ChaptersChapter 9Page 1,125

Chapter 9: Tumultuous Travel

1929Page 1,125 of 5,444
Hence, they not only predict, but they predestine, or actually get things done according to their will or wish, which becomes the Divine Will.
Someone inquired, "So if we commit sins, we are not really responsible for them?"
Baba replied, "Truly speaking, you are not responsible. Yet, for the sake of humility, you have to admit your responsibility, and therefore experience both good and bad, which eventually leads to Perfection."
On Saturday, 14 December 1929, at Kalemama's request, Baba accompanied him to Dhulia for the day. They returned to Nasik the same night. The next day, Baba gave the following explanation to the mandali about the difference between the Perfect Masters and the Avatar:
Every God-realized personality is perfect. However, those who come down and act as Masters — the Sadgurus and Avatars — come down with their Universal minds and use divine powers to work for others. There is a place called vidnyan bhumika , where the Masters work and rest. It is similar to a threshold in between two places, where they can manage works both for the higher and lower worlds. [The primary aspect] is the preparation of souls from the lower world and the deliverance of them to the higher world, eventually Realizing them. The Masters come down with the special purpose of bringing "ripe" souls to the highest state.
When the Perfect Masters come down with this duty to the world and work every day with the people of the world, they descend with their Universal mind. Through the Universal mind, they take upon themselves the sins [bad sanskaras] of the ripe souls and thereby suffer themselves. They experience bliss through the soul and suffering through the mind. They enjoy the bliss through the soul, which is one with the Almighty, and bear the universal suffering through their Universal mind.
The one who manifests as the Avatar has to give a spiritual push to the whole world, in addition to the circle preparation work which all Sadgurus have to perform. This is the difference in their duty.
Besides this difference, the Avatar is always perfect in all respects, spiritually as well as materially, and in particular, physically. The Avatar always has a charming personality with a beautiful, symmetrical face and body, while the Perfect Masters are generally of odd size and shape physically, even with certain defects (sometimes so abhorrent that one does not like to look at them!)1

Footnotes

  1. 1.An example of this is Hafiz, who it is said had an exquisite voice for singing ghazals and poems, but who was not a particularly handsome man.
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