers that they are creating the problems which they end up having to solve" that I don't believe has parallels in Hindu lore. Especially considering how Ultima 9 ends.)

[@bobkerolls13]

@@jasonblalock4429 Ultima 8 and 9 are non-canon. I'm my new 24-part video essay I will explore...

[@cameronshaffer1592]

You should do a video on the subject of "Rudra" within Hinduism , especially shaivite Hinduism . They are the closest concept to Shiva having his own avatars . Hanuman is regarded by some (including me) to be an incarnation of Shiva tht manifested to help Vishnu in the Ramayana . This subject goes deep . Multiple mythological reasons for why he incarnated as a monkey , a lot of mythological symbolism , Hanuman , or Anjaneyà , a name given to him dedicated to his mother Anjane . He is also known as the "Ekadasha Rudra" the eleventh Rudra . And he is the son of the god of Wind , which is symbolism of him being the manifestation of the personification of "Prana" the life force , aka the "Xi" of India

[@lilboi42100]

the entire universe is Rudra's Manifestation

[@OrichalcumHammer]

Rudra is also the basis for the Indo-european word known for 'Red' color and for 'Rude' Behavior. 'Rudeus' as the latin name for war god.

[@sahilsingh6048]

​@@OrichalcumHammer is slavic god Rodu also related tp Rudra?

[@sageofsixpaths98]

It's been mentioned in an Upanishad that when Rudra roared, countless stars and galaxies manifested from it's reverberation, the creation happened from the sound.

[@VeganSanatani]

​@@OrichalcumHammerthe world Rudra in Sanskrit come from the fusion of 2 words... Ruu - meaning unbearable pain + Drava - meaning the 'the flow of' Thus Rudra being, the one (almighty) who is the cause of the ultimate suffering.

[@mayanktewari7323]

Being a hindu I can say this guy has done his homework thoroughly.

[@jvgjnhhnvgb3477]

Well researched video , well done.

[@Rahul-rd8zb]

I see many westerners use indian words without realizing they are indian like himalaya, guru, pundit, avatar, swastika, namaste etc. Also in Avatar 2 the liquid they extracted from the whale is called Amrita which is also a sanskrit word for a drink which gives immortality.

[@Idkpleasejustletmechangeit]

8:45 I like that that number in the corner there would be read as "four twenty-four twenty".

[@jamcalx]

That slick ad transition. 😎👍🏿

[@TacticalEarProductions]

Thank you for making this. I feel like aspects of Hinduism are often entirely taken and adapted and never really credited.

[@dreamstate5047]

many, credit is not important, teaching is, the way of life is,

[@raunaksrarf1179]

The incogni promotion segment was so smoothly blended with the topic that I bet he made this entire video to do that 10 sec promotion

[@CartoonHero1986]

There was also the lesser known Gene Roddenberry sci-fi show: Andromedia that used the word Avatar at least 5 times and episode to remind you some people weren't people in the show but embodiments of AI's and Stars (because stars where alive too in the series as were black holes and I think some planets... its been a LONG time). Andromedia had three of them alone; a virtual one that would pop up on screens around the ship, and hologram one that would also pop up around the ship, and finally an android built to look like her other two avatars to allow her physical autonomy. But Andromeda itself was the war ship they flew around space in that were classified as sentient beings (it gets really confusing and the show was like one of those half serious we have to make this comical otherwise people will complain about how cheesy it all is kind of deals)

[@andrewsuryali8540]

Andromeda was a great example of brilliant concept executed poorly. The show had so many revolutionary ideas and the lore was incredibly detailed and fresh for its time, but the show itself was kinda cringe and a chore to watch.

[@mrutyunjayamuduli667]

Amazing Research. Thank you for this video.

[@VivekSingh-tj8qo]

Also Goku from the Japanese anime, Dragon Ball comes from the Chinese monkey King, Sun Wukong who was derived from the prominent Hindu deity, Hanuman.

[@hu9t]

*Make correction - Mahabharata and Ramayana are not mythological stories of Hinduism|Bharathakanda, they are Ithihasa!

