Why Did Lord Rama Worship Lord Siva ?

Why did Lord Ramachandra worship Siva?


He (Lord Krsna and Lord Rama) likes to worship His devotee. Sometimes the father takes the child on his shoulder. Does it mean the child is more important than the father?

They say [in] the Valmiki Ramayana, there is no such incidence as Ramacandra worships Siva. It is later on, interpretation. But even if He does so, what is the wrong here? (room conversation, Dec 23, 1975 Mumbai)


Mahabharata, Shanti Parva (12.328.5 onwards, dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna):
brAhme rAtrikShaye prApte tasya hy amitatejasaH prasAdAtprAdurabhavatpadmaM padmanibhekShaNa tatra brahmA samabhavatsa tasyaiva prasAdajaH
In the brahma muhurta, at the end of the night, due to the mercy of the extremely brilliant Lord, a lotus emerged from His navel and in that lotus, Brahma was born, ofcourse, due to His grace.
ahnaH kShaye lalAtAchcha suto devasya vai tathA krodhAviShTasya sa~njaGYe rudraH saMhAra kArakaH etau dvau vibudhashreShThau prasAdakrodhajau smR^itau
At the end of the day, the Lord [present as antaryAmi of Brahma *] created Rudra out of krodha-guna, to enable him to be the 'samhara-karta'. Thus, these two 'fine-among-wise', Brahma and Rudra, are known to have been born out of grace and anger respectively.
* This interpretation is necessary because in the later sections of Moksadharma, Brahma addresses Rudra as a son.

 


tadAdeshita panthAnau sR^iShTi saMhAra kArakau nimittamAtraM tAvatra sarvaprAni varapradau
Thus, they carry out the instructed tasks of creation and destruction. However, they, the givers of boons to all the creatures, are just the agents.

 


kapardI jatilo mundaH shmashAnagR^ihasevakaH ugravratadharo rudro yogI tripuradAruNaH dakShakratuharashchaiva bhaga netraharastathA
[Rudra has] braided hair with knot of an ascetic and rest of the head bald. He dwells in the home of graveyard, steadfast on vigorous penance as a yogi. He is ferocious to Tripurasuras, destroyed Daksayajna and took away the eyes of Bhaga.

 


nArAyaNAtmako GYeyaH pANDaveya yuge yuge
O Arjuna, know that in every yuga, Rudra is 'nArAyaNAtmaka'. (This phrase can mean: one whose indweller is Narayana, one who is always immersed in Narayana.)
tasmin hi pUjyamAne vai devadeve maheshvare sampUjito bhavetpArtha devo nArAyaNaH prabhuH
It is the Lord, the prabhu, the Narayana *IN* Maheshvara (the worshipable, the lord of the devas), who is actually worshiped.


ahamAtmA hi lokAnAM vishvAnAM pANDunandana tasmAdAtmAnamevAgre rudraM sampUjayAmyaham yadyahaM nArchayeyaM vai IshAnaM varadaM shivam AtmAnaM nArchayetkashchiditi me bhAvitaM manaH
O son of Pandu, I am, indeed, the Atma, the indweller of this universe and the worlds. Therefore, I worship myself first, even when I worship Rudra. If I did not worship Rudra, the bestower of boons, in such a way (i.e., worshiping the indwelling Lord first), some would not worship Me, the indwelling Lord, at all - this is my opinion.

 


mayA pramANaM hi kR^itaM lokaH samanuvartate pramAnAni hi pUjyAni tatastaM pUjayAmyaham
Whatever I follow and give due worth as a pramaNa, the world follows that. Such pramanas have to be duly followed; therefore I follow them.

 


yastaM vetti sa mAM vetti yo.anu taM sa hi mAm anu rudro nArAyaNashchaiva sattvamekaM dvidhAkR^itam loke charati kaunteya vyakti sthaM sarvakarmasu
Whoever knows him, knows Me. Whoever follows him, follows Me. (Though) the world, in all its actions, worships two gods, Rudra and Narayana, it is actually one only who is worshiped.
na hi me kenachid deyo varaH pANDavanandana iti sa~ncintya manasA purANaM vishvamIshvaram putrArthaM ArAdhitavAn AtmAnaM aham AtmanA
O Son of Pandu, there is, of course, nobody who can grant Me boons. Knowing that well, I worhip Myself, Who am the beginningless and universal power, known as Sarveshvara, for the sake of getting sons.

 


na hi viShNuH pranamati kasmai chidvibudhAya tu R^ita AtmAnameveti tato rudraM bhajAmyaham

 


Indeed Vishnu does not bow to any one and [even when He bows to Himself], for what sake, but for the sake of showing the path to the wise. Therefore, it is the truth that I worship myself even when I worship Rudra.

 


GLORIES TO SRILA PRABHUPADA, LORD, DEVOTEES AND ALL SADHAKAS

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  • hare krishna,

     you are asking why lord rama worshipped lord shiva.... 

    if u r from south of india ..then u will  be knowing a holy plimgrimage center called rameshwaram... the place wer rama worshipped lord shiva, i.e., the reason they call lord shiva as rameshwar... rama worshipped lord shiva because he knew that..to gain the victory over it was only shiva who can help him to reach lanka... to do the shiva puja... rama required 108 brahmins but all shivas and vaishnavas regreted because of the materialistic attitude and ego and upon everything it was community problem.at that point time,hanuman with blessing of lord rama created 108 humans and hanuman himself did upanayanam(the thread ceremony)and applied mudras on der bodies and named dem as madwa..that is the reason madwas say hanuman is der mukya prana dev. and all those brahmin helped rama in doing shiva pooja...

    our puranas shows the evidence that shiva is concerned about vishnu and vishnu is concerned about shiva.. shiva remember vishnu while doing dyanam as vishnu thinks of shiva while he is in his yoga nidra...

    just check out the puranas properly before bagvad gita was said to arjuna by krishna ,in tretayugam shiva discoursed the shiva gita which has the same concept of bagvad gita  to rama. don get confused ....just check the puranas and upanishads... 

    while shiva blessed rama....shiva too said a word to parvati while she asked

    PARVATI UVACHA :- "KENO PAYENA LAGUNA VISHUNUR NAMA SAHASRAKAM PATYATE PANDITAIR NITYAM SHROTHU-MICHHA-MAHYAM PRABHO"goddess parAVTHI ask shiva prabhu say a remide or a shortcut to recite vishu sahasranamam such that all the pious people earth such that they can get same result for what they get when study the whole vishusahasranamam.

    they lord shiva says

    ESHWARA UVACHA:-

    SRI RAMA RAMA RAMETHI RAME RAME MANO RAME SAHASRANAMA TAT THULYAM RAMA NAMA VARANANE

    lord eshwar says by chanting sri rama the whole universe will be cleaning all their sins and world the same result of what they get by reciting vishusahasranamam.

    shiva when he said dis mantra ,it was krutha yugam it was a fortell by shiva that there will a human born who has qualities of a godhe will called as incarnation of vishnu .shiva said that rama will be ideal to the universe. and path were he walks turns gold....he said.

