SB 1.2.26 (1962)
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
TEXT No. 26
Mumukshabo ghoram Rupam hitwa bhupatin atha Narayanakalah shanta bhajanti hi anasyabah
ENGLISH SYNONYMS
Mumukshabah—persons desiring liberation, Ghoram—horrible, ghastly, Rupam—forms like that, Hitwa—rejecting, Bhupatin—demigods, Atha—for this reason, Narayana—the Personality of Godhead, Kalah—plenary portions, Shanta—all blissful, Bhajanti—do worship, Hi—certainly, Anasuyabah—non-envious.
TRANSLATION
Persons who are serious about liberation from the material conditions are certainly non-envious and respectful to all and yet they reject the horrible and ghastly forms of demigods and do worship the all blissful forms of Vishnu and His plenary portions.
PURPORT
The Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna, Who is the Original Person of the Vishnu categories, expands Himself in two different categories namely integrated plenary portions and separated parts and parcels. The separated parts and parcels are the servitors and the integrated plenary portions of Vishnu Tatwas are the worshipful objects of being served.
All demigods who are empowered by the Supreme Lord are also separated parts and parcels. They do not belong to the categories of Vishnu Tatwa. The Vishnu Tatwas are equally powerful living beings like the original Form of the Personality of Godhead and they display only different categories of powers in consideration of different time and circumstances. The separated parts and parcels are powerful by limitation. They have not got ultimited power like the Vishnu Tatwas. As such the Vishnu Tatwas or the plenary portions of Narayana the Personality of Godhead are never to be classified in the same categories of the parts and parcels. If any one does so he becomes at once an offender by the name Pasandi. In the age of Kali many foolish persons commit such unlawful offences and equalise the two categories as one and the same.
The separated parts and parcels have different postions in the estimation of material powers and some of them are like Kala Bhairaba, Smashan Bhairaba, Shani, Mahakali, Chandika. These demigods are worshipped mostly by those who are in the lowest categories of the mode of darkness or ignorance and there are others who are in the modes of passion to worship demigods like Brahma, Shiva, Surya, Ganesh and many such deities urged by the desire of material enjoyment. But those who are actually situated in the mode of goodness Satwa Guna of the material nature, do worship only Vishnu Tatwas. Vishnu Tatwas are represented by various names and forms such as Narayana, Damodara, Vaman, Govinda, Adhoksaja, etc. The qualified Brahmins do worship the Vishnu Tatwas represented by the Shalagram Shila and so also some of the higher castes like the Kshatriays and Vaishyas also do worship the Vishnu Tatwas generally.
Such highly qualified Brahmins situated in the mode of goodness have no grudge against the mode of worship of others. They have all respects for other demigods even though they are ghastly looking like the Kala Bhairaba or Mahakali etc. They know very well that these horrible features of the Supreme Lord are all different servitors of the Lord under different conditions, but yet they reject the worship of such horrible or good looking features of the demigods and they concentrate only on the Forms of Vishnu because they are serious about liberation from the material conditions. The demigods even to the stage of Brahma the Supreme of all the demigods, can not offer liberation to any body. Hiranya Kashipu underwent a severe type of penances for becoming eternal in life but his worshipful deity Brahma could not satisfy him with such blessings. Therefore Vishnu is called Muktipada or the Personality of Godhead who can bestow upon us Mukti liberation and none else. The demigods being as good as other living entities within the material world they are all liquidated at the time of annihilation of the material structure. They are themselves unable to get liberation and what to speak of giving liberation to their different devotees. The demigods can award upon the worshippers some temporary benefit only and not the ultimate one.
It is for this reason only the candidates for liberation do, deliberately reject the worship of other demigods although they have no disrespect for any one of them.