Chapter 4 Demigod Worship-I Home Work

Chapter 4 Demigod Worship-I

Home work: 15 minutes

Ice breaker (15 minutes): Share with us, before you came to Krishna Consciousness which demigod you were worshiping?

Kirtan: 10 minutes

Japa: 10 minutes

Way Of Chanting Srila Prabhupada once imitated how we sometimes chant without focus, without concentration, without proper pronunciation - how we chant when we don't feel like chanting. You know the mood behind this type of chanting; "I have to chant but I'd rather be doing something else." And in our minds we are thinking, "I can't wait to get these rounds out of the way, when shall I be finished." We all do this. And it can get pretty bad. I know devotees who chant rounds while watching football games on TV. Srila Prabhupada explained that this type of chanting is more or less useless because it will not produce the desired result, love of Krishna. To even call this chanting is a stretch. It is closer to a ritual. But Prabhupada acknowledged the value in the ritual by saying that although this kind of chanting is not very productive, at least those who are chanting this way are keeping their vow to chant. He called this kind of japa, "courtesy japa." "Courtesy japa" means that since you have taken a vow - either to your spiritual master or yourself - to chant a certain number of rounds daily, you keep that vow while chanting the kind of japa he described above.

We Should follow 4 steps for Chanting in the right way:

Step1: Tell the mind to resolve to just hear one Hare Krishna maha mantra.

Step2: As the mind starts to become absorbed in the sound of the holy name, it will periodically rebel and try to drift to some other topic. So you must now neglect the attempts of the mind to deviate from the task of japa. It is like a child who wants something at the store...it will cry and cry, but the stern parent just ignores or neglects the misbehaviour. In due course the child will get the message and calm down. Similarly the mind will introduce so many ideas and rationalizations for thinking something else, but one must just neglect the mind and force it back to japa.

Step3: Take shelter of the Holy Name. Now the mind is absorbed in the sound of the holy name. One's whole existence is only the holy name....there is nothing else to be conscious of. So realize that the holy name is in fact Krishna Himself and surrender completely to Him, and accept Him in the form of the Holy Name as everything and all that we really ever will need.

Step 4. Obtain Krishna's Mercy If the Holy Name so desires, being pleased by our endevor He may bestow His mercy upon us and give us a glimpse of real bhakti and the sweetness of His loving friendship.

Lesson-4 Topic of discussion: Demigod worship Time: 1 Hour

There are many rules and regulations for the worship of demigods in the scriptures, and one may question why the Vedic literatures recommended their worship. There is necessity. Those who are motivated by lust want the opportunity to love something, and the demigods are acknowledged as the officers of the Supreme Lord. The idea is that as one worships these demigods; he will gradually develop Krishna consciousness. But if one is completely atheistic and disobedient and rebellious against any authority, what hope is there? So one's obedience to a higher personality can start with the demigods. [On way to Krishna, ch -5]

Discuss: How demigod worshipers are better than atheists ?

For one who cannot understand what the Personality of Godhead is, sacrifice to the demigods is recommended. According to the different material qualities of the persons concerned, different types of yajïas are recommended in the Vedas. Worship of different demigods is also on the same basis—namely, according to different qualities. For example, the meat-eaters are recommended to worship the goddess Käli, the ghastly form of material nature, and before the goddess the sacrifice of animals is recommended. But for those who are in the mode of goodness, the transcendental worship of Vishnu is recommended. But ultimately all yajïas are meant for gradual promotion to the transcendental position. [BG-3/12]

Discuss: Why do we see various demigod worships in the society?

There is a great misconception about the gods or demigods of this material world, and men of less intelligence, although passing as great scholars, take these demigods to be various forms of the Supreme Lord. Actually, the demigods are not different forms of God, but they are God's different parts and parcels. God is one, and the parts and parcels are many. The Vedas say, nityo nityänäm: God is one. Ishwarah paramah Krishnah. The Supreme God is one—Krishna—and the demigods are delegated with powers to manage this material world. These demigods are all living entities (nityänäm) with different grades of material power. They cannot be equal to the Supreme God—Narayana, Vishnu, or Krishna. Anyone who thinks that God and the demigods are on the same level is called an atheist, or pashandi. [BG-4/12]

Discuss: Compare the position of God and demigods.

Some commentators on the Bhagavad-Gitasay that one who worships a demigod can reach the Supreme Lord, but here it is clearly stated that the worshipers of demigods go to the different planetary systems where various demigods are situated, just as a worshiper of the sun achieves the sun or a worshiper of the demigod of the moon achieves the moon. Similarly, if anyone wants to worship a demigod like Indra, he can attain that particular god's planet. It is not that everyone, regardless of whatever demigod is worshiped, will reach the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is denied here. [BG-7/23]

yānti deva-vratā devān pitṝn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā yānti mad-yājino ’pi mām

Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those who worship the ancestors go to the ancestors; those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; and those who worship Me will live with Me. [BG-9/25]

Discussion: Do all demigod worshipers achieve the same destination or different?

