Devotional Service: The change in the heart

There is a passage on the second canto of Bhagavatam where Sukadeva Goswami recommends worship of demigods and even demons for satisfying material desires. How is that?

There is a passage on the second canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam where Sukadeva Goswami describes that one who desires good children should worship the Prajāpatis, the great progenitors of the universe, one who desires good fortune should worship Durgādevī, one who desires money should worship the Vasus, one who desires a long life should worship the Aśvinī-kumāras, one who desires a good wife should worship the Apsarās, and so on. Even worship of the demons is recommended to one desiring victory over an enemy. How is that?

Most people have material desires, and the Vedas explain how one can fulfill their desires by worshiping a superior authority, like a demigod. In this way, one can gradually learn to submit to higher authorities, a process that may eventually bring him to the point of becoming a devotee of the Lord. However, this is a very long process, and there is no guarantee that one will become a devotee by practicing it. Most demons worship Lord Shiva or Lord Brahma, but we can see that they remain envious of Lord Vishnu. Ravana, for example, became very powerful by worshiping Lord Shiva, just to use this power to challenge Lord Rama.

Sukadeva Goswami concludes that although the Vedas recommend these different types of worship for the satisfaction of material desires, any person who is intelligent should worship only the Supreme Lord. This equally applies to all, no matter if one is without material desires (akāma), full of material desires (sarva-kāma), or desiring liberation (mokṣa-kāma). This is a very important verse:

akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā, mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ
tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena, yajeta puruṣaṁ param

"A person who has broader intelligence, whether he be full of all material desire, without any material desire, or desiring liberation, must by all means worship the supreme whole, the Personality of Godhead." (2.3.10)

How is that the same process of worship can work for three classes of people with different goals? The point is that all kinds of benedictions come ultimately from the Lord; therefore, regardless of what one desires, one does better by going directly to the Lord, instead of worshiping different demigods. In this way, the simple process of hearing about the Lord and chanting His holy names can be practiced for all, regardless of inner motive, which excludes the necessity of other lesser processes, like pious materialistic ceremonies (karma-kanda) or dry cultivation of knowledge (jnana).

Prabhupada explains this point in his purport:

"One cannot obtain any result from demigods without getting sanction from the Supreme Lord. Therefore a person with a broader outlook can see that the ultimate authority is the Lord, even for material benefits. Under the circumstances, one with a broader outlook, even with the desire for material enjoyment or for liberation, should take to the worship of the Lord directly. And everyone, whether an akāma or sakāma or mokṣa-kāma, should worship the Lord with great expedience. This implies that bhakti-yoga may be perfectly administered without any mixture of karma and jñāna. As the unmixed sun ray is very forceful and is therefore called tīvra, similarly unmixed bhakti-yoga of hearing, chanting, etc., may be performed by one and all regardless of inner motive."

Apart from being the source of all types of benediction, the Lord is the only one who can award the ultimate solution for the real problems of life. By practicing the process of bhakti, one becomes blissful and attains eternal life, something that no demigod can give.

Nowadays, of course, most people are more interested in solving problems with scientific knowledge and economic development, but the principle is the same. No amount of money or technical knowledge can bring a solution for birth, death, old age, and disease. Even their potential for bringing happiness is very limited. Therefore, devotional service is the solution for both the demigod worshiper and the gross materialist. Devotional service can, in turn, only be learned from devotees, therefore, association with pure devotees is the most important factor in life.

"All the different kinds of worshipers of multidemigods can attain the highest perfectional benediction, which is spontaneous attraction unflinchingly fixed upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by the association of the pure devotee of the Lord. (SB 2.3.11)

The life of a materialist is compared to a whirlpool of material desires and the influence of the three material modes. A materialist may think he is free and is doing what he wants, but in reality, he is caught in this whirlpool, following the dictates of the mind and senses and acting according to the pull of the three material modes. Transcendental knowledge is capable of suspending this whirlpool and gradually bringing us to a position of peace and happiness in the devotional service of the Lord.

"Transcendental knowledge in relation with the Supreme Lord Hari is knowledge resulting in the complete suspension of the waves and whirlpools of the material modes. Such knowledge is self-satisfying due to its being free from material attachment, and being transcendental it is approved by authorities. Who could fail to be attracted?" (SB 2.3.11-12)