The Universal Absolute Birthless, Formless, Unmanifest and Infinite, takes on the imitations of name and form on its own initiative and concretises itself on many occasions as Incarnations, Avatars, manifesting countless instances of Divine intercession and grace…
God incarnates not merely for the destruction of the wicked. That is just the obvious reason, which is but an excuse. God in truth incarnates for the sake of His faithful devotees. The cow has milk primarily as sustenance for its calf but man also uses it.
So too God primarily incarnates for the sustenance of the faithful, the virtuous, the good. But even the faithless, the bad, use the chance for their own purpose… God has no bondage to time and space and to Him all beings are the same. He is the Master of the living and the non-living. There is no limit to His potence; there can be no boundaries to His achievements. He comes as the Inner Inspirer for some definite purpose. He comes to close an epoch and inaugurate another-the Incarnation of the Age (Yuga Avatar).
The Avatar behaves in a human way so that mankind can feel kinship but rises to His superhuman heights so that man can aspire to climb and through that aspiration reach Him. Realizing the Bond within as the Motivator is the task for which He comes in human form.
Excerpt from Sri Sathya Sai BHAGAVATAM
Contributed by Tumuluru Krishna Murty