Avatar
(अवतार)Literal Meaning
Descent
Etymology & Sanskrit Root
From Sanskrit 'ava' (down) + 'tri' (to cross) — the descent of a deity, especially Vishnu, from the celestial realm into the material world in a physical form.
Spiritual Insight & Context
Vishnu's ten principal avatars (Dashavatara) — including Rama and Krishna — are said to descend whenever cosmic order (dharma) is seriously threatened, a concept later echoed in the Bhagavad Gita's famous promise of divine intervention age after age.