The Role of Avatars

The following article is condensed from a discourse Sathya Sai Baba gave at Prasanthi Nilayam on the occasion of Krishna’s birthday, August 14, 1990.

Like a feast to a starving man,
Like rain for the parched earth,
Like a child to one yearning for a son,
The Lord comes to protect dharma
And save the virtuous and the good.

The Lord has myriad heads, myriad eyes, and myriad feet. The entire cosmos and every living being in it are reflections of the Divine. Oblivious to the presence of this sacred Divine within himself, man embarks on the quest for God.

Avatars are of two kinds: the partial avatar and the full avatar. All human beings are partial incarnations of the Divine. These partial incarnations, caught up in illusion, develop egoism and possessiveness and lead worldly lives. However, full avatars, subduing and transcending illusion, manifest their full divinity to the world in their lives. A full avatar may behave, according to the circumstances, as if He were subject to illusion. But in fact, He is free from illusion at all times.

Lord manifests as different avatars

In the Rama incarnation, the Lord conducted Himself as if He was subject to illusion, but upheld righteousness for promoting the welfare of the world. The Krishna incarnation was different. Keeping illusion under control, He manifested His miraculous deeds. In the Krishna incarnation, the Lord not only performed many marvelous deeds, but also taught the supreme wisdom to the world. He had transcended the three qualities; however, for the sake of regeneration of the world, behaved as if He was influenced by them, and delighted the world by His deeds. Krishna did everything—whatever He spoke or whatever action He took—for the good and well-being of the world. But some people did not understand this truth because of their own limitations and attributed the wrong motives to some of Krishna’s actions.

Devotion of the Gokula milkmaids

Divine love is nectarine in its sweetness. Love for the Lord was the highest expression of devotion among the milkmaids of Gokula because they were saturated with the sweetness of Divine love. They did not seek liberation or higher knowledge. The ecstasy they derived from merely seeking Krishna did not come to them from any other source. These supreme devotees regarded the Lord as their companion and most precious treasure. So intense was their devotion that they used to go about as highly intoxicated persons who were unmindful of the world. Leaving their homes, on hearing the music of Krishna’s flute, they rushed to the forest in search of Krishna, oblivious to everything.

The milkmaids realized that supreme wisdom consisted in experiencing oneness with the Divine and that all other knowledge was only mundane and related to the physical. Krishna was everything for them. In their feeling of oneness with the Divine, they made no distinction between the animate and the inanimate. They saw the Divine in everything. (Baba then recited a poem in which the milkmaids describe Krishna and ask the jasmine creepers to tell them whether Krishna is hiding in any of their bushes.) Having tasted the nectar of Krishna devotion, they would not think of seeking anything else.

Krishna is said to have stolen butter from the houses of the milkmaids. The butter that He stole was their pure, milk-white hearts. Butter is pure and soft. The hearts of the milkmaids were like butter. (Baba recited poems in which Yasoda tells Krishna about the complaints against Him  from the milkmaids and says she will tie Him up so that He cannot go to other houses to steal butter). Yasoda did not realize Krishna’s divinity, though even in small things Krishna used to reveal His Divine powers.

From Rama and Krishna to Sathya Sai

In the Silver Age, Rama came as the very embodiment of truth and righteousness. In the Bronze Age, the Lord incarnated as Krishna, the  embodiment of peace and love. Today the Avatar has come as the embodiment of all the four—truth, righteousness, peace, and love.

The world cannot so easily understand how the love principle works. Family life is concerned with the bringing up of a family, the acquisition of properties, the enjoyment of comforts, and other material benefits. Nature provides all that a man needs: air to breathe, land for shelter, water to drink, and food to eat. But man forgets how to live in harmony with nature, according to nature’s laws. He craves for all kinds of artificial comforts.

The world is full of egoism and acquisitiveness, lust and hatred. When man tries to utilize nature to get rid of these bad traits, then he will be able to experience peace, love, and forbearance. Love can be gotten only though love and by no other means. Hence, spiritual aspirants should develop divine love. Love is divine. It seeks no return. Its only aim is to realize God.

Lord incarnates to protect dharma

It may be asked whether it is possible in the contemporary world to practice divine love. As declared by Krishna in the Gita [Bhagavad-Gita], “The Lord incarnates from age to age to protect dharma [righteousness].” Every human being takes birth to pursue dharma. The human body is given for practicing dharma. In this context, it should be noted that protection of the body takes priority over the protection of dharma. Only when the body is taken care of can dharma be protected.

It must be realized that the protection of the body is solely for protecting dharma. What is dharma? It is the harmony of thought, word, and deed. This is the mark of true humanness. What kind of man is he whose thoughts, speech, and actions are not in accord with each other? Today man must strive for this triple unity.

