Vedic deities and anya dEvata archana

[Guest guest]

Dear BhAgavatas,

 

One of the slOka's I was taught to recite towards the end of the

SandhyAvandanam is:

 

AkAshAtpatitam tOyam yathA gacchati sAgaram

sarwa dEva namaskArah kEsavam prati gacchati

 

I would like to know where this slOka comes from. Is it of scriptural

origin ? Or, is it a relatively recent one that in some way "permits"

or "condones" worship of anya dEvata's, EVEN by VaishNava's ?

 

One of the most beautiful parts of the nArAyaNa sUktam is-

 

Yaccha kinchit jagatsarvam drishyatE shrUyatEpi vA

antarbahischa tatsarvam vyApya nArAyaNah stitah

 

As this "ether" of nArAyaNa pervades all Universe, it appears to me that

there can, in effect, be no anya dEvata archana, as all of it really flows

towards nArAyaNA. I have therefore often wondered why there needs to be

strong (or even fierce) disavowal of other deities. Many of these deities

such as Agni, vAyu, VaruNa, SUrya etc. are representations of awesome

natural forces which were seen as manifestations of God (nArAyaNa).

 

I am no scholar of the sAstra's or of the doctrines of advaita and

VishishtAdvaita. I do believe deeply in the notion and path of bhakti

and prapatti. It has, somehow, never mattered to me whether that bhakti is

directed towards this deity or that. When, on occasion, I am fortunate

enough, I experience the same intense feeling of tearful joy and surrender

whether I am praying to (or listening to the musical and hymnal worship

of) Shiva, Vishnu, Saraswati, Krishna, or ShaNmuga, or Jesus.

 

I most definitely do not intend to offend the sensibilities of

SrivaishNava's by saying what I have said above. I would appreciate

comments from the scholars on the list.

 

Respectfully...............///shivashankar

___________________________

 

S.A. Shivashankar Tel: (91)-(80)-309-2782 (Office)

Materials Research Centre 331-3921 (Residence)

Indian Institute of Science Fax: 334-1683

Bangalore 560 012, INDIA Email: shivu

[Guest guest]

S.A.Shivashankar wrote:

>

>

> As this "ether" of nArAyaNa pervades all Universe, it appears to me that

> there can, in effect, be no anya dEvata archana, as all of it really flows

> towards nArAyaNA. I have therefore often wondered why there needs to be

> strong (or even fierce) disavowal of other deities. Many of these deities

> such as Agni, vAyu, VaruNa, SUrya etc. are representations of awesome

> natural forces which were seen as manifestations of God (nArAyaNa).

>

> I am no scholar of the sAstra's or of the doctrines of advaita and

> VishishtAdvaita. I do believe deeply in the notion and path of bhakti

> and prapatti. It has, somehow, never mattered to me whether that bhakti is

> directed towards this deity or that. When, on occasion, I am fortunate

> enough, I experience the same intense feeling of tearful joy and surrender

> whether I am praying to (or listening to the musical and hymnal worship

> of) Shiva, Vishnu, Saraswati, Krishna, or ShaNmuga, or Jesus.

>

> I most definitely do not intend to offend the sensibilities of

> SrivaishNava's by saying what I have said above. I would appreciate

> comments from the scholars on the list.

>

>

 

Dear Sri Shivashankar,

 

Just to allow you the opportunity to compare the

works of the scholars in this forum with myself, a

novice who is aspiring to be a SriVaishnava one

day:

>From my understanding, what you have said and felt

is true. Sriman Narayana being the antaryAmi of

every soul in this Universe is really the only One

being worshipped, and it is He who out His

Compassion empowers the other Deities to bestow

Blessings upon their devotees. And, one who truly

knows this can certainly feel His Presence in

Jesus, Durga, and Murugan - as well as the trees,

the rocks, the birds, the ocean, and even one's

fellow human beings. However, how can we say that

any one of us really have the ability to have this

vision, what to speak of holding it at all times?

Arjuna knew Sri Krishna as his nearest and dearest

Friend, and yet he too, needed the Lord's own

Grace to see His Universal form. And, ironically,

even when Arjuna realized this vision, he could

not bear it for very long, and he pleaded with the

Lord to remove the special sight that he had been

granted and to show Himself again as Sri Krishna.

 

And, really, even if we were able to know and bear

the vision of this "ethereal" form, it would be

only one tiny aspect of His Wondrous Nature. And,

how would we be able to interact with this

"ether," to feel the experiences that the AzhwArs

sang about in their pAsurams?

 

It is for this reason that our AchAryans have

recommended that we focus our attention on the

most kindest and most accessible form of the Lord,

His archAvatharan. The Lord in this form is

tangible, He has a specific kind of look, smile,

and demeanor that draws every one to Him. He

stands quietly, like a doll, so that we can touch

Him, dress Him, treat Him the way we would treat

our King, and love Him the way we would our own

Child. And, from what I have learned, it is this

Form, and not any other, that can touch our heart

and inspire us to surrender to Him.

 

You can see examples from the other postings of

how this archAvathAran has touched the lives of

the erudite bhAgavathas in this forum. Just look

at how Sri Rengarajan writes of ArA amudhan of his

home town of Thirukudanthai. Sri Rengarajan's

eloquent words make the Lord in the Temple is so

real, so alive, that we feel that we are reading

about a relation, a good friend, or a town hero.

 

It is this mood of direct connection to the Lord

that I feel is the heart of SriVaishnavam. And

once this joyous feeling is known, even if it is

only for a few hours, one really does not find the

need for anything else. So, although we know on

subtle levels that the antaryAmi of the anya

dEvathas is the Lord only, after being able to

serve Him so directly, nothing else moves us in

the same way.

 

adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan

 

Mohan