The
Gods also can become too otherworldly in their views and shirk their
responsibility to the creation, which affords a vacuum that the
Asuras come in to fill. When the Gods hold to knowledge (vidya)
alone and give up action (karma), this allows the Asuras to enter
into the world.
The Asuras are present in the cosmic order to keep both the Devas
and humans vigilant and active in their higher evolution. Otherwise
they may become content to stay at a particular level and cease to
grow. For this reason various Gods and sages have at times protected
the Asuras from being totally destroyed by the Gods, or even incited
the Asuras to become more active.
Asuric religions similarly have great passion, but this passion
is misplaced or misguided. It is a power of the emotional ego,
tinged with exclusivism and intolerance. The Gods can only overcome
the Asuras if they create a stronger energy or passion but of a
divine or non-egoistic nature, which requires considerable effort or
tapas. Only a Divine passion or sattvic rajas to overcome the
undivine or tamasic rajas of the Asuras. The aggression of Asuric
religions and the hypnotic appeal of Asuric mysticism can only be
countered by a greater zeal by the Gods and Devic religions. |