In Hindu and Buddhist mythology, a divine incarnation or earthly manifestation of a deity, especially one of the ten main forms of Vishnu.
From Sanskrit 'avatāra,' from 'ava' (down) and 'tāra' (crossing), literally meaning 'descent' or 'crossing down.' The concept describes a god descending from the divine realm into human form.
The concept of 'avatara' is so cool because it imagines gods getting tired of being abstract and choosing to come down and live as animals or humans—it's basically the earliest version of the sci-fi idea of a deity in disguise!
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