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This book describes two of Vishnu’s avataras who carry vastly different meanings to us. Through a very-very comprehensive survey, followed by a rigorous analysis, it establishes that these two avataras— Narasimha & Vamana— actually constitute a great dichotomy that defines our worldview. The discussion is broken into following components~ 1.
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- Deborah A. Soifer
As Narasimha, half-man half-lion, Visnu finds a loophole in the pact of invulnerability the demon Hiranaipu has received from god Brahma, and rends the demon apart with his claws. As the brahmin dwarf, Vamana, Visnu deceives the demon Bali with his diminutive appearance and thwarts Bali's attempt to gain universal sovereignty.
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- Deborah A. Soifer
Jan 1, 1991 · After carefully analyzing the myths of Vamana and Narasimha, Deborah Soifer grounds her study in the textual history of each avatar and its myth, in their religious contexts, and in the...
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Nov 8, 1991 · As the brahmin dwarf, Vamana, Visnu deceives the demon Bali with his diminutive appearance and thwarts Bali's attempt to gain universal sovereignty.After carefully analyzing the myths of Vamana...
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Nov 8, 1991 · Contrasting the bestial persona of Narasimha with Vamana's priestly appearance and his associations with early cosmologic themes, she finds complementarity and significance in this pair as...
These myths of Visnu as Narasimha and Vamana present two strikingly different visions of one deity. Narasimha, half man and half lion, storms the palace of the demon Hiranyakasipu and, surrounded by images and omens of cataclysmic destruction, rips the demon apart with his claws.
Nov 1, 1991 · After carefully analyzing the myths of Vamana and Narasimha, Deborah Soifer grounds her study in the textual history of each avatar and its myth, in their religious contexts, and in the intricate cosmology of the classical period of Hinduism.
