Swami Satyananda Saraswati – Yoga-Vedanta, December 1955
When one is able to carefully review and assess the code of ethics and morality which govern daily life, one spontaneously achieves spiritual attainments. This is because a person who is pure in heart has an introverted conscious- ness, there is a strong faith in the spirit and it is this faith which makes it possible to realize satya, eternal truth.
Does it behove a worldly person to use siddhis, attainments of saints and adepts, in order to fulfil material desires? Is it the duty of aspirants to blindly chase after siddhis? Is it the dharma of saints to use their siddhis for selfish gain? Is the vain display of spiritual attainment an appropriate characteristic of saintly behaviour?
Only such a saint has rightly understood the importance of attainments who does not misuse them in any manner, neither for a positive nor negative effect. Rather the attainments are applied to help further an aspirant’s progress along the spiritual path and not for mundane, material and immediate profit, so that aspirants can be prevented from falling prey to the web of this temptation. This is the true mark of selflessness and sacrifice of a saint.
Yesterday I have told you that there is no god. The intention behind saying so was to draw your attention to the fact that an image created by your immature and shallow emotions cannot be the true identity of the divine. So I say again – that god is not the god who is the product of either your or my baser, materialistic emotions. In order to know and understand god, one has to be able to rise above ordinary, mundane emotions and perceive god from a higher, divine framework.
We perceive special beings as avatars or incarnations not because they are truly an incarnation of the divine, rather it is because we are not able to imagine anyone above and beyond those whom we already accept as an avatar. If we come across anyone who goes beyond our understanding of divinity, we will accept them as avatars.
Bedazzled by the thousands of bright lights shining in the cities, we will naturally be attracted to that light which shines brighter than all the others. Similarly, we will only be drawn towards the divine glow which pervades creation when it emanates from a concentrated, effulgent source which is distinct and special. This is the real meaning of ‘avatar’.