This document provides an overview of Hindu Dharma and the Dasavataras (ten incarnations of Vishnu) for beginners. It includes: 1. An outline of a teaching plan covering avatars, good habits, worship, and stories over the course of a school term. 2. Descriptions of the three main Hindu gods - Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva and their roles in creation, preservation, and destruction. 3. Details on each of the 10 avatars of Vishnu - Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, and the future

1. Hindu Dharma for Beginners
Teaching Resource
Term 2
Vishva Hindu Parishad of Australia Inc.
(World Hindu Council of Australia Inc)
(ABN: 78862155168, Reg No: Y2898719, Charity No: CFN10709)
GPO Box 1374, Sydney 2001-WWW.VHP.ORG.AU
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2. Term II Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 and Year 6
Wk 1 Avatars Avatars Avatars Avatars
Give more details, meanings, philosophical aspects
(depends on the class)
Wk 2 Avatars Avatars Avatars Avatars
Give more details, meanings, philosophical aspects
(depends on the class)
Wk 3 Stories Stories Stories Stories
Wk 4 Good habits - Good habits - Good habits - Good habits -
kindness kindness kindness kindness
Compassion Compassion Compassion Compassion
Wk 5 Good habits - Good habits - Good habits - Good habits -
kindness kindness kindness kindness
Compassion, Compassion, Compassion, Compassion,
value based Stories value based Stories value based Stories value based Stories
Wk 6 Hindu worship Hindu worship Hindu worship Hindu Hindu, worship 1
Hindu greetings Hindu greetings greetings Hindu greetings
Wk 7 Rangoli, Garland Rangoli, Garland Rangoli, Garland Rangoli, Garland
making (optional) making (optional) making (optional) making (optional)
Wk 8
Wk 9
Wk 10 Sum up, quiz, trivia
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3. God is one but has many forms
When He does the job of creating the universe He is called Brahma
When He does the job of preserving the universe He is called Vishnu
When He does the job of destroying evils He is called Shiva
These three forms of God are called Tri-
Murthi’s — Tri means three and murthi
means God
AVATARA
Lord Vishnu comes to earth in an animal form or as a human being to save the world and
to do some good. Thus, avatara means God's rebirth (divine incarnation). According to
Hindu belief, Lord Vishnu has had nine avataras and a tenth avatara is anticipated in
future. These ten avataras are referred to as dasa ( = ten) avataras.
The ten Avataras are:
1. Matsya Avatara – Fish
2. Kurma Avatara – Tortoise
3. Varaha Avatara – Wild Boar
4. Narasimha Avatara – Man-Lion
5. Parasurama Avatara
6. Vamana Avatara – Dwarf
7. Rama Avatara
8. Krishna Avatara
9. Buddha Avatara
10. Kalki Avatara
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4. Dasavataras
1. Matsya Avatara - fish
Lord Vishnu incarnated as Matsya (fish) to save
Manu and the seven sages (Sapta n during the
cosmic deluge (flood).
2. Kurma Avatara - tortoise
Once the Gods and Demons undertook the task
of churning the ocean of milk with a mountain
called Mandara as a churning rod. The
mountain started to sink during the churning.
Lord Vishnu incarnated as Kurma (tortoise) in
order to support the mountain.
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5. 3. Varaha Avatara - wild boar;
Another time, the world was submerged in flood
waters bvj a demon called Hiranyaksha (the brother of
Hiranyakasipu - See Narasimha Avatara for details)
The Lord came down as Varaha (boar) in order to kill
th demon and protect the world.
4. Narasimha Avatara - man-
lion.
A small boy by name Prahlada was a
great devotee of Lord Vish nu. Prahlada
was treated badly by his father
Hiranyakasipu. Prahlada believed that
the Lord is present everywhere but his
father did not
believe that. Once the father challenged
the boy to sho^the Lord in a pillar
nearby. The Lord to make true the words
of the young devotee, emerged out of the
pillar as Narasimha (man-lion) and killed
Hiranyakasipu
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6. 5. Vamana Avatara - dwarf
Once the Earth was ruled by a King by name
Bali. When he was good he prayed to God
and got a boom that he could not be easily
killed. But he became very bad and all the
people prayed to Lord Vishnu to protect
them. Even when he was bad he had one
good quality - he use to keep up his
promise. So Lord Vishnu took birth as
Vamana (dwarf) and approached King
Bali for gift of land that couid be
covered by his three steps. The King
agreed but immediately the Lord grew in
size, so big that the entire Earth was
covered by his one step, the heavens by
his second. Not having a space to cover
the Lord's third step the King,, to keep
up his promise, asked him to cover his
head as the third step and thus kiiled.