    look it we humans differentiate gods ,wer as gods wont differentiate humans..understood.. shiva is symbol of victory,health and  wealth.

    lord shiva is such a personality who has sacrificed all the beauty,fashion,sringar to all gods and he wore snakes as his jewelry and ash as his alankaram and he has accepted the sanyasam. shivu resides in graveyard because he is the laya karaka,i.e, at last ur soul will leave ur body and it reaches shiva.if shristi is brahma,sthiti is vishnu,laya is shiva.

    lakshmi resides wer shiva puja is done u know y because she has lot of respect towards him. she respects his pious and innocent nature,i.e., in vedas they say LAKSHMIM SHIVATMIKAM.the letters in the world today what ever we speak the letter which are genreated out of the vibrations of the damarukam on the hands of shiva.

    yes i do accept , krishna is the one who stand upon all the desires,but shiva is one who shows u the way to reach the absolute truth. sab ka malik ek hai,u know y im saying this abova all the gods there is one who called paramatma,and paramatama is a infinity ,its neither male nor female,its a bright light without contrast,it is high volume with out any frequency,try to reach that.

    when god has sent us on earth ,withus he will some responsiblity and a message to us,try to find it  out if u do it ,then u are the feet of krishna.

    if rama is incarnation of vishnu den hanuman is incarnation of shiva .when vishnu came in search of lakshmi down to earth in form of srinivasa govinda,it shiva who answered srinivasa's hunger, when srinivasa was thursty on way to search lakshmi,because she left him and went away as brugu maharshi kicked vishnu on his heart which is lakshmi sathanam.so, when srinivasa will be in search of her he feels thursty and no one will be der to answer his hunger den shiva incartion as a cow and feeds milk to srinivasa.when basmasura tried to kill siva it was vishnu who rescued shiva by taking mohini avataram which led to the birth of ayyapa swami(his temple is at shabalimalai,kerala),when gajasura kept shiva in his stomach it was vishnu who rescued shiva .that is why they both together take a incarnation as shiva keshva.

    at last my inference is that shiva and vishnu ,dey haveno conflicts dey respect ,help,guide,eachother and what ever they do it is for the loka kalyanam only.

    my opinion is try to understand and follow wat the krishna  has said what shiva has said .may its shiva gita or bagvadgita the inference is same. 

    one best example i would like to give u:- in ur home ur father calls u with ur name,ur mother calls with ur name,ur sisters and brothers  call u didi,if children call u mom,a street vendor calls u madam,if u r teacher student call u mam,if u r married u will be called as Mrs...... so n so,so i would i would like to infer that whom ever u call it is only u who will answer.it is same in case of god,in what ever name u call  reply comes from the ONE,and that is paramatma .god cant be framed or labelled,he is an bag of infinite knowledge love and affection.he doesnt have any sought of cast creed  and community. it we who label him,i see paramatama in krishna,someone sees it in lord ,some one in ganesha and some in durga devi. but atlast alla are one and the same .

    read ramayana for our betterment in our lives.there are no questions only answers in it.each and every chapter and sequence of ramayan help us to lead our lives happily. may be it rama jananam or sita jananam or seetha kalyanam,or vanavasam, or seetha apaharanam,or jatayu maranam,or sundara kanda,or ravana samharanam ,or seetha agnipravesham,or sri seetha rama pattabhishekam,or dobhiwalas sequence,or luv kusha jananam, ashwamedha yagam,seetha going into bhu garbham,each and every sequence teaches and gives a message to all of us.all are one upon the other....aha our lives aren't enough to show our grattitude to the lord for such a wonderfull message,i said message because its not  story its a message to the universe .

    hopefully i have explained the answer to ur question ,its is only my opinion ans i have answered to the extent what knowledge i have got by krishna's grace.if any queries u can ask me, im always at krishna's service.if u want to contact regarding any more queries on this ,here is my contact number 9740052646 and my email id is vinayvanamali@gmail.com

    hare krishna...........

  • Lord shiva is eternal parbramha as found by all devas including krishna vishnu and all avtars of ram ,shree ram calls him his swamy his ishta the god 

    avatar worship started way after vedic culture and shivalinga was worshipped since time immemorial hence krishna rama or vishnu always worship shiva.

    Shivas vigrah only is propitiated as nirgun nirakar bramha not any other gods as finality of god is beyond mind in nireakar the roop still has boundation and shiva is etrenal parmatman as say vedas in various upanishads 

    they are many shiavonishads earleist ones who tell why rama or krishns would always worship shiva 

    but i will quote those ones whom are independent where rishi have asked for final truth the god without making any perception of any form but afterwards after witnessing the truth

    and here veda says in shwetashwatroponishad

    EKO HI RUDRO NA DWEETEEYAY IMAN LOKAN ISHANIBHIH ,

    THE RUDRA IS ONLY GODHEAD THE SUPREME FINAL BRAMHA WHO CONTROLS AND IS OWNER OF ALL THAT EXISTS ALL THE LOKAS EVER MADE PERCEPTED BELONGS TO HIM HE IS SWAMI OF ALL GODS

    eko hi rudro na dweeteeyay only rudra and not second none other than rudra only is final god 

    THAT IS WHY HE IS FAMOUS AS MAHADEV ALL ARE DEVAS BUT SHIVA IS MAHADEVA,

    it further says  YO DEVANAM PRABHVASCHODBHAVODBHAVASCH ,VISHWADHIPO RUDRO MAHARSHIH ,

    RUDRA IS CREATOR FATHER OF ALL GODS THERE MAKER RUILER DESTROYER HE IS DESTROYER OF SINS AND PUNISHERS OF THOSE WHO BREAK HIS LAWS,

    the famous shloka Poornamidam poornamidam is chanted for none other than  ,shiva of vedasTHE RUDRA

    another much quoted and chanted shloka in glory of one parmatman

    is Vishwataschakshu  vishwotomukho ,,,,,, 

    is also sung in praise of shiva only .

    It is quite logical too and many shivalingas are found around the world as ancient as millions of years ,mohenjodaro also had many  shivalingas found so it is scientificaly archeologicaly prooved too that shiva is most ancient etrenal godhead of sanatana and was worshipped since time immemorial as only parmatman god 

    so no wonder rama krishna vishnu and all devas always worship him only as still kashi is most famous sacred and its only kashi which ia eternal according to all shastra the only place where moksha is sure and the one which would be protected by shiva in pralaya where all other teerthas etc on earth would be vanished at pralaya but not kashi 

    As sanatna is eternal so is shiva he is first and final god first sakara roop of parmatma thuse his worship is also most ancient he is the first god ever worshipped 

    see the practicailty of story of conflict between bramha and vishnu and when jyotirmayi shivalinga is worshipped first by both of them ,and as shiva cursed bramha still he is not worshipped and that is so true as shiva word is final no body can challenge it no gods and that time vishnu and bramha prostrated to him and called themselves as sewak of mahadeva and its true only for other such stories and versions we dont see evidence of them but lots eveidence for this one that vishnu and bramha worshipped him always even before vedas etc 

    Thats why shree rama worshipped him even ravana and all other that time worshipped shiva as parmatman 

    in krishna avtara he took pashupat deekasha form rishi upamanyu and worshipped him did tapa for shiva for long time and got many wishes fulfilled and shiva granted them as father would give to his beloved kid .

