Avataras

In Girl in the Glass, Declan and the Clypeate learn how Hesperus and the other gods seemed immortal.

“They inhabited mortal bodies, just more of them. Hindus called them avataras, human-looking suits used to imitate our appearance. Upon death of one body, their mind would transfer into a new avatara. In this manner they impersonated us for millennia, and not for humanity’s betterment.”

In Hinduism, avatars represent the earthly manifestations or incarnations of a deity. The word "avatar" originates from the Sanskrit word "avatāra", meaning "to descend". Avatars are believed to descend from the spiritual realm to Earth, taking various forms, including human, animal, or even composite figures. 

While the concept applies to different Hindu deities, it is most prominent in relation to Vishnu, the preserver god in the Hindu trinity. Vishnu's avatars are believed to appear in times of crisis, when dharma (righteousness) declines and evil or adharma (unrighteousness) rises, to restore balance and guide humanity. The Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu text, famously states that Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu, manifests in every age to protect the virtuous, destroy evil, and re-establish religious principles.  Avatars bridge the gap between the divine and the human realm, making spirituality tangible and relatable.

The 10 Avatara of Vishnu

Sacred book Bhagavad Gita