6. Parasurama Avatara
Once, the world was ruled by many kings, all
of them were very bad. So Lord Vishnu wa:
bom as Parasurama (Rama with an axe) and
killed all the bad kings.
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7. 7. Rama Avatara
Rama is one of the two most popular
Avatars (incarnations) of Lord Vishnu. He
represents the ideal man. The well know
Ramayana is the immortal epic which
depicts his life.
8. Krishna Avatara
Lord Krishna is the most popular of all tehAvatars.
He is considered to be a perfect avatar (Poorna
Avatar). In this incarnation he showed himself as
the supreme statesman., warrior, hero, philosopher,
teacher and God himself. He taught Bhagavad Gita
to his dear friend Arjuna on the battel field of
Kurushetra.
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8. 9. Buddha Avatara
This Avatara of Lord Vishnu is to
preach 'ahimsa' (non-violence) and to
stop animal sacrifices.
10. Kalki Avatara
The tenth Avatara of Lord Vishnu is yet to
come. Our puranas say that he will come to
earth at the end of the present age (Kali yuga).
He will come riding on a white horse with a
sword in hand and will reestablish Dharma by
destroying all bad people.
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9. Dasavatara
Dashavatara refers to the ten principal Avatars.
(Reference ─ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dashavatara).
An Avatar refers to the 'descent' and daśa refers to 'ten' in number. The ten most famous
incarnations of Vishnu are collectively known as the Dashavatara. This list is included in
the Garuda Purana (1.86.10-11).
1. Matsya
Matsya, the fish, appeared in the Satya Yuga.
The Fish Incarnation is the first incarnation of
Vishnu.
Lord Vishnu takes the form of a fish to take a king
to the new world along with one of every single
species of plants and animals from the world's
largest cyclone. What we live in now is the new
world, where the Lord traveled, carrying everything
from the old, destroyed world.
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10. 2. Kurma
Kurma, the tortoise, appeared in the Satya
Yuga. The turtle Incarnation is the second
incarnation of Vishnu. When the devas and
asuras were churning the ocean in order to get
the nectar of immortality, the mount Mandara
they were using as the churning staff started to
sink and Lord Vishnu took the form of a turtle
to bear the weight of the mountain.
3. Varaha
Varaha, the boar, appeared in the Satya Yuga. The
Boar incarnation is the third incarnation of Vishnu. He
appeared in order to defeat Hiranyaksha, a demon who
had taken the Earth (Prithvi) and carried it to the
bottom of what is described as the cosmic ocean in the
story. The battle between Varaha and Hiranyaksha is
believed to have lasted for a thousand years, which the
former finally won. Varaha carried the Earth out of the
ocean between his tusks and restored it to its place in
the universe.
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11. 4. Narasimha
Narasimha, the half-man/half-lion
appeared in the Satya Yuga. The Man-
Lion Incarnation is the fourth incarnation
of Vishnu. When the demon
Hiranyakashipu acquired a boon from
Brahma, which gave him inordinate
power, Lord Vishnu appeared in the
form of half-man/half-lion, having a
human-like torso and a lower body, but
with a lion-like face and claws.
Hiranyakashipu could not be killed by
human, deva or animal, Narasimha is
neither one of these, as he is a form of
Vishnu incarnate as a part-human, part
animal. He comes upon Hiranyakashipu
at twilight (when it is neither day nor
night) on the threshold of a courtyard
(neither indoors nor out), and puts the
demon on his thighs (neither earth nor
space). Using his sharp nails (neither animate nor inanimate) as weapons, he
disembowels and kills the demon.
5. Vamana
Vamana, the dwarf, appeared in the Treta
Yuga. The fourth lineal descendant of
Hiranyakashyap, named Bali, through his
devotion and penance defeated Indra, the god
of firmament, humbled other gods and
extended his authority over the three worlds.
