Matsya is the first avatar of Vishnu, in the form of a big fish. Sometimes, it is said that he took the form of a half-man and half-fish. There is a story about this in Hindu mythology. The story tells about a very wicked demon (an "asura") who snatched the Vedas, the holy books of the Hindus, and went deep inside the sea. At this point, Vishnu came as the Matsya (fish) avatar, who went deep into the sea and brought back the Vedas. He gave the Vedas to Manu. The Hindu scriptures say that Manu was the first man in the world. He may also be compared with Noah.
Kurma is the second avatar of Vishnu, in the form of a tortoise. Kurma is a word in the Sanskrit language that means a tortoise. This avatar of Vishnu is a symbol of strength and stability.
Varaha was the third avatar of Vishnu, in the form of a black boar. Varaha is a word in the Sanskrit language that means a boar. The Hindu scriptures tell a story about this avatar. There was a demon (a "daitya") named Hiranyaksha. He threw the earth (called prithivi by the Hindus) into the waters of the ocean. The earth was about to sink in the ocean. At this point, Vishnu took the form of a black boar, entered the water and carried the earth on its body. Thus Vishnu, as Varaha, saved the earth from destruction.
Narashimha was the fourth avatar of Vishnu, in the form of a man with the head of a lion. This avatar of Vishnu is also a symbol of great strength.
All other avatars of Vishnu after Narashimha avatar were in the form of human beings.
Although the avatars of Vishnu are the most important in the Hindu mythology, there are stories about avatars of other deities, like of Shiva, Ganesha and Devi.
Avatar is next birth of God in Hinduism.
Avatar (disambiguation)
Avatar can mean:
Constantine the Great
Constantine I (27 February 272 – 22 May 337 AD) was a Roman emperor from 306 until he died. He was emperor for longer than any other emperor since Augustus, the first emperor. He was the first ruler of the Roman Empire to be a Christian. He made the old city Byzantium into a new, larger city: Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey). The city's name means "City of Constantine" in Greek. He was the son of the emperor Constantius I, and members of their Constantinian dynasty controlled the empire until 364.
Six years after Constantine said that he was emperor, he was fighting for control of Rome with Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge, a bridge over the Tiber River. When he saw a cross in the sky with the words , he changed his deity from Apollo to Jesus and won the battle or war.
Constantine (; ) was born in Naissus (Niš, Serbia). He was born on 27 February. The "Calendar of Philocalus" and the works of the Latin writer Polemius Silvius both say Constantine was born in 272 or 273. The Latin historian Eutropius wrote the same information. However, the Greek historian and bishop Eusebius of Caesarea wrote that Constantine was born around the year 285.
Constantine's father was Constantius, who later became Roman emperor. Constantine's mother was Helena. She was not from the nobility. The Greek historian Procopius wrote that Helena had come from Drepanon, a city in Bithynia. The Latin theologian Ambrose wrote that Helena was a . Helena and Constantius may not have married, and Helena may have been Constantius's concubine.
Constantine was a military tribune in the Roman army by 293, the year his father became "caesar" (a junior Roman emperor) on 23 March.
Constantius and the other "caesar" Galerius each became "augustus" (a more senior Roman emperor) on 1 May 305. On that day, the emperors Diocletian and Maximian retired. Maximinus Daza and Valerius Severus each became "caesar".
The "Consularia Constantinopolitana" says that Constantius I died on 25 July 306 in Eboracum (York, England). There, on the same day, the army of Constantius made Constantine "augustus". (Later, around August 306, the "augustus" Galerius agreed that Constantine was "caesar", but not that he was "augustus".) Roman Egypt accepted Constantine was an emperor.
In autumn 306 or early the next year, Constantine made a military campaign against the Franks. Constantine said that he was Roman consul for the first time in 307. However, the Roman provinces that other emperors controlled did not accept that Constantine was consul. Constantine may have been in Roman Britain again in 307.
Maximian and Constantine may have met at Augusta Treverorum (Trier, Germany) in 307, possibly in late summer. Maximian made Constantine "augustus". Constantine married Maximian's daughter Fausta. (This could have been in late summer, September, or as late as 25 December. Historians are not in agreement about the date.) At the start of his reign, only the lands that Constantine controlled accepted Constantine as "augustus". Then, the lands that Maximian's son Maxentius controlled also accepted that Constantine was an "augustus".
In 308 Constantine fought a war against the Bructeri. In November 308, the emperors Diocletian, Maximian, and Galerius met at Carnutum (Petronell-Carnuntum, Austria) and agreed that Constantine was a "caesar". Constantine himself continued to say that he was an "augustus". The Latin writer Lactantius wrote that in 309, Constantine got the title in . The Roman provinces that Galerius controlled said that Constantine was Roman consul for the first time in 309, but the provinces Constantine and Maxentius controlled did not accept this.
In 310, probably on the 1 May, Galerius made Maximinus Daza "augustus". From this time, the whole empire started to agree that Constantine was an "augustus" as well. In summer 310, Constantine again fought a military campaign against the Franks. A war between Constantine and Maximian began. Maximian was at Massilia (Marseille, France) when Constantine took control of the city, probably in around July 310. Then Maximian died, probably by suicide.
On 25 July 310, it was Constantine's fifth anniversary festival as emperor (his ). At that time, Constantine gave himself the name in . Constantine said that his father Constantius had been part of the family of the emperor Claudius Gothicus. This was fiction.
On 30 April 311, the "augustus" Galerius made a edict. The Edict of Serdica mostly ended the persecution of Christianity in the Roman Empire. At the start of May, Galerius died. Constantine was Roman consul for the second time in 312.
Constantine was consul for the third time in 313. Constantine fought a civil war with Maxentius. The "Calendar of Philocalus" says that the Battle of the Milvian Bridge happened on the 28 October 313. In this battle, Constantine's army overcame the army of Maxentius. Maxentius died in the battle. The Latin writer Lactantius wrote about these events. After the battle, Constantine went across the Tiber River and took control of Rome itself. The "Calendar of Philocalus" says that Constantine went into the city on 29 October, and that there was a festival for two days.
After 18 January 313, Constantine was in Mediolanum (Milan, Italy). There Constantine met his co-emperor, Licinius, in January or February. Either in autumn 313 or during the first half of 314, Constantine travelled to Britain. On 1 August 314 in the city of Arelate (Arles, France), the Council of Arles started (a meeting of bishops. Constantine was consul for the fourth time in 315. In the first half of 315, Constantine probably had success in a military campaign he fought against the Goths and Sarmatians.
The "Calendar of Philocalus" says that Constantine came again to Rome in July 315. There was a ceremony (an ) when Constantine came to the city. The "Calendar" says that there was a festival for two days. Constantine got the . On 25 July 315, it was Constantine's tenth anniversary as emperor (his ).