I have read in one of your books that you said one of your disciples was from the angelic world. Did I understand that correctly?

Sri Chinmoy: Yes.

Why would an angel take incarnation in the human world?

Sri Chinmoy: Usually angels do not come to earth in a physical body. But they like to have different experiences. I am a foreigner; I come from India. I could have remained in India because India is a vast subcontinent. But I got the inspiration to come to America. It is exactly the same in the case of the angels. Angels usually do not want to come to earth because they are so subtle, beautiful and delicate. This world of ours is full of suffering and our human bodies are composed of gross matter, whereas theirs is angelic. Angels are so subtle, so beautiful, so ethereal, that they do not want to take on the solid mass of a human body. But again, some angels say, No, we want to have the experience of earthly life. So on principle they do not come, but every rule admits of exception.

Something in them draws them to human life?

Sri Chinmoy: They want something new. They want to go somewhere. Similarly, I could have been satisfied in India, but I wanted to have something new from America.

What would taking human incarnation add to an angel that they don't already have?

Sri Chinmoy: If they enter into human consciousness, then they become more reliable, dependable and efficient instruments of God. Let us say you have a small ferry. If you want to keep that ferry, you can carry me and a few other people across the river. But if you have an ocean liner, you can take hundreds of people. Why do spiritual Masters come into this world? They could have remained in the soul s world. They come into this world to carry millions of people in their big ocean liners. So it depends on the individual. Either you want to help one or two individuals to become good, or you want to inspire countless people to become good, illumining and fulfilling. From where they were in Heaven, the angels can deal with only one or two individuals. But if they take human incarnation and inspire countless people, then they are doing greater service, infinitely greater service to God.