“Endowed with such a faith, he seeks favors of a particular demigod and obtains his desires. But in actuality these benefits are bestowed by Me alone.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.22)

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स तया श्रद्धया युक्तस्तस्याराधनमीहते
लभते च तत: कामान्मयैव विहितान्हि तान्

sa tayā śraddhayā yuktas
tasyārādhanam īhate
labhate ca tataḥ kāmān
mayaiva vihitān hi tān

1. My child

“Don’t do it. Listen to me. You will come to regret the move. It is not wise. I just know better. I have lived a lot longer. I have seen so much. I have endured my own struggles. People tried to set me straight. I got angry at them, in return. I went ahead with my ill-advised plans. I came to later regret those decisions. I had to both apologize and endure the humiliation of having been wrong on something so important.”

2. My friend

“I am telling you, this person is bad news. You should cut ties with them immediately. You should eliminate any potential association in the future. You are too entrenched in the plot to understand what is going on. You cannot see clearly. I am not trying to hurt you. I only have good intentions. You should trust me on this.”

3. My colleague

“If you go into the boss’s office and make those demands, he will punish you. Trust me. He is not a nice person. He is mean, vindictive, and petty. Do you not see who gets promoted around here? It is the cronies. They are not skilled. The corruption runs rampant. The pay is not based on job performance. If you make too big a deal out of this, you will have to suffer the consequences.”

…

In these cases, we may try once and try again to persuade, but the other person simply will not listen. There is stubbornness. There is a competitive spirit. There is a lack of respect. They simply do not believe that we know better, because who are we? What standing do we carry? Why should we be listened to? How could we possibly know anything?

These occurrences, which are common and found throughout recorded history, help to explain some shlokas in Bhagavad-gita. In particular, the sections referring to worship of the devatas. These are the gods, who are like administrators of different departments of the material creation.

Based on our limited perception we might wrongly conclude that everything runs on its own. That massive ball of fire situated in outer space, which has yet to run out of energy, somehow magically appeared. It remains where it is without any sort of outside intervention. There are no outages for scheduled maintenance. There is no fuel delivery truck arriving at appropriate intervals. At the same time, the reliance is so strong that the slightest deviation in output from the sun could spell disaster for the human population.

Vedic literature explains that since it is the material world, the types of bodies inhabited can be in any combination of material elements. Fire is one of those elements, and so the sun is like a giant body consisting of fire. That body is nothing on its own; there must be purusha inside. There is a person holding that collection of elements together. The same applies to other fixtures of nature, such as the rain, the clouds, the sky, the trees, and so forth.

A person can worship these different administrators. There is yajna which is both approved and validated through longstanding tradition. For instance, in Bhagavata Purana we find the story of the residents of Gokula-Vrindavana preparing for a yajna in honor of Indra, who is the god of heaven. There are yajnas to satisfy the different devatas, so much so that an entire lifetime can be occupied with worshiping for this particular benefit and that.

At the same time, the overarching message of Bhagavad-gita is to surrender to the single God. The one and only Supreme Personality of Godhead. The one who is the deva of the devas, or the god of the gods. The one from whom everything emanates. The source who is like an original fire which then distributes its energy across the entire known space. That person is God, and our best option is to be devoted to Him, exclusively.

Nevertheless, we find the one God describing how He personally strengthens the faith of those who worship the devatas. Why would He do such a thing? Why should He steer someone in the wrong direction? If not wrong, then at least the results are incomplete. The results from such worship are fleeting in nature, corresponding with the life experience itself. Why would Krishna help someone do something that is ultimately not in their best interest?

The truth is that sometimes a person simply will not listen. Despite the best presentation offered to them, in a direct manner, through a long-form discussion, they might not understand the principles. They are so focused on achieving a specific goal that they will not accept sound wisdom. In these cases, Shri Krishna is so kind that He still helps them. He strengthens their faith in a particular devata.

The reason is that worship in an authorized way is better than completely shunning good culture. Better to make progress than to go backwards. It is said that the worshipers of the devatas go to the planets of the devatas. The worshipers of Krishna go to the spiritual world of Vaikuntha. There is no comparison between the two destinations.

If we are fortunate enough to know better, if we are in a position to accept the highest truths, then we should not knowingly follow a lower standard. If the highest interest of the living being, purushartha, is connection with the single God, then we should work in ways to attain that goal. The means for success in that path are simple and straightforward. We simply make everything that we do an offering. We turn the entire life experience into yajna, which is ultimately for the benefit of the Supreme Lord.

यत् करोषि यद् अश्नासि
यज् जुहोषि ददासि यत्
यत् तपस्यसि कौन्तेय
तत् कुरुष्व मद्-अर्पणम्

yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi
yaj juhoṣi dadāsi yat
yat tapasyasi kaunteya
tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam

“O son of Kunti, all that you do, all that you eat, all that you offer and give away, as well as all austerities that you may perform, should be done as an offering unto Me.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 9.27)

In Closing:

Opportunity now to take,
This life as yajna to make.

For highest deva of all,
As Supreme Lord to call.

Others not listening so,
Towards temporary will go.

While time to success lengthening,
Krishna still that faith strengthening.

Categories: the three

Tags: bhagavad-gita, dailyprompt, demigod worship, poem, poems, poetry