These four words are explained as follows;

A person, according to his desire for one of the four types of liberation, performs the proper practices to achieve that end. The yogé desiring sä jujyä (merging in the Lord), by practice of appropriate yoga, attains Viñ ë u as 'avyaya, ' the imperishable. Eradicating his identity, he merges with Viñ ë u. The yogé desiring a form like Viñ ë u's, by appropriate practice, attains Viñ ë u as 'paramam, ' supreme, taking a form like Viñ ë u 's complete with ornaments. The yogé desiring the same planet as Viñ ë u, by appropriate practice attains the 'padam' of Viñ ë u, the abode of Viñ ë u. It is said, yad gatva na nivartate, tad eva parama padam- “That place from which a person does not return is the supreme abode”. The yogé desiring closeness to the Lord, by appropriate practice, attains the 'para' of Viñ ë u, closeness to Viñ ë u as His associate.

There is a second meaning of the phrase " viñ ë avä khya avyaya padam." Those who,

after taking initiation from a bona fide guru become pure through associaton with devotees and their instructions, and become completely surrendered to the Lord by their fixed nature, attain the abode of Viñ ë u at death by acting as the servants of the servants of the Lord with no material motives, by following the practices of hearing and chanting about the Lord. How is that? The unalloyed devotees of Kå ñ ë a who, while living on this planet, become fixed in the devotional processes of hearing and chanting. Taking the Lord's remnants and acting as his menial servant, they attain an indestructible (avyaya) abode (padam) such as Vå ndä vana by dint of that practice. In the spiritual world they engage themselves ceaselessly in the Lord's service.

In conclusion, the worship of the thirty three million demigods is included in the worship of Nä rä yaë a. If a person worships Nä rä yaë a alone, Brahmä, the å ñ is, the bhü tas and pitå s are all worshipped and become satisfied.

Here are four evidences stating this fact (from Yä mala, Purä ë a, Itihä sa

and Upaniñ ad).

a. It is said in Viñ ë u-Yä mala-Saà hitä:

yat-pü jamena vibudhä ù

pitaror-icchatä ç ca

tuñ ö ä -bhavanti å ñ i-

bhü ta-saloka-pä lä ù

sarve grahä s-taraë i

soma-kujä di mukhyä

govindaà ä di puruñ aà

tam ahaà bhajä mi

“I worship the original person, Govinda, by whose worship all the devatä s, pitå s, å ñ is, bhü tas and lokapä las, all the planetary deites (Sü rya, Candra, Maë gala etc.) are worshiped and satisfied.”

By worship of the Lord, the demigods and forefathers also became worshipped and satisfied. As indicated by using the word 'ca', demons, yakñ as, ghostly beings, inferior gods, and all the sages, living entities, the protectors of the directions, Indra etc. and their associates, the nine planets the sun, moon, etc. others such as Vainä yaka, Ç akuné, Pü tanä, Mukhamaë ò ikä, Kñ urä, Revaté, Vå ddharevaté, Vå ddhakogrä, Mä tå graha, Vä lagraha, Vå ddhagraha etc, all become satisfied. Such is the primeval Lord whom I adore. Who is that Govinda? The primeval Supreme Person, beyond whom no one exists. No one is equal to Him or greater than Him.

b. From Ç ré mad Bhä gavatam 4.31.14:

yathä -taror-mü la-niñ ecanena

tå pyanti tat skaì da bhujopaç ä khaù

prä ë opahä rä c ca yathendriyä ë ä à

tathä ca sarvä rhaë am acyutejyä

“As the trunk and branches are satisfied by watering the root of the tree and as the life airs are satisfied by offering food to the stomach, all the devatä s are worshipped by worship of Acyuta.”

