From a satsang with Paramacharya of SWAHA, H. H. Pundit Hardeo Persad
In the Bhagavad Gita, it is stated that whenever unrighteousness is on the ascendant and righteousness is on the decline, the Lord manifests Himself from age to age. The Lord gave three compelling reasons why He manifested:
- To destroy adharma or unrighteousness;
- To restore dharma or righteousness; and
- For the protection of his devotees.
Whenever circumstances exist where these three factors are fulfilled, the Lord manifests Himself. There are generally considered to be 24 manifestations. These are called Leela Avataar. There are 10 major manifestations and 14 minor ones. The Buddha is usually included as a divine manifestation since Hinduism is an inclusive religion that seeks to promote the essential ‘oneness’ in all the Lord’s avataars. While there may be differences in the documented number of avataars, the concept remains that God manifests Himself on earth from time to time for the sake of all humanity.
The most recent Hindu avataar was Shree Krishna, thousands of years ago. He manifested on earth during the reign of King Kans as Leela Purshottam, Bhagavan Shree Krishna. He was born at midnight on a dark night in order to bring his devotees into the light. He performed many wonderful leelas (Divine activities) during this manifestation. The three factors necessary for His manifestation were in existence: adharma was rising, dharma was declining and His devotees were traumatized. They had no alternative but to turn their attention in prayer towards the Lord to seek his timely intervention.
The Lord is very easy to please; He does not wish that his devotees be in a state of discomfort. We must reflect upon his many Divine plays; this is one of the safest, best, surest means of removing maayaa jaal (the net of delusion) which binds us to this world. It is one of the easiest means to free oneself from bondage to the cycle of birth and death. When the Lord manifested, He enacted various leelas and they have been documented so that we may reflect upon them, identify with them and free ourselves from such bondage.
The Ramayan says the Lord is infinite and His glories are infinite; however, we live in a finite world where we are all limited. Yet, even in a limited way we can reflect upon His glories. The Lord manifests Himself based on time, place and circumstances. However, it is my firm belief that He can manifest any moment, anytime, anywhere, dependent upon the call of His devotees once the conditions are right. In other words, He should be a part of our personal lives. We need not wait for the onset of one of the purer ages for His manifestation: Satyug, Tretayug or Dwaparyug. In Kalyug, He can manifest at any time but it depends upon our devoted call. We must ask, how do His leelas apply to me? Are the conditions right for the Lord to manifest?
We must ask Him to manifest within this earthly body. The Vedas proclaim: “Yatha Pinde Tatha Brahmande.” All that exists in the macrocosm, the external universe, also exists in the microcosm, the body. Within us the negative forces exist based on the negative conditioning that we have experienced. In our bodies, the nadis are challenged and the energy does not flow smoothly. We are buffeted by the senses, the gyaan indriyas, and the distractions of the world. The Lord is the only one that can restore that mountain of mental advancement. He can uplift it within us as He did thousands of years ago to save the devotees of Brindavan. Today, we ask that He perform His Divine activities within us. As we go through the forest of the world process, let us invite the Lord into our hearts. We pray that He listens to our call of bhakti (devotion). We need to return to our true nature of Divinity, the manifestation of the Lord in our hearts and lives.
