- Author : Raghunandana Sharma
- Translator : Smt. Shruti Kulkarni, Maisooru
We consider Lord Hari as being supreme. This does not mean that we do not worship other gods. They are all superior to us, but Lord Hari is supreme amongst them all. That is it. We honor all gods in accordance with their stature. It is imperative that they be respected. However, obeisance is always to Lord Vishnu who is the indweller of Lord Mukhyaprana who is seated within these gods. Different occasions require the worship of different gods and to contemplate upon the supreme Lord who dwells within them is the honor we proffer to the respective gods. This righteous path was revealed to us by Acharya Madhva. What is the hierarchy of these different gods, what are the hymns accorded to them? Jeevottama Acharya Madhva has also enlightened us of the form in which Lord Vishnu dwells within each of these gods. The cardinal truth that our Acharya has conveyed to us is that Lord Hari is supreme and He is the source of joy for all of us. He is the bestower of liberation. All of Acharya Madhva’s scriptures expound this principle. To attain salvation no other gods can be pursued. Even if pursed, they cannot confer liberation. (Lord Vayu can grant liberation upon the order of Lord Hari, however, he has not done so to date. That is a different discussion.)
Upon the desire of devotees, Acharya Madhva compiled a treatise called Shri Krishnamruta Maharnava the ‘ocean of the nectar of Krishna’. In this scripture, Acharya has elucidated the consequences faced by a person who worships other gods in pursuit of his desires, in a heart touching manner.
vāsudevaṁ parityajya yo ’anya-devam upāsate
tyaktvaamrutham sa moodhathmhaa bhunkte halahalam visham
“A person who worships other gods and disregards Lord Vasudeva is a fool. Doing so is akin to rejecting nectar and instead consuming poison.”
tyaktvaamrutham yatha kaschidanyapaAnum pibEnNnaraHa
tathā Hariam parityajya chaa ’anya -devam upāsate
“One who chooses to consume ordinary waters relinquishing nectar is a fool (When compared to nectar, water from the well and ponds is less consequential. Their ability to quench thirst is only temporal). One who worships other gods is akin to such a fool!”
gaUm cha Tyaktva vimoodhathmhaa gardhAbheem vandhate yatha
tathā Hariam parityajya chaa ’anya devam upāsate
“Worshipping other gods is akin to paying salutations to a donkey instead of a holy cow.”
vāsudevaṁ parityajya yo ’anya-devam upāsate
trushitho JhAnviTIre koopam Khanati Dharmathihi
“The unwise dig up a well to quench their thirst despite being in the lap of Ganga. Those who worship other gods abandoning Lord Vasudeva who dwells within them is a similar fool.”
Further, Acharya makes a subtle statement.
Svamatharam parityajya shwapaakim vandhate yatha
tathā Hariam parityajya chaa ’anya -devam upāsate
“To worship other gods is like paying obeisance to a disgraced woman over one’s own mother!”
Seeing the emphasis laid on the importance of worshipping Lord Hari and the rejection of worshipping other gods without contemplation upon their indweller, non-dvaitins falsely conclude that we are a community that abhors other gods. On the contrary, we as a community, without any monomania, respect all other gods.
Only when Acharya’s words are heard with an open mindset without prejudice and preconceived notions, can his insight be understood. Here, devotion to Lord Hari means devotion to his hidden manifestation in a medium. Furthermore, worship with the notion that the medium itself is supreme is inappropriate. For example, while worshipping Ganapati, Ganapati is just the medium. In reality the obeisance is to Lord Hari in the form of Vishvambhara residing in Mukhyaprana seated in Ganapati. Without this clear insight, if one worships Ganapati itself as supreme, above stated misfortunes are bound to the worshipper. The same logic applies to other gods as well.
