(Dasavatars)
God (or Avatar) knows everything but pretends to know nothing, whereas man knows nothing but pretends to know everything. (Uniq, p. 42)
To elevate man to the level of His Consciousness, He (God) has to incarnate as man. He has to speak to them in their own styles and languages. He has to teach them the methods that they can adopt and practise. Birds and beasts need no Divine incarnation to guide them, for they have no inclination to stray away from their Dharma. Man alone forgets or ignores the goal of life.
The word ‘Avatar‘ means descent. It is not coming down from the peak of a mountain or the top storey of a building. It is a descent from the state of the Atma to the state of the body.
(The following is an Extract taken from (Avatars: Their myriad Forms, Purpose, role and relevance, pp. 13-27)
Sanathana Dharma (Eternal Vedic religion) is the great heritage of the children of Bharat (India). It is a culture that is sublime, sacred and ennobling. It has testified to the advent of many Avatars (incarnations of the Divine). Bharat is the birth-place of numerous sages, savants, men of God, warriors and great women who have upheld chastity. Even today great souls are incarnating in this land. In fact, there has been no epoch in India’s great history when such figures have not appeared. (SSS Vol.20) 23-11-1987.
In our sacred traditions, we have many important and significant stories which are full of meaning. Bhagavad Gita means that it is the song of God. Devotees of God have also been called Bhagavatas. Vyasa has divided the story of Bhagavatam into twelve parts. Each part is called a Skanda. This is a sacred story which has been given to men in order to liberate them from bondage. This story of Bhagavatam has been taught by Vyasa to Suka who in turn gave it to the people. Maharishi Suka was the son of Maharishi Vyasa. Suka learnt the Vedas thoroughly from his father Vyasa. The Vedas and Vedangas have been divided into four parts called Samhita. While describing the sacred stories of the contemporaries of Suka, Vyasa was also writing the story of Bhagavatam. The Kauravas and Upapandavas were living at the same time and the battle between the Kauravas and Pandavas and the moral contained therein were written by him as the Mahabharata. Mahabharata was also described as the fifth Veda. He realised that it is difficult for ordinary and unlearned people to understand God. To facilitate realisation of God, by such ordinary people, he also wrote another text called Brahmasutra. He has also established the truth that bliss can come only in the thought of God and not by any other process.
He established that bliss and happiness are simply embodiments of God and that they cannot be found elsewhere. Bliss and happiness can be given only by God, and he who thus secures them is called a devotee. The close relationship that exists between a devotee and God has been described in Bhagavatam.
It is not an easy matter to understand this. In the context of the difficulty in understanding the Brahma sutras, he also produced the eighteen Puranas explaining the nature of divinity. He was feeling sorry that in spite of his best efforts in promoting divinity, there was no easy manner in which the sorrow of the people could be removed. He spent a lot of time in trying to find out ways and means of making ordinary and illiterate people happy. While Vyasa was contemplating on such issues, Narada approached Vyasa and said that the only method by which man can attain happiness is by describing and singing the glory of God. From that day, Vyasa started describing the leelas of the Lord. (SSB 1978, pp. 7-8)
The name Bhagavatam can be applied to every account of the experiences of those who have contacted God and the Godly (Bhagavan and Bhakta). God assumes many Forms and enacts many activities. The name Bhagavatam is given to the descriptions of the experiences of those who have realised Him in those Forms and of those who have been blessed by His Grace and chosen as His Instruments.
The great Work known by that name is honoured by all masters of the Vedas. It is a panacea which cures physical, mental and spiritual illnesses. The Bhagavatam is saturated with sweetness of nectar, it shines with the splendour of God.
The principle of Avatar or the Descent of God on Earth, the Incarnation of the Formless with Form, for the Uplift of Beings—this is the basic fact that makes the Bhagavatam authentic. By Bhagavatam we also mean those with attachment to God, those who seek the companionship of God. For such, the book, Bhagavatam, is most precious; it is the breath of their life. To be in the midst of such Bhagavathas is to foster one’s own devotion. Unless you have a taste for Godward thoughts, you will not derive joy therefrom. To create that taste, the Bhagavatam relates stories relating to incarnations to the earnest inquirer. Then, one develops the yearning to experience the thrill of God, through all the levels of consciousness. He who has this intense yearning can be a true Bhagavatam. (Bhag Vahini, pp. 1-2)
Every Avatar has two causes: prayers of devotees and atrocities of wicked people. The unity of these two is essential for an Avatar. An example. Prahlada remembered the name of Hari without interruption. But Hiranyakashipu, his father, was a hater of Hari. Prahlada’s love and Hiranyakashipu’s hatred combined to result in Narasimha Avatar. As long as Prahlada chanted Om Namo Narayanaya, the Lord protected him. In what situations was he protected? When he could not endure the atrocities of his father. Thus, Hiranya’s crimes became Prahlada’s protection! Hiranya’s hatred made it possible for Prahlada to acquire proximity to the Lord. These two factors must be present for every Avatar’s advent: wickedness and devotion. In this way, Divine plans conceal subtle secrets.
