This material word is a place of miseries, whereby the people are inflicted with three tapas, Adhyatmik (Miseries of mind), Adhidaivik (Miseries by higher nature and demigods) and Adhibhautik (Miseries by other living entities). Therefore, it becomes very difficult to stay peacefully in this world, which has been declared.

It is said in Srimad Bhagvatam (1.3.28), that Lord Krishna is the source of all the incarnations and there are infinite in number. He has his expansions and then, further expansions of his expansions. The expansions have been also categorized into six types, namely

1. Guna Avatar or Incarnations of modes of nature
2. Lila Avatar or Incarnations for past times
3. Purush Avatar or Incarnations for creations
4. Yuga Avatar or Incarnations for each yuga
5. Manvantara Avatar or Incarnations for each manvantara (1000 yugas)
6. Shaktyavesha Avatar or Empowered incarnations

Out of all these incarnations, the Dashavatar incarnation is considered to be very important and venerable. They include some Lila Avatar, Yuga Avatar and Shaktyavesha Avatar etc.

The Dashavatar Strotra: Description of the incarnations

Srila Jayadeva Goswami has written a book on the lordships, Sri Sri Radha Krishna, in which he has described about them and their intimate past times. The Dashavatar Stotra forms the part of this book, in which he is describing the qualities and activities of all the incarnations.

The strotra contains the description of the activities of all the incarnations and he himself has summed then up in the last verse.

O Lord Krishna, I offer my respectful obeisance unto you, who appear in the forms of these ten incarnations.

1. As Matsya, you rescue the Vedas.
2. As Kurma, you bear the Mandaranchal Mountain on Your back.
3. As Varaha, you lift the earth with your tusk.
4. As Narsimha, you tear open the chest of the demon Hiranyakashipu.
5. As Vamana, you trick the Bali Maharaja by asking him for only three steps of land and then, you take away the whole universe from him by expanding your steps.
6. As Parasurama, you slay all of the wicked Kshatriyas.
7. As Ramachandra, you conquer Ravana.
8. As Balarama, you carry a plow with which you subdue the River Yamuna.
9. As Buddha, you show compassion toward all the living beings suffering in this world.
10. As Kalki to bewilder the mlecchas.