Incarnation’s actions denote messages

[dattaswami]

O Learned and Devoted Servants of God,

[May 01, 2011 A devotee asked two questions,

 

1) You told that Shirdi Sai Baba did lot of penance in the early stage. Is it necessary for human incarnation?

 

2) Can there be more than one human incarnation at a time?]

 

 

Swami replied: The very purpose of the human incarnation is to preach the humanity. For this purpose, God takes the human form and behaves like a human being. The behavior itself gives the practical direction to humanity. If God appears in energetic form and gives the message, people will not follow it because there is no practical demonstration by a human being. They will think that the message is practically impossible for human beings. Ofcourse, they will hear the message with lot of reverence to the energetic form with extensive excitation. This extensive excitation may also cause disturbance in receiving the message and understanding it. Jesus also performed penance on a hill for forty days. Both Sai Baba and Jesus preached that a human being should do penance and realize God practically before preaching about God. The penance means the maintenance of faith on God irrespective of severe practical difficulties. Jesus had no food during penance, which was for a short period. Sai Baba took only Margosa leaves for several years during penance. Even Baba did penance in the childhood, which is nothing but the undisturbed faith that He is Sai Baba.

 

There was lot of torture on Baba to divert Him and Baba never changed. You find Lord Shiva always in the posture of meditation closing His eyes. Lord Shiva is God Himself existing in the energetic human form. In such case, what is the goal of His meditation? He is giving the message to the souls in the energetic Modies to meditate upon God in that way. He Himself is the goal of His meditation.

God can exist in different human forms simultaneously as per the various programs meant for the welfare of humanity in different aspects. The intensity of the program also varies as per the different standards of the receiving people. You have Parashurama and Shri Rama as simultaneous human incarnations. Parashurama was very furious to warn the kings from further atrocities. Shri Rama was very peaceful because His goal is to be an example for human beings. Both these are simultaneous programs.

 

Even a human being does two types of activities at a time. In such case, why not the omnipotent God? Shirdi Sai Baba was very rough and tough since He preached the villagers. Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was very soft since He preached the educated public of city. Both are simultaneous human incarnations. It is impossible for a human being having spatial dimensions to exist in different houses, which have large spatial dimensions. But, God has no spatial dimensions and hence, can exist in different human forms, which have spatial dimensions.

 

Here, to some extent, you can take the simile of current existing in different wires performing different activities. Simultaneously, the current generates sound in T.V., light in a bulb and mechanical motion in a fan. You can take this simile to a great extent because many good aspects of comparison are covered. But, there are limitations even to this simile. Current is a chain of electrons, which may be treated as particles or waves. But, God is not a chain of particles or waves. Both particles and waves have spatial dimensions and hence, current also has spatial dimensions. Therefore, current is quantitatively divided in different instruments but God has no spatial dimensions and such quantitative division is not possible in the case of God.