10 September 2026
Thursday
Man is an amalgam of humanity, animality, and Divinity. It is a tragedy if he cannot get rid of the animality; it is a greater tragedy if he cannot cultivate his Divinity. Contemplation of the Rama and Krishna Avatars and their leelas (Divine plays) and mahimas (miracle powers) is the surest method of cultivating the Divine in man. Before every incarnation, two collaborators for the task on which the incarnation comes also appear - the Mayashakti (deluding power) and Yogashakti (power of communion with the Divine). Maya comes as the elder sister to warn the wicked; Yoga comes as the elder brother to enthuse and keep constant company. Maya thrust Kamsa deeper and deeper into perdition, so that his downfall would be more terrible and educative. But, in this Kali age, the wicked have to be reformed and reconstructed through love and compassion. That is why this Avatar has come unarmed. It has come with the message of love. The only weapon, which can transform the vile and the vicious, is the Name of the Lord uttered with Love.
From Swami’s discourse of 28 July 1967
Also on words from this discourse: The Serpent in the Lake of the Mind, 8 September 2026
Man is an amalgam of humanity, animality, and Divinity. It is a tragedy if he cannot get rid of the animality; it is a greater tragedy if he cannot cultivate his Divinity. Contemplation of the Rama and Krishna Avatars and their leelas (Divine plays) and mahimas (miracle powers) is the surest method of cultivating the Divine in man. Before every incarnation, two collaborators for the task on which the incarnation comes also appear - the Mayashakti (deluding power) and Yogashakti (power of communion with the Divine). Maya comes as the elder sister to warn the wicked; Yoga comes as the elder brother to enthuse and keep constant company. Maya thrust Kamsa deeper and deeper into perdition, so that his downfall would be more terrible and educative. But, in this Kali age, the wicked have to be reformed and reconstructed through love and compassion. That is why this Avatar has come unarmed. It has come with the message of love. The only weapon, which can transform the vile and the vicious, is the Name of the Lord uttered with Love.