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Re: God and Demigods-is Ganesha demigod?
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To: alt-hindu@cis.ohio-state.edu
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Subject: Re: God and Demigods-is Ganesha demigod?
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From: vijaypai@kachori.rice.edu (Vijay Sadananda Pai)
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Date: 20 Dec 1994 04:55:31 GMT
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From news@larry.rice.edu Tue Dec 20 08: 23:26 1994
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Newsgroups: alt.hindu
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Organization: Rice University
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References: <3d51jn$s2@ucunix.san.uc.edu>
In article <3d51jn$s2@ucunix.san.uc.edu>,
K. Sadananda <sadananda@anvil.nrl.navy.mil> wrote:
>There were some comments during the past few weeks relating to the
>personified Godhead with the claims that only Vihnu (Lakshmi pathi) with
>intellect. Superior and inferior are the measures of the intellect. We
>have the capacity not only to classify our fellow human beings who don't
>agree with our norms as idiots and rascals, and but even grade the gods and
>give them some rank.
Note that these rankings are not anything peculiar to alt.hindu or the
modern world or ISKCON. It starts in the very first section of Rg Veda
"om tad visnoh paramam padam". There are more references in other
Vedas. The Bhagavad Gita wholeheartedly asserts the supremacy of Krishna
and that Krishna is the only legitimate refuge (18.66& scattered throughout
the text). The greatest of the Puranas, Srimad Bhagavatam, continues in
this light (starting out with om namo bhagavate vasudevaya and including
so many references, vasudeva param dharma, etc.). The Tamil-speaking Alvars
continue this pattern (many such statements in Tiruvaymozhi). Madhvacarya
describes an explicit ranking of various great personalities (1st -- Sri Hari,
then Laksmi, Vayu, Brahma, Sarasvati etc. etc. I forget the remaining
portion of the order).
So, there are many descriptions in the Vedas, which are the breath-expansions
of the Supreme Lord, showing the supremacy of Lord Vishnu. This is not
concocted by later sectarians but the literal meaning of the texts. But
don't worry, Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva, Durga Devi, Ganesh, and others
all follow this system too, accepting Krishna/Vishnu/Nrsimhadeva as the
supreme.
[rest of post deleted]
You have a lot of speculation in the rest of your post. The world
doesn't need a creator because you want there to be one; that position
has already been taken and the Vedas are there to explain the
process of creation and the process of knowing the creator. By following
in the footsteps of the great acaryas everything becomes clear.
>That indeed is the glory of Hinduism. Krishna in fact declares that in
>whatever path you follow you reach me only.
I am sorry, this is dead wrong. Bhagavad Gita 9.25 says very clearly that
your destination is determined by who you worship. And if you choose the
impersonal path, look from 12.1-12.7; yes, the impersonalists eventually
reach Krishna also, but their difficulty is greater, and Krishna makes
no promise to personally deliver them from samsara, as he does to the
bhaktas.
>With pranams to everyone
>
>Sadananda
Yours,
Vijay