All the gods appealed to Lord Vishnu for
protection and He became manifest in His
Dwarf Avatar of Vaman for the purpose of
restraining Bali. Once when this king was
making a great religious offering, Lord Vishnu
in the form of Vaman appeared before him in
the company of other Brahmins. Bali was
extremely pleased to see a holy man with such
a diminutive form and promised to give him
whatever he should ask. Lord Vishnu asked
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12. only for as much land as he could measure by three steps. Bali laughingly agreed to grant
the boon of three steps. Lord Vishnu as dwarf stepped over heaven in first stride and
earth in the second stride. Then he asked Bali where can he put his third step . Bali
realized that Vamana was Vishnu incarnate and his pride was broken. He offered Vamana
to put his third step on his head. Vamana did so and thus blessed Bali marking him as one
of the few immortals blessed by Vishnu. Then out of respect to Bali's kindness and his
grandfather Prahlad's great virtues, he made him the ruler of pathala, the subterranean
region. Bali is believed to have ruled Kerala and Tulunadu. He is still revered there as the
king of prosperity and remembered and called on before the harvesting season.
6. Parasurama
Parashurama, Rama with the axe, appeared in the
Treta Yuga. Parashurama a Brahmin, the sixth
avatar of Vishnu, belongs to the Treta yuga, and is
the son of Jamadagni and Renuka. Parashu means
axe, hence his name literally means Rama-of-the-
axe. He received an axe after undertaking a terrible
penance to please Shiva, from whom he learned the
methods of warfare and other skills. Parashurama is
said to be a "Brahma-Kshatriya" (with the duties
between a Brahmana and a Kshatriya), the first
warrior saint. His mother is descended from the
Kshatriya Suryavanshi clan that ruled Ayodhya and
Lord Rama also belonged to. A haihaya King
Kartavirya Arjuna (Sahasrarjuna - purportedly with
a thousand arms) and his army visited Jamadagni, a
Brahmin sage, who fed his guest and the whole
army with his divine cow Kamadhenu. The king
demanded the magical cow. Jamadagni refused
because he needed the cow for his religious
ceremonies. King Kartavirya Arjuna (Sahasrarjuna)
took the cow forcibly and devastated the ashram. Angered at this, Parashurama killed the
king's entire army and, after cutting each one of his thousand arms, the king himself with
his axe. As a revenge, the King's sons killed Jamadagni in Parashurama's absence.
Furious at his father's murder, Parashurama killed all sons of Sahasrajuna and their aides.
His thirst for revenge unquenched, he went on killing every adult Kshatriya on earth, not
once but 21 times, filling five ponds with blood. These are the actions which highlight his
warrior characteristics. Ultimately, his grandfather, Richeek Rishi, appeared and stopped
him.
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13. 7. Rama
Rama, Ramachandra, the prince and king of
Ayodhya, appeared in the Treta Yuga. Rama is
one of the most commonly adored gods in
Hinduism and is known as an ideal man and hero
of the epic Ramayana. Rama defeated and killed
the king of Sri Lanka, Ravana for capturing and
imprisoning his wife Sita in the Ashoka Garden
in Sri Lanka.
8. Krishna
Krishna (meaning 'dark coloured' or 'all attractive')
appeared in the Dwapara Yuga along with his brother
Balarama. According to the Bhagavata Purana, Balarama
is said to have appeared in the Dwapara Yuga (along
with Krishna) as an incarnation of Ananta Shesha.
Krishna is one of the most commonly worshipped deities
in the Hindu faith and is also counted as an avatar of
Vishnu by the majority of Vaishnava movements. As per
the North Indian belief, Krishna is the eighth avatar,
while as per south Indian belief, Balarama is considered
as the eight avatar and Krishna as the ninth. He is also a
significant character in the epic of Mahabharata. Krishna
delivered Bhagwad Gita on battlefield of the Battle of
Kurukshetra to Arjuna. He, like Rama, is also known for
his bravery in destroying evil powers throughout his life.
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14. He is usually depicted as playing the flute (murali), indicating spread of the melody of
love to people.
9. Buddha
Buddha: (See also: Buddha as an Avatar
of Vishnu) With the departure of
Krishna, Kali Yuga sets in, in this age,
the true devotion to Vedas was replaced
by empty rituals. To enlighten the world
in such times, Vishnu descended the
earth as Buddha, the enlightened one.
