(Purusha Sooktam)
He has no beginning (birth) or end (death); He is unborn and eternal. Yet He makes Himself born in many ways and forms on His own determination.
பொய்ந் நின்றஞானமும், பொல்லா ஒழுக்கும், அழுக்கு உடம்பும்,
இந் நின்ற நீர்மை இனி யாம் உறாமை உயிர் அளிப்பான்
எந் நின்ற யோனியுமாய்ப் பிறந்தாய்;இமையோர் தலைவா
(Nammalvar:TIRUVIRUTTAM: 1)
To save us from false knowledge,
From evil ways and the dirt of the body,
To save us from coming again and again,
To all these,
And to give us Life,
Thou, Lord of the Immortals,
Camest down here,
Taking birth in many a womb,
And accepting many a form.
(Translation: A. Srinivasa Raghavan)
The Bhagavad Gita in Chapter IV slokas 5 to 9 elucidates this topic as Sri Krishna’s own declaration. In these slokas, He says that Arjuna would not know anything about his past and future janmas (lives before and after rebirth). On the other hand, He (Bhagavaan or the Blessed Lord) can furnish all these details; He is sarvagnya (all-knowing), as stated in the Chandogya Upanishad. Nammalvar says in Tiruvoimozhi that in his avataras (incarnations), He makes Himself born on His own determination without any diminution whatever either to His divine form or all-knowing capacity.
Whenever there is a diminution of dharma, and a rise of unrighteousness, then the Lord makes Himself born forth. Two interpretations are possible here. The Lord makes Himself born. He also makes born seers who have realized fully the Ulltimate Truth and undertakes the task of re-educating the lay public through them.
Of particular interest is sloka No.8 which lays down that for the protection of the good, for the destruction of the evildoers, for the purpose of establishing dharma, He gets Himself incarnated from age to age. The conjunction cha, in this sloka, is there, not just for the sake of the rhyme etc. It indicates that the main purpose of the avatara (incarnation) is protection of the good people: the destruction of the evildoers is an incidental event. Perhaps this is the reason why even when as at present many evildoers, similar to Hiranyakasipu, are found, there is now no avatara (incarnation) as there are no good people of the standing of Prahalada.
Sri Krishna states further that His incarnations are divine and that His plays/pranks therein are also divine. Anyone who has known His divine incarnation and divine acts therein in all its subtlety will not have another birth but will attain supreme state having reached Him.
