Krishna or Shiva?
For many years I have thought myself a devotee of Lord Shiva. Recently my daughter was diagnosed with cancer and I find myself worshiping Lord Krishna and have had many incredible Krishna and Jagannatha experiences.
This of course leads me to think I am supposed to be with Krishna. Which is what I felt many years ago as a teenager. Would you please tell me the best way to investigate this?
Dear Asha
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Sri Guru & Gauranga!
in matters dealing with the understanding of the Absolute Truth, we use three paths, namely guru, sadhu & shashtra. of the three, the focal point is shashtra. i will answer you inquiry based on Shashtra as taught to me by my spiritual master, ISKCON Founder-Acarya A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada as follows…
Sri Krishna personally says Himself in Bhagavad-gita that four kinds of persons approach Him: “O best among the Bharatas, four kinds of pious men begin to render devotional service unto Me–the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.”
In the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Shukadeva Goswami recommends the following: “A person who has broader intelligence, whether one 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, Krishna.”
Now to answer your question directly, yes, you ARE SUPPOSED TO BE WITH KRISHNA or Shiva? The whole Bhagavad-gita, nay, the entire Vedic library, is targeted to this most important point: that every living entity is meant to love Krishna. Everyone of us is part and parcel of Krishna, just as your daughter is part and parcel of you. Since we are part and parcel of Krishna, we are meant to love and serve Him eternally, and that is the only reason why we exist in the first place. Of course, as soon as we use the word “love & serve” that means there is free will, minute independence. Love means there cannot be force, it has to be voluntary. Krishna never interferes with our free will.
It is usually after a long cycle of birth and death, one after another, that a particular person surrenders to Krishna once and for all, as mentioned by Krishna Himself in Bhagavad-gita as follows: “After many births and deaths, one who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.”
If you want to understand fully your eternal relationship with Krishna, then I beg you to purchase from http://krishnastore.com/books-om-21.html as many books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, especially Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, because the Hare Krishna movement is dedicated to this single mission… that everyone should scientifically understand their individual and eternal relationship with Krishna.
Even if you have other versions of Vedic texts, such as Bhagavad-gita, etc., you should read the Srila Prabhupada versions only because other versions will not be as authoritative or as accurate or truthful as Srila Prabhupada’s books.
Krishne matir astu
Nirantara dasa
About the Author
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Hare Krishna prabhuji,
I had a doubt that why does different Puranas ascertain that the8r god is superior. Like in Shiva Purana why is it written that Lord Shiva ordered Vishwakarma to build Goloka an alternate abode for Hari. If that information is false then why had Vyasdeva written those things. I am very confused please clarify my doubt. I have full faith in Krishna but these things confuse me.
Hope you will reply.
Hare Krishna
There are different Puranas for those in the different modes of material nature. So there are 18 Puranas, 6 are for those in the mode of goodness, 6 are for those in the mode of passion and six are for those in the mode of ignorance. So Siva Purana is for those in the mode of ignorance which will say things that are different from the Puranas for those in the mode of goodness.
So the medicine is different for those in the different modes of material nature.
But in this Kali-yuga the only viable method for making spiritual advancement is the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
So please do this, chant Hare Krishna, and only read Srila Prabhupada’s books, then you will not be confused about anything and you will make rapid advancement in Krishna consciousness.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna Prabhuji!
Please accept my humble obeisances.
Is Lord Shiva also omniscient? Is he also present in the heart of all living beings and in every material object? Can he give benediction to his worshippers without Supreme Lord Krishna’s help and can his worshippers worship him without their faith being strengthened by Lord Krishna from within their heart? Are these things possible only for Krishna or Shiva or Brahma can also act in this way?
Everybody is dependent on Krishna.
Lord Shiva is dependent on Krishna, even Visnu is dependent on Krishna.
It is Visnu expansion who is within everyone’s heart as Supersoul. Shiva is not there in everyone’s heart. Only supersoul, who is expansion of Krishna.