    BRMHAVAIVARTA PURANA the granth of krishna here also KRIHSHNA HIMSELF SAYS CLEARLY 

    SHIVA IS MY LORD HE RADHA YOU ARE MY HEART PRECIOUS MOST IMPORTANT BUT DEAR SHIVA IS MY ATMAN HE IS MY LORD I KRISHNA FOLLOW THE MAN WHOI CHANTS NAME MAHADEVA WITH RESPECT AND BLISS 

    NO ONE IS AS DEAR OR REVERD TO ME AS SHIVA HE IS IWORSHIPPED BY ME HE IS LIKE ME WE BOTH ARE NOT DIFFERENT  

    AND THIS IN IN BRAMHA VAIVARTA PURANA 

    Because there is reason shiva is final god and has been seen by many seers chiranjeevis who live for many kalpas has witnessed what happens at mahapralaya and THEY say that 

    Maharudra dances tandav in fury and destroys all even trinity all alldevas melt in him nothing in whole bramhand remains no god no devas avaars but mahkaali and mahkaal than mahkali also merges in mahakaaL shiva than rudra elimintaes time and space too and these rishi go in samadhi than afterwards new kalpa happens .

    All avtars are bounded by these five pashas things ,and only shiva makes them free as known as pashupati.

    they take birth get in grabh than they must do leela as it is there kartavya they all come under law of existnence karama law and they reciev as per there karams and they die too 

    Only shiva is who ends KAAL the time no one else is beyond time 

    Thus he is known as mrityunjay the conqurer of death 

    see evidence still astrologers siddha gyani would advice to do MAHAMRITYUNJAY JAAP RUDRABHISHEK NOT OTHER MANTRAS AS FOR MOAT POWERFUL METHODS FOR WEALTH HEALTH AND SPIRITUAL GAIN 

    SEE URSELF IN THE WORLD SHIVA IS IRREFUTABLE HE IS INDEED ONLY GODHEAD NO ONE ELSE ALL OTHER ALSO GODS SPECIALY [PANCH DEVA 

    Sanatan says panch deva are like god they are GANPATI DURGA SHIVA VISHNU AND SURYA since vedic times avtar worship started way after somne thousands years before 

    and veda also say these five devas are one parmatman .

    Even the famous CHAKRA SUDARSHAN OF SHREE VISHNU KRISHNA IS GIVEN TO HIM BY SHIVA RUDRA MAHADDEV ONLY .

    THATS WHY IT IS SO POWERFUL

    Vishnu chanted shiva shasranam and worshipped him by 1000 lotuses and when he came short of one he offered his eyes thinking my devotees say my eyes are like lotus so let me offer it 

    such great is shivabhakti in vishnus heart and than shivastopped him from doing so and given him sudarashan chakra,

    NO matter what unlearned people say but evidence veda shastra all say unanimously that shiva is final and only godhead all others trinity etc are his roop his own fragments and mahamaya controls them see forces devas to take avtarsa do leela or see even gynai wont like birth death but she forces devas to take avatar again and again 

    only shiva is swantantra and known as mahamayas husband 

    we respect and rever vishnu as god also as he is fragment of shiva being loved by him and is great shivabhakta and his avatars too 

    rama krishna say those who dont like shiva but say there are my servants ,they people i never like them even in dreams

    SHIVA DROHI MAM DAS KAHAVA WO NAR MOHI SAPNEU NAHIN BHAVA

    see tulsidas also prefrred kashi for his dwelling place not any other teertha he also knew shiva glory

    When krishna rama vishnu themsleves say that trhey are shivas  sewak they ask for his bhakti  than few people who just talk about one book and teachings of a man dont know it they are ill informed kids 

    even krishna said to arjun to worship shiva ,askd draupadi and pandavas to worship him said himself about paramatmatattva of shiva ,as final god the creator sustainer and detsroyer of all than there is no question even for lay man and common person who does,nt know much 

    Shiva was before any avatar and all avatrs merge in him as he is only beyond kaal only shiva is known as mahakaal 

    Krishna was also possessed by partatva in yogasthiti when he preached gita to arjun 

    because both arjun and krishna forgot geeta as in parva mahbharat when arjunasks for geeta gyan again krishna scolds him and tells o arjun i cant repeat that divya gyan again asnit came to me from higher realms when i was in yogasthiti 

    and than told him famous UTTAR GEETA which krishna got from a durdhrash siddha bramhan who came to him from astral world .

    that is truth now when all shastra world practical evidence and millions of proofs say lodly shiva is god the only god say the vedas rishis 

    even true bhakta of rama krishna also worship shiva as he is god of both rama and krishna

    see many temples are amde by krishna rama other devas for shiva like rameshwaram gopeshwars hareshwar mahadev

    but u ownt find a temple shiva ,made to worship any one though he also revers in ram in form of shankar and thats is atmaramneti ramam 

    shiva parmatma revers blisses in himslef hence ram apne atma mein raman karna and he is parmatma 

    so it is prooved without doubt shiva is worshipped by all including avatars krishna rama vishnu ganpati durga too all unanimously worship shiva even rakshas and other beings and only shiva is celebrated and worshipped at that scale and times span as he is only eternal 

    Namaha shivay sita ramay namah hare radhe krishna .

    sovereign of all, may Rudra, the great seer,
    who saw the golden germ when it was born,
    endow us with clear intellect.

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    • LORD SHIVA IN VRAJA & ,NAVADVIP MANDAL (MAYAPUR)

       

      MATHURA

      four ancient deities  of lord shiva residing at mathura are known as

      dik-palas, protectors of directions. they stay in mathura to protect the

      dhama.

      Bhuteswar mahadev is the protector of western side fo mathura. Peppaleswr

      mahadeva resides near vishram ghat on the Yamuna. He guards the eastern side

      of mathura. Rangeswar maadeva is the protector of the southern side , and

      Gokarneswar mahadeva is he guardian of the northern side of the city.

       

       VRINDAVAN

      Gopeswar mahadeva is one on the most prominent deities in the

      gaudiya-sampradaya nad is mentioned in many gaudiya literatures. He is the

      very ancient protector of sri vrindavan Dham. It is said one cannot enter

      Vridavan dham without his permission.

      Nandaeswar mahadeva

      Nanda Maharaja's palace at nandagaon is resting on top of the hill called

      Nandaswar Parvat. This hill is the incarnation of Lord Shiva.

      Bankhandi mahadeva.

      Bankhandi mahadeva. Is situated in the old part of Vrindavan at the junction

      of Bankey Bihari Bazar road and bankhandi mahadeva bazaar road. Ban-khandi

      means forest dweller.

       

      ANTARDWIP

      The central zone of navadvip dham is antardvip the island where sri

      caitanaya mahaprabhu appeared, the central zone of antardwip is yoga pitha,

      the actual place of Mahaprabhu's  appearance.

