Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 415 views

    Demigods and Their Worship

    Uploaded by

    Maitraya
    Demigods are parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord Krishna who are endowed with different powers to manage the material world. They act as administrators and are satisfied by the performance of yajnas. While demigod worship can yield temporary material benefits, the ultimate goal is to approach Krishna directly with love and devotion in order to achieve liberation from the cycle of birth and death and reach Krishna's abode, which is beyond the material world.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Demigods and Their Worship

    Uploaded by

    Maitraya
    415 views17 pages
    Demigods are parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord Krishna who are endowed with different powers to manage the material world. They act as administrators and are satisfied by the performance of yajnas. While demigod worship can yield temporary material benefits, the ultimate goal is to approach Krishna directly with love and devotion in order to achieve liberation from the cycle of birth and death and reach Krishna's abode, which is beyond the material world.

    Original Description:

    Bhagvad Gita 6

    Copyright

    © Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Demigods are parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord Krishna who are endowed with different powers to manage the material world. They act as administrators and are satisfied by the performance of yajnas. While demigod worship can yield temporary material benefits, the ultimate goal is to approach Krishna directly with love and devotion in order to achieve liberation from the cycle of birth and death and reach Krishna's abode, which is beyond the material world.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    415 views17 pages

    Demigods and Their Worship

    Uploaded by

    Maitraya
    Demigods are parts and parcels of the Supreme Lord Krishna who are endowed with different powers to manage the material world. They act as administrators and are satisfied by the performance of yajnas. While demigod worship can yield temporary material benefits, the ultimate goal is to approach Krishna directly with love and devotion in order to achieve liberation from the cycle of birth and death and reach Krishna's abode, which is beyond the material world.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    You are on page 1of 17
    At a glance
    Powered by AI
    The key takeaways are that demigods are administrators of the material world who are dependent on Krishna, while Krishna is the supreme controller and origin of all demigods.

    Demigods are parts and parcels of Krishna and are maintained by Him. Krishna is the original source of all demigods like Brahma and Shiva according to Vedic scriptures.

    Those who worship demigods attain heavenly planets temporarily, while those who worship Krishna attain His eternal abode and are liberated from repeated birth and death.

    DEMIGOD WORSHIP: God and Gods

    On existence of demigods
    !! Is

    it just a figment of the imagination of some primitive aboriginal tribes? !! What is the need of so many demigods? !! Cant everything in nature happen by itself?

    Who are demigods?


    God is one Krishna and the demigods are all living entities (nityanm) endowed with different grades of material power to manage this material world. !! Universal administration is carried out by demigods !! Demigod means subgod or they are not independent controllers but dependent controllers !! Pantheism: worshipping many gods is not supported by Bhagavad-gita
    !!

    Demigods as administrators of the universe


    Krishna says in 3.10-12: In charge of the various necessities of life, the demigods, being satisfied by the performance of yaja, will supply all necessities to you. But he who enjoys such gifts without offering them to the demigods in return is certainly a thief. !! Supreme Lord doesnt directly involve Himself in the management of this material universe

    Relationship of demigods with K!"#a


    nityo nity!n!" cetana# cetan!n!m eko bah$n!" yo vidadh!ti k!m!n (Ka!ha Upani"ad 2.2.13)
    He is the prime eternal among all eternals. He is the supreme living entity of all living entities, and He alone is maintaining all life

    Demigods are parts and parcels (jivas) of Supreme Lord !! Krishna says in verse 10.2, aham !dir hi dev!n!" mahar%&'!" ca sarva#a( (I am the source of the demigods and sages)
    !!

    K!"#a is the origin of demigods


    n!r!ya'!d brahm! j!yate, n!r!ya'!d praj!pati( praj!yate, n!r!ya'!d indro j!yate, n!r!ya'!d a%)au vasavo j!yante, n!r!ya'!d ek!da#a rudr! j!yante, n!r!ya'!d dv!da#!dity!(
    From Narayana, Brahma is born, and from Narayana the patriarchs are also born. From Narayana, Indra is born, from Narayana the eight Vasus are born, from Narayana the eleven Rudras are born, from Narayana the twelve Adityas are born." This Narayana is an expansion of Krishna. (N#r#ya$a Upani"ad)

    K!"#a is the origin of demigods


    eko vai n!r!ya'a !s&n na brahm! na &#!no n!po n!gni-samau neme dy!v-!p*thiv& na nak%atr!'i na s$rya( In the beginning of the creation there was only the Supreme Personality Narayana. There was no Brahma no Siva, no water, no fire, no moon, no stars in the sky, no sun. (Maha Upanishad 1)
    !!

