slap themselves, in order to remain on the body. Some such physical activity is necessary to keep them down. The Avatar has no difficulty in retaining his normal consciousness, even when he might not be engaged in any special work in relation to the creation. He does not have to resort to physical activities in order to keep down.

From the point of view of the fundamental characteristics of consciousness and the nature of the work in creation, the Avatar is like other Sadgurus or God-men. Neither the Avatar or the Sadguru has a limited or finite mind, because after merging in the Infinite, the mind becomes universal. The Salik, Sadguru or God-man, as well as the Avatar, do not lose their God-consciousness, even for a moment, although they may be engaged in all sorts of activities in relation to the creation; and both work through the universal mind, which is theirs, when they desire to help other souls.

The State of the God-Man

Of all the objects of human knowledge, God is the best object of study. But purely theoretical study of God does not take the aspirant very far towards the real purpose of human life, though it is always better to study God than to be completely ignorant about His existence. He, who seeks God intellectually, is infinitely better than a person who is merely a sceptic or an agnostic. But it is decidedly better to feel God than to study Him through the intellect, though even the feeling for God is less important than the actual experience of God. However, even the experience of God does not yield the true nature of divinity, because God, as the object of the experience, remains different from, and external to, the aspirant. The true nature of God in its entirety is known to the aspirant only when he attains unity with God, by losing himself in His Being. Thus, it is better to study God than to be ignorant about Him; it is better to feel God than to study Him; it is better to experience God than to feel God; and it is better to become God than to experience Him.

The state of God-realization is unmarred by the rising up of the diverse doubts, which cloud the minds of those who are in bondage—who are in a constant state of uncertainty about their "whence" and "whither." The God-realized, on the other hand, are at the very heart of the creation, where the source and the end of creation are known. The God-realized person knows himself to be God as surely as ordinary man knows himself to be a