So it is possible for Shiva to know from Krishna, it is possible for Brahma to know from Krishna. But it is not that shiva or brahma is in everyone’s hearts. Only supersoul is in everyone’s heart. And supersoul is expansion of Krishna.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Hare Krishna! My name is keeyahta i agree we must all worship Krishna only and no one els i call Krishna Bha Krishna . Which means that Krishna is the all glorius the most great. So believe that Krishna has visit us already again throught Bhauallah who appeared amoung the muslims but they did not accpt him. Go read his tablets and yu would see what i am talking about.Read Bhaullahs book call the hiddenwords and yu eould say only Krishna could have written this nook tablet or book. Thank yu all for your time.
Is lord shiva inferior to lord krishna then?in the vishnu sahasranama names attributed to lord shankara like shiva and rudra are used to b address even visnu.he is also addressed as krishna and vaasudeva.so what is the difference between krishna and shiva ir vishnu and shiva ib reality
Yes. Lord Shiva is inferior to Lord Krishna. Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Everyone is inferior to Lord Krishna.
I like saying ‘worshipper’ /devotee and ‘to be worshipped’ / god more than inferior superior as it encompasses the relationship much widely
To all the commenters here: Nothing can compare to the bhakti of Krishna! Unless you have some pure taste of it you cannot understand how it differs in nature to everything else in this universe and as such dry speculation leads to mundane conclusions such as ‘ X god is better than y’!
If you don’t understand Krishna then I suggest you should at least try to by following bona fide instructions! As I can promise you there is nothing that can give you greater happiness than understanding Krishna and his most Opulent self! not even the temporary boons you can recieve for your physical body by worshiping mahadev!
Hare Krsna,
All of you are just using your sentiment to ascertain Lord Siva as supreme. Someone is saying it is written somewhere, someone is saying all the Vedas, someone is just letting out his anger, but no one has given any scriptural conclusions.
Lord Siva is neither Jiva Tattva nor Visnu Tattva. He has a separate Tattva, Siva Tattva but still he is not equal or above Krsna. Here are some evidences out of thousands,
1.Srimad Bhagavatam 4.7.52
tasmin brahmany advitiye
kevale paramatmani
brahma-rudrau ca bhutani
bhedenajno ‘nupasyati
“The Lord continued: One who is not in proper knowledge thinks that demigods like Brahma and Siva are independent, or he even thinks that the living entities are independent.”
2.Bhagavad-gita 10.41
yad yad vibhutimat sattvam
srimad urjitam eva va
tat tad evavagaccha tvam
mama tejo-‘msa-sambhavam
“Know that all beautiful, glorious, and mighty creations spring from but a spark of My splendor.”
3.Bhagavad-gita 10.8
aham sarvasya prabhavo
mattah sarvam pravartate
iti matva bhajante mam
budha bhava-samanvitah
“I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.”
4.Bhagavad-gita 14.3
mama yonir mahad brahma
tasmin garbham dadhamy aham
sambhavah sarva-bhutanam
tato bhavati bharata
“The total material substance, called Brahman, is the source of birth, and it is that Brahman that I impregnate, making possible the births of all living beings, O son of Bharata.”
5.Bhagavad-gita 11.15
arjuna uvaca
pasyami devams tava deva dehe
sarvams tatha bhuta-visesa-sanghan
brahmanam isam kamalasana-stham
rsims ca sarvan uragams ca divyan
“Arjuna said: My dear Lord Krsna, I see assembled together in Your body all the demigods and various other living entities. I see Brahma sitting on the lotus flower as well as Lord Siva and many sages and divine serpents.”
6.Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.23
sattvam rajas tama iti prakrter gunas tair
yuktah parah purusa eka ihasya dhatte
sthity-adaye hari-virinci-hareti samjnah
sreyamsi tatra khalu sattva-tanor nrnam syuh
“The transcendental Personality of Godhead is indirectly associated with the three modes of material nature, namely passion, goodness and ignorance, and just for the material world’s creation, maintenance and destruction He accepts the three qualitative forms of Brahma, Visnu and Siva. Of these three, all human beings can derive ultimate benefit from Visnu, the form of the quality of goodness.”