Dharma cannot be destroyed. But what is happening is the decline in the practice of dharma. Today the practice of dharma is itself true spiritual discipline. For the practice of dharma, the triple purity—purity of thought, word, and deed—is essential.

Do not think that celebrating Krishna’s birth relates to what happened some millennia ago in the Bronze Age. Everyone has to cherish Krishna consciousness in his heart each moment ceaselessly.

The advent of Krishna

Who is Krishna? When was He born? Krishna was born in the month of Shravana, in the dark fortnight, on the eighth day, in a dark room, as a dark child. Shravana means “that which gives delight to the ear.” It is significant that among the nine forms of devotion, the first place is given to listening to the glories of the Lord, and the final stage is total surrender. Today men tend to listen to all kinds of evil things but do not lend their ears to hear what is pure and holy. What you should hear is all about God and not other trivial gossip.

Unfortunately, it is a sign of the Iron Age that people are eager to listen to bad tales about others and do not seek to listen to the holy name of the Lord. You are given eyes to seek a vision of the Lord of Kailasa [Shiva, the God of destruction in the Hindu Trinity]. You are endowed with feet to go to the Lord’s temple and not to loiter in alleys and byways. All organs and limbs have been given to man for adoring the Lord.

Dharma, in essence, means making use of every limb for the sacred purpose for which it is intended. See good, think good, speak good; go to good places, and do good deeds. What does the word good mean? It is not what someone else advises you to do. The Divine is not somewhere outside. He is within you. The consciousness of what is good must arise from within you. That is the voice of conscience. Act according to the dictates of your conscience.

When the question is asked, “Where is God?” the answer is given (in the Gita verse): “As the Universal Being, I have entered every living being, and I digest all the four kinds of food.” The Lord thus declares that He is within everyone as the digesting agent, who supplies nourishment to all parts of the body. God is present in everyone as the universal being. Therefore, before eating food, you should offer it to the Divine by reciting this verse:

Brahmarpanam Brahma Havir,
Brahmagnau Brahmana Hutam,
Brahmaiva Tena Gantavyam,
Brahma Karma Samadhina.

(God is everything—the offering is God, the sacrificial fire is God, and God is the goal and the means.)

From darkness to light

Krishna was born during the dark fortnight of the month. The effulgence of the Lord is seen with greater effect when it is dark. In a world of disorder, Krishna was born to establish order. He was born on the eighth day, which is associated with troubles and difficulties. When do troubles arise? When righteousness is forgotten. Krishna’s advent signifies dispelling darkness, removing troubles, banishing ignorance, and teaching mankind the supreme wisdom.

Krishna’s primary role was that of teacher. He taught the Gita to Arjuna. He told Arjuna: “Be only My instrument!” Krishna thereby declared, “Using you as an instrument, I am reforming the whole world.” All the teachings of the Divine are related to dharma and divine love.

The Gokula milkmaids prayed to Krishna that He never leave their hearts, in which they had installed Him.  People tend to look upon their devotion in worldly terms. Their minds never turned toward any sensory objects. They were completely free from sensual desires. All their desires were concentrated on God. They viewed the entire universe as the manifestation of God.

Worldly life is a vast ocean. Desires are like the waves. Your feelings constitute the depth of the ocean. In this deep ocean are crocodiles, whales, and sharks in the form of attachments and hatred. It is not easy for ordinary beings to cross this ocean. The milkmaids declared that only with the help of the divine name can people save themselves.

Key to inner peace is within you

The milkmaids did not concern themselves with the question of whether the Divine was attribute-less or full of attributes. They preferred to worship the Divine in the form of Krishna, and they wanted their forms to merge in the Divine. “Thereby, we shall be formless,” they declared.

When you forget your form, you can merge in the formless. The Divine cannot be experienced through meditation or reciting the Lord’s name. This is a delusion. These practices may give momentary peace of mind. But to experience permanent  joy and the knowledge of the spirit, you have to develop your divine nature. To achieve this, the environment must be congenial. Such an environment can be secured only in a place with pure and divine vibrations.

For this reason, the ancient sages sought to do their penance in the solitude of the forests, in that divinely charged atmosphere. They went to the forests because they felt that the happenings in the villages were not conducive to mental purity. But it is not necessary to go to a forest if you can concentrate on the Divine dwelling in your own heart. The forest is remote. Here you have “for rest” in your heart. The key to inner peace is within you and not outside. In the atmosphere of a sacred divine presence, you can promote more effectively your quest for peace.

Each avatar has His own relevance

In understanding the role of avatars, you will find that Krishna revealed the easiest and sweetest means to the largest extent. However, the other avatars are not irrelevant. Each avatar is appropriate for the time of His advent.

When dharma was showing signs of decline, Rama appeared to protect the earth, His wife, and righteousness. The Rama incarnation took place for this threefold purpose.