      Lord Shiva resides eternally at this place. Here as the siva linaga known as

      Ksetra pala mahadeva, lord shiva renders his etrnal service of protecting

      the dhama. Khsetra pala madeva has been in Mayapur since the time of Sri

      Caitanya mhaprabhu

       

      RUDRADWIP

       

      Rudradwip is just west of antardwip..Thakur Hhaktivinod writes in navadvip

      dhama mahatmya that as Nila Lohita, Lord Shiva contacntly relishes gaura

      kirtana in Rudradvip along iwht his a ssociates, the eleven rudras. They are

      all intoxicated from chanting the different names of Lord Gauranga, they

      dance in great jubilation.

       

      SIMANTADVIP

       

      Srila Narahari Chakravarti thakur has described Simantadqip in his bhakti

      ratnakar, where Parvati devi performed austerities and received darshan &

      blessing of Gauranga Mahaprabhu, she put Mahaprabhu's  red foot-dust on her

      simanta, the parting in her hair. Since then the island has beennames as

      Simantadvip and it also become residence of Lord shiva and parvati.

       

      GODRUMADWIP

       

      Thakur bhaktivinod describe the island of godrumdwip and deity of hari-hara.

      The hari-har deity is a combined form of Lord Vishnu and Lorde Shiva. Lord

      Vishnu created this half black(lord vinshu) and half white(lord shiva)deity

      to  show how dear and inseparable lord shiva is to him.

       

      Madhyadvip

       

      When lord shiva heard that suta goswami was about to speak on the pastimes

      of lord Caitasnya here, he could not tolerate missing even one word. His

      anxiety to reach here in time was so intense that he even abandoned his

      normal carrier, the bull nandi, and took  up  Lord Brahma;s much fater

      Hamsa(swan) carrier. The Hamsa Vahan temple houses the deity of Hamsa Vahan

      Shiva- but only three days a year.

      These pastimes reveal how lord Shiva is abosorved in relishing the nectar of

      Gaura-Prema.

       

       

    • LORD SHIVA THE GREATEST VAISHNAVA

       

      In this article we pose certain commonly asked question about lord Shiva, with answers from the teachings of Shrila Prabhupada

       

      Adapted from Krishna Kathamrita by Madhavananda Dasa, Gopaljiu.org

       

      (1) WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN KRISHNA AND SHIVA?

       

      Learned scholars in transcendental subjects have carefully analyzed the summum bonum Krishna to have sixty-four principal attributes. All the expansions or categories of the Lord possess only some percentages of these attributes. But Shri Krishna is the possessor of the attributes cent percent. And His personal

      expansions such as svayam-prakasa, tad-ekatma up to the categories of the avataras who are all vishnu-tattva, possess up to ninety-three percent of these transcendental attributes. Lord Siva, who is neither avatara nor avesa nor in between them, possesses almost eighty-four percent of the attributes.(sb

      1.3.28)

       

      kshiram yatha dadhi vikara-visesha-yogat

      sanjayate na tu tatah prithag asti hetoh

      yah sambhutam api tatha samupaiti karyad

      govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami

       

      “‘Milk changes into yogurt when mixed with a yogurt culture, but actually it is constitutionally nothing but milk. Similarly, Govinda, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, assumes the form of Lord Siva [Sambhu] for the special purpose of material transactions. I offer my obeisances at His lotus feet.’ (The real nature of Sambhu, the presiding deity of Mahesa-dhama, is described.) Sambhu is not a second Godhead other than Krishna. Those, who entertain such discriminating sentiment, commit a great offense against the Supreme Lord. The supremacy of Sambhu is subservient to that of Govinda; hence they are not really different from each other. The nondistinction is established by the fact that just as milk treated with acid turns into curd so

      Godhead becomes a subservient when He Himself attains a distinct personality by the addition of a particular element of adulteration. This personality has no independent initiative. The said adulterating principle is constituted of a combination of the stupefying quality of the deluding energy, the quality of nonplenitude of the marginal potency and a slight degree of the ecstatic-cum-cognitive principle of the plenary spiritual potency. This specifically adulterated reflection of the principle of the subjective portion of the Divinity is

      Sadasiva, in the form of the effulgent masculine-symbol-god Sambhu from whom Rudradeva is manifested. In the work of mundane creation as the material cause, in the work of preservation by the destruction of sundry asuras and in the work of destruction to conduct the whole operation, Govinda manifests Himself as

      guna-avatara in the form of Sambhu who is the separated portion of Govinda imbued with the principle of His subjective plenary portion. The personality of the destructive principle in the form of time has been identified with that of Sambhu by scriptural evidences that have been adduced in the commentary. The purport of the Bhagavata slokas, viz., vaishnavanam yatha sambhuh, etc., is that Sambhu, in pursuance of the will of Govinda, works in union with his consort Durgadevi by his own time energy. He teaches pious duties (dharma) as stepping-stones to the attainment of spiritual service in the various tantra-sastras, etc., suitable for jivas in different grades of the conditional existence. In obedience to the will of Govinda, Sambhu maintains and fosters the religion of pure devotion by preaching the cult of illusionism (Mayavada) and the speculative agama-sastras. The fifty attributes of individual souls are manifest in a far vaster measure in Sambhu and five additional attributes not attainable by jivas are also partly found in him. So Sambhu cannot be called a jiva. He is the lord of jiva but yet partakes of the nature of a separated portion of Govinda. (brahma samhita 5.45)

       

      (2) CAN ONE GET THE SAME RESULT BY WORSHIPPING SHIVA OR KRISHNA?

       

      There is a Mission that regularly propounds that worship of any demigod will lead one to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or the supreme goal. But worship of demigods is thoroughly discouraged herein because even the greatest demigods like Brahma and Siva represent only part of the opulence of the Supreme Lord. He is the origin of everyone born, and no one is greater than Him. He is asamaurdhva, which means that no one is superior to Him and that no one is equal to Him. In the Padma Purana it is said that one who considers the Supreme Lord Krishna in the same category with demigods—be they even Brahma or Siva—becomes at once an atheist.(BG 10.42)

       

      There are many foolish persons who say that one can chant Hare Krishna or chant the name of Kali or Durga or Siva because they are all the same. If one thinks that the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the names and activities of the demigods are on the same level, or if one accepts the holy

      name of Vishnu to be a material sound vibration, that is also an offense. (SB 3.15.25)

       

      (3) IN WHAT WAY DO DEVOTEES OF LORD KRISHNA OFFER RESPECTS TO LORD SHIVA?