By watering the roots of a tree automatically the trunk, big branches and the secondary branches with leaves become satisfied and remain green, and by supplying the seven kinds of relishabe foods to the stomach, or to the ten kinds of life airs – prä ë a, apä na, vyä na, udä na, samä na, nä ga, kü rma, kå kara, devadatta and dhanaï jaya, all the senses and the heart itself become satisfied. Similarly, ‘acyutejya’, by worshipping the One who is infallible even after billions and billions of annihilations, who is primeval and eternal, all others become satisfied and worshipped. This means that simply by properly worshipping the Lord, the infallible Nä rä yaë a, all the demigods and forefathers become excessively satisfied and worshipped. Of this there is no doubt.

c. The Uttara Gé tä (from Mahä bhä rata, Bhé ñ ma Parva) states:

devä dé naï ca pü jyo' haà

varë ä dé nä à dhanaï jaya

mat-pü janena sarvä rcä -

syä d dhruvaà nä tra saà ç ayaù

“I am to be worshipped by the devatä s, and the human beings of the varë ä ç rama system. Without doubt, by worship of Me all worship is accomplished. “

‘Arjuna! If I am worshipped, there is no doubt that all the demigods are worshipped.’ The word 'adi' (in the phrase 'devä di') is used here to indicate the sages, forefathers, and demons, as well as the thirty-three million demigods. ‘I am the only worshippable object of all the varë as -- brä hmaë as, kñ atriya, vaiç ya, ç ü dra.’ 'Adi' here indicates the ä ç ramas – brahmacä ris, gå hasthas, vanaprasthas and sannyä sis; “ca” indicates even the varë a-saì karas and cä ë ò ä las.

d. In the Å g-Veda Kå ñ ë opaniñ ad it is said:

oà kå ñ ë o vai sac-cid-ä nanda-ghanaù

kå ñ ë a ä di puruñ aù

kå ñ ë aù puruñ ottamaù

kå ñ ë o hä u karmä di mü laà

kå ñ ë aù saha sarvai-kä ryaù

kå ñ ë a kä ç aà kå d-ä dé ç ä mukha-prabhu-pü jyaù

kå ñ ë o nä dis-tasmin-ajä ndä ntar bä hye

yam-maï galaà tal-labhate kå té

'Vai' means certainly. The meaning of 'Kå ñ ë a' was previously explained. 'Sat' means pure existance. 'Cit' means absolute knowledge, and 'ä nanda' means having beauty which is indescribably blissful. These are His qualities. He is made of (ghanaù) these qualities. He has a beautiful form the color of a monsoon cloud. Because He is the original person (adi puruñ a), to whom there is no one superior, He is called the supreme person (Puruñ ottama.)

The Bhagavad Gé tä explains this “Puruñ ottama” as follows:

yasmä t kñ aram até to’ham

akñ arä d api cottamaù

ato’smi loke vede ca

prathitaù puruñ ottamaù

“Because I am superior to the kñ ara living entities and akñ ara living entities, I am famous as the supreme person in the Vedas and in the worlds.”

‘Because the universe, composed of all bodies from Brahmä to the indragopa germ, is temporary, I, being eternal, indestructable, am superior to all this, eternally situated in My abode. In the same way, I am superior to the avatä ras such as Virä ö, My indestructible portions, who exist after the destruction of the universe. I am the source of all avatä ras, superior to all of them.’ The above is in reference to the Lord in His manifested pastimes.

But the word 'ca' indicates the Lord in unmanifested pastimes as well. ‘ I have another form superior to that which you (Arujna) see on the chariot. It is the reservoir of all happiness, full of constantly increasing taste. Because I am pure sattva, I am eternally situated in that blissful form. That form is known only by those devotees fixed on that blissful form, and not by others. Therefore it is said that in fourteen worlds and in the Vedas, Mahä bhä rata, Purä ë as, Upa-Purä ë as, Ä gamas, Rä mä yaë a, Dharma Ç ä stras, Vedanta and other scriptures that other than Myself, no one is the deliverer from the bondage of this world. Therefore I am known by the surrendered souls as the Supreme Person. My faithful devotees are blissful internally and externally, just by hearing My names such as Govinda, Nä rä yaë a, Vä sudeva, Mukunda, Ananta and Acyuta. I alone am the Supreme worshippable Person.’

Therefore Ç ré Kå ñ ë a is the’karmä di mü lam’ or the cause of all work. ‘hä u’ refers to such words that are sung in the Vedas. All works including nitya, naimittika and kä mya have already been explained previously. ‘ä di’ refers to the esscence of all activities such as worship of Gaë eç a and other demigods and secondary devas, worship or the forefathers and austerities, penances, sacrifices, homas, charity, vows etc. There is no doubt that by the worship of Kå ñ ë a one recieves the full benefit of all these works.

