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Are Christ and Mohammed Avatars?
Some groups have used the term avatar in a broad sense for anyone who has founded a major
world religion. However, this is not the original Hindu meaning of
the term which has nothing to do with organized religion but is part
of a yogic symbolism. Christ and Mohammed are not part of the
traditional Hindu scheme of avatars of Vishnu nor, we might add, are
all the great saints and sages of Hinduism, including those who may
have had equal realization to the accepted avatars. The avatar order
reflects a certain teaching, which is one line of approach and is
not meant to be inclusive of all the great teachers of humanity,
many of the greatest of whom are unknown.
One can look to the Divine
as manifesting through any number of great human beings. Such a
great person becomes an avatar of sorts for those who worship him or
her. Yet it is important that we truly honor the Divine in such
great people, not merely our human attachments. Avatars should be
part of a teaching that directs us to the inner quest, not to
glorifying an outer religious institution.
Hindus respect all the great
teachers of humanity, relative to the truth each one has taught. Yet
this does not require that we turn all famous religious figures into
Divine incarnations. We should honor each for the knowledge and
virtue demonstrated in their life and teaching. More important than
creating a cult around various famous religious personalities is to
follow the way of spiritual knowledge and Self-realization that all
truly great teachers direct us toward.
According to Muslims
Mohammed is not an avatar but a prophet of God, a messenger, but not
an incarnation. According to Christianity Christ was not an avatar
or incarnation of God but the only Son of God. While Hindus may be
inclined to redefine these teachers in light of Hinduism and yogic
spirituality, they must also recognize that the great majority of
the members of these religions would find such a redefinition to
misunderstand what they really believe.
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