Why are most of the Avatars rulers?

Question

Why are main human avatars of God in the form of kings/ rulers/ princesses (lord Rama, Krishna)? Are there any "regular profession" avatars - eg teachers, householders, merchants?

Answer 1

The Shrimad Bhagvat Puran mentions 22 incarnations of Lord Vishnu and am sharing the list here:

1. Kumars – four yogis who live in the form of children
2. Varaha - non-human (boar)
3. Narad - the famous Devarishi
4. Nara-Narayan – twin-rishis
5. Kapil – another rishi
6. Dattatreya – an Avadhut and Yogi
7. Yajna – a previous Indra
8. Rishabh Dev – a king who turned into the first Jain Tirthankar
9. Prithu – the king after whom earth is called Prithvi
10. Matsya - non-human (fish)
11. Kurma - non-human (turtle)
12. Dhanvantari – physician & father of Ayurveda
13. Mohini – the only female incarnation
14. Narasimha - The man-lion
15. Vaman - a brahmin dwarf boy
16. Parashurama - another brahmin boy who became a kshatriya killer
17. Shri Rama - the 'Perfect King'
18. Ved Vyas – rishi who composed puranas, mahabharat and compiled Vedas.
19. Balarama - brother to Krishna and a prince
20. Krishna - the famous Yadav prince and expounder of Bhagvad Geeta
21. Buddha - a prince who became a yogi
22. Kalki - The future avatar who would be born to a brahmin Vishnuyash

As you can see from the above list there are only three proper kings - Prithu, Rishabh Dev & Shri Rama. You may add Krishna but Yadavs did not really have a kingdom rather they thrived as a confederacy whose leader was Ugrasen.

If you notice, the majority of non-animal avatars are non-kshatriya - Dattatreya, Narad, Dhanvantari, Nar, Narayan, Vyas, Kapil, Vaman, Parshurama, & Kalki are non rulers event though the last two do pick up arms for the benefit of the society. So based on the scriptures, the contention of a majority of Avatars being rulers does not appear to be correct.