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Vishnu and Siva

From the Bhakti List Archives

Jaganath.Bharadwaj • July 25, 1997 


Vidyasankar wrote:

 for example, if one
can regard Siva only as a guru, then one should always respect the
guru
equally with God.

Swami Desikan describes the Siva that gave us the Ahirbudhnya Samhita
as "the all knowing Siva".  He also goes on to explain based on
Pramanas how Rudra is a jivatma and how the Siva that gave us the
Ahirbudhnya Samhita and many millions of Rudras are now enjoying
Paramanandam in Sri Vaikuntham after attaining Moksham.  The reason
why Srivaishnavas do not worship Siva is because we do not have
information about whether the present incumbent to the post of Siva
is a Bhagavata.  Just as there have been many Parama Bhagavatas who
have held the positions of Siva, there have also been Sivas who have
aimed arrows at Narayana Badarikashrama or fought with Sri Krishna on
the side of Banasura.

Having come into a lineage of Parama Bhagavatas through our Acharya
Parampara, we tread a safe path shown by them which is free from
risks, free from thorns that may prick our feet, and takes us to a
destination to which there is nothing superior.

To answer Vidyasankar's point about worshipping a Guru at a level
equal to God, if our Acharyas tell us that the present Siva is also
an equally great Bhagavata just like Ahirbudhnya was, then we can do
his aradhana just as we do for Garuda and Hanuman.

Srimate Srivan Satakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yateendra Mahadesikaya
Namah:
Srimate Sri Lakshmi Nrsimha Divya Paduka Sevaka, Srivan Satakopa Sri
Narayana Yateendra Mahadesikaya Namah:

Jaganath.  (JBB0@nreca.org)