[@subhadramahanta452]

Well, they are documented exactly to the Astronomical movement of the stars and planets respectively to Earth, which can be dated back to thousands of years, also in sync with the Saraswati River thriving and then drying up. Some things might seem farfetched, but it matches really well with the Earth, location and events. There is definitely some truth to it!

[@avishekjayswal5496]

Of Course it Is!

[@itsoblivion8124]

They are mythology. Facts doesn't care about your opinion

[@AriaIsara]

They cannot be considered history per se because they mention supernatural events and beings. But it can be connected to real historical events that happened. Similarly the Bible is not history, but it has some historical events and personalities in it.

[@hu9t]

@@AriaIsara If you travel back in time just a few hundred years not thousands and talk about today's mobile, internet communication which you can talk and see instantly to any person on this planet, and about medical advancement, rockets, air travel, etc..they would feel supernatural too. Here both are thousands of years past history, not just a few hundreds!

[@razzenvythebest9248]

U freaking SNAPPED on this topic yo!!

[@fanasaifou4847]

Thanks for the lessons😄

[@diadon5674]

Had no idea so many projects were 'inspired ' by hindu philosophy!!

[@phoenixj1299]

Yep. Matrix, Star Wars, Naruto, and many many many other movies. Without Hindu concepts, they probably wouldn't have existed.

[@i_nehatiwari]

Absolutely all of most Hollywood sci fi are inspired from Hinduism. 🕉️. It’s eternal. Because they the truth ❤

[@Ri57490]

​​​@@i_nehatiwari idol worship and polytheism can never be the truth. It's 'trendy' and 'cool' for Hollywood (Hollywood itself is a corrupt and degenerate industry behind the scenes).

[@dainess2919]

But once game is finished the state of adharma is ceased (by the avatar) and the player leaves the game

[@heatherkaye6362]

My introduction to the concept of an avatar was through Ultima Online and earlier this morning, I messaged a friend who I met in the game 20 yrs ago to tell him that I had just today learned the roots of the term. Then THIS video popped up a couple hours later. All praise the almighty algorithm.

[@mananrocks24]

This video was very well researched and presented, as a hindu who lives in India I feel you respectfully tackled many of our concepts and also tied together a very good narrative on the effect of the term avatar on western pop culture, this video is great!

[@shivam2730]

Excellent I want to know more ❤

[@marcocampa94]

I'd also add to the animation references The Avatar of the franco-japanese series Ōban Star-Racers (2006), if anyone remember it...

[@revelation8199]

Avatar the last air bender is my all time favorite show

[@Mahalakshmi-yu8ke]

Hinduism is really so interesting.....want to hear so many stories about that religion ....it's amazed me everytime I watches a video or read a book about Hindus 🕉....such a rich culture and knowledge oriented religion

[@TheBakuganmaster99]

I just wanted to say that you did a really good job with the research. ❤

[@joeshmoe8345]

That was great, thanks for sharing this with us Big Dog.

[@omarlittle-hales8237]

SALaM, SHLAMa, SHLOMo, SHALoM, NAMASTe, PEACe. 1. Many Verses Within The Vedas, Avesta, Cannon, Psalms, Torah & Gospel, Still Have Authentic Verses. 2. The Corrupted Verses From These Scriptures Sent, Are All The Double Dutch Verses, Which Contradict The Nature Of God. 3. All These Scriptures Testify God Being One. 4. All Later Verses With A Trinity Were Added, Some With Multiple Marvel Like Gods [Hinduism]. 5. The Noah Family: Vedas: There Is Only One God, There Is Only One Source, There Is Only One Supply. Avesta Zoroastrian: There Is Only One Wise God, Whom Is Uncreated. Buddhist Cannon: There Is Only One God, Whom Created Good & Evil. 6. The Abraham Family: Torah [Old Testament]: The LORD is our God, the LORD is one. Gospel [New Testament]: I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me. Quran [Last Testament]: Say He Is God, The One, The Eternal & Absolute. He Begets Not, Nor Is He Begotten. There Is None Comparable To God.

