What is the difference between vibhuti and shaktyavesha avatar?
Answer Podcast
Transcript
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What’s the difference between Vibhuti and Shakti, Vaishalkar? Generally, Vibhuti is basically something which is already present in the world, which is extraordinary. Like among mountains, I am the Himalayas, I am the Meru.
Among the rivers, I am Ganga. So, they are already present in the world. And these are manifestations which are extraordinary in some way.
And that extraordinariness is appointed to the Divine. So, whereas Shakti and Vaishalkar are specific time-bound descents of the Lord. They are specific personalities.
I mean, personalities can also be Vibhutis. But if we consider among animals, I am the Muruganam, Murugendu. Among animals, I am the lion or the tiger.
Different places, different thing might be said. But whatever it is. Then, now there are always lions and murugendus.
They are not Shakti and Vaishalkar. They are Vaishalkars. They are basically what? They are Vibhutis.
That means, the special power that they have, that power is coming from God and can point us to God. The concept of Vibhuti is explained by Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita in response to Arjuna’s question, केशु केशु चि भावेशु चिवित्यो सि भगवानिमयः कथं विद्यामहम् योगि स्तौं सुथा उदापरिशिनितय While I am functioning in the world, how can I remember? The idea is say, if we are studying in a university. And then we find some professor who is just brilliant.
We may actually be attracted to the professor’s brilliance. But instead of just being attracted to that professor’s brilliance, we see that this brilliance of this person is coming from Krishna. So what Krishna is telling is, whatever attracts our attention and attraction in the material world, see its attractiveness as my spark.
So Vibhuti is any extraordinary display of power. Shaktyabhisha avatars are specific personalities who display extraordinary power for furthering the Lord’s mission. Now the Vibhutis may not be doing that.
When a lion say pounces on a deer, that has nothing to do with raising God consciousness. Sometimes some Vibhutis can also be asuras. Some people might be stunningly beautiful, but then they may use their beauty to exploit others.
Some people might be very smooth talkers and they may use that to cheat others. So that capacity to talk, that is a Vibhuti, but it is being used for demonic purposes. So both in terms of the manifestation and the purpose for which they are used.
In terms of longevity of the manifestation and the purpose for which that manifestation is used. Vibhutis and Shaktyabhisha avatars are different.