       

      It is said, vaishnavanam yatha sambhuh: Lord Siva is the best of all devotees. Therefore all devotees of Lord Krishna are also devotees of Lord Siva. In Vrindavana there is Lord Siva's temple called Gopisvara. The gopis used to worship not only Lord Siva but Katyayani, or Durga, as well, but their aim was to attain the favor of Lord Krishna. A devotee of Lord Krishna does not disrespect Lord Siva, but worships Lord Siva as the most exalted devotee of Lord Krishna. Consequently whenever a devotee worships Lord Siva, he prays to Lord Siva to achieve the favor of Krishna, and he does not request material profit. In Bhagavad-gita (7.20) it is said that generally people worship demigods for some material profit. Kamais tais tair hrita jnanah. Driven by material lust, they worship demigods, but a devotee never does so, for he is never driven by material lust. That is the difference between a devotee's respect for Lord Siva and an asura's respect for him. The asura worships Lord Siva, takes some benediction from him, misuses the benediction and ultimately is killed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who awards him liberation. Because Lord Siva is a great devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he loves all the devotees of the Supreme Lord. Lord Siva told the Pracetas that because they were devotees of the Lord, he loved them very much. Lord Siva was not kind and merciful only to the Pracetas; anyone who is a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very dear to Lord Siva. Not only are the devotees dear to Lord Siva, but he respects them as much as he respects the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Similarly, devotees of the Supreme Lord also

      worship Lord Siva as the most dear devotee of Lord Krishna. They do not worship him as a separate Personality of Godhead. It is stated in the list of nama-aparadhas that it is an offense to think that the chanting of the name of Hari and the chanting of Hara, or Siva, are the same. The devotees must always

      know that Lord Vishnu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that Lord Siva is His devotee. A devotee should be offered respect on the level of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and sometimes even more respect. Indeed, Lord Rama, the Personality of Godhead Himself, sometimes worshiped Lord Siva. If a

      devotee is worshiped by the Lord, why should a devotee not be worshiped by other devotees on the same level with the Lord? This is the conclusion. From this verse it appears that Lord Siva blesses the asuras simply for the sake of formality. Actually he loves one who is devoted to the Supreme Personality of

      Godhead. (purport SB 4.24.30)

       

      (4) SHOULD DEVOTEES OF KRISNA DISCOURAGE OTHERS FROM WORSHIPPING LORD SHIVA?

       

      Devotee: Shrila Prabhupada, in Winnipeg there is one very pious east Indian man who for many years has been worshiping somewhat, worshiping Lord Siva. And his wife is also a very quite chaste woman and sincere follower—and so were her parents—of Lord Siva. And he is reading your Bhagavad-gita. He visits our

      temple. And I have given him the first volume of Canto Four which discusses Lord Siva a great deal. And he has read in one of your purports that Krishna is more pleased when you worship His devotee than when you worship Him directly. And Lord Siva is a very great devotee of Krishna. So he has now interpreted that

      to mean that if he worships Lord Siva so nicely, then actually he is pleasing Krishna more. So he is experiencing some difficulty because of this and I'm not quite sure how to instruct him that actually...

      Prabhupada: Difficulty?

      Brahmananda: That... Our Godbrother has difficulty in replying to this interpretation that Krishna says, "You can please Me by worshiping My devotee," and Lord Siva is the devotee of Krishna. So therefore this man says, "Then I shall worship Lord Siva. In that way I shall please Krishna."

      Prabhupada: But if he accepts Lord Siva is devotee of Krishna, then by worshiping Lord Siva he will be benefited. If he thinks Lord Siva is independent, then he will not be benefited.

      Devotee (3): I've got him to accept that Lord Siva is devotee of Krishna, but there's no practical instruction in his worldly activities coming.

      Prabhupada: No, vaishnavanam yatha sambhuh: "Amongst the Vaishnavas, Sambhu, Lord Siva, is the greatest Vaishnava." So we worship Lord Siva as Vaishnava. We gives respect to Vaishnavas. So why not Lord Siva? Lord Siva is a big Vaishnava. But generally, the devotees of Lord Siva, they take Lord Siva is independent God. That is offensive. If you know that Lord Siva is also a devotee, you can give more respect to Lord Siva. Krishna will be pleased. Devotee (3): Shrila Prabhupada, he does not chant Hare Krishna, he chants om sivaya namah.

      Prabhupada: That's all right.

      Devotee (3): It's all right?

      Prabhupada: He will gradually become devotee. When God, Lord Siva, will be pleased upon him, he will advise to worship.

      Devotee (3): He is already trying to tell him to follow in your footsteps surely, so just before I left he said he will try once again to chant sixteen rounds of japa, Hare Krishna. He has tried already. He has a taste for...

      Prabhupada: If he simply understands that Lord Siva is a Vaishnava and if he worships Lord Siva, then he will get the benefit. (ROOM CONVERSTATION, CHICAGO, 9TH JULY 1975)

       

      (5) WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BEWTEEN LORD SHIVA AND GHOSTS?

       

      Lord Siva, the king of the ghosts, sitting on the back of his bull carrier, travels at this time, accompanied by ghosts who follow him for their welfare.

       

      PURPORT

      Lord Siva, or Rudra, is the king of the ghosts. Ghostly characters worship Lord Siva to be gradually guided toward a path of self-realization. Mayavadi philosophers are mostly worshipers of Lord Siva, and Shripada Sankaracarya is considered to be the incarnation of Lord Siva  for preaching godlessness to the Mayavadi philosophers. Ghosts are bereft of a physical body because of their grievously sinful acts, such a s suicide. The last resort of the ghostly characters in human society is to take shelter of suicide, either material or spiritual. Material suicide causes loss of the physical body, and spiritual suicide causes loss of the individual identity. Mayavadi philosophers desire to lose their individuality and merge into the impersonal spiritual brahmajyoti existence. Lord Siva, being very kind to the ghosts, sees that although they are condemned, they get physical bodies. He places them into the wombs of women who indulge in sexual intercourse regardless of the restrictions on time and circumstance (SB 3.14.24)

       

      (6) WHY DO SO MANY LADIES WORSHIP LORD SHIVA?

       

      Lord Siva is the husband of Sati, one of the sisters of Diti. Diti invoked the pleasure of her sister Sati so that Sati would request her husband to excuse her. Besides that, Lord Siva is the worshipable lord of all women. He is naturally very kind towards women, on whom even the uncivilized hunters also show their mercy. Since Lord Siva is himself associated with women, he knows very well their defective nature, and he might not take very seriously Diti's unavoidable offense, which occurred due to her faulty nature. Every virgin girl

      is supposed to be a devotee of Lord Siva. Diti remembered her childhood worship of Lord Siva and begged his mercy. (SB 3.14.36)

      Today in Hindu society, unmarried girls are still taught to worship Lord Siva with the idea that they may get husbands like him. Lord Siva is the ideal husband, not in the sense of riches or sense gratification, but because he is the greatest of all devotees. Vaishnavanam yatha sambhuh: Sambhu, or Lord Siva, is the ideal Vaishnava. He constantly meditates upon Lord Rama and chants Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Lord Siva has a Vaishnava sampradaya, which is called the Vishnu Svami-sampradaya.  Unmarried girls worship Lord Siva so that they can expect a husband who is as good a Vaishnava as he. The girls are not taught to select a husband who is very rich or very opulent for material sense gratification; rather, if a girl is fortunate enough to get a husband as good as Lord Siva in devotional service, then her life becomes perfect. The wife is dependent on the husband, and if the husband is a Vaishnava, then naturally she shares the devotional service of the husband because she renders him service. (S.B. 3.23.1)

       

      (7) WHY DOES SHIVA HAVE SNAKES ALL OVER HIS BODY?

