[Dt:28/09/2003]
Articles by Debabrata Satpath [New-Delhi]
UNIVERSAL MANIFESTATION OF THE AVATAR
Last year, I attended the Young Adult Sahavas in Avatar Meher Baba Centre, Delhi. Over breakfast, one of the young Baba Lovers asked," When do you think Beloved Baba is going to manifest universally"? I thought about the question for some time. At that time I had not read much about the Universal Manifestation of the Highest of the High. But I was certain that it is not the gross form of the Avatar that manifests universally. When the Divine Purpose, for which the Avatar descends on the earth, is fulfilled with optimum effect, we can say that Universal Manifestation of the Avatar has taken place.
To understand the divine Purpose of the Avatar, one has to dwell upon the concept of creation. Due to a Divine Thought of God, the whole creation starts functioning. Every individual soul in the creation that is part of the universal soul, starts identifying itself with the gross form, it is attached with. This is called the state of illusion of the soul. The soul has to again recognize itself as part of the universal soul, that is, it has to again realize that it is in fact God. But as the soul thinks itself to be the gross body it is attached with, it remains in illusion. In this illusion every individual soul starts playing in the game of creation.
Now every action by the individual souls is due to two aspects of God. The two aspects are "God’s Divine Will" and "God’s Divine Wish". There is no escape from God’s Will. Whatever happens, whether good or evil, pleasant or unpleasant and whether we like it or not, happens as per the Divine Will of God. The more important aspect is the Divine Wish. With His Divine Wish, God wishes that the souls again identify themselves as God. For this, God wishes that the individual soul should act in a systematic manner. This defines the differentiation between Virtues and Vice. To again recognize itself as God, every individual soul that is under illusion has to first start loving God. Love for God opens many doors and the soul progresses towards its goal.
The Divine Purpose of the Avatar, when He descends with a gross body is to inculcate the Love for God in the individual souls that are in illusion. Gradually, with his Grace, 0the love turns into intense longing for God and this propels the individual soul in the path for its goal.
Avatar Meher Baba had described about His purpose and Universal Manifestation, the essence of which is," I am the Ocean of Love. All the rivers (religions) have to come and merge themselves in the Ocean of Love. Now the rivers are dry, as pure love for God has given way to the dry customs and religious practices. I will fill the rivers with love for God and then the rivers will come unto me and merge with me. The whole world will come to know about the Ocean of Love and that will be my Universal Manifestation." The eradication of illusion of the individual souls and reinstating of pure love for God is the soul purpose of the Avatar. When the fulfillment of this purpose is at its zenith, the Universal Manifestation of the Avatar takes place.
It is worthwhile to mention here that love for God means selfless and desire-less love. This love should be complemented with complete surrender to His "Divine Will" and meticulous adherence to His "Divine Wish". When we completely surrender to "God’s Will", then we accept everything and complain about nothing, as everything that happens is as per His "Will". When we meticulously adhere to "God’s Wish", we love God selflessly. When we start loving God selflessly, we start loving every other soul selflessly and thus fulfill His "Divine Wish".
Beloved Baba had said," I am unmindful of all the qualifications you have. The only qualification I want you to have is love." Again Baba had said," I give you all my love so that some day you can love God as He ought to be loved."
Let us all understand the true meaning of the Universal Manifestation of the Avatar of the age, Avatar Meher Baba and start loving God in the true sense as follows:
WE ARE LOVING GOD IF….
*WE FEEL FOR OTHERS IN THE SAME WAY AS WE FEEL
FOR OUR OWN DEAR ONES;
*IF INSTEAD OF SEEING FAULTS IN OTHERS, WE LOOK
WITHIN OURSELVES;
*IF INSTEAD OF ROBBING OTHERS TO HELP OURSELVES,
WE ROB OURSELVES TO HELP OTHERS;
*IF WE SUFFER IN THE SUFFERING OF OTHERS AND FEEL
HAPPY IN THE HAPPINESS OF OTHERS;
*IF INSTEAD OF WORRYING OVER OUR OWN MISFORTUNES,
WE THINK OURSELVES MORE FORTUNATE
THAN MANY OTHERS;
*IF WE ENDURE OUR LOT WITH PATIENCE AND
CONTENTMENT, ACCEPTING IT AS HIS WILL;
*IF WE UNDERSTAND AND FEEL THAT THE GREATEST ACT
OF DEVOTION AND WORSHIP TO GOD IS NOT TO HURT
OR HARM ANY OF HIS BEINGS;
WE ARE LOVING GOD.
Debabrata Satpath
Email:
[email protected]
DESTINY AND THE LAWS OF NATURE
By Debabrata Satpathy
From primordial times, we, the human beings, compelled by our inherent attribute of inquisitiveness have been pursuing with the incessant endeavor to find out " what is destiny?". The manifestation of AVATARS and SADGURUS in different ages and their lucid demonstration on practice of Selfless Love, Truth, Faith, Patience etc. to overcome the barriers of destiny has not been able to dissuade us from this egoistic quest. This humble peace of writing aims at endowing ourselves with some assistance in this unending expedition.
Destiny in a particular incarnation is the reflection of our 'Karma' in our previous incarnations. We are bestowed with different phases of misery and joy in our lives as per our 'Karma' in the previous births.