[@JiviteshBakshi]

Please make a video explaining or discussing Brahm, (ultimate reality) in hinduism and why hinduism despite so many deities is still a monotheistic religion

[@archis3030]

Damn props to you man you actually did indepth research for the video💯💯

[@julianhe7348]

Excellent academic work 👍👍👍👍👍

[@thiruvetti]

As a Hindu am astounded by your team's research. Very meticulous and cool explanation. We Indians have not been able to create our cinematic universe from Mahabharata and Ramayana history. There are plenty of cool characters who could be gamified or even converted to super-hero character. Only recently we had an experiment with a new movie called HanuMan from Telugu industry.

[@namah4399]

Well many of us consider them as itihaas. Even if not the complete story as it is depicted, definitely some parts of it And if you look at the stories of Ramayan and Mahabharat they are meant to improve your life they aren't meant for your entertainment If people can maintain both factors simultaneously without making the former one corrupt then its alright otherwise it simply ISN'T If they become solely superhero based stories then they are just non sense They lose their purpose I hope you understand

[@thiruvetti]

@@namah4399 I too wrote history which means itihaas. And also gave example of HanuMan which promotes Hinduism in a cool way

[@namah4399]

@@thiruvetti Hinduism isn't meant to be followed in a cool way And if this generation cannot accept something which fits in their category of being 'cool' then they need to change their mindset. When you are learning life skills you don't check whether it is cool or not. If you do you are simply digging a pithole for yourself as it is gonna impact you in the long run So these stories whether call them mythical or historical are of utmost importance to the culture of the nation. Despite being so old they are always new for those who want to learn from the characters of these stories So requesting the same please do not promote them as superhero fantasies as you will surely comment on these topics on other videos too so this is a serious advice. This 'conversion' of Hindu textual stories into superhero movies is not right If we want the present generation to know about them in a useful way we can showcase them as they are without bringing in the 'entertainment' factor in it which would be of actual help in shaping the character of an individual Thanks

[@Savitur-]

I am an agnostic, but I believe that if there is any true religion of God, it is Hinduism.

[@shutdown9848]

Very good explanation in a historical way👍

[@Rajat-wo6pe]

thank you for making this, much love

[@sagarrao9821]

I know the word "avatāra" is used in the show but really the doctrine seems much more similar to the Buddhist idea of nirmāṇakāya. Or actually, even more similar to the Buddhist idea, present in sūtras like the Śrīmaladevī, that highly advanced bodhisattvas undergo apparent birth and death while actually being free from saṃsāra in order to benefit others. And indeed, the Air Nomads are clearly based on Buddhists. The Legend of Korra stuff makes it complicated, though. Even there one could find Buddhist antecedents, maybe.

[@faithlesshound5621]

Scientology is ambiguous about the status of L Ron Hubbard. It was hinted earlier that he was the Buddha, and later that he was also the Boddhisatva Maitreya, who was (is?) going to come back to Earth to bring humanity to enlightenment. Those ideas seem to have been put on the back burner while their marketing plasters crucifixes all over the place.

[@Petruhafication]

​@@faithlesshound5621ya let's not lump legitimate religions that have been beneficial to society with cults that only exist to drain the wallets of their members and that systematically file suit against anyone that tries to speak up about the abuses they face from said cult.

[@emptyfull1]

Avatar was a great fantasy cartoon. One of the things that made me really enjoy watching it with my children was how skillfully it brought together themes and symbols from a number of Asian traditions and blended them into its own unique cosmos. Different Buddhist, Taoist, Hindu, and even Sikh and various Asian folk religious concepts and symbols pop up and are rendered with surprising care and attention to detail - but none are kept separately in their own boxes. Often this kind of religious intermixing in fictional universes makes things frustratingly incoherent - but in avatar it really works.

[@Sticklemako]

The cartoon is definitely more inspired by east asian and tibetan culture but avatara is primarily a hindu concept cause of the fundamental philosophy of shunyata in buddhism.. It makes little sense that nothing can manifest as avataras

[@VeganSanatani]

Yea..both are related, just difference in expression

[@abhayAMMA9]

DasAvatars represent a timeline, arriving at specific times such as the beggining and end of each Yuga or age. There are many other Avatars of Vishnus inbetween those times.

