INNER POISE AND ADEQUATE ADJUSTMENT

 
The Avatar is the first master of the first God-realized soul. But in God-realization the full consciousness of the first master became fused with the eternally infinite consciousness of the Avatar. Therefore, with the "coming down" of the first God-realized man, the Avatar himself descended and took an incarnation in his body. So, from the point of view of incarnation, the Avatar is the same as the first master. This first master had no master in the human form. But all subsequent masters have had masters in the human form to help them in Truth-realization.

The first master could realize God without a master in the human form, whereas the subsequent masters always and invariably need some master for God-realization. The reason is simple. God-realization implies inner poise as well as adequate adjustment with the universe (which is the shadow of God) along with everything that it contains. The first master (who is also the first incarnation of the Avatar) attained both these things, because it is the very goal of the initial urge seeking fulfillment. He did not have a master in the human form.

With regard to those souls who attain God-realization subsequently, the two requirements stand, viz. inner poise and adequate adjustment with everything in the universe. But there is one great difference. For example, for the soul who is second in attaining God-realization, one of the important factors in his spiritual environment is the existence of a human God-realized soul. Hence, while adjusting himself with everything in the universe, this second candidate for God-realization is confronted with the problem of adjusting himself to the first master or God-realized soul who, as we have seen, is indistinguishable from the eternal Avatar.

In this case the only adequate adjustment possible is unreserved acceptance of the bountiful help which comes from the first master. Refusal to accept this help is maladjustment to a tremendous factor in the universe; and this prevents God-realization. This is why the first God-realized person did not need an incarnate master, while all subsequent masters inescapably need some master or masters in order to realize God. They cannot do so by their own independent efforts.