10. Kalki
Kalki ("Eternity", or "time", or "The Destroyer of
foulness"), who is expected to appear at the end of
Kali Yuga, the time period in which we currently
live. The tenth and the last avatar of Vishnu, Kalki,
is yet to appear. Kalki will appear at the end of the
Kalyuga. This avatar will appear seated on a white
horse with a drawn sword blazing like a comet. He
shall come finally to destroy the wicked, to restart
the new creation and to restore the purity of conduct
in people's lives.
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15. Dasavatara
The word 'Avatara' literally it means God's descent to earth. In Bhagawat Gita Sri
Krishna says:
paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge
The above verses mean that God makes His appearance on Earth in the form of either an
animal or a human being, to save the world from some catastrophe or evil or simply to do
some good for the universe or to convey some significant message to mankind.
Thus, avatara means divine incarnation. According to Hindu belief Lord Vishnu has had
nine avataras and a tenth avatara is anticipated in future. These ten avataras are referred
to as dasa ( ten) avataras. Their names and significance are as follows:
Name Identity Notes
Matsya Avatara Fish Saved Manu and all forms of plant and animal life
from severe floods
Kurma Avatara Tortoise Back of the tortoise was used as a support for the
churning rod (Mt Mandara) when devas and asuras
churned the ocean of milk (from which kamadenu and
amruta came out)
Varaha Avatara Boar To rescue the Earth from the depths of water. The
demon Hiranyaksha had dragged the Earth down
underwater.
Narasimha Avatara Man Lion To kill Hiranyakasipu (a demon king) and save his
son (bhakta) Prahaladaj
Vamana Avatara Dwarf To get rid of Bali Chakravarri (emperor) who had
(short) man dethroned Indra.
Parasurama Rama with axe To free the world from the troublesome warrior
Avatara Kings.
Rama Avatara Rama To kill Ravana. the ten headed demon king of Lanka
avatara (Ramayana)
Krishna Avatara Krishna To get rid of evil persons such as Kamsa, Jarasandha,
and Shishupala; and to give the message of
Bhagawat Gita (Mahabharata)
Buddha Avatara Buddha To preach ahimsa (non-violence).
Kalki Avatara Man on horse Would appear at the end of the current Yuga
(Kaliyuga), to destroy evil and to restore dharma.
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16. Find the first five avatars.
S K I N G B A L I V I S H N U
A P R A H L A D A K T E N B K
P T O R T O I S E U I E O D V
T H M A N D A R A R V Z A E P
A R A S M Y T V G M M F E R C
R E N I V A R A H A J X S M C
I E L M A T S Y A N K S Y M I
S G I H M B C C Y U S A E V B
H H O A A O A D O O D X Y U V
I Y N E N A E P W N X R N J H
S K D W A R F I S H L W M R F
H I R A N Y A K A S I P U G Z
Boar Manlion Three Dwarf Manu Tortoise
Fish Matsya Vamana Hiranyakasipu Narasimha
Varaha King Bali Prahlada Vishnu Kurma
Saptha Rishis Mandara Ten
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17. Names of Krishna
J P S R I D A R A J D D A A A
A A H M I S A R A N U Y D V H
N D A L A P O G B Q X O N E T
A M A Y H S A G E M P G A D U
R A I G H N A J N A R I N J H
D N P U N D A R I K A M A S C
H A H A N A H S R A D U S A A
A B T H O M R W A R Y K T V D
N H S D A A A U H A U U A A H
A A K U N D B D D D M N V H I
Y G F R A N Q H H N N D I S T
A S R I N I V A S A A A R E Y
R Y T N T V S V I R V [ S K A
A A R A H O N A M U L A Y E E
N P C P A G S R I P A T H I E
Achyuta Adilya Ananda Anantha Anirudha Gopala
Govinda Hari Jagannatha Janardhana Keshava Madhava
Manohara Megashyama Mukunda Narasimha Narayana Niranjan
Padmanabha Panduranga Pradyumna Pundarika Purandara Sridhara
Srinivasa Sripathi Srivatsa Sudarshana Vasudeva Yogi
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18. Rajesh was writing the names of different Hindu gods and the avataras. Can you help him
spell them correctly?
