Ta-An verwys baie na jou "Avatar" hier op die forum. Wat beteken dit? Elkeen van ons het mos 'n "Avatar".
1. av·a·tar/ˈavəˌtär/
Noun:
1. A manifestation of a deity in bodily form on earth.
2. An incarnation, embodiment, or manifestation of a person or idea: "he set himself up as a new avatar of Arab radicalism".
In Hinduism, an avatar' (/ˈæv.ə.tɑːr/; Hindustani: [əʋt̪aːr]; from Sanskrit avatāra अवतार in the Devanagari script, meaning "descent") is a deliberate descent of a deity to earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being (i.e., Vishnu for Vaishnavites) and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation," but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation".[1][2]
The term is most often associated with Vishnu, though it has also come to be associated with other deities.[3] Varying lists of avatars of Vishnu appear in Hindu scriptures, including the ten Dashavatara of the Garuda Purana and the twenty-two avatars in the Bhagavata Purana, though the latter adds that the incarnations of Vishnu are innumerable.[4] The avatars of Vishnu are a primary component of Vaishnavism. An early reference to avatar, and to avatar doctrine, is in the Bhagavad Gita.[5]
Shiva and Ganesha are also described as descending in the form of avatars. The various manifestations of Devi, the Divine Mother principal in Hinduism, are also described as avatars or incarnations by some scholars and followers of Shaktism.[5][6] The avatars of Vishnu carry a greater theological prominence than those of other deities, which some scholars perceive to be imitative of the Vishnu avatar lists.
In Sikhism, Avtar is a deliberate descent of a Soul to earth in any form[7][8]. Guru Granth Sahib believes in existence of Dasavtara. In Dasam Granth, Guru Gobind Singh had written three composition on Historical Avtars which include Vishnu Avtar, Brahma Avtar and Rudra Avtar[9].
Etymology and meaning
Further information: Incarnation
The Sanskrit noun avatāra is derived from the verbal root tṝ "to cross over", joined with the prefix ava "off , away , down". The word doesn't occur in the Vedas, but is recorded in Pāṇini (3.3.120). Avatāra was initially used to describe different deities, then around the 6th century AD it began to be used primarily to describe the manifestations of Vishnu.[10] While earlier texts mention deities taking on different forms, the Bhagavad Gita (4.5-9) is the first text to discuss the doctrine associated with the term even though the word avatāra itself is not mentioned.[11]
According to some scholars like Parrinder, Oduyoye, Vroom and Sheth, the common translation "incarnation" due to its christological implications is somewhat misleading as the concept of avatar corresponds more closely to the view of Docetism in Christian theology, as different from the idea of God 'in the flesh' in mainstream Christology.[12][13][14]
Related to the idea of avatar is that of vibhūti, that is, the idea of manifestations of the divine in various aspects of human life and the natural world.[15]
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Originally Posted by Ta-An
Nou hoe anders moet ek dit noem Johnny 
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