God incarnates for the sake of Bhaktas
The Universal Absolute, the Birth-less Formless, Un-manifest, Infinite, took on limitations of Name and Form, and concretised Itself as Avatars (Incarnations) on many occasions and manifested countless instances of Divine Intercession and Grace. Through these as well as the characteristics assumed and the ideas propagated, God saved mankind from downfall. (Bhag Vahini, p. 220)
People believe that incarnations of God happen only for two reasons: the punishment of the wicked and the protection of the righteous. But those represent only one aspect of the Task. The granting of peace and joy, of a sense of fulfilment to seekers who have striven long—this too is the Task. (Bhag Vahini, pp. 1-2)
Really speaking, God incarnates for the sake of Bhakta (faithful devotees) (Bhag Vahini, p. 220) The Avatar, or Form Incarnate, is only the concretisation of the yearning of the seekers. It is the solidified sweetness of the devotion of godly aspirants. The formless assumes the Form for the sake of these aspirants and seekers.
They are the prime cause. The cow has milk primarily as sustenance for its calf. But it is used by man for maintaining his health and efficiency. So too, God incarnates, primarily for the sustenance of the faithful, the devoted, the virtuous and the good. But even the faithless, and the bad, use the chance for their own purpose. Therefore, in the Bhagavatam, stories of such wicked persons intervene amidst the accounts of the Glory and Grace of God. This does not make the Bhagavatam any less holy. When the sweet juice has been squeezed out of the sugarcane, the bagasse is discarded. When the sweetness of Divine Majesty has been tasted, the bagasse can well be thrown out. The cane has both bagasse and sugar. It cannot be sugar only. So too, devotees have to be amidst the faithless. They cannot be without the other. (Bhag Vahini, p. 220) So too, though the Bhaktas are the prime cause and their joy and sustenance the prime purpose, other incidental benefits also accrue, such as the fostering of Dharma, the suppression of evil, the overwhelming of the wicked.
There is no compulsive rule that incarnations should occur only on the earth and in human form. Any place, any form, can be chosen by the Fully-free. Whichever place, whatever Form, promotes the purpose of fulfilling the yearning of the devotee that Place and that Form are chosen by the Will of God (Bhag Vahini, pp. 1-2).
Avatars as a consequence of Divine Will
The One Divine Principle works through three Forms, as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, in order to manipulate and complete the process of becoming a being, called Srishti (creation). The three are fundamentally of the same essence. (Bhag Vahini, p. 220)
The Supreme Sovereign Lord manifesting Himself as Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshvara, through the prompting of Primal Desire (Moha) is engaged in creating, fostering and destroying the worlds. In what is thus created, there is always the principle of Dualism. There is difference and disparity between one and another. If these differences and disparities are harmonised wisely, the world will have happiness and peace. If, on the other hand, living beings behave wrongly, the world will be sunk in anxiety, misery and confusion. When these arise, the Lord assumes appropriate Forms and affords necessary protection and correction. He sets right the damaged world, removes the evil forces that caused the damage, and instructs mankind in the science of fostering the right and the good. (Bhag Vahini, p. 235)
There is no higher or lower. All three are equally Divine. Associated with Creation, He is Brahma; with Protection, He is Vishnu; with Dissolution, He is Shiva. When He comes down assuming special form on special occasions for a specific purpose, He is known as Avatar. Avatars are as countless as living beings are, for, each is born as a consequence of Divine Will.
Manu and Prajapati and other persons are Divine persons entrusted by Brahma with the mission of peopling the world. Everything happens in consonance with the Divine Will. So, we can assert that the saints, sages, ascetics and men both good and bad, are all Avatars of the Vishnu Entity.
Brahma deputed Manu to proceed to the earth and to create living beings thereon. Devi, the Feminine Principle eluded him and took the earth into the nether regions. Brahma then had to seek help from Vishnu (Hari) and He assumed the Form of a Boar and brought the Earth, from the nether regions, and placed it among the waters. Later, the Earth was so incensed at the atrocities of Emperor Venu, she kept all the seeds sown, within herself and did not allow them to sprout. So, all beings were afflicted with the agony of hunger. The earth became a medley of hills and valleys with nothing green on it. Then, the Lord assumed the Form of Prithu, who levelled the surface and added fertility to the soil and induced the growth of agriculture and promoted the welfare of mankind. He fostered the Earth like his own child and so, the Earth is called Prithvi. He is said to have built the first cities upon the earth.