7.Srimad Bhagavatam 1.9.19
asyanubhavam bhagavan
veda guhyatamam sivah
devarsir naradah saksad
bhagavan kapilo nrpa
“O King, Lord Siva, Narada the sage amongst the demigods, and Kapila, the incarnation of Godhead, all know very confidentially about His glories through direct contact.”
8.Srimad Bhagavatam 1.8.14
ko nama trpyed rasavit kathayam
mahattamaikanta-parayanasya
nantam gunanam agunasya jagmur
yogesvara ye bhava-padma-mukhyah
“The Personality of Godhead, Lord Krsna [Govinda], is the exclusive shelter for all great living beings, and His transcendental attributes cannot even be measured by such masters of mystic powers as Lord Siva and Lord Brahma. Can anyone who is expert in relishing nectar [rasa] ever be fully satiated by hearing topics about Him?”
9.Srimad Bhagavatam 1.8.21
athapi yat-pada-nakhavasrstam
jagad virincopahrtarhanambhah
sesam punaty anyatamo mukundat
ko nama loke bhagavat-padarthah
“Who can be worthy of the name of the Supreme Lord but the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna? Brahmaji collected the water emanating from the nails of His feet in order to award it to Lord Siva as a worshipful welcome. This very water [the Ganges] is purifying the whole universe, including Lord Siva.”
10.Srimad Bhagavatam 1.19.16
ya vai lasac-chri-tulasi-vimisra-
krsnanghri-renv-abhyadhikambu-netri
punati lokan ubhayatra sesan
kas tam na seveta marisyamanah
“The river [Ganges, by which the King sat to fast] carries the most auspicious water, which is mixed with the dust of the lotus feet of the Lord and tulasi leaves. Therefore that water sanctifies the three worlds inside and outside and even sanctifies Lord Siva and other demigods. Consequently everyone who is destined to die must take shelter of this river.”
11.Srimad Bhagavatam 11.5.33
dhyeyam sada paribhava-ghnam abhista-doham
tirthaspadam siva-virinci-nutam saranyam
bhrtyarti-ham pranata-pala bhavabdhi-potam
vande maha-purusa te caranaravindam
“We offer our respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of Him, the Lord, upon whom one should always meditate. He destroys insults to His devotees. He removes the distresses of His devotees and satisfies their desires. He, the abode of all holy places and the shelter of all sages, is worshipable by Lord Siva and Lord Brahma. He is the boat of the demigods for crossing the ocean of birth and death.”
These are only a few references from Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad Gita. Each verse of Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad Gita states that Krishna is the Supreme Personality Of Godhead.
12.Ananta-samhita
ya eva bhagavan krsno
radhika-prana-vallabhah
srsty adau sa jagan-natho
gaura asin mahesvari
“The Supreme Person, Sri Krsna Himself, who is the life of Sri Radharani and is the Lord of the universe in creation, maintenance and annihilation, appears as Gaura, O Mahesvari.”
13.Atharva Veda
yo brahmanam vidadhati: purvam yo vai vedams ca gapayati sma krsnah.
“It was Krsna who in the beginning instructed Brahma in Vedic knowledge and who disseminated Vedic knowledge in the past.”
Then again it is said,
atha puruso ha vai narayano ‘kamayata prajah srjeya ity upakramya.
“Then the Supreme Personality Narayana desired to create living entities.”
Again it is said:
narayanad brahma jayate, narayanad prajapatih prajayate, narayanad indro jayate, narayanad astau vasavo jayante, narayanad ekadasa
rudra jayante, narayanad dvadasadityah.
“From Narayana, Brahma is born, and from Narayana, the patriarchs are also born. From Narayana, Indra is born, from Narayana the eight Vasus are born, from Narayana the eleven Rudras are born, from Narayana the twelve Adityas are born.”
It is said in the same Vedas,
brahmanyo devaki-putrah
“The son of Devaki, Krsna, is the Supreme Personality.”
Then it is said:
eko vai narayana asin na brahma na isano napo nagni samau neme
dyav-aprthivi na naksatrani na suryah sa ekaki na ramate tasya
dhyanantah sthasya yatra chandogaih kriyamanastakadi-samjnaka
stuti-stomah stomam ucyate.
