80. Protecting Holiness

Just as a rotating wheel needs a stationary or changeless axle to rotate, the ever-changing manifested physical world needs the calm and changeless unmanifested entity to sustain its existence. Krishna, the supreme Lord, presently in a manifested form explains why and how the unmanifested sometimes needs to take the manifested form.

Krishna says, “I am unborn, eternal and Lord of beings. Presiding over my prakriti (cosmic nature), I embody myself by self-evolved maya” (4.6). This verse is difficult to visualize. For the sake of understanding, if we take maya as the evolution of life, it brings clarity to how the unmanifest becomes manifest. For example, if vision is taken as unmanifested, it took the shape of the eye which is manifested through the process of evolution.

Krishna further says, “Whenever there is decline of dharma and rise of adharma, then I manifest myself (4.7) - For the protection of sadhu (virtuous), for the destruction of the dusht (wicked) and for the establishment of dharma, I am born from age after age (4.8)”.

Masters often quote these verses to assure everyone that the Paramatma is nigh to protect the virtuous. A simple literal meaning indicates that he would come to the Earth as an avatar whenever dharma or righteousness is declining and adharma or evil are rising.

At a deeper level, questions arise as to what is dharma and adharma; who is a sadhu and who is a dusht and what distinguishes them?

In the case of sadhus and dusht, their respective quality of saintliness or wickedness needs to be protected or destroyed rather than the individuals themselves. Similarly, dharma and adharma can be taken to be the direction of travel towards that eternal state or away from it, needing the help of the Paramatma for course correction.


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