Avatār Tattva — The Descent
The Fundamental Question
God is all-pervading.
God is all-capable.
Then why descension?
The Primary Truth
God has nothing to gain.
He is complete.
He has no desires.
Therefore—
His descension is not for Himself.
It is for the souls.
It is an expression of His Grace.
Making Attainment Possible
The path to the formless aspect of God is extremely difficult.
Qualification is rare.
Attainment is rarer still.
Therefore, God descends and reveals:
- His names
- His forms
- His virtues
- His pastimes
Through these, the soul receives a means to approach Him.
Reorienting the Mind
The mind is attached to the material world.
This attachment is not new.
It is the result of endless association.
God does not merely instruct the soul to detach.
He provides something higher to attach to.
Through His descension (avatar):
- a Divine form becomes available
- Divine pastimes become available
The mind now has a new direction.
Not a Material Event
God’s descension is Divine.
His body is not material.
His actions are not material.
They appear material
only to the material intellect.
All Descensions Are Complete
Every descension is complete.
There is no lesser or greater God.
Difference lies only in what is revealed.
God appears in infinite forms,
yet the purpose remains one
(see Infinite Forms, One Purpose).
What Is Revealed
God reveals Himself in many descensions.
In each, His qualities are revealed according to the purpose.
In some:
- dharma is established
- majesty is revealed
- liberation is granted
In others:
- intimacy is revealed
- relationship becomes possible
- Divine Love is experienced
In the descension of Sita–Ram,
the ideal of dharma and devotion is established.
In the descension of Radha–Krishna,
Divine Love is revealed in its fullest sweetness.
Those who desire this highest experience
are given that opportunity in that descension.
And when that descension concludes,
they leave behind their names, forms, virtues, pastimes, and abodes—
through which the soul can remember, relate, and attain them.
You choose the form you approach
based on the goal you seek
(see The Levels of Bliss).
What This Resolves
God has nothing to gain.
He does not descend out of need.
He descends out of His nature of Grace.
The soul is bound in the material world—
attached, restless, and dissatisfied,
often not even recognizing its own condition.
Out of causeless Grace,
He reveals Himself.
The Next Inquiry
God reveals Himself and through descensions.
But which form should the devotee attach to?
This depends on the goal of devotion,
and is explored further ahead.