    All Vedic literature agree that Krishna is the source of Brahma, Siva and all other demigods

    K!"#a is the origin of demigods


    na me viduh+ sura-ga'!h+ prabhavam, na mahar%ayah+ aham !dir hi dev!n!m, mahar%&'!m, ca sarva#ah+ Neither the hosts of demigods nor the great sages know My origin or opulences, for, in every respect, I am the source of the demigods and sages. (Bhagavad-gt 10.2)

    Who approach the demigods?


    k!mais tais tair h*ta-j!n!( prapadyante 'nya-devat!( ta" ta" niyamam !sth!ya prak*ty! niyat!( svay! Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires surrender unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures. (Bhagavad-gt 7.20)

    Are demigods different forms of the Lord?


    !! The

    demigods are not different forms of God, but they are Gods different parts and parcels. God is one, and the parts and parcels are many. say, nityo nitynm: God is one Krishna, and the demigods are all living entities (nityanam) endowed with different grades of material power to manage this material world.

    !! The Vedas

    Approaching Demigods
    !! Demigod

    worship is impelled by material desires (Bhagavad-Gita 7.20) !! People worship demigods to get quick material benefits such as land, wealth, woman, power, position, fame, status and other enjoyable paraphernalia. (BhagavadGita 4.12) !! Examples: Ravana worshipping Lord !iva, Hiranyakasipu worshipping Lord Brahma etc.

    Approaching Demigods
    The medium of exchange between Krishna and His devotees is unmotivated love (BhagavadGita 9.26, 34; 11.54, 18.55) !! The medium that connects the demigods and their worshippers is material benefits. Material benefits are temporary. (Bhagavad-Gita 7.20, 9.2, 9.25, 8.16)
    !!

    !! One cant worship demigods with love because by nature we are part and parcels of Krishna !! Therefore, the word worship (pooja) is used for demigods and the word devotional service (bhakti) is used for Supreme Lord

    Demigods cant award liberation to conditioned living entity. (9.25, 8.16, 9.21, 8.5-6) !! Supreme Lord Krishna, known as Mukunda, can extricate the living entity from clutches of birth and death (4.9, 9.25, 9.34, 18.66)
    !!

    Destination of Demigod Worshippers


    y!nti deva-vrat! dev!n pit-n y!nti pit*-vrat!( bh$t!ni y!nti bh$tejy! y!nti mad-y!jino 'pi m!m Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those who worship the ancestors go to the ancestors; those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; and those who worship Me will live with Me. (Bhagavad-gt 9.25)

    Destination of Demigod Worshippers


    !-brahma-bhuvan!l lok!( punar !vartino 'rjuna m!m upetya tu kaunteya punar janma na vidyate From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again (Bhagavad-gita 8.16)

    Do all paths lead to the same goal?


    Those who worship demigods will attain the planets of demigods !! Life in heavenly planets is temporary !! All paths dont lead to same goal because,
    !!

    !! If we worship demigods, destination is planets of demigods !! If we worship forefathers, destination is wherever they have gone !! If we worship other people, we go wherever they go !! If we serve Krishna, we go to Krishna loka which is beyond this material universe Bhagavad-Gita 9.25, 8.16, 9.21

    Is demigod worship necessary?


    Watering the root vs. watering the leaves and twigs ye 'py anya-devat!-bhakt! yajante #raddhay!nvit!h+ te 'pi m!m eva kaunteya yajanty avidhi-p$rvakam Those who are devotees of other gods and who worship them with faith actually worship only Me, O son of Kunti, but they do so in a wrong way. (Bhagavad-gt 9.23)

    Is demigod worship necessary?


    !! Jiva

    is eternally related to Supreme Lord as His part and parcel !! When it forgets this relationship with Supreme Lord, it becomes vicious, and lives in a state of fear (bhaya) and lamentation (soka) !! Although jiva approaches demigods for solving his problems, they cant give that sense of protection and belongingness that the soul needs

    You might also like