“Our dear Lord, You are appearing as the best of the Yadu dynasty, and we are offering our respectful humble obeisances unto Your lotus feet. Before this appearance, You also appeared as the fish incarnation, the horse incarnation, the tortoise incarnation, the swan incarnation, as King Ramachandra, as Parashurama, and as many other incarnations.” (Demigods praying to Krishna in the womb of Devaki, Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 2)

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For strict followers of the Vaishnava tradition, which is both religious and philosophical in nature, there is a specific practice which can lead to controversy amongst others following a similar tradition. This practice is giving full support, effort, and allegiance to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

He is known as Vishnu, Rama, Narasimha, and also Krishna. Despite the many names, it is a singular identity. One person, Parameshvara, to the many eternal beings, who are like ishvara in their specific sphere of influence.

The controversy is that the allegiance is in an exclusive manner. Worshiping Vishnu alone. Every type of desire, every boon sought after, every problem to be fixed, every hope and dream – they are placed at the lotus feet of the husband of Lakshmi.

चतुर्-विधा भजन्ते मां
जनाः सुकृतिनो ऽर्जुन
आर्तो जिज्ञासुर् अर्थार्थी
ज्ञानी च भरतर्षभ

catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ
janāḥ sukṛtino ‘rjuna
ārto jijñāsur arthārthī
jñānī ca bharatarṣabha

“O best among the Bharatas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men render devotional service unto Me – the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.16)

What about the other gods? What about the devas, who enrich the tradition through the many beautiful depictions of the interactions with their worshipers? What about the puja in honor of this demigod and that? Is it not insulting to translate the Sanskrit word deva as “demigod”? Why prefix the term in a manner so derogatory?

The exclusive allegiance is based on the authority of the spiritual guide, the soundness to the principles they present, the sturdiness of the wisdom passed down, and also logical deduction. If there is a benefactor to the benefactors, why will I not approach that person first? If He is the ultimate enjoyer of sacrifice and austerity, Yajneshvara, why should not all of my yajnas be in His honor? Why should I pick and choose, as if browsing different aisles in the supermarket?

भोक्तारं यज्ञ-तपसां
सर्व-लोक-महेश्वरम्
सुहृदं सर्व-भूतानां
ज्ञात्वा मां शान्तिम् ऋच्छति

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ
sarva-loka-maheśvaram
suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati

“The sages, knowing Me as the ultimate purpose of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attain peace from the pangs of material miseries.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 5.29)

This allegiance does not mean supportive efforts have to be belittled, forgotten, or ignored. The wise person understands that the success they achieve in life is not entirely under their control. There are others who must first cooperate for any result to manifest.

प्रकृतेः क्रियमाणानि
गुणैः कर्माणि सर्वशः
अहङ्कार-विमूढात्मा
कर्ताहम् इति मन्यते

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni
guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ
ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā
kartāham iti manyate

“The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 3.27)

It is like the head of a profitable corporation understanding the role that the subordinate employees play in making everything operate smoothly. The leader is the one making the headlines, appearing in different public venues, and taking the credit or the heat for the performance of the company. But everyone must work together for the ship to move, so to speak.

In the same way, the person worshiping Vishnu can still appreciate the efforts of the devas and how the assistance is an integral aspect in maintaining the overall life of devotion.

1. The sun

“I am so thankful to the sun-god. I appreciate him more during the winter months, I have noticed. I believe there is a specific term for this: apricity. Appreciating the heat of the sun during the winter.

“Well, we can think of every day like winter in this material world, which is full of envy, infighting, exploitation, and interference. At least the sun provides the light for viewing the Almighty in His beautiful form of the archa-vigraha.”

2. The rain

“I am so thankful to the makers of the rain. We dread the conditions when viewing the upcoming forecast. We are upset at the increased traffic on the roads, the difficulty in visibility, and the possibility of getting wet outside.

“But just see how much we need that rain. We could not eat, otherwise. We could not make wonderful offerings to our beloved Supreme Personality of Godhead, were it not for the rain.”

3. The removal of obstacles

“I have been able to chant the holy names in a steady manner. It is a kind of vrata, or vow. My chanting is not perfect by any means, but I am surprised I have been able to maintain the routine. There must be some outside assistance involved. Someone else must be removing the obstacles, and for that I am eternally grateful.”

4. Wealth

“There is the saying that the empty sack cannot stand up straight. No one listens to the poor man. This means that despite the best intentions, if sufficient resources are lacking then it is practically impossible to move forward.

“I am able to worship the Supreme Lord because of sufficient resources. I do go to work. I have to put in the time. I make sacrifices, but so do many others. I am certainly blessed by the circumstances I have found, and there is a higher power responsible for that placement.”

5. Prayers to Devaki’s womb

“The devas are so kind that when they know Vishnu is appearing on earth, they gather together and give full attention. An example is the prayers they offered to the womb of Devaki. Krishna had not yet appeared, but the devas could see beyond the covering. They knew the potential that was ready to be released, and they celebrated in a manner that can be appreciated and studied to this day.”

In Closing:

The devas taking the chance,
With knowledge in advance.

That Vishnu and no other,
In womb of Devaki the mother.

Soon as Krishna to play,
So with feeling to pray.

That words honored even today,
As aligned with Divine way.

Categories: the five

Tags: demigod worship, god, hare krishna, nature, poem, poems, poetry