Topic Research: Incarnations

(Avatar Parashurama with his axe and bow. Source: Wikimedia)

Story 1: Parashurama
He is an avatar of the god Vishnu. Unlike many of Vishun's avatar he also has power from other gods because his mom made a dual sacrifice. He is most notable as the guy with an axe. In one story he meets another avatar of Vishnu called Rama. Parashurama is also a teacher of celestial weapons and kind of like guards them. This is why he comes to Rama to see why he destroyed a special weapon but when he understands he gifts Rama with a weapon.

Source:Parashurama


Story 2: Vedavati
She is the incarnation of the god Devi Lakshmi. Her whole goal is to marry vishnu or his avatar. When a demon god, Ravana, appears to her, her tries to make her fall in love with him. She rejects him and he keeps persisting and begins to mock her for her devotion to Vishnu. She gets so upset that she said she would rather be burned than with him. She curses him, that in her next life he will be destroyed by her birth. She then comes alive as Sita which I knew form the Ramayana. In the end Rama defeats Ravana and he is killed just as she predicted.

Source: Vedavati
             Story of Vedavati


Story 3: Jaya & Vijaya
These two characters are the doorman of the god Vishnu. Vishnu has been linked in all of these story suggestion which is really interesting. According to the story the Four Kumaras come as children to see Vishnu and the gatekeepers turn them down. In anger they curse the doorman that they will be born of earth. Vishnu comes and cannot reverse this but offers them two offers: be born seven times as devotees of Vishnu or three times as enemies, after they will come back to be doorkeepers of Vishnu. They decide to be enemies. One of them in their second life is Ravana who we know fairly well. It is really crazy to me that the doorman of Vishnu is one of the main demons in some stories.

Source: Jaya and Vijaya


Story 4: The Three Princes and the Water Spirit
I am not sure if this counts as a reincarnation or not. This is a Jatakas which is about the births of Buddha in previous lives as animals and humans. I think he is the eldest prince in the story since he is the wisest and kindest and saves his brothers from the water spirit. Then he even offers the water spirit a house in the kingdom in which he now rules as king.

Source: Jatakas