Lord Vishnu's avatars, or incarnations, appear to restore dharma (righteousness) when the world is burdened by evil. The most well-known are the Dashavatara, the ten avatars that show a progression of forms to combat increasing unrighteousness, beginning with animal forms and culminating in human and divine beings. The commonly accepted list of ten is: Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, and Kalki