He received an axe after undertaking a terrible penance to please Shiva, from whom he learned the methods of warfare and other skills. Parashu means axe, hence his name literally means Rama-of-the-axe. Parashurama was the son of Jamadagni and Renuka. Parashurama, Rama with the axe, appeared in the Treta Yuga. All the gods appealed to Lord Vishnu for protection and he took this avatar for the purpose of restraining Bali.

Bali, a descendant of Hiranyakashyap, through his devotion and penance defeated Indra and extended his authority over the three worlds. Vamana, the dwarf, appeared in the Treta Yuga. When the demon Hiranyakashipu acquired a boon from Brahma, which gave him inordinate power, Lord Vishnu appeared in the form of half-man/half-lion, to kill this powerful demon. This Man-Lion is the fourth incarnation of Vishnu. Narasimha, the half-man/half-lion appeared in the Satya Yuga. The battle between Varaha and Hiranyaksha lasted for a thousand years, at the end of which Varaha carried the Earth out of the ocean between his tusks and restored it to its place in the universe. He appeared in order to defeat Hiranyaksha, a demon who had taken the Earth and carried it to the bottom of what is described as the cosmic ocean in the scriptures. Varaha, the boar, appeared in the Satya Yuga. Lord Vishnu took the form of a turtle to bear the weight of the mountain. When the devas and asuras were churning the ocean in order to get the nectar of immortality, the mount Mandara they were using as the churning staff started to sink. Kurma, the tortoise, appeared in the Satya Yuga. This was the first incarnation of Vishnu where he takes the form of a fish to take a king to the new world along with one of every single species of plants and animals from the worldвЂ™s largest cyclone. Matsya, the fish, appeared in the Satya Yuga. The Hindu scriptures talk the divine help provided by Lord Vishnu during the various stages of human evolution, by appearing on earth in the following incarnations: Matsyavatara Dashavataram refers to the ten principal Avatars of Lord Vishnu.

Sri maha vishnu dasavatharam photos