RĀMA, rä′mȧ. In Hindu mythology, the name of the sixth, seventh, and eighth incarnations of Vishnu (q.v.), Parasurama, Ramacandra, and Balarama. Of these the Ramacandra avatar (see Avatar) is by far the most famous, as Rama is here the hero of the Sanskrit epic of the Rāmāyaṇa (q.v.).