That is to say, it was the Lord’s Will that it should be done so. It is that Will which is being worked out. The Lord originated the Vedas, for the preservation of man, through the practice of morals and spiritual exercises. The Vedas contain Names that will liberate beings and the rules and regulations that will guide. When the Asura or the evil minded threatened to steal the Vedas, they hid themselves in the waters and the Lord assumed the form of a Fish to recover them. He saved the Seven Sages and Manu from the same waters. This is the reason why it is said that the Lord incarnated as a Fish.
Doubts may arise in your minds when you hear the story of creation and the early history of man on earth. The processes of the Divine Will are mysterious wonders. They cannot be grasped by the faculties with which you measure earthly events. Often, they may strike you as devoid of any basis but the Lord will never involve Himself in any deed without proper cause. That Will need not be explicable. It is its own prompter.
Everything everywhere is due to His Will. ‘To initiate Creation, there must be some attraction that will act as the urge. So, Brahma had to become two, in body and activity. The One Body was transformed into two and therefore, where there was one Will formerly, two appeared, one which attracted and the other which was drawn towards creation, the feminine and the masculine.
Since the one attracted in a hundred distinct ways it was called Satha rupa (hundred-faceted) and Beloved of Brahma (Brahmapriya). The other was named Manu.
Satha rupa and Manu together approached the Lord of Creation and inquired what they had to fulfil. Brahma replied with a smile, Be mates of each other. Beget and people the Earth. Equipped with the authority derived from this command, they filled the earth with people. These two gained renown in the first stage of creation. Satha rupa and Manu were the first progenitors.
He is beyond all characteristics and qualities;
God has no list as such that can describe Him fully. For Him, all beings are equal. The difference between man, beast, bird, worm, insect and even a god is but a difference of the ‘vessel’ (the Upadhi). It is like the electric current that flows through various contrivances and expresses itself in many different activities.
There is no distinction in the current; it is the same. To speak of it as different is to reveal one’s ignorance (Ajnana). So too, the one single God activates every vessel or Upadhi and gives rise to manifold consequences. The wise see only the one uniform current. The ignorant feel that they are all distinct. God appreciates the consciousness of Unity, as the basic motive of acts. He does not appreciate the activity itself being one, without variety; it is suited to the various needs. The fruits of karma or activity appeal only to those who identify themselves with the body and not for the others, who know that they are the indestructible Atma (soul, inner motive force in everything). (Bhag Vahini, p. 2).
It is not possible to limit the freedom of God in assuming Forms. He adopts endless Forms to manifest Himself in the world and saves it. His incarnation is in conformity with the need of the crisis at the time. When the Earth moaned under the injustice of Hiranyaksha, He had to appear as a Boar, taking form and equipped with attributes, though in essence, He is without Form and Attribute. The will of God is mysterious. It cannot be explained by categories or as consequences. It is above and beyond human reasoning and imagination. It can be comprehended only by those who have known Him, and not by those who have acquired scholarship or sharp intellect. The cause and the consequence are integrally related.
One day, when Brahma was resting awhile on His seat, there fell from His nose a boar as small as one’s thumb tip! Brahma who had assumed in sportive exuberance the Human form, knew the why and wherefore of everything; but He pretended not to, and looked upon the tiny boar with astonishment. Meanwhile, it developed faster and faster into greater and greater size, like a frog, rat, and a cat, and into the proportions of a monstrous elephant in rut. Brahma was smiling within Himself at its antics. Very soon, the Boar grew so huge that it seemed to cover both earth and sky. It slid into the sea and emerged from it with Goddess Earth (who had hidden herself under the waters through
humiliation) borne aloft safe and secure, on its tusks.
(Avatars)
Meanwhile, a cry was heard from behind, ‘You wretched swine! Where are you fleeing to? Stop where you are.’ The Boar paid no heed to that cry. He moved on, as if He had not heard it. Then, Hiranyaksha, the Evil-minded Ogre-chief confronted It like a terrible monster, and challenged It to overcome his might. A mortal combat ensued between the two. Witnessing the frightful thrusts and counter thrusts, Goddess Earth shivered in fear but the Boar consoled Her saying, ‘Oh Goddess, do not be frightened. I shall end this ogre’s life immediately. I shall ensure safety and peace for you, in a moment.’ Soon, the Boar became terrible to behold, the Goddess was greatly agitated about the encounter. The Boar fell upon Hiranyaksha with overwhelming might and the Goddess closed Her eyes in sheer terror, unable to bear the sight of the devastating Form of the Boar. The duel was fought with indescribable fury, but in the end, Hiranyaksha was torn to pieces and cast upon the ground.
