Avatars mean the "Incarnation" of the God in various forms including the human form.
Remember that the Gods (of Hinduism) were never born through the usual route of "Mother's womb." Just they descended on the earth as Baby son or daughter or any life form. Similarly, they never faced the usual human mortality through death or they were never killed by way of assassination or crucified as found in other religions.
That is the originality of Hinduism ; God took avatars to correct the mistakes and misconduct of the human beings or even the lesser Gods.
Avatars of God Vishnu- Examples only
- God Vishnu took the form of Lion headed man (Narasimha Avatar) to bring order to the world when Hirankasyab (an Asura-evil minded man) challenged his son that no superior other than him existed in this world.
- Again, he took the birth of Rama to stabilize the Truth by killing the Ravana, another Asura king of Lanka.
- Assumed the form of a small boy to humiliate and correct the Mahabali, a King in ancient Kerala, and make him realize that God alone is superior in the universe.
- Assumed the form of a son to carry soil and to help an old lady for her livelihood. In that process, he got whiplashes from the Pandya King's servant.
- Pretended to bleed in his eyes of Linga so that the hunter Kannapan's devotion to the god can be revealed to the whole world: Hunter plucked both his eyes to stop the bleeding of the Linga and give eyes to the God.
- He stood as a sheet of flame (Jyothi) extending from the earth to the heaven without any limits to prove that he is the superior when there was a ego fight between God Vishnu and God Brahma.
Other Gods also took several incarnations in different ways and forms to bring order and peace among the souls on earth and heaven.
So, when the Divine takes on human form (avatar)as depicted in epics like Ramayana, Mahabaratha and the Bhagvad Gita, one has to interpret these actions as providing examples and lessons, and not as human stories enacted for entertainment.
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