Ashaktyavesha avatara (Sanskrit:शक्त्यावेशावतार,romanized: Śaktyāveśāvatāra) is the power-embodiedavatara (incarnation) of a deity in theVaishnava tradition ofHinduism.[1] The concept refers to living beings who are empowered by a deity towards the performance of certain acts or the achievement of a given mission. A portion of the potencies of a deity is believed to be present (āveśā) within a shaktyavesha avatara, invested with divine power.Vyasa, theFour Kumaras,Narada,Shesha, andBrahma are generally regarded to be the shaktyavesha avatars ofVishnu orKrishna in Vaishnavism.[2]
TheGarga Samhita states that a shaktyavesha avatara is one of the six forms of incarnation of the deity Krishna, identified with Vishnu. The purpose of such an incarnation is regarded to be to enter ajiva (living being) in order to perform a given mission, after which the deity departs from this form.
TheChaitanya Charitamrita offers six categories of the shaktyavesha avatars of Krishna and their purposes:[3]
| Dashavatara (for example)1 |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Other avatars | ||
1 The list of the "ten avatars" varies regionally. Two substitutions[clarification needed] involve Balarama, Krishna, and Buddha. Krishna is almost always included; in exceptions, he is considered the source of all avatars. | ||
