“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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1. The original term is “deva”

“Why do you call them ‘demigods’? You have to go by the original Sanskrit. The original word is ‘deva’. In the manner that we refer to a beautiful woman as a goddess [devi], so the corresponding male is a god [deva]. We should offer the highest respect to such beings. There is nothing lacking in them. It is insulting to say that they are half of a god or not really a god.”

2. Sura also lands on the respectable side

“Why do you call them ‘demigods’? Another Sanskrit word used to describe them is ‘sura.’ This refers to both a race of creatures and also those who align qualitatively, in goodness. The classic battle of the good guys against the bad guys. The pious against the sinful. The compassionate against the cruel. The righteous against the wicked.

“The suras have been fighting that battle since before anyone can remember. We have our first-world problems today, of the internet speed dropping, of the rideshare implementing surge pricing, and of the overcooked delivery-ordered pizza. In reality, these problems can only exist if there is a strong presence within society that protects against intruders, criminals, burglars, and those who generally violate the property rights of others.

“The suras therefore deserve the highest respect. They should not be demeaned, belittled, or considered inferior. We should thank them every single day. We should appreciate what they do for us, in offering administrative oversight of the universe.”

3. They have direct access to Vishnu

“Why do you call them ‘demigods’? The devas can meet with the Supreme Personality of Godhead whenever they want, it seems. We do not have such access. We are so fallen that sometimes we believe there is no God. We think that the intelligence embedded within the seed of the cucumber to only produce cucumbers in the future is due to chance, randomness, or some accident. We cannot explain how the same accident doesn’t produce any other kind of fruit from the same seed, but then again we are not really intelligent. The devas are, and so we should not insult them.”

4. They descend to this world in accordance with the avataras of Vishnu

“Why do you call them ‘demigods’? Just see how kind they are. They agree to appear in this world whenever Vishnu descends. When there is a rise in adharma, when the sadhus are being persecuted, Vishnu decides to appear in the material world. His close associates accompany Him. How can you insult that relationship?”

5. They offer wonderful prayers prior to the appearance of Vishnu

“Why do you call them ‘demigods’? If we were to present Vedic literature as a pie chart, the largest slice in terms of content would be prayer. There are so many prayers. The devas make a significant contribution in this area. Just glance over what they said when Vishnu appeared within the womb of Devaki. It is heartwarming to hear. These are not ordinary people.”

…

The above justifications make sense. The arguments are logically sound. The “deva” term does not have a prefix. It is not a compound Sanskrit word in the way that many others are. Why, then, should not the English translation be just as simple and straightforward? Why not refer to the devas as “gods”?

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada intentionally uses the term “demigod” not to demean, but to distinguish. Especially given the landscape of gross misunderstanding within society of Vedic culture, it is important to remove any confusion as to the object of worship. There is only one God in what others refer to as “Hinduism.” It is not accurate to say that Hindus believe in many gods.

Moreover, even amongst those who inherited the Vedic culture, there is the newfound bogus rationalization that any god can be approached for any thing, and that all of the devas are on an equal level. The worship of the devas within this mindset is thus something like a trick. You follow “make-believe” for a while, like attaching training wheels when learning to ride a bicycle. And then you eventually give up the false belief and realize that everything is one and that any and all objects of worship are the same.

The confusion is widespread, and so the wise acharya thinks of ways to reestablish the proper understanding of a single God, who controls everything and everyone. The translation of “demigod” helps to reinforce this concept. There is only one Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the rest are His expansions. The Sanskrit word is amsha. This is directly referred to in Bhagavad-gita.

ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूतः सनातनः
मनःषष्ठानीन्द्रियाणि प्रकृतिस्थानि कर्षति

mamaivāṃśo jīvaloke jīvabhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ
manaḥṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛtisthāni karṣati

“The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal, fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 15.7)

The realm of the devas is still part of the material world. The worshipers of the devas go to the planets of the devas. This truth is then juxtaposed with the promise of liberation for the devotees of the single God. They go to His planet, which is not subject to birth and death. His planet is not part of the material world.

आ-ब्रह्म-भुवनाल् लोकाः
पुनर् आवर्तिनो ऽर्जुन
माम् उपेत्य तु कौन्तेय
पुनर् जन्म न विद्यते

ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ
punar āvartino ‘rjuna
mām 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.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 8.16)

The devas are indeed dear to Vishnu, but there is a kind of duality in how they are viewed. Some approach them only for material benedictions. For instance, in many places Lord Shiva is also described as the Supreme Brahman. Despite this amazing standing, the asuras are known to worship him. They look to extract benedictions. They look to take, and so their appreciation of Mahadeva is based on conditions. It is bound to reciprocation.

ब्रह्मोवाच
जाने त्वामीशं विश्वस्य जगतो योनिबीजयो:
शक्ते: शिवस्य च परं यत्तद्ब्रह्म निरन्तरम्

brahmovāca
jāne tvām īśaṁ viśvasya
jagato yoni-bījayoḥ
śakteḥ śivasya ca paraṁ
yat tad brahma nirantaram

“Lord Brahma said: My dear Lord Shiva, I know that you are the controller of the entire material manifestation, the combination father and mother of the cosmic manifestation, and the Supreme Brahman beyond the cosmic manifestation as well. I know you in that way.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 4.6.42)

It is said that the devotees of Vishnu automatically acquire the qualities of the devas. They reach the same level in terms of gunas, without aspiring for elevation to a higher post or desiring control over a specific aspect of the universe.

यस्यास्ति भक्तिर् भगवत्य् अकिञ्चना
सर्वैर् गुणैस् तत्र समासते सुराः
हराव् अभक्तस्य कुतो महद्-गुणा
मनोरथेनासति धावतो बहिः

yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā
sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ
harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā
manorathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ

“All the demigods and their exalted qualities, such as religion, knowledge and renunciation, become manifest in the body of one who has developed unalloyed devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva. On the other hand, a person devoid of devotional service and engaged in material activities has no good qualities. Even if he is adept at the practice of mystic yoga or the honest endeavor of maintaining his family and relatives, he must be driven by his own mental speculations and must engage in the service of the Lord’s external energy. How can there be any good qualities in such a man?” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 5.18.12)

At the highest standard, devotees of Vishnu ask nothing from their object of worship. They will continue in their devotion, whether rising to heaven or falling to hell. This is another way to distinguish the supreme standing of their object of worship in comparison to the devas.

नारायण-पराः सर्वे
न कुतश्चन बिभ्यति
स्वर्गापवर्ग-नरकेष्व्
अपि तुल्यार्थ-दर्शिनः

nārāyaṇa-parāḥ sarve
na kutaścana bibhyati
svargāpavarga-narakeṣv
api tulyārtha-darśinaḥ

“Devotees solely engaged in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Narayana, never fear any condition of life. For them the heavenly planets, liberation and the hellish planets are all the same, for such devotees are interested only in the service of the Lord.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 6.17.28)

In Closing:

Matter of rebirth at hand,
On whichever planet to land.

Sometimes asuras worshiping too,
Not devotion in definition true.

With Vishnu a higher realm to place,
Where anxieties no more to face.

Reached level of devas already,
Through their allegiance steady.

Categories: prayers to womb of devaki, the five

Tags: dailyprompt, devas, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, worship