Divinity of Avatar

Exhorting Arjuna to see everything in the Atma (Divine soul), Krishna revealed to him His Vishwarupam (Cosmic Divine Form), all the forms seen in the Cosmos, wherefrom they have come. Krishna revealed that all of them were in Him. He told Arjuna, “I am in the tree that you see. I am in the ocean. I am in the earth. See Me in everything.” Krishna revealed that all that is seen in the phenomenal Universe is within Him.

In this context, the difference between Divinity (as Universal Consciousness) and the Avatar (the Divine in human form) should be understood. The Para Brahman (the Omni-self) is not subject to change. The Avatar has name and form and is liable to change by its own Will. The Omni-self has no name or form. The difference between the two can be illustrated by the example of the Sun and the rays coming from the Sun. There is no difference in substance between the Sun and the Sun’s rays. They are one. Whatever the situation in which the Avatar appears, there is no limitation on the Avatar’s Poornatvam (Omnipotence). Name and form do not circumscribe the total fullness of the Divinity the Avatar (Divine incarnation) manifests. Name and form are self-chosen attributes of the infinite, eternal, ever-pure and Universal Consciousness.

The Divine Pervades The Minutest And The Vastest

Asti, Bhati, Priyam (existence, effulgence and bliss) are the characteristics of the Divine. They, in fact, are the Divine Itself. They are the basis of everything in the Universe. When they are associated with name and form, they acquire a five-fold character. Hence all things in creation are known as Panchaka (objects with five attributes). The world is described as Prapancha because it makes known these five attributes in creation. For the evolution of the Cosmos, the pancha bhutas––(the five elements, ether, air, fire, water and earth)––are needed. To nourish the five elements, the pancha koshas (five sheaths) have to be developed. The sheaths have to be sustained by the pancha pranas (five vital airs). The five vital airs are contained in the Avatar (Divine incarnation). They are: Prana, Apana, Vyana, Udana and Samana (life breath, down-breath). These five vital airs arise from the One that is their source. They originate by the Will of the Chaitanya (Omni-Self).

There is nothing in the Universe without this Chaitanya (Divine principle). From the minutest particle in its most subtle form to the vastest in its amplitude, the Divine pervades the Universe.

Water taken from the ocean, in however small a vessel, has the same quality as the ocean. Likewise, the Avatar, regardless of Its name and form, has the plenitude of the Divine. In every respect, except that of name and form, It is identical with Divinity. When Krishna urged Arjuna, “Surrender to Me, worship Me, offer all your Dharmas to Me, I shall protect and liberate you,” He was speaking with the full consciousness of His Divinity, His Omnipotence, Omniscience and Omnipresence. Only the Divine could have spoken with that assurance.

We Must Recognise The Infinite In The Individual

In the Ramayana, although in many situations Rama appears to act like an ordinary human being, the sage Vashishta, who knew his Atmic Reality, observed “Rama! You are the very embodiment of Dharma (right action). You are not this corporeal entity, made up of flesh and blood. You are not of the earth. You are the Eternal Spirit. The common folk may regard you as an ordinary mortal. But the Yogis (liberated persons) experience you as the Divine upholder of Dharma.” The Ramavataram is the very incarnation of Dharma. ‘Ra’ means “purushatvam” (the quality of manliness), “Maha purushatvam” (super-human quality). “Ma” has also got several meanings. “Rama” symbolises the unity of Prakriti (creation) and Paramatma (the Omniself).

The Cosmos has no duality. Divinity is the union of Prakriti and Paramatma. The Divine manifests in man as an individual entity. We must recognise the Infinite in the individual. The individual multiplied by infinity is God. God must be seen in the infinity of the Cosmos––in the Omnipresence of the Divine.

Purnachandra Auditorium, Prasanthi Nilayam, on 1-10-1984