<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->I am puzzled by the claim that Rama or Kapila or Buddha are not full Avatars. How can we know that? Why must an Avatara always have to do both offensive and defensive things? It would seem to me more natural to expect that every Avatara would face a unique situation. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
A Purna Avatara is by definition, an avatara spans One's "Lifetime". I.e. as long as the life is in the body, the Avatara Purusha is manifested in it's Full extent. This is the definition.
I was told that Vishnu Amsham from Parashurama's Avatara is transferred over to Rama when the two come face-to-face, and there is a momemtary contact (via the Narayana Dhanush) during Seetha-Rama Kalyanam episode. If you notice the pattern of Avataras, the first 4-5 Avatars of the Dasavataras were for a specific purpose, and there is no coverage of them before or after the said event.
You are right in saying that each event is a unique one. Jaya & Vijaya (the gatekeepers of Lord Narayana) were once cursed for their arrogance by the Sanaka and other rishis. On repenting, they (Jaya-Vijaya) were given a choice of having THREE births as Vishnu-haters and being killed by Him, or having a 100 births as Vishnu Devotees. Jaya and Vijaya instantly chose the 3 births as Vishnu-dweshi because it was quicker than a 100 births..
They were born as Hiranyaksha, and Hiranyakashipu (or is it Hiranyakashyapa as my samskrit teacher used to call him?) in the first Janma, and in the second, they were Ravana and Khumbakarna, and finally they were Sisupala and Dhantavakra.
As their "SIN" was thick in the first birth, Lord Narayana had to take two separate Avataras (as Varaha for Hiranyaksha, and Narasimha for Hiranyakashipu.) In the second birth, their sins were a little more dilute, and hence as Rama He finished them off in the same Avatara, (but that was the main purpose of His Avatara.) In Krishna Avatara, the sins were so dilute that Sisupala and Dhantavakra were sidelined as "extras", and finished off without much fanfare.
Each situation is unique indeed. Each Avatara deals with a different situation, but, as Bhagavaan says:
<b>Paritranaaya Sadhunaam, Vinaashaya cha Dushkruthaam
Dharma Sansthaapanaarthaya, Sambhavaami Yuge Yuge.</b>
A Purna Avatara is by definition, an avatara spans One's "Lifetime". I.e. as long as the life is in the body, the Avatara Purusha is manifested in it's Full extent. This is the definition.
I was told that Vishnu Amsham from Parashurama's Avatara is transferred over to Rama when the two come face-to-face, and there is a momemtary contact (via the Narayana Dhanush) during Seetha-Rama Kalyanam episode. If you notice the pattern of Avataras, the first 4-5 Avatars of the Dasavataras were for a specific purpose, and there is no coverage of them before or after the said event.
You are right in saying that each event is a unique one. Jaya & Vijaya (the gatekeepers of Lord Narayana) were once cursed for their arrogance by the Sanaka and other rishis. On repenting, they (Jaya-Vijaya) were given a choice of having THREE births as Vishnu-haters and being killed by Him, or having a 100 births as Vishnu Devotees. Jaya and Vijaya instantly chose the 3 births as Vishnu-dweshi because it was quicker than a 100 births..
They were born as Hiranyaksha, and Hiranyakashipu (or is it Hiranyakashyapa as my samskrit teacher used to call him?) in the first Janma, and in the second, they were Ravana and Khumbakarna, and finally they were Sisupala and Dhantavakra.
As their "SIN" was thick in the first birth, Lord Narayana had to take two separate Avataras (as Varaha for Hiranyaksha, and Narasimha for Hiranyakashipu.) In the second birth, their sins were a little more dilute, and hence as Rama He finished them off in the same Avatara, (but that was the main purpose of His Avatara.) In Krishna Avatara, the sins were so dilute that Sisupala and Dhantavakra were sidelined as "extras", and finished off without much fanfare.
Each situation is unique indeed. Each Avatara deals with a different situation, but, as Bhagavaan says:
<b>Paritranaaya Sadhunaam, Vinaashaya cha Dushkruthaam
Dharma Sansthaapanaarthaya, Sambhavaami Yuge Yuge.</b>