[@dev.0122]

The depth of research is breath taking.

[@abhyuday_bose]

Original 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕠𝕣𝕪 𝕠𝕗 𝔼𝕧𝕠𝕝𝕦𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 Gautama Buddha was born in an Hindu family like many other saints

[@Not_Deb]

As a Hindu myself, quite accurate video considering a white guy explaining it ❤

[@DRAGON_BBX]

The Adina Mosque is Built on a Demolished temple btw. (I'm a Bengali Hindu, who have visited the Adina Structure). So it's not Propaganda. You can clearly see Hindu Carvings in the Mosque. And Idols are Shirk/Bidah/Haram in Islam. So it's impossible to say "Umm Aksually 🤓☝️ sultan was secular so he used hindu architecture to build the mosque"😂

[@avishekjayswal5496]

Exactly. I'm from West Bengal too! And the First time I went to Adina, I was Shocked to the core after seeing Ganesha idol and Many other Sanatan Structures and Idols! Truth Really needs to Come out! Thanks To Vishnu Shankar Jain who's Fighting for these Temples! 🚩

[@ChrisRowe]

Loved seeing Ultima featured here. Ultima IV was revolutionary in its concept and Ultima VII is still my favourite RPG ever. I was also a beta-tester on Ultima Online, the earliest real MMO. A surpising amount of common terminology and methods of emoting on the web can trace their root to Ultima Online.

[@sourabhgharde3107]

Dude you are able to pronounce each and every word as accurately as anyone without an Indian accent can.

[@kiranjoshi6721]

I would also like to mention the concept of time dilation used in Hinduism. The story of time dilation in the Bhagavata Purana is indeed fascinating and revolves around King Kakudmi and his daughter Revati. Here’s a brief summary: King Kakudmi, a descendant of the Sun Dynasty, was concerned about finding a suitable husband for his beautiful and accomplished daughter, Revati. Believing no one on Earth was worthy, he decided to seek the advice of the creator god, Lord Brahma. Upon reaching Brahma’s abode, they had to wait for a musical performance to conclude before they could speak with him. After presenting his shortlist of candidates to Brahma, the god laughed and explained that time runs differently on different planes of existence. While they had waited for a short time in Brahma-loka, 27 chaturyugas (a cycle of four yugas, totaling 108 yugas or Ages of Man) had passed on Earth. All the potential suitors and their descendants had long perished. Brahma then suggested that Vishnu, who was on Earth in the forms of Krishna and Balarama, would be a suitable husband for Revati. King Kakudmi and Revati returned to Earth to find it greatly changed and the human race “dwindled in stature, reduced in vigor, and enfeebled in intellect.” They eventually found Balarama, and Revati was married to him. This story is a classic example of how ancient Hindu texts can contain concepts like time dilation, the way before modern science discovered it.

[@CameoAmalthea]

So in TLA isn’t Ang an Avatar of Raava (although it’s sort of a fusion of Raava and a mortal soul that will now reincarnate). So sort of combination avatar and Dalai Lama? I’d love a whole video just going over religious influences in AVATAR

[@ByTheStorm]

I’m not exactly sure this is correct, but I believe every soul in the Airbender universe reincarnates. It’s just not tracked or recorded since in the larger scheme of things, their reincarnation lines don’t have the Avatar cycle. That and all the souls are usually polar opposites of their past lives, like from Kuruk to Kyoshi or Aang to Korra. Though I chalk that up as the results of their upbringing and the world their predecessors cultivated than successive generations being inherently opposites. And the fact reincarnation as far as the Avatar is concerned leaps to various regions. If this applies to the rest of humanity in the universe, then it’s easy to presume Iroh’s reincarnation could easily be one of the Airbenders in Korra, Pakku’s an Earthbender, Bumi’s a Firebender, and so on. And it seems like their animal partners also reincarnate.

[@gubruikertje]

​@@ByTheStormOf that were the case there would always be the exact amount of people. Not impossible in a fantasy world I guess, but makes me wonder about the sudden babyboom during the wars. Is that how the fire nation could start colonization?

