Daily Readings from the Works of Swami Venkatesananda


Insights and Inspirations (Venkatesa Daily Readings Vol 2) — The Divine Incarnation

October 13, 2022

The Divine Incarnation

Gurudev Swami Sivananda      All the descriptions of gods and demons, heavens and hells and so on are just figures of speech, there is nothing in it. If you want to go to heaven, please do, but if the Scriptures can be trusted, these gods are in constant fear of being dethroned and of demons hunting them out. Just as the earth is revolving, heaven and hell also seem to be revolving. For a few years all so-called gods rule the heavens and then comes a revolution and the demons are ruling the heavens. The Scriptures say that periodically the demons invaded the heavens and drove the gods away. Quite possible.

      The gods are radiant, they have the support, the grace and the blessing of God. How is it that they can be driven out by demons? Once you feel that you are supported and protected you become arrogant and evil. This is the great danger. You become arrogant and vicious and therefore weak, so that the demons come and attack you and drive you out. This is one interpretation. Another interpretation is also possible. The divas are ruling the heavens and with the passage of time they become more and more arrogant. They are the demons, and where they live becomes hell. It need not be a very specially assigned corner of the universe, but where the majority of people are vicious that itself is hell.

      This divine power — Durga, Christ, Buddha, whatever you wish to call it — when it descends into the world of diversity, has only one aim, only one purpose. For the destruction of evil God incarnates Himself again and again and again. It does not mean that since we are performing all the ceremonies, pujas and so on we are the saved ones. There is no protection at all against wickedness. Wickedness must be removed, and if you examine yourself very carefully, you will see that all viciousness, wickedness and weakness spring from this one single, simple word — 'mine'. It is only grace that can remove it. Can I, on that score, neglect to do anything? Then I am accepting and rationalizing this mineness. So I have to struggle hard against it and then come to the precipice where I say, "Lord, not my will, Thy will be done. I don't know how to deal with this. I have done everything possible to overcome it. It is not possible for me. 'Me' cannot  overcome 'mine'." It is then that there is an incarnation of this divine power within you and that which was not there is realized to be not there.

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