Patanti pitaras tasya

narake pü yaç oë ite

“That brä hmaë as’ forefathers remain in the hellish planets, submerged in lakes full of blood and pus for one hundred thousand koö i kalpas.”

niveditaà bhava vibho

yo juhoti dadä ti vä

devatä nä ï s ca pitå ë ä à -

ä nastyaà dhruvamaç nu te

“That person who offers Your remnants in sacrifice to the demigods and to the pitå s, certainly recieves infinite benefit.”

tasmä tvameva viprä ë ä à

pü jyo nä ny’sti kaç cana

mohä d yaù pü jayedanyaà

sa pä ñ aë ò é bhaved dhruvam

“Therefore, You alone are worshipped by the brä hmaë as - and no other deity! If anyone, due to illusion offers worship to other gods, he is to be considered as a pä ñ aë ò i.”

@(FOOTNOTE) If one approaches a deva directly, the results are surely inauspicious. Rather one should worship them with the remnants of Lord Viñ ë u).

tvaà hi nä rä yaë aù ç ré man

vä sudeva sanä tanaù

viñ ë uù sarvagato nityaù

paramä tmä maheç varaù

“You are Nä rä yaë a, the Lord of Lakñ mé, Vä sudeva, the Eternal One. You are Viñ ë u, the All-Pervading One, the Super-Soul, the Supreme Controller.”

tvameva sevyo viprä ë ä à

brahmaë yaù ç uddhasattvä n

pü jyatvä d brä hmaë anä m

vai ç uddha sattvaguë api

“You are the Lord of transcendental goodness, the worshippable Lord of the brä hmaë as. You are worshipped by all the brä hmaë as and the demigods, By cultivating the quality of pure transcendental goodness, one attains the Supreme and remains fixed in Him.”

sarveñ ä m eva devä nä à

brä hmaë atvam vä pyate

tvä meva hi sadä vipro

bhajanti puruñ ottamam

brä hmaë atve vadhü vuste

nä nya tatra na saà ç ayaù

“O Puruñ ottama! Since the brä hmaë as are always engaged in Your worship, they attain the Supreme abode and no other place. Of this there is no doubt.”

It is also stated in the Skaì da Purä ë a -

brahmajï o brä hmaë aù proktaù

ç uddha-sattvä ç ayaù sadä

devä didevaà govindam-

må te nä nyat prapü jayet

nityo naimitike kä myo

sarva-mä ì gala-karmaë i

yadi mohä t tu vibudhä n

sa cä ë ò ä lo bhaved dhruvam

“That brä hmaë a who knows the Absolute Truth, and who is eternally situated on the platform of pure goodness, only worships Govinda, the Lord of all the demigods in his nitya, naimitika and kä mya pü jä s. He worships no one else. If he does so due to illusion, he becomes equal to a cä nò ä la.”

The Brahma Vaivarta Purä ë a says -

mohä d yo brä hmaë o bhü tvä

hyajï ä nä j jï ä na-pü vataù

arcchaye-dvibudhä à ç -caitu

vinä viñ ë um-adho-gatiù

“That brä hmaë a who, due to illusion, whether knowingly or unknowingly, worships other deities other than Viñ ë u, takes birth again in a miserable lower species of life.”

The Uttara Gé tä states -

vaiñ ë avä n bhaja kaunteya

mä bhajastä nya devatä ù

upadevä à s tathä yakñ a-

rakñ o bhü tagaë ä n api

“O Kaunteya, one should only worship Vaiñ ë ava Deities; one should never worship primary demigods, secondary demigods, yakñ as, rakñ asas or ghosts.”

Also in the Bå had Viñ ë u Purä ë a -

mä må teha nyä à sta vibudhä n

vaiñ ë avo brä hmaë o tathä

yadyarcchayed vaiñ ë avä à ç -

cä ë ò ä latvam avä pnuyä t

“ If a Vaiñ ë ava or a brä hmaë a worships any other deity other than Lord Viñ ë u, he becomes equal to a cä ë ò ä la.”