Thus, the Lord assumed various Forms according to the needs of the situation, the Forms best suited for the destruction of the wicked Danava (the race of evil-minded Ogres), and for the protection of the good and godly, and the preservation of the Scriptures that reveal the Truth, the Vedas. In this manner, the Lord incarnated as the Fish, the Tortoise, the Man-lion, and the Short-statured (Matsya, Kurma, Narasimha, and Vamana). (Bhag Vahini, pp. 218-236)
There is no end to the incarnations that God indulges in. He has come down on countless occasions. Sometimes He comes with a part of His glory, sometimes with a fuller equipment of splendour, sometimes for a particular task, sometimes to transform an entire era of time, an entire continent of space. It is the story of the last of these that the Bhagavatam elaborates. The drama enacted by the Avatar, and the Bhaktas drawn towards Him, is the subject matter of the Bhagavatam. Listening to it promotes the realisation of God. Many sages have testified to its efficacy and extolled the Bhagavatam, which they helped preserve for posterity. (Bhag Vahini, pp. 1-2) Of all the incarnations, the most supreme and the most blissful is the Krishna-form. Still, you must realise that the chief purpose of all incarnations is the preservation of Dharma (Justice, Righteousness, Morality, and Virtue) (Bhag Vahini, pp. 218-236)
God is above and beyond the limits of Time and Space.
God has no bondage to time and space. For Him, all beings are the same. He is the master of the living and the non-living. At the conclusion of every aeon the process of involution is completed in the Deluge. Then, evolution starts again and as Brahma, He creates beings again. He enlightens everyone with a spark of his own Glory and fosters on the path of fulfilment every one of them, as Vishnu. He is He again, who as Shiva, concludes the process by the destruction of all. Thus, you can see that there is no limit to His might, no end to His potency. There can be no boundaries of His achievements. He incarnates in countless ways. He comes as an Incarnation of a Kala (fragment) of His, or an Amsa (part) of His. He comes as an Inner inspirer for some definite Purpose. He comes to close an epoch and inaugurate another (Yugavatar). (Bhag Vahini, p. 221).
Year after year, we experience some kind of heat, cold and rain. Because of these seasonal changes, certain changes occur in our ideas and even in our health. It is also known to us that with changing seasons, we listen to cuckoos singing, we see the mangoes ripening and so on. Every year, the seasons come back at about the same time and give us the same kind of experience. Taking this cycle into consideration, the Maharishis tried to explain to us about the Yuga. The season that has gone by returns to us twelve months later; the day that has gone by returns to us eight days later and so on These are common experiences. If today is a Friday, after another week we again get a Friday. If this is the month of May, again after twelve months we get the month of May.
Taking this into account, the Maharishis divided time into four Yugas called Krita Yuga, Dwapara Yuga, Treta Yuga, and the Kali Yuga. These will keep coming back again and again. In these, the word Krita indicates four times, and the word Treta indicates three times. The Dwapara signifies two times, and Kali gives us an authoritative unit of measurement.
According to them, 4,32,000 years is the basic unit and represents the number of years in a Kali Yuga. Two times this or 8,64,000 years represents the Dwapara Yuga. Three times this basic number of 12,96,000 years is the measure of Treta Yuga. Four times this measure, namely, 17,28,000 years refers to Krita Yuga. By adding all these, we get 43,20,000 years and this refers to a Maha Yuga. After a Maha Yuga, the Krita Yuga will start again. In this manner and by assigning such measures, they interpreted time.
From time to time, in these Yugas, God was appearing as an Avatar for the purpose of showing divinity that is contained in human beings, and for setting an exemplary life as an example. It has been said that God takes a human form so that he is accessible to human beings and gives them happiness.
The birds and animals are experiencing the limitations which have been laid out for them. A human birth is the most sacred one among the 84 lakhs of different jiva in this creation. To attain such a sacred birth is a great fortune indeed. Man has a special distinctiveness. We have to see and understand the difference between birds and animals, on the one hand, and man on the other hand. Animals are born with cruelty as a nature and they also spend their lives with cruelty. We may give a lot of training to the animal, but it is impossible to bring about a lasting change in its habits. It may conduct itself according to the training during the period of the training, but it will not give up its cruelty. Man is not like that. Even though he may be born with cruelty, he can get rid of it by an attempt or Sadhana. It becomes clear that what does not and cannot take refinement is an animal and what can take refinement is man. To facilitate such refinement and transformation in human beings, God takes birth in human form from time to time. This refinement can be brought about by different methods at different periods of time. In Krita Yuga, the method was Dhyanam. In the Treta Yuga, the method was Yajna, in Dwapara Yuga, it was Archanam and in the Kali Yuga, prominence is given to Namasmaranam. These are the royal paths available to human beings for changing themselves. In the Krita Yuga, the Maharishis, through tapas, used to attain moksha or vision of the Lord. The Maharishis who enjoyed such divine experience used to mix with the people so that their divine experience can be conveyed to the people who lived at that time.
