Preparing for the Miraculous

the kalki avatar 239The same point was made in the 1930s to Sri Auro bindo,who had to state: “The Divine when he takes on the burdenof terrestrial nature, takes it fully, sincerely, and withoutany conjuring tricks or pretence.” 12 “X seems to say thatthere is no way and no possibility of following [the exampleof the Avatar], that the struggles and sufferings of theAvatar are unreal and all humbug – there is no possibility ofstruggle for one who represents the Divine. Such a conceptionmakes nonsense of the whole idea of Avatarhood; thereis then no reason in it, no necessity in it, no meaning in it.The Divine being all-powerful can lift people up withoutbothering to come down to earth. It is only if it is part of theworld-arrangement that he should take upon himself theburden of humanity and open the Way that Avatarhood hasany meaning.” 13“If the Avatars are shams, they have no value for othersnor any true effect, Avatarhood becomes perfectly irrationaland unreal and meaningless. The Divine does not need tosuffer or struggle for himself; if he takes on these things itis in order to bear the world-burden and help the worldand men; and if the sufferings and struggles are to be ofany help, they must be real. A sham or falsehood cannothelp. They must be as real as the struggles and sufferingsof men themselves – the Divine bears them and at the sametime shows the way out of them. Otherwise his assumptionof human nature has no meaning and no utility and novalue. What is the use of admitting Avatarhood if you takeall the meaning out of it?” 14 If an Avatar did only seem totake upon himself the struggles and sufferings of mankind“all I have done or the Mother has done is a mere sham –sufferings, struggles, conquests, defeats, the Way formed,12 Sri Aurobindo: On Himself, p. 154.13 Sri Aurobindo: Letters on Yoga, pp. 408-409.14 Id., pp. 411-412.