Worshipping demigods

[Guest guest]

On Wed, 20 Nov 2002, mcthaker wrote:

> Prabhu/s please don't be so antagonistic towards demigods. Remember

> that the Pracetas (in SB Canto 4) were instructed by Lord Shiva how

> to glorify Krnsa and thus obtain devotion. And there are numerous

> other examples where demigod worship done in the proper way has led

> to Krsna bhakti.

 

Or rather, since Lord Caitanya has taught us to respect all living beings,

considering ourselves lower than straws in the street, that would certainly

include respecting demigods who are vastly superior to ourselves in just

about every way imaginable. Lord Caitanya did so Himself.

 

 

 

> Therefore, although the vast majority of people

> worship demigods for material benedictions, this does not mean that

> demigod worship itself is at fault or it is to be abandoned.

 

Actually, Krsna does seem to dismiss it in Gita e.g., 7.20-23, 9.23).

So do Narottamadasa Thakura ("anya-devasraya nai tomare kahnu bhai,

ei bhakti parama karana") and many other acaryas (cf., Cc. Madhya-lila,

22.119). Devata worship is entirely unnecessary for devotees and may be

freely abandoned by them--unlike the abovementioned principle of respecting

all others. We simply have to glorify Krsna constantly, in all humility.

 

 

 

> In my humble opinion, Srila Prabhupada did not authorise any demigod

> worship simply for the benefit of western aspiring devotees who may

> not know path to follow and also to instruct the Indian/Hindu

> community of where they are going wrong.

 

In fact, a disciple once cited the excerpt from Nectar of Devotion in

which Prabhupada suggests worshipping "Vaikuntha deities like Ganesha"

(cf. Bhagavatam, 7.5.23-24), and requested Srila Prabhupada's permission to

worship Ganapati. Srila Prabhupada allowed him to do so only on the strict

condition that he donate $1,000.00 every day, since it is assumed that Ganesa

gives his worshippers such money. However, I don't know whether the devotee

ever did so or not.

 

 

 

> Once again, please accept my humble apologies for I am not an expert

> on these matters, nor do I wish to cause any offence, but I do

> strongly believe that however pure our vaisnava standards are, only

> Sri Krsna is the absolute truth and we shouldn't be getting on any

> high horses etc claiming monopoly on the truth.

 

Thanks for this good advice. Here's something more to consider from Srimad

Bhagavatam (11.28.1); Lord Caitanya quoted this verse too, which may be

germane to the laudatory supplications directed at various demigods:

 

"The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: One should neither praise

nor criticize the conditioned nature and activities of other persons. Rather,

one should see this world as simply the combination of material nature and

the enjoying souls, all based on the one Absolute Truth."

 

MDd