Since Lord Rama worshiped Siva, Is Siva superior to Rama?
A male devotee asked like this:
“Hare krishna, pranam..dandavat!! to dear prabhu ji. i have some question which make me difficult to make preaching on KC from my side. in sarabha upanishad it is said that sarabha is form, incarnation of vishnu lord where in linga puran and shiva puran it is said that sarabha is form, incarnation of lord shiva! is it true and are shiva and vishnu r one or same?? in episode 174 of ramanand sagar krishna lila, there is shown and said that krishna and shiva are one, same body soul!! also in ramayan when ram built rameshwaram to shivling then ram said shiva is lord of ram? what is this who is supreme, are they one, same? similarly in krishna leela and ramayan of ramanandsagar of mahashivaratri episode there is shown krishna, ram is worshiping to lord shiva, it means lord shiva is supreme, dear prabhu ji this things make me confused, plz help me guide me to know the truth inside this behind this!! Siva is superior to Rama?
also if bhagawan word consist 6 opulences who posses only lord krishna then why in ramanand sagars ramayan and krishna lila there is said many times many places bhagawan to siva from mouth of krishna and ram?? i am in great hope that all questions answers would be given by you for the spiritual advancement to me as well as to other also.. hare krishna”
REPLY:
If Lord Rama worshiped Siva, does that mean Siva is superior to Rama? This is a childish question because we see the gods in the same material angle we see each other.
A senior devotee offers pranams to a teen devotee calling Prabhuji. Does that mean, that teen devotee is superior to that senior devotee?
The devotees should consider themselves inferior to others and they should consider themselves like a straw on the roadside as said by Sri Caitanya Maha Prabhu.
Like we respect and honour even an younger Vaishnava, the Trimurtis and demigods too give respect to each other.
As per Bhagavad Gita, all the gods are originating from Krishna because Krishna is the Adhi Purusha.
Krishna says in Vibhoodhi Yoga some examples for that. There is nothing in this world that has not originated from Krishna.
(Hanuman (Maruti) or Rama – Whom to worship for Protection? READ HERE! )
Lord Krishna says in Vibhoodhi Yoga that He is Siva among Rudras. This means, he Himself has taken the form of Siva.
There are many types of avatars taken by Lord. One among them is Guna Avatar. Guna avatar means, taking the forms to represent individual Gunas such as Satva Guna, Rajo Guna and Thamo Guna.
Krishna took the form of Vishnu to represent Satva Guna; He took the form of Brahma to represent Rajo Guna and He took the form of Siva to represent Thamo Guna.
This means, Siva is non different from Krishna, but, at the same time there is a minute difference in nature between them.
Krishna is Nirguna, ie, He does not represent any guna and He is always free from any guna. But, Lord Siva represents thamo guna.
This can be compared to Milk and curd. Milk has no taste until we add sugar to it. It has no sweetness, it is not sour, not bitter, etc. Whereas curd has an apparent taste and it is sour tasted that represents thamo guna.
(GLORIES OF LORD RAMA (RAMACANDRA) FROM SCRIPTURES! READ HERE!)
Similarly, Lord Siva is different from Krishna like the difference between curd and milk. Curd comes from milk, but, it is not similar to milk. Siva too comes from Krishna, but, he differs in accepting a guna representation to Him.
Only the people are fighting by holding various gods as superior, but, the gods, or demigods who have the common source as Krishna does not quarrel among themselves because all have a single source. Though they do so, it is to perform a lila to teach something to the people. The brothers and sisters in a family are expected to be united without any fighting. Because all of them have only one source – father.
Similarly, all the gods have only one source – Krishna. So, they show respect among themselves. We, the people develop differences considering the gods worshiped by the people. All gods are considered as the devotees of Krishna because the source of all of them is Krishna. So, they can be considered as vaishnavas. Krishna always honours His devotees and add fame to them.
Thus, Lord Rama does not hesitate to honour Lord Siva because, Siva is His form and hence Siva is His devotee/ vaishnava. Krishna honours His devotees. So, whether He is Krishna or Rama, He always honours Lord Siva. Just because Lord Rama worshiped Siva, it does not mean that Siva is superior to Rama. They respect each other.
(Why Rama killed Bali (Vali) from behind a tree against dharma? READ HERE!)
That is why, I have been writing NOT TO insult any gods because they all have the same source Krishna. If we insult them, Krishna will consider it as our innocence/ ignorance.
So, as said by Srila Prabhupada, Lord Siva is ALMOST EQUAL to Krishna, but, they have slight differences including guna accepted by Siva. Krishna is free from any kind of material contamination. Though he is the source of all the material and spiritual existences, he is not affected/ contaminated by them.
So, we too should honour the Lord Siva as the form of Lord Krishna. Never offend any Gods by speaking ill about them.
So, Lord Rama worshiping Siva is understandable and natural. You can see such trends all over the puranas.
Even Gopis worshiped Lord Siva to get Krishna. So, it is clear that Siva can give even Krishna, because Krishna honours the request of Siva.
SO, THE MANTHRA RECOMMENDED FOR ALL:
WORSHIP KRISHNA, THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD, AND, RESPECT ALL THE GODS AS HIS FORMS. NEVER INSULT ANY GOD OR LIVING BEING.
See the worship of Lord Siva by Lord Rama in this mindset. You can rightly understand it.
(ROLE OF LORD SIVA AND PARVATI IN RAMAYANA! READ HERE!)