22  Incarnations and the Avatars TC  "22  Incarnations and the Avatars" \l 1

Water cannot run up a mountain, it has to flow down a mountain. There are certain laws of nature that constitute this universe, and the universe functions according to those laws of nature. But when an imbalance occurs so that, through unnatural means, you try to pump water up the hill rather than allow it to flow down the hill, then the Avatar manifests himself in human form. For who could touch the minds and hearts of man, but another man—the Son of Man. That is the Avatar.

When the Incarnation comes to right the balance at various points in the universe, he is not ridding the universe of samskaras. Being of light (or sattvic) nature, he infuses, by his very presence and teachings, the sattvic, subtler, purer values of love into the darkness that exists.

A person says, “My religion says no one can be saved except through Jesus Christ.” I say, “Yes, that is true. There is no salvation on earth except through Christ.” But what do we mean by Christ? I do not talk of the man called Jesus. I talk of that which is called Christ—Christ consciousness. To say that you can only reach Divinity through Christ is very true. There’s a matter of terminology here, for Buddha consciousness, Christ consciousness, and Krishna consciousness mean but the same. Different words are used because of different cultures, but basically we are referring to pure consciousness, which has been embodied to teach the world.

Christ consciousness means that consciousness to which man has to aspire, and that is the true meaning of the words, “No man goes to the Father but through me.” It means: Reach the stage of consciousness that I have reached, and you become one with the Father.

All the karmic and dharmic values of this world form a certain demand. The magnetism radiated by this planet automatically pulls down someone who is inclined to help—it brings down that personage to the earth to help. That is what is meant by avatars.

There is no difference between Krishna consciousness and Christ consciousness. It is the same consciousness, and everyone can say, “I have that consciousness.” But not everyone can say, “I express that consciousness.” That is why it is said that Christ lives eternally, Krishna lives eternally, and Buddha lives eternally—because that Divine Consciousness is eternal. From time to time, when the world needs it, that very Consciousness embodies itself to help the world.

When we say the Eternal Wanderer, it would apparently imply that such a being has no peace because he is wandering around. But within his very wandering there is peace itself—that is why an Incarnation is so difficult for the ordinary mind to understand.

When that totality of emanation (known as the Incarnation) has to go to another planet where beings exist in a different form, then he has to embody himself in that form, because it is only the embodied form that can provide the impulse to another who is also embodied.

The Avatar is in a state of equilibrium and forever will remain in the state of equilibrium. He is the Master who controls the three gunas because he has risen above the gunas.

The Buddha or the Christ or Krishna retains a very fine or slight sense of individuality, and yet knows simultaneously the universality of it all. Those great Masters have the choice of merging away into the void or being born again and again in different forms, shapes, and sizes, in different climes and times. They come to teach, and to bring the message home.

The void, the Impersonal, is too neutral. That is why there are personal gods to whom love and devotion may be given. When you give love and devotion to the personal God, you are not doing him a favor; he doesn’t need it. You are doing it to develop love and devotion within yourself.

These great Incarnations cannot be judged. When Jesus went to the inns and had a glass of wine, it did not mean he was not that Christ Consciousness.

The important thing about the man called Jesus was the spirit of his, called Christ. What we are interested in is not the man Jesus, but the consciousness within him, that Christ Consciousness. It was Jesus the man that cried out, “Father, why hast thou forsaken me?” But Christ never said that, because Christ was one with the Father all the time.

One thing that hurts me very much is that our beloved Jesus is always portrayed with tears running down his cheeks. One thing I can tell you that he was one of the most cheerful men on earth. He said, “Be of good cheer.” And Jesus would not preach anything which he did not practice. Remember that. So let’s be of good cheer and let’s laugh.

Who enjoys himself most in this universe? The Incarnation. For him, everything is play.

A teacher like Christ serves so many purposes. He brings forth into the world that pure consciousness that brings about a balance. He inspires people towards that pure consciousness, and by the shakti that emanates from him, affects and touches the pure consciousness within people around him. He ignites and sets off the spark. And then you have to fan it, so that it can grow into a raging fire of love.

The Incarnation is none else but a Bringer of Light. He is light, born of light, born of the superconscious state. By his choice he can merge away into the Absolute. Yet he chooses to sit on the fence and help humankind.

Jesus only had about five hundred sincere followers. The rest came afterwards when the great men of the church started organizing.

Jesus the man and Jesus the Christ are different entities, and yet the Christ is embodied in the body of Jesus.

The Incarnation is the embodiment of all the samskaras of the universe, but at its most pure, subtle, sattvic level. That Incarnation emits great power and force in the form of love and of any of the other great virtues that you can imagine.