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Re: ARTICLE : Just say no to "Hinduism" (was Re: ARTICLE : On
H. Krishna Susarla (susarla.krishna@tumora.swmed.edu) wrote:
Dear Hari Krishnaji and others who have kindly expressed views:
Thank you very much for the reassurance. I am presently preoccupied with
my work, therefore I will refrain from answering individually. Hari
Krishnaji, with all due respect to the commentators you have cited, I
insist that the 'avidhi' in verse 9.23 is not 'aberrant rites' or
'according to vedic instructions', but is closer to the 'wrong method'.
We also need to explore 'anyadevatA' carefully.
Let us see what Sri KR^ishhNa said about that in the SBG.
That He did not mention 'vedic rites' is clear from the overall way He has
viewed 'shAstra-vidhi'. He has said that for most people, shAstra pramAN
is the guide (16.23-24). However, when a person has the GYAna, he will go
beyond the shAstras (2.52), as the 'over-abundance of rites' are
'desire-laden' (2.43).
Let us now look at what IS vidhi, or sacrament given to us by Him. It is
described in the verse 9.27, in which He asks of the devotee to offer
everything to Him in total surrender. In verses 9.23-25, He says that
even when done with avidhi, He accepts the worship, however, the
worshipper of anyadevatA goes to the abode of anyadevatAs, that are:
devaloka, pitR^iloka or bhutaloka. Is Sri KR^ishhNa being unreasonably
fasitdious here ? Absolutely not. The answer is given in the verse that
describes avidhi (SBG 7.20).
kamaiH taiH taiH hR^itaGYAnaH prapadyante anyadevataH
taM taM niyamaM AsthAya prakR^ityA niyataH svayA. 7.20
(They, denuded of GYAna by those those desires, using those those niyamas
worship the anyadevatAs according to their prakR^itis).
Denuded of GYAna... what GYAna? It is the same GYAna that He praised in
verse 7.18 and explained to Arjuna in chapter 10 and expected of him in
verse 10.42. It is the GYAna that partial manifestations of God (vibhutis)
are not Him in totality. They are the anyadevatA.
Now let's us take a close look at verse 7.20. The worshippers are
using methods (niyamas) according to their own prakR^itis to worship the
anyadevatAs. What are those niyamas ? Obviously, those are not according
to the sacrament, for if they were according to the sacrament, they can
not fill desires. Therefore, the desires are the primary reason for the
worship, and the design of the niyamas are done accordingly, by the use of
the worshippers' prakR^itis. Sri KR^ishhNa has said that there are four
kinds of worshippers; the sick, the curious, the desirous of money
and the GYAni (7.16). The avidhi is the creation of people of the first
three categories. Although it is obvious what avidhi they use, let me
give you a sample avidhi.
"O xyz (favourite vibhuti)! I make this deal with you, I will make a gold
and diamond necklace for your icon in the temple (or I will offer a pair
of goats as sacrifice), do me this favor in return".
This is a classical avidhi, where the worshipper makes the rules according
to his own prakR^iti, the purpose of the worship is the fulfilment of
his desire, in a style that suits his prakR^iti (that is the way he deals
with other folks in the neighborhood, that is the he goes to deal with
God).
With best regards,
Dhruba.
