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Re: demigod worship- query from Sri Badri

From the Bhakti List Archives

madhav.vasudevan • August 23, 2000 


Sri:
Srimathe Gopaladesika mahadesikaya Namah:

Dear Sri Badri,

You had asked:

Being born as Vaishnavas is it a sin worshipping
other Gods ,or is it just that we are not required to
worship other dieties.Is there any harm in worshipping
them as long as we realize Narayana is supreme.What
are we supposed to do when we go to temples which have
many dieties.Should we worship Perumal and
deliberately avoid other dieties?

====

You asked a very common query asked by all of us, one time or the other.This has
been discussed in great details in the list and can be found in archives.

Being a SrI JayanthI day, on this auspcicious day, let us discuss at this,
thereby paying our obeisance to the Lord GeethAcharyan Sri KrishNA.- the
Primordial Chief, The Unparalleled, Unsurpassed Supreme, Sriya: Pathi Sriman
Narayanan.

In GitA, Lord says:

O son of Kunti! At the end of the Cosmic cycle, (during praLyam) all (- repeat
-ALL)- enter into My nature, and at the beginning of another cycle, by My free
will, and potency, I create them again. (I don't remember the actual slokam)

THIS INCLUDES You, me- and all demi Gods, whom we worship like four faced
brahmA, Sivan, indran, agni et al. Veda says: sa brahmA; sa siva srEndhra
sOkshara: parama swaraat. He is BrahmA; Siva; Indran. They are also Jivans, like
us and by virtue of their karmAs, have reached that position. They are posts,
and jIvans keep changing at that post (like brahmA, Sivan are posts like General
Manager, Production manager.. whereas Sriman Narayanan is the Owner- He does NOT
change).

Hence, WE ARE ALL HIS CHILDREN. HIS SERVANTS. No point in calling some demigod
as "appA", when we know who the Father is.

Now answer for your query:

We are His dAsans- His devotees, it is He and He alone, who is capable of
granting all that we seek, and pray. (In Gita, He says: whatever the demigods
can grant (to the extent of their powers) is also through Me (as the antharyami
in them).

WHY ASK SOMEONE when we have the "ACTUAL TRUE GIVER" on our side?

Now- why ask Him a kilo of vegetables, when he is willing to give His kingdom to
us? He will naturally feed us, take care of us. Ask Him the Big, Grand thing,
and get out of this samsaara saagaram.

We SHOULD NOT GO TO THE temple, where the demi gods are consecrated, (along with
Sriman Narayanan) and are in abhayahastham. (showing their palms (as if they can
protect us!). Protect from what?- births and deaths.. for ever. It is HE alone -
who can do that. Thirumazhisai AzhwAr, when once was aksed by Sivan (pleased
with AzhwAr's meditation) as to what he seeks, AzhwAr said "You can not give
what I want- it is mOksham- liberation". MarkaNdEya Maharishi, who was saved by
Sivan (by the grace of Sriman Narayanan) from Yama dhUthAs, could not get
freedom from future briths from Sivan.

IF AT ALL,  we HAVE TO GO to the temple, we need to avoid those sannidhis.

We "can" go if the demi gods are in folded hands (paying their obeisance to Lord
Sriman Narayanan) and then they become Bhagawathas. We can pay our obeisance to
Bhagawathas/devotees of Sriman Narayanan.

THIS IS NOT JUST FOR THOSE WHO HAVE PERFORMED BHARANYASAM (SaraNAgathy) or
SAMASRAYANAM (pancha samskaram) It is not for Ramanuja's sishyas. Adhi Sankara,
Madhavcharya were also VishNu devotees. It is the difference in interpretations,
they differed from Ramanuja. Not on the Supreme Lord. All vaidikAs are vishNu
bhakthAs. This is the case for all vaishnavas. For all those who belive in
Vedas- For all those who belive in "Hinduism". If someone has a different
opinion, either he does not know or he is not willing to know.

You may say- after samasrayanam, or baraNyAsam, I will avoid demigod worship.-
not now. It is as if, you can let your daughter have 'n' number of boy friends-
(especially when she knows or you, as "the Father" of the daughter, know the
ACTUAL GROOM HIMSELF). You may say, " I have some picture in my perumAL
sannidhi. How can I throw?" No need to throw. Give ot to them (who still do not
believe Vedas in true sense, and) who worship demi gods. Call them- invite them
at your home and give as gift. Do not hide in your sannidhi. That is like hiding
a boy friend's picture after wedding to Sriman Narayanan.

Let us pray at the Lotus Feet of KaNNAN. "maNNum viNNum ellaam uNda num KANNAN
kaNNalladhu maRRaiyOr kaNNO?"

Regards

Narayana Narayana
adiyEn Narayana Dasan Madhavakkannan



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