[@TorvusVae]

I like to pretend that Korra season 2 doesn't exist and I'm upset that you reminded me of it

[@lyricofwise6894]

​@@TorvusVae If you thought that was a problem, youre not a real fan of either avatar series

[@ByTheStorm]

@@gubruikertje In all honesty, reincarnation as a concept falls apart considering how much less people existed in the past. And my hypothesis is similarly iffy. I won’t say it isn’t. Considering some souls like Iroh’s can stay intact in the Spirit World for who knows how long, that would mean less souls to go into the mix. It “could” be explained by how Hindu and Buddhist reincarnation works. Maybe the entities and spirits which stood by and did nothing were reincarnated into humans? That’s considering the Air Nomad genocide. The simplest explanation is less convoluted. That they reproduced more souls.

[@RadacStungnthumz]

Great video! With Dune 2 out wondering if you'll make a video on religious influences in Dune.

[@adarshraghuram6858]

Great video man!

[@ishaanrohmetra3447]

please make a video on vedic philosphy like nasadiya suktam like that . thank you. matrix movie was based on upanishad and vednatic philosphy and its song nuerendammerung was composed of sanskrit upanishad verses. hello from india.

[@VeganSanatani]

Finally , someone speaking my language 😂

[@gibrannicholau3447]

In Javanese Ramayana and Mahabharata the concept of avatara is unique, where Vishnu is seen as just residing on the ego/soul of a person. Kartavirya, Rama, and Krishna is often described as 'koncatan Wisnu' (lit. Abandoned by Vishnu) when the said person fell from grace, before then repenting.

[@TingTong2568]

Please elaborate more about it

[@gibrannicholau3447]

@@TingTong2568 there are many versions of the Javanese Ramayana and Mahabharata, but I'll use the version local to my area (Yogyakarta). Names will vary but sounds simillar to the Indian or Sanskrit version, and the family tree of the Hindu Gods are VERY different (the local Javanese dieties are portrayed as the ancestors and cousins of the Hindu Pantheon). Here is a story explaining the reason why Wisnu keeps on manifesting on Earth, performed in the wayang shadow theatre and dance operas known as the episode "Wisnu Garot". Bathara Guru/Shiva once tried to marry Bathari Pratiwi, daughter of the god of Ekapratala ("First (layer) of Earth") Sang Hyang Nagaraja. Other than Shiva, the king of Dvaraka Prabhu Narasinga is also trying to get Pratiwi However Pratiwi is in love with Wisnu (in Java is percieved as the 5th son of Shiva). Wisnu is imprisoned by Guru, but is then helpen by Pratiwanggana, Pratiwi's younger brother. Meanwhile, Ekapratala is besieged by Narasinga and his forces. As soon as Wisnu and Pratiwanggana arrived in Ekapratala, a great battle between Narasinga and Wisnu ensues. In the end Narasinga surrenders, but Wisnu being merciful, gives Narasinga a boon of long life. Wisnu and Pratiwi got wed. Guru, dissapointen on failing to get Pratiwi, punishes Wisnu to clear up a huge land called the Purwacarita forest. Wisnu departs, but before heading to Purwacarita meets with the sage Wrahaspati, who granted Wisnu the ability of avatara.

[@gibrannicholau3447]

@@TingTong2568 damn I just wrote a long synopsis on the episode "Wisnu Garot" and to find out that it wasn't posted here 🤣

[@TingTong2568]

@@gibrannicholau3447 lol.

[@Gandalfthewhat]

😮 how did they fall from grace?

[@sorryminati4719]

Very interesting point on the avataric evolutionism, and the phenomenon of relating the, for a lack of a term, "mythos" to evolution. As a hindu, Ive always thought this looked like a hindsight moment

[@arjunmadhav94]

Seriously such a knowledgeable video with all permutations and combinations of the Hindu community...very well researched. Very impressed as a Hindu 😊

[@robbabcock_]

Terrific stuff! I find the content on Eastern religions to be especially fascinating.

