आमुख

Among the created living beings of this world, the human birth is best due to its endowment with the special quality of the power of discrimination between good and bad, eternal and non-eternal. However, the perceived physical bodies of human beings are all non-eternal; they are in the grip of numerous births and deaths, and are subject to many other drawbacks. If the physical body is non-eternal, then the body’s sense organs must also be non-eternal; whatever is perceived by non-eternal sense organs must also be non-eternal. Therefore, if there should be any eternal entity, it must exist beyond the comprehension of human material non-eternal sense organs.

Furthermore, beyond the existence of the physical body, a human being can directly feel the existence of mind, intellect and perverted ego. As the human being is of a finite nature, it naturally follows that his mental and intellectual capacity will also be finite. The existence of perverted ego can be perceived by the presence of specific thoughts such as thinking that one belongs to this or that country; this or that religion; that one speaks this or that language or belongs to this or that group, etc. It may be questioned whether after the death of the physical body there is the existence of any such national, religious or language group—in fact, it may be pertinent to ask whether everything is destroyed, or if there is the existence of a subtle body consisting of mind, intelligence and perverted ego, or even beyond that, the existence of an eternal entity.

If human beings are to be considered non-eternal then how is it that they desire eternal existence, knowledge and bliss? Human beings devoid of the attributes of eternal existence, knowledge and bliss logically cannot express the desire to live in this world eternally, to attain complete knowledge and complete bliss.

Indian saints belonging to the theistic spiritual category have a long heritage of research and experience to support a definitive answer to this question. To understand their realisation in regard to this, it is essential that one be acquainted with their use of words or “terminology.” The following are references from the Oxford Dictionary:

Terminology: a system of terms used in a particular subject; the science of proper use of terms.

Term: a word used to express a definite concept, especially in a branch of study, etc.

To gain accurate knowledge of any subject, one should be well acquainted with the terminology used for that subject. In the same manner, to gain accurate knowledge, or more specifically, to gain accurate realisation of Indian theistic spiritualism, one should be rightly acquainted with the terminology used in it. According to the New Oxford Dictionary:

Incarnation (n): a person who embodies in the flesh, a deity, spirit or abstract quality. Rama was Vishnu’s incarnation on earth. (1) the incarnation (in Christian theology) the embodiment of God, the son in human flesh as Jesus Christ. (2) (with reference to reincarnation) one of a series of lifetimes, which a person spends on earth: In my next incarnation, I’d like to be the Minister of Fun.

Incarnate (adjective) [often postpositive]: (especially of a deity or spirit) embodied in flesh, in human form: God incarnate | He chose to be incarnate in man. [postpositive] represented in the ultimate or most extreme form: here is capitalism incarnate. (verb): embody or represent (a deity or spirit) in human form: the idea that God incarnates Himself in man.

Flesh: Soft substance between skin and bones; body as opposed to mind or soul; visible surface of the human body.

Avatāra literally means “avataraṇa,” or God’s descent on earth. God (the Supreme Lord) is all-existence, all-knowledge and all-bliss, and therefore His avatāra (descent) is also eternal.

In this material universe we perceive apparently limitless non-eternal planets, so it is possible for the Supreme Lord to have infinite spiritual transcendental realms. Therefore, there are infinite transcendental forms of the Supreme Lord to preside over these realms. Because the Supreme Lord is infinite, everything about Him is also infinite. God has created countless species according to His plan. He has created fish in this world in accordance with the form of the Eternal Fish God; species of tortoise in accordance with the Eternal Tortoise God; species of boar in accordance with the Eternal Boar God, and so on. It should never be said that Bhagavān (God, the possessor of all opulences) has appeared as a fish in accordance with the created non-eternal species of this world. Therefore, the word “incarnation” should not be used as the meaning of the Sanskrit word avatāra. “Descent” may be used, but it will be better if one adopts avatāra. The word “descent” is also used in the Oxford Dictionary for avatāra.

Śrīla Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura, who in his elaborate Anubhāṣya commentary on Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Ādi-līlā, Chapter 5, refers to many scriptural evidences of Brahma-saṁhitā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Mahābhārata, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī’s Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta and others, has stated: “All forms of Paramātmā Hari (the Supreme Lord) are eternal and They appear in this world repeatedly. These Divine Forms are devoid of all the defects of the material non-eternal forms produced by the material energy of this world. The Supreme Lord is the transcendental condensed form of all-existence, all-knowledge and all-bliss (it is better to say that these Divine Forms appear and disappear within different universes at different times because They have no birth or death like material bodies).”

There are many such words derived from Sanskrit derived that have no equivalent expression in the English language. Sometimes, when people do not understand Indian spiritual words, they immediately remark that these words are archaic or belong to the realm of mythology. Of all the infinite spiritual forms of God, Kṛṣṇa is the highest. Kṛṣṇa is the Original Bhagavān in whom all mellows of delightful relations exist.

The Supreme Lord, the Ultimate Reality, is always existing. Human beings are finite beings. If one accepts that human beings can determine their own cause by means of the material senses, material mind or material intellect, then that will be a mentally or intellectually concocted thing. That will not be Reality. If Reality is in fact Reality, then He must always exist. We are to find the way to see the Truth, to realise the Truth. He cannot be manufactured in the factory of human mental or intellectual capacity.

Western philosophers also corroborate that the criterion of the Absolute is that it is “for Itself and by Itself”. Indian saints say “He” instead of “It,” so therefore, the Absolute is “for Himself and by Himself.” Nobody can know Him by adopting a challenging mood. He is unchallengeable self-effulgent Truth. He can be realised only by His own grace, and grace descends only to a completely surrendered soul. Hence, Ultimate Reality descends. He who descends is called avatāra. The word avatāra is used by self-realised souls as per evidence found in the authentic scriptures.