Gita 04.12 – Demigod worship is quick fix in the world of religion

In our journey to him. Thank you.

So the word Karma and the word Siddhi are coming twice Kaamkshintah, Karmanam, Siddhim So Karmanam, Siddhim that came together there and then Siddhir Bhavati Karmaja, Siddhi and Karmaja Karmaja in the fourth line. So essentially the point is Karma is done for fulfilling material desires and Kaamkshintah one who has material desires and tries to fulfill those desires and for that purpose does certain activities. So what happens when a person does like that? Kaamshintaha.

Tujhintaih devataha. Now, they worship devatas in this world. Krishna has earlier mentioned how he comes from a transcendental realm.

Ajop is an avyayatma. He comes, Prakritin Swam Adhishtaya. 4.6 is mentioned that he is unborn.

He is imperishable. He comes by his own energy. So all that emphasizes the point that he comes from a transcendental realm.

And now, what is being stressed over here is, as compared to him who is transcendental, there are Iha devataha. There are gods in this world who can be called demigods and they are the ones who are worshipped by people. The question that this verse responds to is, in the previous verse, Krishna has said that as all people surrender unto me, I reward accordingly.

So then, if all people are on your path and all people you will reward, then why is there the whole system of demigod worship? What is its point? Krishna describes that they will give quick results. So why do the demigods give quick results and Krishna not such quick results? Demigods give what we want, Krishna gives us what we need. And the difference between the two is phenomenal.

Demigods give us, just like a child just goes to a shopkeeper and gives some money, ask for chocolate. Now, they will give the chocolate because, that's what they think, is the, you give the chocolate because there is simply a contract for them, it's a business for them. You give the money, we give the chocolates.

So, the shopkeeper is not really concerned for the welfare of the child. Now, the same child asks the mother for a chocolate. The mother may say, oh, my child's tooth may get spoiled, therefore, I will make a sweet and I'll give a sweet, but not chocolate.

So, now for the mother to get the ingredients, make the sweet, may take time. And the child may think, oh, why should I wait, I have to wait here, better let me go to the shopkeeper and just get the sweets immediately. But those sweets are not what are the best for the child.

So, they may come quickly, but they are not truly beneficial. So, people go to the devatas because they want quick results. So, it's like another example could be like getting a painkiller and getting a proper medicine for curing the disease.

So, the devatas, going to them doesn't really purify us of the underlying desires, the anarthas, the material attachments which cause people to get caught in material existence. So, that is not addressed by the devatas. Actually, going to the devatas and getting the material desires fulfilled often increases the attachment, increases the infatuation.

But now, Krishna, it is not that he wants us to stay in pain. A doctor, it's not a doctor doesn't want to cure the patient and doesn't want to free the patient from pain, but the doctor wants to do it in such a way that actually the patient is cured. So, therefore, what doctor does here is that doctor may give a painkiller, but more importantly, doctor will give the medicine.

And sometimes if the patient is a little lax in taking the medicine, the doctor may not give a painkiller so that the patient feels the pain and if the patient feels the pain, then the patient urgently takes the medicine. So, Krishna works for a long-term cure and he doesn't try to conceal our pain, he tries to cure our pain and that curing happens by the redirection of our love from matter to Krishna, from the world to the lord of the world. And that requires time, that requires application, that requires purification, but then it brings a lasting result.

In contrast with that, devatas more or less operate like a business contract. You pay me this in the form of worship and I will give you this in return and that's how the transaction goes. But in the case of the supreme lord, the point is not a transaction, the point is transformation.

The transaction is subordinated to the transformation. So, Krishna, it's not that Krishna doesn't fulfill our desires, we have the example of Dhruv Maharaj, his desire was fulfilled, but Krishna also purified his heart and there was a transformation that happened in his heart. So, his values change, so he realized that temporary things cannot make me happy, it will only be the lord who will make me truly happy, in loving whom I will be truly happy.

So, that transformation is what Krishna does and he does that at his own rate. So, it is not a, in today's context, it will be like quick fixes. So, there are so many people who have some diseases, just take aspirin and forget the headache or whatever.

And because of taking, some people take heavy doses of tranquilizers, they feel anxiety and their anxiety is caused by a stressful, high-paced, unnatural lifestyle and instead of trying to reorient the lifestyle so that it can be more natural, they just try to take a quick fix, a tranquilizer and they think that now, oh, I am feeling much better. But that feeling much better won't last much longer and again, they will need a tranquilizer and they will need more doses with greater frequencies. So, in that way, they get trapped.

The problem is not solved, although the illusion that it is addressed comes initially and then things become worse. Similarly, over here, Krishna is telling that he is not going to offer a quick fix solution and those who want quick fix solutions go elsewhere to the devatas. And Krishna says, they get the result also.

Now, how they get the result, how it is Krishna ultimately behind them, who gives the result, that will be discussed in the 7th chapter, verses 21, verses 20 to 23. But here, suffice it to say that Krishna is talking about different categories of people. So, all people can approach him and he will reward them, but those who want quickly, they go to other gods and their quick fix actually keeps.