Chapter 2The Meaning and Purpose of Avatarhood · The Divine and Human Sides of the Avatar

working in the subtle physical plane. What we in Sanskrit call the Bhutas mostly come under this class. But there are two kinds of elementals, the one mischievous and the other not.

There are no Asuras on the higher planes where the Truth prevails, except in the Vedic sense — “the Divine in its strength”. The mental and vital Asuras are only a deviation of that power.

* The Gandharvas are of the vital plane but they are vital Gods, not Asuras. Many Asuras are beautiful in appearance and can carry even a splendour or light with them. It is the Rakshasas, Pisachas, etc. who are ugly or evil in appearance.

* Some of the vital beings are very intelligent — but they do not make friends with the Light — they only try to avoid destruction and wait their time.

* Very few [vital beings] come upon earth — they prefer to get hold of human beings and make them their instruments. They do not evolve. They have no evolved or evolving psychic being and they dread to incarnate just because they would then be obliged to progress and evolve the psychic.

* There is no particular number [of vital beings that surround a person] — but sometimes there are particular vital beings that attach themselves to a man if he accepts them.