16 August 2025
Saturday
When the Divine comes down as Avatar, whether it be Rama or Krishna, Matsya (fish), Varaha (boar) or Vamana (dwarf), it is only for one purpose! You recognise only momentary results of the advent. But you should note that the Divine comes as Avatar only to teach mankind the truth about love. “Oh man, it is because you lack love and are filled with selfishness that the world is plunging into so much conflict and chaos. It is only when you develop love and the spirit of sacrifice that you will realise the divinity that is in the human.” The man who has no spirit of tyaga (sacrifice) will be a prey to all ills. A man without love is a living corpse. It is love and sacrifice which make man divine. Love alone is the fruit of love. Love is its own witness. There is no trace of self-interest in it. Because love exists for its own sake, it has no fear. It is to teach humanity the way of love that Avatars come into the world.
From Swami’s discourse of 3 September 1988
When the Divine comes down as Avatar, whether it be Rama or Krishna, Matsya (fish), Varaha (boar) or Vamana (dwarf), it is only for one purpose! You recognise only momentary results of the advent. But you should note that the Divine comes as Avatar only to teach mankind the truth about love. “Oh man, it is because you lack love and are filled with selfishness that the world is plunging into so much conflict and chaos. It is only when you develop love and the spirit of sacrifice that you will realise the divinity that is in the human.” The man who has no spirit of tyaga (sacrifice) will be a prey to all ills. A man without love is a living corpse. It is love and sacrifice which make man divine. Love alone is the fruit of love. Love is its own witness. There is no trace of self-interest in it. Because love exists for its own sake, it has no fear. It is to teach humanity the way of love that Avatars come into the world.