All this evidence is easy to understand, therefore we have not explained it any further as to do so would increase the size of the book. Further proof is also found in Ç ré mad Bhä gavatam (1.2.26-29) -

mumukñ avo ghora-rü pä n

hitvä bhü ta-paté n atha

nä rä yaë a-kalä ù ç ä ntä

bhajanti hy anasü yavaù

rajas-tamaù -prakå tayaù

sama-ç é lä bhajanti vai

pitå -bhü ta-prajeç ä dé n

ç riyaiç varya-prajepsavaù

vä sudeva-parä vedä

vä sudeva-parä makhä ù

vä sudeva-parä yogä

vä sudeva-parä ù kriyä ù

vä sudeva-paraà jï ä naà

vä sudeva-paraà tapaù

vä sudeva-paro dharmo

vä sudeva-parä gatiù

“Those who are serious about liberation are certainly nonenvious, and they respect all. Yet they reject the horrible and ghastly forms of the demigods and worship only the all-blissful forms of Lord Viñ ë u and His plenary portions.

Those who are in the modes of passion and ignorance worship the forefathers, other living beings and the demigods who are in charge of cosmic activities, for they are urged by a desire to be materially benefited with women, wealth, power and progeny.

In the revealed scriptures, the ultimate object of knowledge is Ç ré Kå ñ ë a, the Personality of Godhead. The purpose of performing sacrifice is to please Him. Yoga is for realizing Him. All fruitive activities are ultimately rewarded by Him only. He is supreme knowledge, and all severe austerities are performed to know Him. Religion (dharma) is rendering loving service unto Him. He is the supreme goal of life.”

Therefore, when worshipping Lord Viñ ë u, one should not begin by worshipping Gaë eç a and the other devas, rather one should perform “Paï ca-Mahä bhä gavata Pü jä ” instead by installing and worshipping Ç ré Viç vaksena, Sanaka, Sanä tana, Sanandana and Sanat Kumä ra.

Similarly, instead of worshipping the navagrahas, one should worship Ç ré Kavi, Havya, Antaré kñ a and the other navayogendras.

Instead of doing pü jä to Indra and the dikpä las, the Vaiñ ë avas should worship the great devotees, namely Brahmä, Ç ukhadeva, Sadä -Ç iva, Garuò a, Nä rada, Kapila, Bali, Bhé ñ ma, Prahlä da, Hanumä n, Ambaré ñ a, Janaka, Yamadeva, Svayambhü va Manu, Uddhava, and Vyä sa.

In Satya Yuga, Tretä Yuga, Dvä para Yuga and Kali Yuga, these Mahä -bhä gavatas are always worshipped.

The devotees of the Lord substitute the worship of Gauré and the mä tå gaë as with the worship of the Vaiñ ë avé s i.e. Paurë amä sé, Lakñ mé, Antaraï gä, Gaì gä, Yamunä, Gopé, Vå ndä vaté, Gä yatré, Tulasé, Sarasvaté, På thivé, Go, Yaç odä, Devahü ti, Devaké, Rohië é, Sé tä, Draupadé, Kunté, Rukmië é, Satyabhä mä, Jä mbavaté, Nä gnajité, Lakñ maë ä, Kä lindé, bhadrä, and Mitravindä.

The devotees of Lord Gopä la should also worship Ç ré dä ma and the other cowherd boys. The devotee of Ç ré Ç ré Rä dhä -Kå ñ ë a should also worship the Divine Couples’ intimate associates such as Lalitä and the other gopé s. The devotees should worship Lord Ç ré man Nä rä yaë as’ expansions such as Matsya etc and His respective pä rç ada devotees.

Like this, Lord Vä sudeva and his devotees, should be worshipped with sixteen, twelve, ten, or five items, with the Puruñ a Sü kta prayers or other choice mantras from the Vedas or Ä gamas. Then, one should perform the adhivä sa according to the rules of the ç ä stras.

In this way, the brä hmaë as and householder Vaiñ ë avas only worship the Supreme Lord in their daily activities, occasional activities, fruitive activities and other auspicious rites. They only worship the Lords’ associates such as Viç vaksena etc. and never worship the demigods, not even in their dreams.

Vivä ha Karma

(marriage)