By the time of the Krishna incarnation, the forces of wickedness had grown to greater proportions. Krishna was not concerned much about the earth or His wife. His main concern was with dharma. When dharma is firmly established, the earth and the wife are also duly protected.

In this context, Rama is described as the Divine’s deluding power in human form. In the story of Rama, it is related that He lamented over the loss of Sita. In the Krishna incarnation, the picture was different. Women were in distress for Krishna.

In the Rama incarnation, the Lord was provoked to take arms against evildoers. In the Krishna incarnation, He provoked the conflict and fought the evildoers. In the Rama incarnation, duty came first and joy later. In the Krishna one, joy came first and then duty. Looked at this way, the difference between the illusory incarnation of Rama and the miracle-filled incarnation of Krishna will be apparent.

Krishna and Baba are always in bliss

Krishna was ever immersed in bliss. Whether He was on a burial ground or a battlefield or in a haven of peace, he remained the same. Krishna was standing between two immense opposing armies, and He sang a song. That is the Gita, which means “song.” Would it be possible for anyone to sing in such a situation? You sing only when you are happy. Krishna, because He was the embodiment of joy, could sing even on the battlefield.

I do not know whether you are aware of Swami’s nature. When someone comes to Swami and says he is suffering from an unbearable stomachache, Swami says, “Happy, happy.” When a woman comes wailing over the loss of her husband, Swami says, “Very happy.” Swami is always in a state of bliss. Happiness is the very nature of the Divine.

What is the use of lamenting over anything? All things are passing clouds. Nothing is lasting. Why then bewail over any loss? You should not bother about it. This is the teaching of the avatar. Don’t feel distressed over anything that may happen. Every pain is followed by some pleasure. Pleasure is an interval between two pains. You should lead your life on this basis.

Where there is God, there is victory

Divine bliss and momentary pleasure are vastly different. What is called happiness is incidental to a situation and is not permanent. But bliss is different. It is lasting. When you are hungry, you go to the canteen and feel happy after eating food. But that does not last long. Permanent happiness can be gotten only through devotion to the divine. Avatars make their advent just to confer divine bliss on mankind.

The petty difficulties met with in everyday life can be overcome by love. Once you cultivate love, you can overcome any difficulty. Strive for God’s grace. But do not regard God as different from you. He is within you. Where there is God, there is victory. That is the inner meaning of the last stanza in the Gita: “The heart in which the Lord of yoga dwells and where there is the courage and strength represented by Arjuna, there all prosperity and success are assured.”

The meaning of the name Krishna

You must understand properly the meaning of the name Krishna. The name has three meanings. One is Krishyati iti Krishna, “the one who cultivates is Krishna.” What is it that has to be cultivated? The field of the heart. Krishna cultivates the field of your heart by removing the weeds of bad qualities, watering it with love, ploughing it with the use of spiritual discipline, and sowing the seeds of devotion. This is how Krishna cultivates your heart.

The second meaning of the name is Karshati iti Krishna, “the one who attracts is Krishna.” Krishna attracts you by His eyes, speech, and sports, and by His every action. By His words, He softens and calms the hearts of even those filled with hatred and makes them rejoice.

A third meaning of the name is Kushyati iti Krishna, “one who is always blissful is Krishna.” Krishna was always in a state of bliss.

The ordinary meaning of the name Krishna is “one who is dark.” But people think only of this meaning and forget the deeper and truer meanings of the Lord’s name.

He delighted the world by His miracles

The essence of Krishna’s life is that He proclaimed the truth to the world, propagated the eternal verities, and delighted the world by His miracles. When Balarama [Krishna’s brother]told Yasoda [Krishna’s mother] that he had found Krishna eating mud, Yasoda questioned Him about it. In reply, Krishna said, “O mother, am I a child, a miscreant, or a madcap to eat mud? See for yourself whether there is any mud in my mouth.” And when He opened His mouth, Yasoda was awestruck to see the 14 worlds of the cosmos in that Divine mouth. She could not believe her eyes.

Yasoda had no faith in herself and hence could not recognize Krishna’s divinity. Confidence in yourself is the prerequisite for recognizing divinity. Another reason for Yasoda’s failure to do so was that she always looked upon Krishna as her son and the maternal attachment clouded her understanding.

Every episode connected with Krishna is a marvel. All the stories relating to the avatars of Vishnu are full of wonder and beauty. Every avatar is an amazing phenomenon. Not to recognize the avatar is equally a matter for amazement. Even more astonishing is the incapacity to experience the presence of the avatar. Most astonishing of all is to be in the presence of the Lord and feel miserable. To be in the proximity of the avatar, to move about with the avatar, to sing and sport with the avatar, and yet fail to understand the truth of the avatar is indeed a remarkable phenomenon. When the avatar principle is understood, you experience real bliss. When you have faith in the Divine, life becomes a victorious journey.

Source: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 23