avataras

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> Why all the avataras of Ishwara and Vishnu occurred only in India?

>why the benefit was not given to other countries? If the avataras

>are intended for people in Bharatavarsha, what was the form of

>salvation for others?

>

 

 

Shree Ramasway Balu - thanks for sending me a copy of your post

submitted to a lists-advaita vedanta org.

 

Avatara means avatarati iti - that which descends to this phenomenal

world obviously from a higher state. The supreme Brahman has no

specific reason of his own to descend down that is he has no

individual vaasana-s which are the cause for or karaNa for any

shariira. Hence the cause must come else where. The cause as

KrishNa explains in Giita - paritraanaaya sadhuunam, vinaashaayas

dushhkR^itam - to uplift the good and to punish the wicked. Hence it

is the samashhTi vaasaNa-s that demand the Lord to come down. Even

if one examines the Bhagavata puraaNa, all the gods and R^ishies and

the mother earth go and request Lord to take birth to destroy the

wicked and protect the good. There is always belief associated

that a particular person is an avataara or not. But even in India

everyone does not recognize a given person as avataara. Even at

Rama's time and KrishNa's time, some recognized them as avatara-s

some denied that they are. Duryodhana never considered KrishNa as

avatara. Our Hindu upbringing is such that we glorify our teachers

and our guru's as avataara purusha. Shankara is considered as

avatara of Lord Shankara while Madhva's consider him as prachhanna

Bhouddha. SrivaishhNavates consider Ramanuja as avatara of Rama

anuja or adhisheshha. Madhva's consider acharya Madhva as avatara of

Hanuman. The concept of avatara is easily acceptable for Hindu frame

of mind where reincarnation is part of the Vedic philosophy since

life is a continuous cycle. We address the noble- hearted ones a

bhagavaan. We have lot of Bhagavaans in India, some self declared

and some declared by others. That is our culture.

 

In other traditions too there are very many great souls but their

culture does not have notions of avataara. In Judaism the concept of

Messiah is there but when Jesus came, only few Jews consider him as

the son of God but not by many. The Jews are still expecting the

avataara. The theosophists used to consider J. Krishnamuurthy as the

avataara or messiah and were preparing ground for him, by forming a

society as the order of the star - until one day J.K. president of

that society abolished that order saying that 'truth is a path-less

land'. The theosophists disassociated from him looking for another

one in his place. But looking back JK ended up like an avatara

purusha, teaching the essence of truth in his own way.

 

In India the life is tuned towards higher and the environment is

conducive for spiritual growth. The Ramayana and Mahabharata - along

with Vedas and Bhagavad Giita are conducive to help turn the

direction of the mind to higher. The story of Rama and Krishna

fascinates even a child to adult in the same way. The beauty is

however number of times one reads or listens still the mind gets

attracted to it. That is because it is His story. That which is

beyond any form or words of description captured in form that the

mind can grasp. That is the beauty of the avataara concept and help

in ones own evolution through devotion. We are indeed blessed in that

way.

 

All religions of course emphasize para Bhakti or supreme devotion as

the essential means of salvation and karma yoga for purification. I

advise one to read "The Saint Francis of Assisi" - I do not remember

the famous author's name -A Greek name. But it is very beautiful to

read and you can see the essence of Vedanta through the story.

 

Hari Om!

Sadananda

 

 

 

 

 

 

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K. Sadananda

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