In the Treta Yuga, God appeared as a human being in the form of Rama; and by using his own family as an example, he tried to set up an ideal dharmic conduct characteristic of that age. At that time, it was also established that Rama was the embodiment of Love and Lakshmana was the embodiment of compassion and that it was the confluence of Dharma and compassion that makes a good human being. This is true dharma. We are believing that rituals constitute dharma. It is not our daily practices or rituals that constitute true dharma. It is the compassion that is generated in a pure heart that constitutes the base of true dharma. This is also the most important basic quality of a human being. One must make an attempt to follow the dictates of one’s own conscience. By such conduct and example, Ramachandra corrected the entire humanity. By the time Dwapara Yuga came, God in the human form of Krishna set an ideal example of love for the people. This aspect of Krishna attracted all people. These were such that people lost themselves in the happiness and bliss generated by the Avatar of Krishna. Krishna was looking after, with tender affection, the needs of the people at that time. The great truth that is contained in the Avatar of Krishna has been communicated to us in the Bhagavatam. This Avatar of Krishna showed that we should never forget God whether we are in sorrow or pleasure, pain or joy, poverty or affluence. Draupadi, who lost all her sons and who was in great difficulties, showed great forbearance and affection when speaking with Ashwatthama.
The Bhagavatam teaches us that it is not right for a devotee to think of God only at times of difficulties and completely forget him at times of happiness. In fact, all Avatars convey a very significant lesson, and you must make an attempt to understand the inner meaning that is conveyed to us in such lessons. (SSB 1978, pp. 9-11)
The inner meaning of the three Yugas
There are three types of Mayas which prompt men to action--Sveccha, Pareccha and Aniccha. ‘Sveccha’ is the kind of prompting in which one decides to follow a particular course of action, and is prepared for the consequences, for better or worse. ‘Pareccha’ is the situation in which one is encouraged or prompted by others to undertake actions whose consequences have to be borne by him. ‘Aniccha’ is the state in which every action is regarded as the will of the Dime and all consequences, whether gain or loss, pleasure or pain, are regarded as gifts from God.
Real freedom exists in submitting to the Will of the Divine and not acting according to one’s caprices and fancies. What is freedom that people want? Is it to behave like dogs with no self-restraint?
Is it to descend to the level of the sub-human species? Is it to flee from one’s divine nature and indulge in demonical acts? What kind of freedom is this? In this context I shall tell you today the inner meaning of the different yugas, the Treta Yuga, the Dwapara Yuga and the present Kali Yuga.
In the Treta Yuga, the Divine elements were on one side and the demonical elements on the other. At the time of the Rama avatar the divine elements were in Ayodhya and Kishkindha and the demonic forces were in the forest of Dandakaranya. The two elements were in separate regions. Rama waged a war against the Rakshasas in Dandakaranya and protected the rishis.
This is the inner meaning of the Rama avatar in the Treta Yuga.
In the Dwapara Yuga, the divine and the demoniac elements----namely, the Pandavas and the Kauravas were in the same kingdom. In such a situation Krishna gave his army to the Kauravas and without wielding any weapon Himself, gave His support to the Pandavas in the great battle of Kurukshetra. He used others as instruments.
Unique feature of the Kali Yuga
But today, these divine and demonic forces are battling in each human being. This is the mark of the Kali age. In Treta Yuga Rama fought the battle in person. In Dwapara Yuga Krishna played the role of a witness, using others as His instruments. He did not engage in the battle Himself. In Kali Yuga because the two opposing factors are in each individual, the Lord plays the role of a witness and as the conscience. Man has to use the power of discrimination given to him to fight the evil forces within him. He has to foster the divine elements in him by his own efforts and listening to the voice of his conscience. The freedom to choose has been given to man for this purpose. This freedom is to be used to discriminate between right and wrong, good and evil and to foster divine qualities. This is the unique feature of the Kali age. In this age, each individual has to fight against the demonic forces himself and vanquish them. When this is accomplished man’s inherent divine nature will manifest itself of its own accord. (SSS Vol.20) 11-7-1987.