Hindu Article-Purpose of God's advents

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Purpose of God's advents

 

 

CHENNAI OCT.10 . It is natural for lay people to

mistake the advents of God in the world in different

forms like that of births of other beings. Though the

Lord took births it must be clearly understood that

they are called incarnations (Avatara) and thus cannot

be compared with that of His creations. In fact, in

His incarnation as Krishna, when He assumed the role

of a spiritual teacher He pointed out the difference

between His and human births to Arjuna. While God

knows about His births man does not remember his

earlier lives. Further, He wills to be born in the

world, whereas human births are the result of Karma.

 

The Almighty's incarnations are said to be innumerable

and the scriptural texts enumerate them differently

but 10 are popular as these advents of the Lord

benefited mankind the most. Such an approach creates a

distinction between His primary manifestations and

secondary ones. But is it correct to make such

divisions from the human point of view, as it will

lead to rating some incarnations greater than the

others? This will also contradict the scriptural

statements about His inimitable traits and divine

nature. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna in fact

points out, "My birth and activities are divine. He

who knows this in reality is not reborn on leaving his

body, but comes to Me." So one who understands the

secret and purpose of His incarnations is liberated

from bondage.

 

In his discourse, Velukkudi Sri V.Krishnan said it was

important to reconcile the scriptural statement that

God was unborn with His incarnations. The analogy of a

lamp lighting any number of lamps and still retaining

its lustre intact is illustrative of His nature

remaining unchanged even when He manifests in several

forms. The descents of the Lord were with the purpose

of restoring Dharma whenever it was on the wane. The

Matsya (fish), Kurma (tortoise), Varaha (boar), Vamana

(dwarf) and Narasimha (man-lion) advents were in the

Krita Yuga while Parasurama and Rama took place in the

Treta age. Balarama and Krishna incarnations belong to

the Dwapara and Kalki foretold for this age of Kali.

One may wonder why in the age of Krita, which was the

most righteous of all the four ages, God incarnated

five times while in this age when there is all-round

decadence in Dharma there will be only one and that

too it has not yet happened. To this scholars answer

that the standards of Dharma are not absolute and it

differs from age to age

copy right: The Hindu daily.

 

 

 

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