Avatar

==Etymology and meaning==
The Sanskrit noun ({{IAST|avatāra}}, {{IPA-hns|əʋˈtaːr|lang}}) is derived from the Sanskrit [[prefix]] {{IAST|ava-}} {{gloss|down}} and the root {{IAST|''tṛ''}} {{gloss|to cross over}}.{{sfn|Sheth|2002|p=98}} These roots trace back, states Monier-Williams, to ''-taritum'', ''-tarati'', ''-rītum''.<ref name=monierwilliamsavatar>{{cite book|author=Monier Monier-Williams|title=A Sanskrit-English Dictionary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_3NWAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA90|year=1923|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=90}}</ref>

''Avatar'' means {{gloss|descent, alight, to make one's appearance}},<ref name=monierwilliamsavatar/> and refers to the embodiment of the essence of a superhuman being or a deity in another form.{{sfn|Sheth|2002|p=98}} The word also implies "to overcome, to remove, to bring down, to cross something".<ref name=monierwilliamsavatar/> In Hindu traditions, the "crossing or coming down" is symbolism, states Daniel Bassuk, of the divine descent from "eternity into the temporal realm, from unconditioned to the conditioned, from infinitude to finitude".<ref name="Bassuk1987p3"/> An avatar, states Justin Edwards Abbott, is a ''saguna'' (with form, attributes) embodiment of the ''[[nirguna]]'' [[Brahman]] or [[Atman (Hinduism)|Atman]] (soul).<ref>{{cite book|author=Justin Edwards Abbott |title=Life of Tukaram: Translation from Mahipati's Bhaktalilamrita |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E-UmxAoX2wYC|year=1980|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0170-7|pages=335–336 }}</ref> Avatar, according to 
[[Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati]] actually means {{gloss|divine descent}} in his commentaries of The Shrimad Bhagavatam and The Bramha Samhita (mentioned in Brahmavaivarta Purana).

Neither the [[Vedas]] nor the [[Principal Upanishads]] ever mention the word ''avatar'' as a noun.<ref name="Bassuk1987p3"/> The verb roots and form, such as {{transliteration|hi|avatarana}}, appear in ancient post-Vedic Hindu texts, but as "action of descending", but not as an incarnated person (avatara).{{sfn|Hacker|1978|pp=415–417}} The related verb {{transliteration|hi|avatarana}} is, states Paul Hacker, used with double meaning, one as action of the divine descending, another as "laying down the burden of man" suffering from the forces of evil.{{sfn|Hacker|1978|pp=415–417}}

The term is most commonly found in the context of the Hindu god [[Vishnu]].<ref name=jameslochtefeldavatar/><ref name=monierwilliamsavatar/> The earliest mention of Vishnu manifested in a human form to establish [[Dharma]] on Earth, uses other terms such as the word ''sambhavāmi'' in verse 4.6 and the word ''tanu'' in verse 9.11 of the [[Bhagavad Gita]],{{sfn|Sheth|2002|pp=98–99}} as well as other words such as ''akriti'' and ''rupa'' elsewhere.{{sfn|Hacker|1978|pp=405–409}} It is in medieval era texts, those composed after the sixth century CE, that the noun version of avatar appears, where it means embodiment of a deity.{{sfn|Hacker|1978|pp=424, also 405–409, 414–417}} The idea proliferates thereafter, in the [[Purana|Puranic]] stories for many deities, and with ideas such as ''ansha-avatar'' or partial embodiments.{{sfn|Sheth|2002|pp=98–99}}<ref name="jameslochtefeldavatar">James Lochtefeld (2002), "Avatar" in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. 1: A-M, Rosen Publishing, {{ISBN|0-8239-2287-1}}, pages 72–73</ref>

The term ''avatar'', in colloquial use, is also an epithet or a word of reverence for any extraordinary human being who is revered for his or her ideas.{{sfn|Sheth|2002|p=98}} In some contexts, the term ''avatara'' just means a {{gloss|landing place, site of sacred pilgrimage}}, or just {{gloss|achieve one's goals after effort}}, or retranslation of a text in another language.<ref name=monierwilliamsavatar/> The term ''avatar'' is not unique to Hinduism even though the term originated with Hinduism. It is found in the ''Trikaya'' doctrine of Mahayana Buddhism, in descriptions for the [[Dalai Lama]] in Tibetan Buddhism, and many ancient cultures.{{sfn|Sheth|2002|pp=115–116 with note 2}}

===Avatar versus incarnation===
The manifest embodiment is sometimes referred to as an [[incarnation]].<ref name=kimctap192>{{cite book|author=Sebastian C. H. Kim |title=Christian Theology in Asia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hXh3iq94MWIC |year=2008|publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=978-1-139-47206-7 |pages=169–176 }}</ref> The translation of avatar as "incarnation" has been questioned by Christian theologians, who state that an incarnation is in flesh and imperfect, while avatar is mythical and perfect.{{sfn|Sheth|2002|pp=107-109}}{{sfn|Matchett|2001|p=4}} The theological concept of Christ as an incarnation, as found in [[Christology]], presents the Christian concept of incarnation. The term avatar in Hinduism refers to act of various gods taking form to perform a particular task which in most of the times is bringing dharma back. The concept of avatar is widely accepted all over the India.<ref>Mercy Amba Oduyoye, H. M. Vroom, ''One gospel&nbsp;– many cultures: case studies and reflections on cross-cultural theology'', Rodopi, 2003, {{ISBN|978-90-420-0897-7}}, p. 111.</ref> Sheth disagrees and states that this claim is an incorrect understanding of the Hindu concept of avatar.{{sfn|Sheth|2002|p=108}}{{Refn|group=note|name=buddha|Buddha, a real person, is included as an avatar of Vishnu in many Hindu texts.{{sfn|Sheth|2002|p=99}}}} Avatars are embodiments of spiritual perfection, driven by noble goals, in Hindu traditions such as [[Vaishnavism]].{{sfn|Sheth|2002|p=108}} The concept of the avatar in Hinduism is not incompatible with natural [[conception (biology)|conception]] through a sexual act, which is again different from the Christian concept of the [[Virgin birth of Jesus|Virgin Birth]].

===As a loanword===

Following 19th Century Western interest in Indian culture and Hinduism, the word "Avatar" was taken as loanword into English and other Western languages, where it is used in various contexts and meanings, often considerably different from its original meaning in Hinduism - see [[Avatar (disambiguation)]].