[Advaita-l] Chandrashekara Saraswati acharya on avatars

[Kaushik Chevendra]

In the book "acharyas call" shri chandrashekara saraswati acharya says-
"It is against this background that Sri Krishna delivers His message
contained in the fourth chapter. In a past age, Bhagavan says, He had given
this message to the world through Vivasvaan, the Sun, and He was now again
giving the secret of this Yoga to Arjuna, because he has surrendered
himself to Him as a devotee (Bhakta) and also as a friend (Sakha). This
created for Arjuna the natural difficulty of associating Sri Krishna with
Bhagavan, who first gave this message to the Sun. This doubt raised by
Arjuna was cleared by Bhagavan by giving him a glimpse of His real nature,
through the memorable verses in the Fourth chapter. He also lets Arjuna
into the secret of His Avatars, as stated in the often-quoted verse:

Yadaa yadaahi dharmasya glaanirbhavati bhaarata
Abhyutthaanam adharmasya tadaatmaanam srijaamyaham.

The main point to be noted is that He is born from time to time to save
humanity from perishing, by arresting its course along the wrong path and
guiding its feet again along the right path. When we say He is born, we
have to bear in mind one important difference. Bhagavan Himself proclaims
that He has neither beginning nor end (birth or death), and the He is the
Supreme Isvara of the Universe. So, He is not born in the ordinary sense,
but born out of his own Maaya(Atma Maaya). An actor, who is a distinct
individual in private life, appears on the stage in one role today and
another role tomorrow. The real personality of the actor is hidden behind
the make-up on the stage. On the stage he is a different person each day.
God is eternal and changeless. But He appears to assume different forms on
account of the drapings, which is maaya, that cover His real personality.
The static Isvara or Purusha appears to function in infinite ways in this
Universe, because of the impact of Maaya or Prakriti, which in its turn
drives its energy from Him, the reservoir of all energies. He is conscious
of His avatars, because He has never ceased to exist; but Arjuna (by
implication, the entire humanity) is not conscious of the several births
taken by him, because his awareness is limited to present birth. Though the
Atma is but a spark of the Paramatma, it is wrapped up in ignorance or
Ajnaana, on account of the operation of emotions like raaga(desire),
krodha(anger), and bhaya(fear) and is not, therefore, able to know itself.
Man is born subject to the play of these emotions, while bhagavan, who
transcends all these emotions, while appearing to be born, is in reality
birthless'