       

      In order to get release from the false ego, one has to worship Sankarshana. Sankarshana is also worshiped through Lord Siva; the snakes which cover the body of Lord Siva are representations of Sankarshana, and Lord Siva is always absorbed in meditation upon Sankarshana. (S.B. 3.26.21)

       

      (8) DO VAISNAVAS TAKE THE PRASADAM OF LORD SHIVA?

       

      It is said that among all the devotees of the Personality of Godhead, Lord Siva is the greatest. Thus the remnants of foodstuff left by him are accepted by other devotees as maha-prasada, or great spiritual foodstuff. The remnants of foodstuff offered to Lord Krishna are called prasada, but when the same prasada is eaten by a great devotee like Lord Siva, it is called maha-prasada. Lord Siva is so great that he does not care for the material prosperity for which every one of us is so eager. Parvati, who is the powerful material nature personified, is under his full control as his wife, yet he does not use her even to build a residential house. He prefers to remain without shelter, and his great wife also agrees to live with him humbly. People in general worship goddess Durga, the wife of Lord Siva, for material prosperity, but Lord Siva engages her in his service without material desire. He simply advises his great wife that of all kinds of worship, the worship of Vishnu is the highest, and greater than that is the worship of a great devotee or anything in relation with Vishnu. (S.B. 3.14.26)

       

      (9) WHAT IS THE POSITION OF LORD SHIVA?

       

      In the Vamana Purana it is said that the same Vishnu expands Himself as Brahma and Siva to direct the different qualities. ( cc ADI 5.104) Mahesvara, or Lord Siva, is not an ordinary living being, nor is he equal to

      Lord Vishnu. Effectively comparing Lord Vishnu and Lord Siva, the Brahma-samhita says that Vishnu is like milk, whereas Siva is like yogurt. Yogurt is nothing like milk, but nevertheless it is milk also. (CC ADI 1.105)

       

      (10) IT IS SAID THAT LORD SHIVA IS NON-DIFFERENT FROM KRISHNA.
      WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

      Shrila Jiva Gosvami, in his Bhakti-sandarbha (213), has clearly explained that a pure devotee’s observation of the spiritual master and Lord Siva as being one with the Personality of Godhead exists in terms of their being very dear to the Lord, not identical with Him in all respects. (CC ADI 1.46)

       

      (11) WHO ARE THE EXPANSIONS OF LORD SHIVA?

       

      Rudra, who is an expansion of Sadasiva and who appears in unlimited universes, is also a gunavatara [qualitative incarnation] and is the ornament of all the demigods in the endless universes.

      PURPORT


      There are eleven expansions of Rudra, or Lord Siva. They are as follows: Ajaikapat, Ahibradhna, Virupaksha, Raivata, Hara, Bahurupa, Devasreshtha Tryambaka, Savitra, Jayanta, Pinaki and Aparajita. Besides these expansions there are eight forms of Rudra called earth, water, fire, air, sky, the sun, the moon and soma-yaji. Generally all these Rudras have five faces, three eyes and ten arms. Sometimes it is found that Rudra is compared to Brahma and considered a living entity. But when Rudra is explained to be a partial

      expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is compared to Shesha. Lord Siva is therefore simultaneously an expansion of Lord Vishnu and, in his capacity for annihilating the creation, one of the living entities. As an expansion of Lord Vishnu he is called Hara, and he is transcendental to the material qualities, but when he is in touch with tamo-guna he appears contaminated by the material modes of nature. This is explained in Shrimad-Bhagavatam and the Brahma-samhita. In Shrimad-Bhagavatam, Tenth Canto, it is stated that Lord Rudra is always associated with the material nature when she is in the neutral, unmanifested stage, but when the modes of material nature are agitated he  Associates with material nature from a distance. In the Brahma-samhita the relationship between Vishnu and Lord Siva is compared to that between milk and yogurt. Milk is converted into yogurt by certain additives, but although milk and yogurt have the same ingredients, they have different functions. Similarly, Lord Siva is an expansion of Lord Vishnu, yet because of his taking part in the annihilation of the cosmic manifestation, he is considered to be changed, like milk converted into yogurt. In the Puranas it is found that Siva appears sometimes from the heads of Brahma and sometimes from the head of Vishnu. The annihilator, Rudra, is born from Sankarshana and the ultimate fire to burn the whole creation. In the Vayu Purana there is a description of Sadasiva in

      one of the Vaikuntha planets. That Sadasiva is a direct expansion of Lord Krishna’s form for pastimes. It is said that Sadasiva (Lord Sambhu) is an expansion from the Sadasiva in the Vaikuntha planets (Lord Vishnu) and that his consort, Mahamaya, is an expansion of Rama-devi, or Lakshmi. Mahamaya is the origin or birthplace of material nature. (CC ADI 6.79)

       

      (12) IS LORD SHIVA WORSHIPPED THROUGH THE TAKING OF INTOXICANTS?

       

      We should always consider the position of the isvaras, or those who can actually control the movements of the sun and moon, as superior. Without such power, one cannot imitate the isvaras, who are superpowerful. Lord Siva drank poison to the extent of swallowing an ocean, but if any common man tries to drink even a fragment of such poison, he will be killed. There are many pseudo devotees of Lord Siva who want to indulge in smoking ganja (marijuana) and similar intoxicating drugs, forgetting that by so imitating the acts of Lord Siva they are calling death very near. Similarly, there are some pseudo devotees of Lord Krishna who prefer to imitate the Lord in His rasa-lila, or dance of love, forgetting their inability to lift Govardhana Hill. It is best, therefore, that one not try to imitate the powerful, but simply follow their instructions; nor should one try to occupy their posts without qualification.  There are so many "incarnations" of God without the power of the Supreme Godhead.

       

      (13) WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THE WORSHIPPERS OF DIFFERENT GODS?

       

      When the mode of goodness is mixed with the mode of passion, one worships the sun-god, Vivasvan. When the mode of goodness is mixed with the mode of ignorance, one worships Ganapati, or Ganesa. When the mode of passion is mixed with the mode of ignorance, one worships Durga, or Kali, the external potency. When one is simply in the mode of ignorance, one becomes a devotee of Lord Siva because Lord Siva is the predominating deity of the mode of ignorance within this material world. However, when one is completely free from the influence of all the modes of material nature, one becomes a pure Vaishnava on the devotional platform. (CC MADHYA 24.330)

       

      (14) WHY DID LORD RAMACHANDRA WORSHIP SHIVA?

       

      He (LORD KRISHNA AND LORD RAMA) likes to worship His devotee. Sometimes the father takes the child on his shoulder. Does it mean the child is more important than the father? They say the Valmiki Ramayana, there is no such incidence as Ramacandra worships Siva. It is later on, interpretation. But even if He does so, what is the wrong here? (conversation 23 dec 1975 mumbai).

    • The Actual Secret of Lord Shiva,Adapted from Shri Padma Purana,
      Uttara Khanda Chapters 235-236.

      Parvati Said, "O Lord Shiva, You once told me that one should avoid speaking with Pasandi atheistic demon,and that doing so is worse then talking to candalas outcastes. Please tell me of what are the symptoms of such persons and what signs do they wear on their bodies?"

