Avatâras: Four lectures delivered at the twenty-fourth anniversary; meeting of the Theosophical Society at Adyar, Madras,; December, 1899Besant, Annie
Religion
Avatâras: Four lectures delivered at the twenty-fourth anniversary; meeting of the Theosophical Society at Adyar, Madras,; December, 1899
Besant, Annie
Avatars (Religion); Theosophy
Now my reason for mentioning this is to explain one word that has
puzzled many students. Mahâviṣhṇu, the great Viṣhṇu, why
that particular epithet? What does it mean when that phrase is used? It
means the great solar Logos, Viṣhṇu in His essential nature: but
there is a reflection of His glory, a reflection of His power, of His
love, in more immediate connection with ourselves and our own world. He
is His representative, as a viceroy may represent the king. Some of the
Avatâras we shall find came forth from Mahâviṣhṇu through the
planetary Logos, who is concerned with our evolution and the evolution
of the world. But the Pûrṇâvatâra that I spoke of yesterday comes
forth directly from Mahâviṣhṇu, with no intermediary between
Himself and the world that He comes to help. Here is another distinction
between the Pûrṇâvatâra and those more limited ones, that I could not
mention yesterday, because the words used would, at that stage, have
been unintelligible. We shall find to-morrow, when we come to deal with
the Avatâras Matsya, Kûrma, and so on, that these special Avatâras,
connected with the evolution of certain types in the world, while
indirectly from Mahâviṣhṇu, come through the mediation of His
mighty representative for our own chain, the wondrous Intelligence that
conveys His love and ministers His will, and is the channel of His
all-pervading and supporting power. When we come to study Shrî
Kṛiṣhṇa we shall find that there is no intermediary. He stands
as the Supreme Himself. And while in the other cases there is the
Presence that may be recognised as an intermediary, it is absent in the
case of the great Lord of Life.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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