Avatar or Avatara (Sanskrit: अवतार, IAST Avatāra) in Hindu philosophy is the 'descent' or incarnation of a divine being (deva) or the supreme being (God) onto planet Earth. The Sanskrit word avatāra literally means "descent" (avatarati) and usually implies a deliberate descent into lower realms of existence for special purposes. The term is used primarily in Hinduism for incarnations of Vishnu whom Vaishnava Hindus (one of the largest branches of Hinduism) worship as the supreme god and it is considered to be a distinctive feature of Vaishnavism. While Shiva and Ganesha are also described as descending in the form of avatars, with the Ganesha Purana and the Mudgala Purana detailing Ganesha's avatars specifically, the avatars of Vishnu carry a greater theological weight than those of Shiva or Ganesha and upon examination relevant passages are directly imitative of the Vaishnava avatara lists.
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