Nowhere in authentic scriptures is it said that one will ultimately reach the same goal by doing anything or worshiping anyone. Such foolish theories are offered by self-made "spiritual masters" who have no connection with the paramparä, the bona fide system of disciplic succession. The bona fide spiritual master cannot say that all paths lead to the same goal and that anyone can attain this goal by his own mode of worship of the demigods or of the Supreme or whatever. Any common man can very easily understand that a person can reach his destination only when he has purchased a ticket for that destination. A person who has purchased a ticket for Calcutta can reach Calcutta, but not Bombay. But the so-called spiritual masters say that any and all paths will take one to the supreme goal. Such mundane and compromising offers attract many foolish creatures, who become puffed up with their manufactured methods of spiritual realization. The Vedic instructions, however, do not uphold them. Unless one has received knowledge from the bona fide spiritual master who is in the recognized line of disciplic succession, one cannot have the real thing as it is. [Isopanisad, mantra-13 purport]

Discuss: Do all paths lead to the same goal? Explain with some examples.

Sripad Sankaräcärya, the leader of the impersonalists, maintains that Narayana, or Krishna, is beyond this material creation. However, foolish people (håta-jyana [Bg. 7.20]) worship the demigods because they want immediate results. They get the results, but do not know that results so obtained are temporary and are meant for less intelligent persons. The intelligent person is in Krishna consciousness, and he has no need to worship the paltry demigods for some immediate, temporary benefit. The demigods of this material world, as well as their worshipers, will vanish with the annihilation of this material world. The boons of the demigods are material and temporary. Both the material worlds and their inhabitants, including the demigods and their worshipers, are bubbles in the cosmic ocean. In this world, however, human society is mad after temporary things such as the material opulence of possessing land, family and enjoyable paraphernalia. To achieve such temporary things, people worship the demigods or powerful men in human society. If a man gets some ministership in the government by worshiping a political leader, he considers that he has achieved a great boon. All of them are therefore kowtowing to the so-called leaders or "big guns" in order to achieve temporary boons, and they indeed achieve such things. Such foolish men are not interested in Krishna consciousness for the permanent solution to the hardships of material existence. They are all after sense enjoyment, and to get a little facility for sense enjoyment they are attracted to worship empowered living entities known as demigods. [BG-4/12 purport]

Discuss: Describe the results obtained by the demigod worshippers. In order to get temporary benefits what do they do?

The pure devotee engaged in Krishna consciousness in devotional service of the Supreme Lord achieves eternal blissful existence that is full of knowledge, his achievements and those of the common worshiper of the demigods are different. The Supreme Lord is unlimited; His favor is unlimited; His mercy is unlimited. Therefore the mercy of the Supreme Lord upon His pure devotees is unlimited. [BG-7/23 purport]

Discuss: How does the Supreme Lord show His mercy to the devotees?

ye ’py anya-devatā-bhaktā yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ te ’pi mām eva kaunteya yajanty avidhi-pūrvakam Those who are devotees of other gods and who worship them with faith actually worship only Me, O son of Kunti, but they do so in a wrong way. [BG-9/23] Here the point may be raised that if the demigods are different parts of the body of the Supreme Lord, then the same end should be achieved by worshiping them. However, worshipers of the demigods are less intelligent because they don't know to what part of the body food must be supplied. Some of them are so foolish that they claim that there are many parts and many ways to supply food. This isn't very sanguine. Can anyone supply food to the body through the ears or eyes? They do not know that these demigods are different parts of the universal body of the Supreme Lord, and in their ignorance they believe that each and every demigod is a separate God and a competitor of the Supreme Lord. [BG-7/23 purport]

Discuss: There are many parts of the body and many ways to supply the food. Discuss this statement.

The demigods are, so to speak, different officers and directors in the government of the Supreme Lord. One has to follow the laws made by the government, not by the officers or directors. Similarly, everyone is to offer his worship to the Supreme Lord only. That will automatically satisfy the different officers and directors of the Lord. The officers and directors are engaged as representatives of the government, and to offer some bribe to the officers and directors is illegal. This is stated here as avidhi-pürvakam. In other words, Krishna does not approve the unnecessary worship of the demigods.[BG-9/23pp]

Discuss: Discuss the example of government and its officers. What is avidhi-purvakam?

Preaching: 15 minutes

Preacher is recognized by Krishna If one gives the conditioned soul a chance to become Krishna conscious, all his activities are approved by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who extremely pleased….. Following the examples of the previous acaryas, all the members of the Krishna consciousness movement should try to benefit the conditioned souls by including them to become Krishna conscious and give them all facilities to do so……. By such activities, a preacher or anyone who endeavours to spread Krishna consciousness is recognized by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As the Lord Himself confirms in BG…… “For one who explains the supreme secret to the devotees, devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me. There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear”.

Prasadam: 15 minutes

Revision: In today’s class, we learnt about the following points:-  Demigod worship gradually leads to Krishna consciousness.  Demigods are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord.  Bogus theory of all paths leading to the same destination.  Results of demigods are temporary.  Satisfaction of the Supreme Lord can satisfy the demigods.