How do we respond to those who say that different Puranas glorify different devatas as Supreme?

Transcript

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Thank you, Hare Krishna. Do the different Puranas glorify different devatas as supreme? And if they do, how do we respond to such situations? Answer, the first point is to recognize that the Vedic scriptures talk about spirituality at multiple levels.
So as I gave the example of 40%, 60%, 80%, for a student at 40% to get 60% is good, but for a student at 80% to get 60% is bad. So like that, same way, the scriptures talk about three modes, goodness, passion, and ignorance. And accordingly, the scriptures teach forms of worship that are compatible with different modes.
That means what is compatible at the mode of goodness is not always compatible at the mode of passion or ignorance. And so a person in ignorance will not be attracted to worship in the mode of goodness, nor a person in goodness be attracted to worship in the mode of ignorance. So to ensure that people according to their mentalities have the opportunity to make spiritual advancement, the scriptures talk about different worshipable gods.
Now, are those devatas considered to be supreme? In other words, supreme, we have to understand that the scriptures use it in different senses. That the supremacy can be over a jurisdiction. So, you know, a company owner can be supreme within the company.
That does not necessarily mean the company owner is the supreme in the world. So like that, the devatas have their jurisdictions and within their jurisdictions, they can be considered to be supreme. So it is qualified supremacy.
It is not absolute supremacy. For example, Lord Shiva is called as Vishwanath. He is the lord of the universe.
Now Durga Devi looks after the world. This world is a fortress and Durga, she’s in charge of the fortress. Durga means fortress.
And Lord Shiva is her lord. So therefore, he is Vishwanath. But Lord Shiva is not glorified as Anantakoti Brahmandanayak.
Anantakoti Brahmandanayak, that is the creator of the unlimited universes and that is Lord Vishnu. So in that sense, there can be qualified glorification. But beyond that also, if we look further, we know that the scriptures recognize that there has to be faith at different levels.
So Krishna describes in the Bhagavad Gita, So whatever level a person desires to, whatever devata a person desires to worship, whatever devata a person desires to worship, Krishna says, I give faith through that person. I make that faith. Achala means strong.
I give that faith to him. Why does Krishna give that faith? Because that will lead to gradual elevation. So the Bible talks about the prodigal son, the son who took the wealth, the inheritance from the father and went away.
And then it talks about how when the son comes back, the father welcomes him with open arms and that talks about God’s love for the souls who leave him and come back to him. Now, the Vedic culture describes that God doesn’t just welcome the son back. God arranges for the son to come back also.
So the son is not on talking terms with the father. So the son is not ready to come back to the father. So what does the father do? If the father is, say, like a king and the father arranges for one of his ministers to go and invite the son back.
Now, the minister directly invites the son to come back to the father’s kingdom because the son is angry with the father. The son is not ready to come back to the father. So the minister tells the son, you come back and you come and work with me and I will provide for your needs.
And when that happens, what is happening is the son is indirectly under the care of the father. So the minister cares for the son on behalf of the father, but that’s indirect. So the ministers are like the devtas.
So Krishna, just like the father will want, instead of the son to be wandering homeless and orphaned, the father will be happy that at least the son is under the care of my minister. So like that, Krishna is telling, rather than the person being atheistic, if the person can develop faith in some devta, Krishna says, I will make that faith strong. I will make that faith strong so that at least indirectly the souls will be under my care.
So, of course, Krishna also says that if you worship the devtas, the result will not be eternal. So in 7.20 to 23, in the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna analyzes demigod worship and he says that the results of demigod worship are temporary and that’s why those who worship them are less intelligent. But the point with respect to our discussion is that it is Krishna who gives faith.
And how does he give faith? One way is his super soul, he inspires them. Another way is also through the scriptures. So the scriptures which talk about Shiva’s glories, which talk about Ganesh’s glories, which talk about the goddess’ glories, these are all the ways by which Krishna draws the souls back closer to him.
So it is like the father giving credentials for the minister so that the son will take one step closer back to the father. So when Krishna says that, return back to me, that is not an instruction that everybody can take up. Those who cannot take up that level of instruction, for them Krishna offers an intermediate level.
Okay, worship the devtas. So therefore, if a person is reading a lot of Puranas and is getting confused, we can urge that person to study the Bhagavad Gita and understand the overall Vedic plan. And once one understands the overall Vedic plan, one will see that there is not a contradiction, but a progression in the Vedic plan.
And as per that progression, one can understand what level one is at and take the step to move to the higher level. So we do not have to minimize or deride the demigods or the scriptures that talk about the worship of the demigods, but we have to contextualize them and present an integrated understanding where things fall within a progression. So as compared to an atheist, a demigod worshipper is better.
And as compared to a demigod worshipper, a Krishna devotee is better, like 40%, 60%, 80%. And that way one can move towards the highest understanding gradually.