Pra Narai - Vishnu Avatar

Vishnu is known as Pra Narai in Thai

Pra Narai (พระนารายณ์),  is the Thai name for Vishnu.

Vishnu is one of the three Lords of Heaven in Brahmin Cosmology and Hindu Religion, and is also incorporated into Thai Buddhist Mythology, which is inseparable from Brahmin belief system.
Vishnu is the key figure in the beginnings of the Ramakian, and is also the God who avatars to Earth in the form of four brothers, one of whom is the main character of the whole story (this is arguable, for it is in fact the Vanora Hanuman who steals the show as far as public preference and excitement factor is concerned).

Vishnu was born simultaneously as four different beings, all of whom were brothers (Pra Ram, Pra Laks, Pra Satrut, and Pra Prot). His main emanation was that of Pra Ram, the Hero of our story. the other three were said to have been emanations of various paraphernalia belonging to Pra Narai – Pra Laks was the Naga throne on which the God sat, Pra Prot was the Chakra disk, and Pra Satrut was the sword which Pra Narai wielded.

His body is purplish blue, he wears the “Mongkud Chai” (name for a Thai style headress crown – mongkud means crown, and chai means victory – therefore – crown of victory). His cosmic weapons are; Sangkh (conch shell), Chakra (discus), kata (sword) and Tri (trident dagger).. He sits on a bed of Nagas (snakes). His consort is the Godess Lakshmi, who always avatars and is born with him in all his incarnations. He resides on the cosmic oceav sitting on the back of Anantanakaracha Naga king. He is the protector of the world and this is the reason he Avatars (incarnates) Ten times throughout the history of the Earth to save the Human race from evil.

It is said that nine of these incarnations have already come to pass, and that only one remains, after which the world will be destroyed and cease to exist.

His incarnation as Pra Ram was the seventh of the ten incarnations.

The list of all ten Avatars are such;

Matsayavatar – came to earth as a fish to save the Human race from a massive flood and to return the veda magic grimoire to Pra Isworn (Shiva) which had been stolen.

Guramavatar - came to earth as a turtle to act as a base to support Mount Mantara and prevent  from boring a hole in the earth, which happened because of  the Asura and the Devas who were trying to mix Amrita the drink of immortality in the cosmic ocean.

Warahavatar – came to earth as a wild boar with white fur, to kill the Asura demon Hirantayaksa who was rolling up the earht’s surface in order to rob the Human race from having an abode to reside upon.

Norasinghavatar (see pic left) – was born as a Norasingh (part man part lion – a mans body with a lion’s face), to subdue the demon Hirantyakasibu, who was the twin brother of Hirantayaksa who is mentioned already.

Wamanavatar – came to earth as a short statured Brahmin in order to subdue the Lord Pali, who was a Yaksa with a wicked temperament and vicious temper and trying to kill the Devas and Humans and take over the planet for his own rulership.

Parasuramavatar – born as the son of a Brahmin named Rama he was given a diamond axe by Pra Isworn (Shiva) and so gained the name “Parasuram”, and was given the task of subduing Lord Orachun, who was opressing the ascetics and the Ruesi hermits who were trying to practise austerities.

Ramajantravatar – was born as Pra Ram (Rama), the princely son of Tao Tosarot and Nang Gao Suriya, in order to subdue the demon Yaksa Totsagan (previously Nontuk Yaksa in the Deva realm), as is recounted in the Ramakian story.

Krisnavatar – born as Lord Krishna, as told in the Mahabharata  to fight the Bharatayuta war.

Putavatar – born as Siddhartha Gotama, in order to become the Enlightened Buddha, subdue the Maras, and give the teachings of the Dhamma to the world.

Kalyavatar – born as Pra Kalki (Maitreya Buddha) with white skin and riding a white horse and holding a sword – he will come in the future as this Avatar to subdue and wipe away all evils from the world. This is still to come, and is considered to be the tenth and last ever Avatar of Vishnu, after which the world will end.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Pra Narai, Garuda & Rahu amulet (buddistamulets.blogspot.com)
• Pra Ram meets Kumpala (dharmathai.com)
• The Fathering of Hanuman (dharmathai.com)
• Hindu Cosmology and the Ages (grantlawrence.blogspot.com)
• Important Events in Ramakian Ch.1 (dharmathai.com)
• Birth of Lord Latsatian (dharmathai.com)