Why Did Lord Rama Incarnate as Human?

Why did Lord Rama take avatara as a human on earth?

We really don’t know. Why the Lord does something, we really can’t understand because our faculty is limited to the mind. Whatever our mind can understand, only that much we can comprehend.

How far can you see with your eyes? The Sun, Moon, a few stars, but not beyond—not everything. How far can you see on the surface of the earth? As far as the horizon. But that is not all, right?

We see the sky as blue, but is there really a sky there as a dome, as a blue-colored dome? No. So, we can see things only in a limited way, up to the sky, up to the horizon. Even in that, there are distortions. We think that there is blue whereas, in reality, there is no such blue sky. So a limited, distorted, untrustworthy vision is what we have got. Similarly, the mind also. What we can grasp with the mind is limited, like how much water you can take from the ocean with a small cup. And there is this sky-like distortion the mind has also got.

Keeping this clearly in mind:

There are some versions that our sages have given us as they want us to understand. They have given us versions that they thought we could understand. There are thousands and thousands of these versions—versions of why the Lord took avatara as a human. We hardly know a few of them.

So let’s look at one of them.

The Lord had two guards, Jaya and Vijaya. They are at the door of Vaikuntha with the Lord. But they had not achieved complete union with Him. The Lord is 100% pure. They had something lacking in them—a little bit of rajoguna, a little bit of tamoguna, a little bit of arrogance that the Parmatma is under our protection, under our care. He is dependent on us for His own safety, like how some of our temple administrators and temple managers think.

Once the Lord was in yoga nidra. Before entering into yoga nidra, He had told Jaya and Vijaya, 'Don’t allow anybody inside; I don’t want to be disturbed.' That time, while the Lord was asleep, Lakshmi Devi came. They didn’t allow even Lakshmi Devi inside. They didn’t realize that the Lord and Devi are inseparable. They may be physically separate; otherwise, how can you say that she came there? She was elsewhere, away from Him. That’s why she came, right? That’s their wish. Who are Jaya and Vijaya to decide whether they should be together or separate, physically?

So, the Lord realized, 'My great devotees Jaya and Vijaya have still not attained perfection. I have to make them perfect. I have to refine them more.' Where can that happen? Not in Vaikuntha. It can happen only on earth. Any change can happen only on earth. It is like you are a graduate and working somewhere. But if you want another qualification, upgrade yourself academically, you have to go back to the university. Only earth has got the circumstances in which you can improve yourself. So the Lord creates a plot to send them down to earth so that they can refine themselves.

The four Kumaras, Sanakadi Kumaras, come to Vaikuntha to take darshana of the Lord. Jaya and Vijaya are seeing them for the first time. They behaved in the same way any guard, any doorkeeper, any security would behave. The Kumaras felt insulted. They cursed them to take a series of three births on earth.

The first as Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu, daityas in Satya Yuga. As Ravana and Kumbhakarna, rakshasas in Treta Yuga. As Shishupala and Dantavakra, two Kshatriyas of the nature of asuras during Dwapara Yuga. Step by step, stage by stage, the Lord refined them, made them realize that He is the ultimate power. He is the one and only power. For this, He gave them monstrous strength—physical, mental, and spiritual—and then demonstrated that He is still above them.

This refining—why is it so complicated? Let’s say you have muddy water. You keep it still for some time. The mud will settle to the bottom. Now the water is 50% pure. You want it purer? Sieve it through a cloth, a mesh. It becomes 60% pure. Want it more pure? Pass it through a carbon filter. Want it more pure? Do RO, reverse osmosis. See, it is getting more and more complicated. From impurity to 50% pure is easily achieved. But as you proceed, it becomes more and more elaborate and complicated. From 99.99 percent to make it 0.001 percent more pure, to make it 99.991 percent pure is going to be a Herculean task. From 99.999 to achieve 99.9991 is going to be even more difficult. So many processes will be involved.

That’s why the Lord had to put them through a series of three births. And Ramavatara is the middle one, in which He dealt with Ravana and Kumbhakarna, gave them relief from their bodies as Ravana and Kumbhakarna, and led them to their next bodies, Shishupala and Dantavakra.

Knowledge Bank

Why do we offer cooked food to Gods?

In Sanskrit, the word 'Dhanya' comes from 'Dhinoti' which means to please the gods. Veda says that grains are very pleasing to the gods. That's why offering cooked food is so important.

How does Adhyāsa relate to Liberation (Moksha)?

Adhyāsa holds practical implications for seekers of liberation in Advaita Vedanta. Liberation is not achieved through rituals but through direct self-knowledge. Understanding the illusory nature of the world dismantles the cycle of ignorance and births, paving the way for ultimate liberation.