1. BRMAHA
2. VNSIHU
3. SIVHA
4. MASTAY
5. KRMUA
6. VAAHRA
7. NASARIHMA
8. VAAAMN
Draw a picture of Vishnu below.
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19. Dasavatara Cross Word Puzzle
1 2
3
4 5
6
7 8
9
10
11
12
Clues: Across Clues: Down
5. This avatar is to give the message of 1. Sanskrit word for all the ten avtars
Bhagavad Gita
2. Name of avatar Rama with an axe
6. Avatar in the form of a big fish
3. Epic Ramayana’s main character
7. Avatar in the form of a dwarf
4. Avatar as half lion and half man
8. This avatar is to teah ahimsa
9. Avatar as a boar
11. The last avatar yet to come
10. Name of the Lord who incarnates to
12. Avatar as a tortoise save the world
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20. Spot atleast six differences in these two pictures and circle them.
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21. HINDU WORSHIP
Worship of the image or icon of God or Goddess (statue or picture) is the most important
part of Hindu worship This can be done either at home or in the temple.
Hindus have a shrine or personal worship room in their homes called a puja room where
offerings are made and prayers are said. The puja room can be anything from a room, a
small altar or simply pictures or statues of the deity.
Worship involves cleaning the altar, decorating the altar with garland, flowers, rangoli
and lighting a lamp. Then prayer is done either by saying slokas, chanting mantras or
simply repeating the names of favorite gods and goddesses (ista devatas). At the end
water, fruit, flowers and food are offered as to god.
HINDU WORSHIP
Worship of the image or icon of God/Goddess (statue or picture) is the most important
part of Hindu worship. This can be done either at home or in the temple.
Hindus have a shrine or personal worship room in their homes called a puja room where
offerings are made and prayers are said. The puja room can be anything from a room, a
small altar or simply pictures or statues of the deity.
Worship involves cleaning the altar, decorating the altar with garland, flowers, rangoli
and lighting a lamp. Then prayer is done either by saying slokasj chanting mantras or
simply repeating the names of favorite gods and goddesses (istadevatas). At the end
water, fruit, flowers and food are offered as sacrifices/gifts to god.
Puja: Puja is essentially a ritual suggestive of symbolic offering of our lives and activities
to God and enjoying whatever that comes out of it as a gift from Him.
Pushpam (Flowers): It stands for the good in us. We offer the deity the good that has
blossomed in us.
Phalam (Fruits): It is the fruit of our action, which we are supposed to offer to God as a
symbol of our detachment, self-sacrifice and surrender.
Deepam (lighting the lamp): It is the light in us, the very soul that exists in us, which we
offer to the deity as acknowledgement of our surrender and devotion.
Naivedyam: It is our ignorance (avidya), which we offer to the deity. It can also mean the
body and the mind (which stand for the ignorant consciousness in us), which we place in
front of the deity for transformation. When it is blessed by the deity it becomes the
prasad.
Prasad: When we offer our ignorance to God He suffuses it with knowledge and light.
The food that is offered to God is symbolic representation of our ignorance into which at
the end of worship God breathes new life and light making it divine. When we share the
prasad with others, we share with them symbolically the knowledge we so gained during
the worship.
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22. KOLAM RANGOLI
We draw rangoli in front of the altar every morning to welcome God / Goddess to our
homes. Draw the kolams below.
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23. 23

24. Indian way of greeting
The common way of greeting amongst
Indians is by saying 'namaskar' or 'namaste'
while bringing our palms together in front of
our chest and bowing our head. One
interpretation of this is: we are displaying
humility by folding our hands and bowing our
head (hands represent strength and head
represents intellect). Also, we are paying
respect to the other person's 'atma' or soul
which pervades everything. In many Indian
families, when greeting elders, it is customary
to touch their feet - again, as a mark of respect
and seeking the elders' blessings ('asirvad').
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25. Avatar naming and coloring
Refer activities package.
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26. Write down the numbers 1 to 10 to show the correct order in which these avatars of
Vishnu took place. Write down the names of avatars and color the pictures.
Number: Number: Number:
Name: Name: Name:
Number: Number: Number:
Name: Name: Name:
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27. Number: Number: Number:
Name: Name: Name:
Number:
Name:
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