avatar and GYAnI (was Re: "Jagat satya!")

[Ashish Chandra]

On Mon, 22 Jul 2002 09:28:53 -0700, S Jayanarayanan <sjayana at YAHOO.COM>
wrote:
>
>Ramana Maharshi once narrated the story of how Rama
>was crying out for Sita after she was kidnapped by
>Ravana. Seeing Rama behave this way, Parvati said to
>Shiva, "I don't understand why people think Rama is a
>great person when he is crying aloud for his wife like
>an ordinary man." Shiva replied, "Rama is the supreme
>being, and is merely acting like a man, you may test
>him if you wish." So Parvati puts on the guise of Sita
>and appears before Rama. Rama smiles at her and asks,
>"Parvati, what are you doing here? Where is Shambhu?"
>Parvati is ashamed and tells Rama that she wanted to
>test him. Rama then asks her to return to Kailasa,
>saying, "We are all thinking of Shiva all the time."
>
>The story shows how an avatar may sometimes act like
>an ordinary person, but in reality is not bound by
>actions.
>

Just one correction Kartik. It is not Parvati that Shiva is addressing, and
who later assumes the form of Sitaji, it is Sati, daughter of Daksha
Prajapati. It is because of Sati assuming the form of Sita, the beloved
wife of Shri Rama who even Shiva worships, that Shiva decided that he would
not treat Sati as his wife anymore even though he will not tell her to
leave Him. Sati later goes to the Yajna of Daksha Prajapati and seeing that
there were no offerings to her Lord Shiva, she jumps in the Yajna and is
burnt. She is re-born as Parvati in the house of Himavan.

namaste
ashish