The Hindu : Purpose of God's incarnations

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 28, 2002

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

Purpose of God's incarnations

CHENNAI DEC. 28 . While scholars have properly explained the esoteric significance of every episode in our scriptural literature, at times some of them appear to be strange and unbelievable. This makes a few even to ridicule such happenings and criticise why they have been incorporated at all. For instance, they wish to know why God, described as all-powerful, should have assumed the form of a fish (considered as one of the ten major incarnations of Lord Vishnu)? Such persons, out of ignorance or impudence, may even ask, "why not as some other animal"? Such a question was raised even when the Bhagavatam was being recited, requesting the narrator to state why this mode of descent out of the Lord's wonderful creative energy was made.

The sage's reply referred to God's millions of creations of different types. He has no likes or dislikes nor shows any favouritism. He has caused the appearance of a charming human being as well as a ferocious looking uncouth man, a lovely deer and a cunning fox, a cuckoo with a fine voice as against the crow and the wind, which carries fragrant as well as unpleasant smell. He is the indweller of all creations and has the power to do anything at any time. A mischievous man once sought to know from a saintly person who had composed a hymn with crores of God's names whether he could give the meaning and recite all of them. When the devotee started reciting one by one, the ignorant man vanished.

In a discourse, Sri P.M. Vijayaraghava Sastrigal said there came about an occasional dissolution of the universe when the ocean washed away the three worlds. The powerful demon Hayagriva (so called because of his having the head of a horse), who chanced to be near Brahma, stole away the Vedas. Perceiving this action, the Almighty took the form of a fish and retrieved them for the sake of humanity. At that time a royal sage was performing his austerities when the fish landed on his palm. It grew into one of enormous size and was let in the ocean as a huge aquatic animal. God's act in having brought back the Vedas was to promote the welfare of all beings and hence He took this form to slay the demon. The sage prayed that God was the beloved of all creatures, their soul and the Inner Ruler and yet the world, its intelligence clouded, its mind addicted to pleasure does not understand His greatness. The "Matsya Puranam" contains details about this incarnation.

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