Is it still wrong worshiping demigods without any expectations from them?
A Girl devotee asked like this:
Hare Krishna Prabhuji. I have a question. Is worshipping the demigods without any material desires and out of love, considered material worship? I have heard many cases of Goddess Kali, Lord Shiva helping their devotees, appearing before them in persons. Krishna said that those who worship the demigods are less intelligent. Is this applicable to these devotees? Please hide my name.
REPLY:
I always advise the devotees like this in this matter:
“Krishna alone is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Love and Surrender to Krishna. At the same time, Respect all other Gods.”
Worshiping demigods without any expectations is good. But, When we love many, we can’t concentrate in anyone. Love is strong only if it is shown on exclusively to one.
So, love Krishna and respect all the others including demigods, gurus, parents, and elders and youngsters too.
You love your parents. You love your lover or spouse. That’s all you can do. How many people you can love?
(Why Krishna alone is Supreme Personality of Godhead? READ HERE!)
If you love all, how can you satisfy them by concentrating in the welfare of everyone?
Is our love for other people and Krishna the same?
No.
True love exists only between an athma and his master, Paramathma, Krishna. It alone is pure, spiritual and not binding but liberating from material clutches.
So, our love with Krishna is the TRUE LOVE.
Mother, father and spouse?
It is also love, but, material love, ie contaminated form of pure love.
Contamination means?
Here contaminated love means ‘love out of attachments and expectations that are forced by karma’.
That means, karma pushes us to love someone.
Since Krishna wants us to get freed from attachments and karmic reactions, He purifies us from attachments if we surrender to Him and love Him.
So, those who love Krishna will be subjected to the purifying process gradually and all their anarthas (attachments and karmic reactions) will be cleared stage by stage by giving suitable experiences.
That is why, the devotees of Krishna face more problems. This is how Krishna normally purifies us from our karmic reactions.
Only in some special cases, He purifies a devotee abnormally.
You say that you like to worship demigods out of love.
It has been made as compulsory to honour the vaishnavas. Dishonouring a Vaishnava is an offense unclearable even by Krishna as Krishna does not forgive the insult to His devotees.
If this is the case for Vaishnavas in human body, what about the demigods who are in higher status than the humans.
So, you can love them and honour them. Honouring and loving all is the basic nature of a vaishnava.
However, in our limited 70-80 years of human life in kaliyuga, we can’t satisfy all of them.
That is why, Krishna Himself allows and even helps you if you like to worship a demigod as He said in Bhagavad Gita.
So, always remember that we have a short life span.
We have to attain perfection in our devotion within this rare human birth.
So, if we love any ONE and focus in that devotion, we can do well in it.
If you have to decide whom to love, it is logical and intelligent to love the Supreme among all of them.
(Are Demigods subject to attachments and bad times? READ HERE!)
Because if we satisfy the supreme, all others get automatically satisfied.
So, Don’t share the love to many.
Of course, worshiping demigods without any expectations is not wrong. But, because of the above reasons, show love for any one God. It is the best decision to love the supreme Person Krishna.
However, if your mind is comfortable in the worship of one God who is not Krishna, but someone else, atleast do that properly. As said by Himself in Gita, Krishna will help you to advance in the devotion to that demigod.
However, you may have to take more births and Krishna will gradually pull you and make you His direct devotee in the future births.
Why should we take more births to get that realization?
Why can’t we focus on Krishna in this birth itself and avoid further births?
That is what we are doing now y directly worshiping Krishna.
So, Never speak ill about the other Gods. Honour them. Respect them. Don’t insult them. Don’t speak disrespecting them.
(Who gives liberation for the devotees of Other Gods except Krishna? READ HERE!)
The recommended prayer you should make towards any god or senior devotees or parents or elders should be this:
“Dear Ganesha/ Karthikeya/ Durga Devi/ Guruji/ Devotee/ Dad/ Mom/ Sir/ Madam…….PLEASE BLESS ME TO COME UP IN MY DEVOTION AND SERVICE TO KRISHNA. I DON’T WANT ANY OTHER BLESSING FROM YOU.”
Do this. That means, you are on right track.
I do not object visiting the temples of other gods and worshiping them, but, be sure in the following two aspects:
(1) Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the Paramathma, ie, our master.
(2) Never ask the other gods anything except the BLESSINGS TO COME UP IN DEVOTION AND SERVICE TO KRISHNA.
This is what I am following that gives me peace of mind because I neither offend any god nor compromise in the position of Krishna.
If you like the way I follow, you too follow. You too will be peaceful.
Be relieved.
(SHOULD A KRISHNA DEVOTEE WORSHIP OTHER GODS (DEMIGODS) AND CHANT ALL THEIR MANTHRAS? READ HERE!)