Kå ñ ë a is 'kä ç aà kå d-ä diç a mukha prabhu pü jyaù.' He is worshippable by all the chief devatä s (prabhu), headed by ‘kä ç aà kå da’ - Brahmä, (ka), Viñ ë u (a), and Ç iva (saà kå ta). 'Adi' refers to the sons of Brahmä such as the four Kumä ras, Maré ci, Aì girä, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Bhå gu, Vaç iñ ö ha, Dakñ a, Nä rada, and Svä yambhü va Manu; as well as those entities produced from the wombs of devatä s, å ñ is, prajä patis, men, munis, and the immobile entities as well. 'É ç a' refers to the Viñ ë u forms in this world and 'mukha' means the origin. They include the three Viñ ë u forms and the incarnations such as Matsya, Kü rma, Varä ha, Narasià ha, Vä mana, Rä ma, Paraç urä ma, Balarä ma, Buddha and Kalki, and Nä rä yaë a situated in the spiritual sky. All of these Lords are worshipping Kå ñ ë a of Goloka Dhä ma. Kå ñ ë a is thus worshippable by all beings inside and outside of the material universe. By pleasing Kå ñ ë a with suitable worship, a person attains the most auspicious results possible within or outside the universe.

It is understood that by this worship of Kå ñ ë a (kå ti), the devotee, though omitting service to devatä s, does not suffer any loss. The surrendered, discriminating devotee absorbed in the Lord attains all that could be desired. (yam-maì galam tal-labhate kå ti.)

2. Skaì da Purä ë a

(After citing the Nä rä yaë opaniñ ad, Gopä la Bhaö ö a gives a second proof forbidding worship of devatä s and pitå s for Vaiñ ë avas.)

As stated in Skaì da-Purä ë a, Reva-khanda:

saì kalpaï ca tathä dä naà

pitå -devä rcanä dikam

viñ ë u-mantropadiñ ö haç cen-

na kuryä t kuç a-dhä raë am

“If one is initiated into the holy name of Lord Viñ ë u, then one should avoid saì kalpa, dä na, worship of forefathers and demigods, nor wear kuç a”.

Any human being initiated with Viñ ë u mantra should not worship the devatä s or pitå s. The word 'pitå ' refers to ancestor lineage of both father and mother. Worship or arcana of the pitå s means specifically ç rä ddha rites and offering of tarpaë a. Worship of devatä s refers to worship of Gaë eç a and other demigods. 'Adi' refers to all other activities either daily (nitya), periodic (naimittika) or for specific material goals (kä mya) which generate nä mä parä dha. 'Saì kalpa' refers to the process of strengthening the mind to achieve a particular material goal. 'Dä na' refers to charitable activities accompanied by utterances demanding material rewards. The word 'ca' means all other activities contrary to Vaiñ ë ava principles. None of these actions should be performed.

Someone however may object that according to the evidences of Manu-Små ti and the other religious scriptures, the human being is responsible for the six kinds of debts as stated in Viñ ë u Saà hitä:

devatä -pitå -bandhü nä à

å ñ i-bhü ta-nå ë ä à tathä

å ë é -syä t adhé naç ca

varë ä dir janma-mä trataù

“As soon as one takes birth in this material world one is immediately under the six kinds of ‘å ë a’ or debts, such as deva-å ë a, pitå -å ë a, mitra-å ë a, å ñ i-å ë a, bhü ta-å ë a, nara-å ë a (or the debts to the demigods, to the fathers and mothers, to the friends, to the gurus, to the other living beings and to the society). One is held responsible to fulfill them.”

In refutation, this statement does not apply to any person of any status inside or outside of varë ä ç rama who has been intitiated with Vaiñ ë ava name and mantra by a bona fide guru, for as stated in Ç ré mad Bhä gavatam (11.5.41):

devarñ i-bhü tä pta-nå ë ä m pitå ë ä m

na kiì karo nä yam-å ë é ca rä jan

sarvä tmanä yaù ç araë aà ç araë yaà

gato mukundaà parihå tya kartam

“Anyone who has given up all other activites in deference to surrender to

Mukunda, most worthy of surrender, has no debt to the å ñ is, devatä s, bhü tas,

pitå s, relatives or other human beings. He is not obliged to serve them. “