Hindu Incarnation is a concept in Hinduism that refers to the belief that a divine being can take on a human form. The two most commonly known incarnations are AVATAR and Rama, both of which have been popularized in literature and film. AVATAR is a Sanskrit word meaning 'DESCENT' and is used to refer to a deity who descends from heaven to earth in order to restore cosmic order. Rama is the seventh AVATAR of Vishnu, one of the principal deities in Hinduism, and is the protagonist of the Hindu epic Ramayana.