Shaktyavesha avatara

A shaktyavesha avatara (शक्त्यावेशावतार) is the power-embodied avatara (incarnation) of a deity in the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. The concept refers to living beings who are empowered by a deity towards the performance of certain acts or the achievement of a given mission. A portion of the potencies of a deity is believed to be present (āveśā) within a shaktyavesha avatara, invested with divine power. Vyasa, the Four Kumaras, Narada, Shesha, and Brahma are generally regarded to be the shaktyavesha avatars of Vishnu or Krishna in Vaishnavism.

Garga Samhita
The Garga Samhita states that a shaktyavesha avatara is one of the six forms of incarnation of the deity Krishna, identified with Vishnu. The purpose of such an incarnation is regarded to be to enter a jiva (living being) in order to perform a given mission, after which the deity departs from this form.

Chaitanya Charitamrita
The Chaitanya Charitamrita offers six categories of the shaktyavesha avatars of Krishna and their purposes:


 * 1) Shesha, empowered for the personal service of Vishnu (sva-sevana-śakti) and bearing all the planets within the universe (bhū-dhāraṇa-śakti)
 * 2) Brahma, empowered for the creation of the cosmos (sṛṣṭi-śakti)
 * 3) The Four Kumaras, empowered to distribute transcendental knowledge (jñāna-śakti)
 * 4) Narada, empowered to distribute devotional service (bhakti-śakti)
 * 5) Prithu, empowered to rule and maintain living entities (pālana-śakti)
 * 6) Parashurama, empowered to cut down rogues and demons (duṣṭa-damana-śakti)