Can anyone who can judge the Avatar? Yes, we can speak of his divine qualities, the qualities that he manifests in the conditioned human life, but we cannot measure him, who is the Purushottama himself. He has chosen to limit Himself according to the needs of Time and the constraints of the humanity around him. That is why he is Maryada Purushottam, the uttama Purusha, highest and the best, who sets his own limits and, by doing so, teaches the animal-like humanity to exercise self-restraint, self-mastery and self-control. He did not come to give a Yoga for all to follow. That is the work of a subsequent Avatar. But he himself had all the qualities of a karmayogin as well as a gyanayogi. As for bhakti, hasn’t Shiva, the greatest among ascetics, declared that there is none greater than Rama as a tapaswi and for obvious reasons!
His name is not associated as a yogi because his work was not to give a yoga but an ideal sattwic way to live, the highest example for mankind struggling with animal impulses. It will not be proper to see him along the axis of yoga when he (the Divine Himself) chose to limit himself as an ideal human being. But his life and works are a clear example of perfect detachment, equanimity, discernment, renunciation, nishkama karma, yoga karmashu kaushalam (perfect skill in work). He is the living embodiment of a perfect karmayogi.ย
Affectionately,
Alok