       

      Shiva replied,"Those Persons who,deluded by ignorace,describw any other deity being superior to Vishnu,The Lord of the world, are said to be Pasandis. Those who,although they do not belong to the Vanaprastha asrama, use skulls, decorate their bodies with ashes and bones, have non-Vedic marks, matted hair, and wear garments of tree bark, are said to be pasandis. Those brahmanas who are devoid of the marks and symbols dear to Vishnu, such as conches, discs,and vertical-lined tilaka worn on the forehead, are said to be pasandis. That brahman who does not follow the practices given in the sastra should be known as a pasandi and should be condemned by all people. Those who have no devotion for the Lord are said to be pasandi. One who behaves as he likes and offers oblations in to the fire for the worship of deities other than Lord Vishnu should be known as a pasandi, for Lord Vishnu is the enjoyer of fruit of all sacrifices and is the deity of brahmanas. He who considers Lord Vishnu as equal to other deities such as Brahma and myself, Rudra,should always be called a pasandi. That brahmana, who with his speech, body,and deeds dose not recognize Vishnu,is a pasandi. What is the use of saying much in this regard? Those brahmanas who are not devotees of Vishnu should never be asked any questions, should never be talked to,and should never be seen,"

       

      Parvati said,"O lord,O best of gods,I want to ask you something secret. Through love for me,please answer. I have a great doubt.The sastras condemn using skulls, dercorating the body with ashes, and wearing skins of animals. Yet,you do all these things. Why are these thing condemned? O Lord of the gods, O highly intelligent one, due to women's natural fickleness I am asking you these questions. It may be that due to your great power you do not have to follow the sastric injunctions you just described, but previously you had not instructed me in this way. Therefore,O lord, please pardon my question."

       

      Inquired thus by Pavati in that lonely place free from people,Lord Shiva explained to her the great secrets of his own behaviour. Shiva said, "O Goddess, please listen carefully. I shall tell you a very wonderful secret. You should not repeat what I am about to tell you to common people. I shall tell you the since your body is not separate form mine. Long ago, in the age of Swayambhuva Manu, there were many great demons like Namuchi [The demon Namuchi is described in Shrimad Bhagavatam 8.11.23-40.] who were very powerful and valorous heroes. All of them were devoted to Vishnu, acted purely, and were free from all sins. They followed the pratices laid down in the Vedas. Seeing this, all of gods head by Indra were greatly frustrated. Overcome by fear,they approached Lord Vishnu and took shelter of Him.

       

      "The devas said,'O Kesava, only You can conqeur these great demons who cannot be conqured by all of the gods and who have washed off their sins with penance.'"

       

      Lord Shiva continued, "Hearing the frightful words of the demigods, Lord Vishnu, Purushottma consoled the devas,and said to me,'O Rudra,O you of might arms, O you who are the best of the gods, for the purpose of deluding the enemies of the demigods prepere a course of conduct to be followed by pasandis. Narrate to them the dark puranas, which will take them astray. O intelligent one, you should create holy texts that will cause the demons to become confused.

       

      "'Through devotion to Me,and for the good of the world, You should approach atheistic sages such as Kanada, Gautama,Sakti, Upamanyu, Jaimini, Kapila,[not to be confused with Kapila,the son of Devahuti], Durvasa, Mrikandu, Brihaspati, Bhargava, and Jamadagni. Exert upon them your power of suggestion. Being infused by your power they will become powerful pasandis. There is no doubt about it. Empowered by you, these brahmanas will narrate to the three worlds the Puranas and doctrines in the mode of ingnorance. O Shiva, on your person you should bear symbols like a skull, animal skins, ashes, and bones. Dressed in way you should fully delude everyone in the three Worlds. You should also inaugurate the pasupata order [The pasupates are a group of followers of Lord Shiva] with its divisions like kankala, saiva, pasanda and mahasaiva. Through these persons you should preach a doctrine whose followers wear no particular identifying marks and are outside the Vedic fold. Wearing ashes and bones, they will be bereft of higher consciousness and will consider you to be the greatest god.

       

      "'Taking to these doctrines, all of these demons will become averse to Me in a moment.There is no doubt it. O powerful Rudra,in every age in My different incarnations I too shall worship you to delude the demons. Following these doctrines,they will undoubtedly fall down.'"

       

      Lord Shiva then told Parvati, "O beautiful one, after hearing Lord Vishnu's words, although I am a good speaker I become helpless snd silent.Then offering my obeisances to Lord Vishnu, I said, O Lord,if I do what You have said,it will certainly lead to my destruction. It is is not possoble for me to carry out this instrustion, yet Your order is not to be disobeyed. This is very Painful."

       

      "O goddess,hearing my words, Vishnu spkoke in such way to restore my happiness. He said,'This will not be the cause of your destruction. Do as I order you for the good of the demigods. I shall also give you the means to maintain yourself while you are preaching these demoniac philosophies. Then with compassion, Lord Vishnu gave me the prayers known as Vishnu-sahasra-nama. Vishnu said,'Installing Me in your heart, utter My indestructible mantra. This very powerful six-syllable mantra is transcendental and awards liberation to thise who worship Me with devotion. There is no doubt about this.'

       

      indivar-dala-syamam padma-patra-vilocanam

      sankhanga-sarngesu-dharam sarvabharana-bhusitam

       

      pita-vastram catur-bahum janaki-priya-vallabham

      shri-ramaya nama ity evam uccaryam mantram-uttamam

       

      sarva-duhkha haram caitat papinam api mukti-dam

      imam mantram japan nityam amalas tvam bhavisyasi

       

      I offer my obeisances to Him, dark like the petal of a blue lotus, with lotus-petal eyes, holding a conch, a disc, and sarnga bow, adorned with all ornaments, wearing yellow ornements, having four arms, and who is the dear lord of Janaki, Sita-devi.The divine mantra, 'shri-ramaya namah,' should be chanted. It remones all lamentation and gives salvation to even sinners. One who regularly chants this mantra will be free from all contamination.[6.235.44-46]

       

      "'All of the sinful rections due to wearing ashes and bones will all be destroyed and everthing will beacome auspicious due to reciting My mantra. O best of the gods, being pleased I shall destroy all sin. By My blessings, devotion to no other god than Me will arise. In your heart, worship Me who is the Supreme Being. Obey My order. Due to love for Me, everything will be auspicious for you. 'Having thus ordered Me, O goddes, He dismissed the hosts of gods who then returned to their own abodes. The gods led by Indra then requested me, 'O Mahadev, Shiva, Quickly perform those beneficial acts as instructed by Lord Vishnu.'"

       

      Mahadeva then said to goddess Parvati, "O auspicious one, for the good of the gods I took to the way of the pasandis and started wearing skulls, hides, ashes, and bones. O auspicious one, as instructed by Lord Vishnu, I distributed the tamasic puranas and the pasandi Shiva doctrines. O sinless one, by entering Gautama and other brahmanas with my potency I proclaimed texts outside the Vedic fold. Adopting the system I gave, all of the wicked demons became averse to Lord Vishnu, and were enveloped in ignorance. Applying ashes to their bodies and performing severe penance, they stopped worship of Lord Vishnu and worshiped only me with flesh, blood and sandalwood.

