Shiva's position

[Guest guest]

How a Vaishnava treats Lord Shiva depends upon the Sampradaya that

one belongs to. Vedanta Deshikar states that Brahma and Rudra are

products of Karma and therefore unfit for worship. Madhva Vaishnavas

generally begin a discourse by chanting a shloka imploring Ganesha to

remove obstacles, then paying respects to Guru(s) and afterwards to

Shiva and Parvati before chanting shlokas on Bhagavan. The

Bhagavatam itself has a story of the male members of Nanda Maharaja's

clan going to another place to observe Shiva Ratri where Nanda

Maharaj was swallowed by a snake. But observance of this Shiva Ratri

ritual took place AFTER Krishna stopped Indra puja and replaced it

with the worship of Govardhana Hill. Krishna was also present at

this Shiva Ratri observance. Some scholars dispute the entire story

of Lord Rama establishing a Shiva temple at Rameshwaram saying that

there is no reference to this in Valmiki Ramayan. If one accepts the

Gaudiya Vaishnava view that Lord Chaitanya was Krishna Himself, then

His going to Srisailam or His visit to another place where He entered

a temple of Durga can be explained in the light of (1)the Lord

visiting His devotee and (2) the rules of worship apply to Jivatmas

and not to Bhagavan. Other Gaudiya Vaishnava scriptures say that

Shiva is almost equal to Bhagavan but even these scriptures

discourage his worship because of Shiva being in contact with Tamo

Guna.

I have heard lectures where the Padma Purana has been quoted as

saying that when one worships Shiva for seven lives in succession,

the Shiva will instruct that Jivatma to worship Narayana and attain

Moksha.

 

Jaganath.