Yug Geeta – 28: To Establish Dharma, I Manifest Myself Age after Age – I
How Does Avatara Manifest?
There is one intriguing question. When God, who is considered Ajanmā (without birth, unborn, eternal) and unchangeable, incarnates in physical form, how does He manifest? Lord has answered this question in Gita's śloka (6/4):
Saṁbhavāmyātmamāyayā — Ruling over my Nature, I am born by my own yogamaya.
We are born because of our desires. Presiding over Nature, one who takes birth by his own Maya is God, Supreme Soul — and the one who succumbs to his passions returns as an ordinary man. Adya Shankaracharya considers this theory to be correct. But the views of monotheist Ramanujacharya, dualist Madhvacharya, and a staunch follower of the path of devotion Ballabhacharya differ. However, all three agree that God incarnates by His own pledge.
Whatever theory is correct, the Lord of all beings certainly incarnates on earth. In fact, the councilors of God, great men, siddha purushas, and God himself have to incarnate; from the peak of consciousness, they descend to the level of a human being. Behind every incarnation, there is a spirit of great compassion. Had this caring attitude not been towards humanity, why should a person sitting on top descend on earth and live like an ordinary human being? Lord comes to this world as an incarnate of compassion to share His children's pain and educate them.
Ramakrishna Paramahansa used to say, 'I am a peon of The Mother. I have come to look after Her Zamindari.' (The essence is that he was born to take care of Her children.) We mistakenly consider him to be an ordinary man.
Param Pujya Gurudev, too said several times, 'We are companions of previous births. You are my giddha-gilahari (vulture-squirrel), and reechha-vanara (bear-monkey) of the period of Rama.' All these talks should make us realize that we are like organs of Pragya Purusha's body and reflections of his existence. Therefore, our actions and conduct should be excellent and exemplary.
The Cosmic Will Behind Great Souls
Shri Aurobindo said about Swami Vivekananda, 'He was Krupa-Kataksha (kind glance) of the third eye of Lord Shiva.' It is said that one of the Saptarshis (seven seers of yore) was born as Vivekananda. Whoever great souls are incarnated, there is the compassion of God behind it and His will to go among His children.
Pujya Gurudev reiterated several times: 'I was not interested in coming to earth; I have been pushed. The governing powers of this creation have sent me on this earth with some special purpose.' What else can anybody say more clearly about himself?
In the editorial of July 1969 of Akhand Jyoti (Hindi) magazine, Pujya Gurudev writes: 'The change of era is inevitable. My small tenure of life will be spent in its declaration and giving its prior information. I have spent all my life inviting the intellectuals to participate in this historical movement of Mahakal (Time Spirit). The task for which I was born is going to complete. Mahakal will do the rest.'
What is the objective of an Avatara, and what is its mystery? Pujya Gurudev has explained (Akhand Jyoti Hindi, June 1967): 'There are several powers of Almighty. Their purposes, laws, forms, and contexts are different. When the context of conducting numerous activities of this animate-inanimate world comes to the fore, God infuses his power into several souls and sends them to manage this world. This is the mystery of Avataras. From time to time, God's powers take birth to solve topical problems.'
Avatara Is a Boat, a Magician
Shri Ramakrishna used to say, 'Undeserving people, who are dressed like sannyasis so that they may be called sadhus/mahatmas, are like a block of rotten wood. It swells after flowing into the river but cannot make anyone cross the river. Avatara is like a boat that makes many trips in the river and enables many people to travel to the other side.'
Thakura Shri Ramakrishna compares people whose egos are inflated after getting small siddhis with rotten woodblocks. Why is it necessary to understand how powerful an Avatara is? Because in this Kaliyuga, there are several self-proclaimed Avataras/Bhagavans.
One more example Shri Ramakrishna used to give: 'The process of Avatara is like a magician's show. He comes to the village with a rope having several knots. He asks the villagers to open the knots, but they are unable to do so. Then he throws the string in the air, and all the knots are opened.' He said, 'Avatara too brings such knotted ropes of our previous births and opens them in a moment.' That is why Sadguru/Avatara is so powerful that he can change a person's fate. If Guru and Avatara is the same person, then the task becomes much easier.
The job that cannot be completed by one's endeavor, Sadguru does it in a moment. He changes destiny.
Why God Incarnates: The Gita's Answer
Why God incarnates has been made clear in the ślokas (7/4) and (8/4) of the Bhagavad Gita:
Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānirbhavati bhārata;
Abhyutthānamadharmasya tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmyaham. (7/4)
Paritrāñāya sādhunāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām;
Dharmasaṁsthāpanārthāya saṁbhavāmi yuge yuge. (8/4)
Meaning: Whenever there is a decline in righteousness (dharma) and a rise in unrighteousness (adharma), O Arjuna, I manifest Myself. For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked, and for the re-establishment of dharma, I am born age after age.
This eternal promise of the Lord reveals the underlying cause and cosmic necessity behind every great incarnation — a response of divine compassion to humanity's need for guidance, protection, and the restoration of truth.
This article is the first part of a two-part series on Yug Geeta – Discourse 28.