TEACHERS & AVATARS

Major spiritual teachers and avatars, from prehistory to today, chronologically arranged


Hermes Trismegistus: “the Thrice-Greatest,” is a ‘legendary’ figure widely believed to have lived in the Hellenistic period (323–31 BCE), esoteric traditions, however, date him far earlier (c. 7000 BC). 

He is credited as author of the Hermetica, a diverse body of writings blending material and spiritual knowledge that founded Hermeticism, an esoteric philosophical tradition. 

Renaissance thinkers, including Ficino and Bruno, revered him as a wise pagan prophet who foresaw Christianity. Islamic tradition identifies him with the prophet Idris (Enoch).

Whilst three Ramas appear in Indian tradition—Parashurama, Balarama, and Ramachandra—the name specifically denotes Ramachandra, the seventh incarnation (avatar) of Vishnu. 

Krishna (c 3000BC):one of the most widely revered Indian deities, worshipped as the eighth incarnation of Vishnu and as a supreme god in his own right. Krishna’s background is rooted in the Mahabharata and Bhagavata-purana, and tells of his miraculous birth, playful nature and youthful role as divine lover of the gopis, especially Radha. He is the narrator and Lord in the Bhagavad Gita, where He serves as Arjuna’s charioteer. The Gita is one of the cornerstones of Hinduism and a principle texts within Vedanta.