96 BULLETIN 148, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



and pictures or images of him are seen over the doors of most shop- 

 keepers. Among the Ganapatyas he is the supreme object of worship. 

 He is represented with the head of an elephant, the emblem of 

 sagacity, and a rat as his vehicle (vahan) or sacred animal. Height, 

 10 inches. India. (Cat. No. 154879, U.S.N.M.) '^ 



18. Ganesa. — Statuette of gilt brass. Represented seated. The 

 elephant head is adorned with a turreted crown against a leaf-shaped 

 halo. In his four arms he holds an ax, lotus bud, and stones or 

 some fruits. On the front of the base is a fish. Height, 3% inches. 

 India. (Cat. No. 311799, U.S.N.M.) Bequest of Miss Elizabeth S. 

 Stevens. 



19. Ganesa. — Statuette of gilt brass. Represented seated. In the 

 two upper hands he holds axes, in the lower right hand a chaplet, in 

 the left a globe. Height, 3 inches. India. (Cat. No. 317654, 

 U.S.N.M.) Bequest of Miss Nettie Lovisa White. 



20. Ganesa. — Statuette of gilt brass. Represented standing. In 

 the upper hands he holds a scimitar and an ax, respectively; in the 

 lower ones stumps (?). Height, 2}^ inches. India. (Cat. No. 

 317656, U.S.N.M.) Bequest of Miss Nettie Lovisa White. 



INCARNATIONS (AVATARS) OF VISHNU 



According to Hindu legends Vishnu, the saving god, on different 

 occasions descended upon earth under various material forms to 

 deliver the world from special dangers and enemies. The 10 prin- 

 cipal incarnations, or avatars, of Vishnu are : 



1. Matsya, the fish, under which form he saved Manu, the pro- 

 genitor of the human race, from the deluge. 



2. Kurma, the tortoise. Under this form he became the base of 

 the mountain Mandara (Meru), serving as a pivot when the gods 

 and demons churned the ocean to recover the treasures lost during 

 the deluge. 



3. Varaha, the boar. In this form he descended to deliver the 

 earth from the demon Hiranyaksha. 



4. Nara-Simha, the man-lion. This form he assumed to deliver 

 the world from the tyranny of Hiranya-Kasipu, king of the giants. 



5. Vamana, the dwarf. Under this form he rescued the world 

 from Bali, another chief of the demons. 



i» One of the popular stories explaining how Ganesa came to have the elephant's head is as follows: 

 Once upon a time when Parvati went to bathe, she made a figure of the turmeric which had been smeared 

 over her boSy, gave it life and limbs and appointed it to keep watch at the door. Siva came to see Parvati 

 but was stopped at the door by the newly created guard. Siva in anger cut off the head of the figure. The 

 goddess entreated him to revive her child. He agreed and said that the head of any living body sleeping 

 with the head placed northward might be severed at once and placed on the trunk of the turmeric figure. 

 An elephant was found sleeping in the way described. Its head was accordingly cut oil and placed on the 

 trunk. The figure came back to life and Siva accepting that as his first-born child, blessed him and made 

 him leader of the Saiva hosts (ganas). People still believe that it is not right to sleep with one's head placed 

 northward. H. Krishna-Sastri, South-Indian images of gods and goddesses, Madras, 1916, p. 165, note 2. 



