It is because, in all the Avatar's advents, each of the 12 men and two women of the inner circle holds exactly the same office and function in exactly the same manner; that is why it is said that the Avatar always brings with him the same circle.
As soon as the veil [ vidnyani ] with which the Avatar descends on Earth is rent by the then-living Perfect Master or Masters, and the Avatar realizes his Avatarhood, the 12 men and two women automatically group round the personality of the Avatar to occupy their respective position in the inner circle, and to function as usual according to the dictates of the Avatar of the Age.
The position of the Avatar in regard to the inner circle and its function may be compared to a man asleep. As soon as the man is made to wake up through some external agency, and no sooner he is awake, than he spontaneously finds that all the 14 parts of his body, as mentioned before, are already there in their individual roles, ready to function at the slightest wish of the man. Similarly, as soon as the Avatar is made to realize his Avatarhood through one or more of the five Perfect Masters of the time, he also realizes that the 14 personalities in their characteristic roles of the inner circle are ready at hand to discharge their duties.
To explain in detail why only these 14 particular personalities hold such positions in every advent of the Avatar would take a volume of explanations. Who can become the 14 members, and how do they become attached to the inner circle of the Avatar? These questions would require more volumes of explanations.
Suffice it to say that each of these 14 particular personalities, when occupying the office and function of the inner circle, not only must resemble the characteristic individuality of his or her predecessor in the previous advents of the Avatar, but must be exactly similar in all respects. For example, one of the offices of the inner circle of Jesus Christ was held by Peter. At the second advent of Christ, this particular office must be held by another Peter, who may be named "A," but having the same quality of mind and heart and other characteristics as the Peter.1 The same applies to the office held by Judas, John, James, et cetera, of the inner circle in the time of Christ.
Footnotes
- 1.During the advent of Prophet Muhammad, Abu Bakr represented the role of Peter. Abu Bakr was the father of one of Muhammad's wives, Ayishah. He is known as the first successor of the Prophet, though he reigned only two years before his death in 634 A.D.