When we take birth on this earth and our souls descend with a material body, we automatically make ourselves subject to the Laws of Nature i.e. the Law of Supplement and the Law of Complement. As per these laws, the nature reacts in direct proportionality with the way we craft our deeds. For example, if one has, by sacrificing one's own interest helped others in educating their children then one's own child will definitely get well educated and will prosper. This is a classic example of the Law of Complement of nature. So due to the Laws of Nature we reap as we sow in the same birth.
It is apparent from the above that Destiny decides the periodicity, while the Laws of Nature decide the mode of our joys and sorrows in a particular incarnation. To cite an example, suppose, as per Destiny one is fated to pass through a phase of misery during a particular period in one's life. If the same person was instrumental in putting somebody else's marital life into misery, then in that particular phase of life he will have a very desolate marital life.
Therefore, both the schools of thought that "in a particular incarnation we have to bear the consequences of our deeds in past incarnations" and " as we sow the seeds of our deed in a particular birth, we have to reap the results accordingly in the same birth", are explicitly true.
The essence of the discussion till now is, by our Karma we ourselves build our Destiny. The most blissful outcome from Destiny and Laws of Nature can be, to find the Beloved God. As our Karma gets cleansed, we inch closer towards the ultimate blissful joy. Thus we have to keep the ultimate divine pleasure in our consciousness and carry on with our endeavor of cleansing our Karma. Once we set ourselves forth in that journey, we will definitely understand the importance of Love, Truth, Patience, Faith etc., as propagated by the AVATARS and the SADGURUS in different ages. These are the means, without which the goal of 'Karma Sudhi' cannot be attained and till the time we do not prepare ourselves to practice these attributes in the real sense, the supreme bliss as explicated above will elude us. Then again and again, incarnation after incarnation we will find ourselves entangled in the lattice of Destiny and Laws of Nature.
Therefore, for cleansing of our Karma, there is a definite requirement of practicing the abovementioned traits to the optimum. If that was not so, then Avatar Meher Baba would not have quoted saying, " I have not come to teach, I have come to awaken". With the awakening of the heart, we understand the importance of putting the said attributes into practice. Then we edge closer towards the ultimate bliss and with the Benign Grace of Baba, go beyond Destiny and the Laws of Nature.
Debabrata Satpathy
I-156, Laxmi Nagar,
Garhwali Mohalla,
Delhi-100092
Ph:(011)22022432
[email protected]
AVATAR AND THE CAUSE OF HIS MANIFESTATION
By Debabrata Satpathy
From time immemorial, the verses from various religious and spiritual scriptures have elaborately dwelt upon one word: 'AVATAR'. Some have
described Him as God and some as God Realized man. Some have explained Him as 'Anant' ( endless ) and some as human beings. This humble peace of writing doesn't intend to add yet another version to the many efforts that have already been made in trying to explain the concept. It is only a layman 's version of understanding of what the AVATAR wishes to do when He manifests Himself. It is also a truth that the intellect tries to explain, whereas there is a need of awakening of the heart and soul!
Whenever an AVATAR has descended Himself on the earth, He has made Himself perceived by everybody as an ordinary mortal, except to some chosen souls. Silently He comes and moves amongst people, showers His Benevolent Love and quietly leaves behind His mortal body. The AVATAR never tries to teach, rather he sets examples. The examples are intended to make everybody know, 'how to really carry on with the terrestrial duties and still find God'. When the AVATAR unfolds His store of benign Love, every myth and mystery regarding God Realisation and Self Realisation seems murky. When the AVATAR acts, there is no requirement of any sermons or preaching. The seeds of Selfless Love are implanted in the deepest core of the hearts of people and the resulting plants spurt in the nature of cleansing of the 'Karma'.
Destiny, in a particular incarnation is nothing but the reflection of one's 'Karma' in many previous incarnations. Avatar Meher Baba once said, ' I never change your destiny. I purify your 'Karma' to such an extent that your destiny automatically changes. Just Love me and I am there to take you in the path of no retreat.' So an AVATAR never teaches how to find God. He only bestows upon one the gift of 'Love with selflessness' and then one automatically finds one's path to God.
Sai Baba of Shirdi, while in mortal body begged for His food till His Maha Samadhi. He everyday distributed whatever He got from 'Viksha' and remained a 'Fakir' forever. Detachment from the material objects, while being surrounded by them is what he exemplified throughout the time He was bearing His mortal body. He never preached or taught anything. If one goes through 'Sai Satcharitra', the Bible for all Sai Devotees, one can find that each and every incident had some divine teachings. If one compiles all those divine wisdom then surprisingly one would find that a very lucid and simplified version of the teachings of Bahagwad Gita has spout!
Therefore it is better to adhere to the principle of Selfless Love, as propagated by all the Perfect Masters and AVATARs, rather than pursuing with our egoistic quest for God. It is the nature of the human intellect to start a quest, but it is the heart, which can awaken and can be the abode of God. So we should take the help of the heart and keep it ever clean and pious to make it worthy of Him. Nothing but Selfless Love can make our hearts worthy of Him.
Debabrata Satpathy
I-156, Laxmi Nagar,
Garhwali Mohalla,
Delhi-100092
Ph:(011)22022432
[email protected]