AṂŚĀVATĀRA . The incarnation of God on earth is
called avatāra. When the incarnation is only partial,
that is, when only some of the divine elements incarnate,
it is called aṃśāvatāra (Aṃśa=part). Chapters 54 to
64 of Ādi Parva of the Mahābhārata give us a list of
the gods who have incarnated partially. The following
list of devas and their aṃśāvatāras is based upon the
account given in the fourth Skandha of Śrī Mahādevī
Bhāgavata.
Name of the god Name of the aṃśāvatāra
1. Kaśyapa Vasudeva
2. Ādiśeṣa Balabhadra
3. Nārāyaṇarṣi Śrī Kṛṣṇa
4. Yamadharma Yudhiṣṭhira
5. Aśvinīdevas Nakula and Sahadeva
6. Dharma Vidura
7. Śiva Aśvatthāmā
8. Gandharvarāja Devaka
9. Aṣṭavasu Bhīṣma
10. Marudgaṇa Kṛpa; Kṛtavarmā
11. Aditi Devakī
12. Nararṣi Arjuna
13. Vāyu Bhīmasena
14. Sūrya Karṇa
15. Bṛhaspati Droṇa
16. Varuṇa Śantanu
17. Marut Virāṭa
18. Haṃsa Dhṛtarāṣṭra
19. Dvāpara Śakuni
20. Pāvaka Dhṛṣṭadyumna
21. Kali Duryodhana
22. Rākṣasa Śikhaṇḍī
23. Varuṇa Drupada
24. Viśvedevas Sons of Pāñcālī
25. Dhṛti Mādrī
26. Vipracitti Jarāsandha
27. Hayagrīva Keśi
28. Bāṣkala Bhagadatta
29. Lamba Pralamba
30. Sanatkumāra Pradyumna
Name of the god Name of the aṃśāvatāra
31. Lakṣmī Pāñcālī
32. Siddhi Kuntī
33. Mati Gāndhārī
34. Jaya Hiraṇyākṣa
35. Vijaya Hiraṇyakaśipu
36. Hiraṇyākṣa Rāvaṇa
37. Hiraṇyakaśipu Kumbhakarṇa
38. Rāvaṇa Śiśupāla
39. Kumbhakarṇa Daṇḍavaktra
40. Prahlāda Śalya
41. Kālanemi Kaṃsa
42. Anuhlāda Dhṛṣṭaketu
43. Khara Dhenuka.
(For more details see under the word, AVATĀRA).