       

      "Receiving boons from me, they became intoxicated with power and pride. They were very much attached to the object of the senses, and were full of lust and anger. In that condition, devoid of goodness, they were defeated by the devas. Bereft of righteous paths, those who resort to this doctrine of mine alway go to hell.

       

      "O goddess, thus this behavior of mine is only followed by me for the good of the gods. Following Lord Vishnu's order, I decorate myslf with ashes and bones. O goddess, these external marks are meant only for deluding the demons. In my heart I always meditate upon the Supreme Lord Vishnu and always chant His mantras. By chanting this great six-syllable mantra I taste the eternal nectar of ecstatic joy. O Lady with an auspicious face, I have answered all that you have asked me. Affectionately I ask you, what else do you desire to hear?"

       

      Parvati said, "O sinless one, tell me about the tamasic scriptures that were composed by the brahmanas bereft of devotion to the Lord. O Lord of the demigods Please tell me their names in sequence.

       

      Lord Shiva replied, "O goddess, please listen. In sequence I shall tell you about the tamasic texts. Simply by remembering them even wise persons become deluded. First,I Myself proclaimed the Shiva, pasupata, and related texts. After my power had entered him, Kanada preached the Vaisesika Philosophy. Similarly, Gautama preached Nyaya,and Kapila preached the atheistic Sankhya. Brihaspati preached the much-censured Charvaka doctrine, and Buddha proclaimed Buddhism to destroy the demons.

       

      Padma Purana 6.236.7

       

      mayavadam asac chastram pracchannam bauddham uchyate

      mayaiva kalpitam devi kalau brahmana rupina

       

      "Mayavada or Advaita philosophy is an impious, wicked belief and against all the conclusions of the Vedas. It is only covered Buddhism. My dear Parvati, in Kali-Yoga I assume the form of a brahmana (Adi Shankara) and teach this imagined philosophy.

       

      Padma Purana 6.236.8-9

       

      apartham sruti-vakyanam darsayan loka-garhitam

      sva-karma-rupam tyajya tvam atraiva pratipadyate

       

      sarva-karma paribhrastair vaidharma tvam tad ucyate

      paresa-jiva-paraikyam maya tu pratipadyate

       

      "This mayavada advaita philosophy preached by me (in form of Adi Shankara) deprives the words of the holy texts of their acutal meaning and thus it is condemned in the world. It recommends the renunciation of one's own duties, since those who have fallen from their duties say that the giving up of duties is religiosity. In this way, I have also falsely propounded the identity of the Supreme Lord and the individual soul."

       

      Padma Purana 6.236.10

       

      brahmanas caparam rupam nirgunam vaksyate maya

      sarva-svam jagato py asya mohanartham kalu yuge

       

      "In order to bewilder the atheists, in Kali-yuga, I describe the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Gauranga Krishna to be without any form and without qualities."

       

      Padma Purana 6.236.11

       

      vedante tu maha-sastrera mayavadam avaidikam

      mayaiva vaksyate devi jagatam nasha-karanat

       

      "Similarly, in explaning Vedanta mahashastra, I described the same non-scriptural and inauspicious mayavada philosophy in order to mislead the entire population toward atheism by denying the personal form of my beloved Lord."

       

      [As described in the seventh chapter of adi-lila of Shri Chaitanya Charitamrita, while speaking to Prakashananda Saraswati and the mayavadi sannyasis of Benares, Lord Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu cited these texts to show how Lord Shiva had come in Kali-yuga as Shripad Sankaracharya to propound the philosophy of monism and bewilder the souls. Cited translation of texts 7,10 and 11 are based on the translation of His Divine Grace Shrila A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada as found in his purport to Cc. Adi 7.110.]

  • Dear Devotees, Hare Krishna & dandavat

    PAMHO,AGTSP.

    We all have read that human worship  Durga, Shiva and demigods for early fulfillment of material desires. It has also been mentioned in Bhagvad Geeta. Sri Krshna in human incarnation as Rama also worshiped Sri Shiva at Rameshwaram. Why? Because, He,playing role of an ideal human,wanted to kill Ravana in the forthcoming war & to get back Sri Sita.

    Hare Krsna,

    your servant

  • Hare krishna to prabhus and matajis,

    As Krishna sys ij gita "I am shankar among rudras and vishnu among adityas"...........the very rudra-the destroyer of creation at its endtime is always chanting "ram ram" in his meditation as said in puranas,he is the greatest vaishnava and takes avatars to serve krishna like hanuman serves rama......there is no greater devotee of rama than hanuman ...................even then lord worshipped shiva at seacoast before crossing the ocean with his army b'se lord becomes bhakt of his true bhaktas also and he wants world to learn how and when to worship.........acting as human he wants the world to learn that dharma cannot win without blessing of god and when he says is gita "I am shiva also" then shiva is also no different from him and indeed a form of lord only.....................some people are saying that shiva is outcaste and his worship would deviate us from vedas and keishna but IT IS COMPLETELY BASELESS AS LONG AS WE DONNO THE GLORY OF KRISHNA AND THE SAYINGS OF VEDAS"""AS THE VEDAS SAY THAT ISTHE ONLY PARMATMA WHO WHEN DESTROYS WORLD IN FORM OF SHIVA ,WHO NURTURES IN FORM OF VISHNU ,DESTROYS ALL OBSTACLES AS GANESHA AND BEING ARCHITECT OF THE WORLD HE IS VISHVAKARMA.................................HENCE THE DEMIGODS AND CRITICISM OF SHIVA AND USELESS CONFUSION should be avoided.............shiva being the emblem of vairagya,devotion,STRENGTH AND HIS ONENESS WITH THE GODHEAD is worshipable as krishna's form or a path to reach krishna.............it is said in puranas that shiva imparts his true worshippers the priceless bhakti of krishna-the godhead.

    there is no truth except THE VASUDEV AND HE IS TARGET OF EVRYONE BEING THE ONE AND ONLY TO BEWORSHIPPED.
  • Volunteer

    i do not understand why we worship to many Personalities???

    Krishna is All powerful. He can solve all our problems. It is not a burden to Him. But the problem is our own egoistic desires. We do not have patience. We want our desires to be fulfilled immediately. Because of that go to others.

    It shows how much yet we did not surrendered to the will of Krishna. 

    Krishna is in the heart of everyone. If we just please Him all others will be pleased. We do not have enough energy and devotion to please all other Demigods. 

    -------------------

    But as Suddhendra Prabhu told we can worship them only if we want something really for Krishna. But even though in my stage i do not risk to do so. because whenever i remember some particular Demigods i remember what they can give to me as a benediction :( 

    But Krishna does not give whatever you desire but whatever you need. Because of that worship to Him is safe.

    Your servant,

    P.S. dear Devotees, please let's try to be respectful with each other while we call each other's names adding Prabhu ...Thank You!

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      GLORIES TO SRILA A.C. BHAKTIVEDANTA SWAMI PRABHUPADA, ACHARYAS AND LORD WITH HIS ENERGIES

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