Question on dEvatAntaram

From the Bhakti List Archives

• April 19, 2001


Dear Devotees of Sriman Narayana,

In the Vedas we find sUktAs or prayers for all the different 
devathAs.Even in our daily sandhyAvandanam we do Namaskarams to 
different devathas in all the directions and finally prostrate to 
Lord Narayana.While eating food we offer to prAna,apana...and finally 
Brahman or SriMan Narayana.
So All the different dEvathAs are expansions of Sriman Narayana 
(SharIra SharIri bhavam) and all such DEvathAs are actually looking 
after various functionings of Nature/Vishwa thereby assisting SriMan 
NarAyana, should we not consider them as BhAgavathAs?
In the Upanishad it is declared that 'Shivscha Narayanaha, 
shakrashcha Narayanaha,...' 
In the BhagavadgIta Lord Sri Krishna has said 'RudrANAm 
ShankarscAham...' etc.,
Even in the VishnusahasraNama phalasrhuti Eshwara reveals the SriRAma 
mantram to PArvati which is equivalent to chanting the entire Vishnu 
sahasranAmam.So should we not consider Shiva as a BhAgavatha and 
worship as we worship a BhAgavatha?
When the Lord SriKrishna declares mAmEkam sharaNam vraja should we 
not see the 'Sarva Bhootastham Ekam NarAyanam? He is also 
SarvaBhootAthmabhootAma!!
As VishNavas are we not supposed to see the same vishnu in a learned 
brahmana, a chandAla, a stone or a tree? then why not in other 
dEvathAs.
The purport is that one should not consider other DevathAs as 
seperate from Sriman Narayana and worship them independantly.
Should we not take example from the great AchArya Sri Narada Maharshi 
who will be continuously chanting Narayana Narayana and happily 
moving around with All the DEvathAs , RaKshasAs etc., working and 
wishing for the good of the whole universe?

Kindly enlighten me.
Namo Sriman NarAyaNa

Suresh Srinivasamurthy

 




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