[@timothymclean]

With regard to Cameron's Avatar, the film is pretty obviously named after the English word "avatar," which is linguistically tied to the Hindu concept but means something different. This is probably the only time I'll speak favorably about Cameron's Avatar.

[@TheVeganVicar]

“Avatar” is ENGLISH? 😳

[@rq6284]

@@TheVeganVicarit is now. Originally it came into english from sanskrit a couple hundred years ago. It’s not english in origin, but most of english words come from french/latin/greek if you go far back enough

[@Duiker36]

Cameron's Avatar is very clearly taking after the videogame concept.

[@banjo304]

​@@TheVeganVicar loan words often take on different meanings once adapted into a language.

[@spelcheak]

@@rq6284 and all those languages come from PIE if you actually go far back enough, so it’s really a moot point talking about “originally”

[@SDM-cd8cu]

Please deep dive in Hinduism and create more videos of this research

[@WilliamSyler]

Looking back, I can think of one video game that gets a lot closer to the correct definition of avatar that you talked about in this video. Spoilers for the game Earthbound: During the course of the game Earthbound, you play as Ness and his friends as they go to stop the machinations of the psychic alien, Giygas. His malice is such that animals and people (and even objects) are being driven to senseless violence, and over the course of the game you develop your own psychic powers. Partway through, the game pauses to ask YOUR name (and given that you are able to customize the characters' names, it makes sure it's being clear that it's asking for you). At the end of the game, the characters have to travel back in time (in robot bodies) to defeat Giygas and they find that he's lost so much of himself that all Giygas can do is psychically project evil into the world. While the final battle can be technically beaten directly, it's nearly impossible and requires taking advantage of unintended mechanics. The intended way for you to best the invincible foe is to pray for help. The allies and friends you've made throughout the course of the game respond to those prayers, damaging Giygas back. It isn't enough to stop him though, but with one final prayer comes a response from you. Your will, your desire to win the game and save the world, and your love for the characters is made manifest in the game (narrative speaking) and your name is attached to the prayer that overcomes Giygas' invincibility. The player is the one to strike the final blow and set right what has been made wrong in the world. It's a very evocative moment and it fits nicely into what you talked about in this video, I think.

[@arnabbhattacharjee3618]

Regarding the Buddha controversy. There is also a theory that "Mohini" belonged to the original list of avatars and was later replaced for whatever reason. She was Vishnu's only female avatar and just like the avatar Kurma played a role during the samudramathan event by deceiving the asuras and taking the pot of nectar (amrit) from them

[@anandhakaram]

Mohini would have made sense.

[@phoenixj1299]

Nope. Vishnu Puran, authentic text for Vaishnavites clearly say that Buddha is an incarnation of Vishnu

[@reny62]

@@phoenixj1299 but that buddha is not gautam buddha, he was born before gautam buddha

[@phoenixj1299]

@@reny62 There was no evidence of the term "Buddha" before that. Also can you prove that it's not Siddhartha Gautama?

[@reny62]

@@phoenixj1299 read vushnu puran and all for proof. and buddha was a much older word. its means the enlighted one and was derived from sanskrit,

[@mattsaunders8577]

Love it

[@izual989]

Good video, since you mention videogames here and you've covered other videogame religions, I'd like to suggest you cover the religious group from Silent Hill. Thanks for all the great content.

[@sonsilvshad96]

amazing segue for the ad

[@humanityisdoomed]

You did an extremely good job at explaining and respecting such complex things in a already complex Religion. Not Many foreigners do that or can understand that, usually they just butcher sanatan dharama and misunderstand or misinterpret it You did an amazing job buddy 💯.

[@nish6878]

Kalki Avatar would be dope tho

[@happy_____----____]

Good knowledgeable video 😊

[@alexhill3697]

You inspire me and fuel my pursuit of knowledge

[@00mpa1oomp4]

Brilliant smooth transition to sponsor! My mind: smooth operatorrrrrrrr

[@MatthewDoye]

There's a long history of the adoption and adaptation of religious concepts into English language: demon was borrowed from Ancient Greek via Latin, we also have taboo, shaman, avatar, etc..

[@dev.0122]

Awesome video