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In Hinduism, an avatar (;〔("avatar" ). ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''.〕 from Sanskrit अवतार ' "descent") is a deliberate descent of a deity to Earth, or a descent of the Supreme Being (e.g., Vishnu for Vaishnavites), and is mostly translated into English as "incarnation", but more accurately as "appearance" or "manifestation".〔Introduction to World Religions, by Christopher Hugh Partridge, pg. 148, at (Books.Google.com )〕 The phenomenon of an avatar is observed in Hinduism,〔Vivekjivandas, Sadhu. ''Hinduism: An Introduction – Part 1''. (Swaminarayan Aksharpith: Ahmedabad, 2010) p. 33. ISBN 978-81-7526-433-5〕 Ayyavazhi, and Sikhism. Avatar is regarded as one of the core principles of Hinduism.〔Vivekjivandas, Sadhu. ''Hinduism: An Introduction – Part 1''. (Swaminarayan Aksharpith: Ahmedabad, 2010) p. 33–36. ISBN 978-81-7526-433-5〕 The term is most often associated with Vishnu, though it has also come to be associated with other deities. Varying lists of avatars of Vishnu appear in Hindu scriptures, including the ten Dashavatara of the ''Garuda Purana'' and the twenty-two avatars in the ''Bhagavata Purana'', though the latter adds that the incarnations of Vishnu are innumerable. The avatars of Vishnu are a primary component of Vaishnavism. An early reference to avatar, and to avatar ''doctrine'', is in the ''Bhagavad Gita''. Shiva and Ganesha are also described as descending in the form of avatars. The various manifestations of Devi, the Divine Mother principal in Hinduism, are also described as avatars or incarnations by some scholars and followers of Shaktism.〔 The avatars of Vishnu carry a greater theological prominence than those of other deities, which some scholars perceive to be imitative of the Vishnu avatar lists. In Sikhism, an avatar is a deliberate descent of a soul to earth in any form.〔Page 792, Line 7, Bhagat Kabir〕 Guru Granth Sahib believes in the existence of the Dashavatara. In ''Dasam Granth'', Guru Gobind Singh wrote three composition on historical avatars which include Vishnu Avatar, Brahma Avatar, and Rudra Avatar.〔(Dasam Granth Sahib )〕 ==Etymology and meaning== The Sanskrit noun ' is derived from the verbal root "to cross over", joined with the prefix ' "off, away, down". The word does not occur in the Vedas, but is recorded in (3.3.120). ' was initially used to describe different deities, then around the 6th century AD it began to be used primarily to describe the manifestations of Vishnu.〔Sheth, p. 116.〕 While earlier texts mention deities taking on different forms, the ''Bhagavad Gita'' (4.5-9) is the first text to discuss the doctrine associated with the term even though the word ''avatāra'' itself is not mentioned.〔Sheth, pp. 98, 116.〕 According to some scholars like Mercy Oduyoye, H. M. Vroom, and Noel Sheth, the common translation "incarnation" is somewhat misleading as the concept of an avatar corresponds more closely to the view of Docetism in Christian theology, as different from the idea of God 'in the flesh' in mainstream Christology.〔Mercy Amba Oduyoye, H. M. Vroom, ''One gospel – many cultures: case studies and reflections on cross-cultural theology'', Rodopi, 2003, ISBN 978-90-420-0897-7, p. 111.〕〔Sheth, p. 108.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「avatar」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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