“In the beginning of the creation there was only the Supreme Personality Narayana. There was no Brahma, no Siva, no fire, no moon, no stars in the sky, no sun. There was only Krsna, who creates all and enjoys all”
14.Moksa-dharma
Krsna says,
prajapatim ca rudram capy aham eva srjami vai tau hi mam na vijanito mama maya-vimohitau.
“The patriarchs, Siva and others are created by Me, though they do not know that they are created by Me because they are deluded by My illusory energy.”
15.Varaha Purana
narayanah paro devas tasmaj jatas caturmukhah tasmad rudro ‘bhavad devah sa ca sarva-jnatam gatah.
“Narayana is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and from Him Brahma was born, from whom Siva was born.”
16.Bhagavad-gita 7.3
manusyanam sahasresu
kascid yatati siddhaye
yatatam api siddhanam
kascin mam vetti tattvatah
“Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.”
Accept the sashtras rather than your insignificant intelligence.
hare Krishna hare Krishna Krishna Krishna hare hare . I’m fully devoted 2 one & all lord Krishna, d supreme . some people say Shiva is d supreme ,some say Brahma Vishnu Mahesh r equal in quality , It may b that 3 avatar but, my Krishna clear it that he is d one & only self – founded base of all Java ,god ,all universe by showing d vishow rup to Arjun ,here is clears that d only god who showed d vishow rup in tretaya uga also , Let me clear by another example that lotus live in water & water is d foundation of lotus, like it Vishnu is d foundation of Shiva brahma
Respected Guruji, Hari om.
Iam a retired and senior citizen of 66yrs.I don’t know Sanskrit; I used to go to temples
and my prayer at home has been very simple;All along, I think that I have been leading a simple life, following dharma, as far as possible and causing no injustice to my fellowbeings;never discriminates
based on caste ,creed etc;
Recently, I had an opportunity to attend a spiritual camp, at risikesh-my first exposure to yoga;
meditation; Vedic chanting;lectures on Upanishads by a great swamiji.
When I returned to my home town ,tiruchirapalli, tamilnadu, By god’s grace, got yet another
opportunity of attending “Baghavat Geeta” classes, conducted by one swamiji of Dayanandha saraswathi mutt, risikesh,every week.
After that, I attended another spiritual camp at “kodaikanal” – “Laku vakya viruthi ” by adi sankarachariar.
These all happened one after another.Now, I started to read Vedic principles and the knowledge of soul and paramathma;
These things have come late in my life.If I continue my prayers ,will I be able to reach the lotus feet of lord Krishna.Pl. advice ,what should I do?
Hare Krishna
Yes. It is never too late to start on our journey to the lotus feet of Krishna. What you need to get to the lotus feet of Krishna is the correct teacher. You have to find the person who is already there at the lotus feet of Krishna, who knows the lotus feet of Krishna and knows how to get there. He can teach you. Such a great soul is His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. He is the one who is able to guide you perfectly to the lotus feet of Krishna. He has written many books and put all important instructions on attaining the lotus feet of Krishna in his books. So please read the books of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and your path to the lotus feet of Krishna will become completely clear to you.
You can purchase Srila Prabhupada’s books at http://www.KrishnaStore.com or read them online at http://www.PrabhupadaBooks.com
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Am not sure about ISKCON principles but I understand it preaches Lord Kesava as the chief deity, but don’t misunderstand or mock me because only recently I came to know about ISKCON How is it possible to take Krishna as the chief of deities as for as I have known He was an complete humanoid Godly Incarnation of Sree Vishnu. Since am new to ISKCON PRICIPLES please suggest me any website where I can get some basic understanding of these principles as I cannot afford to buy any books at this point of my life. I have always thought MahaVishnu and Mahadeva to be chief of deities
Hare Krishna
You can read all of Srila Prabhupada’s books online at:
http://www.PrabhupadaBooks.com
and you can download PDF versions of Prabhupada’s books from here, krishna.org:
https://krishna.org/category/free-pdf-downloads/
We are not speaking of “ISKCON principles”. We are speaking the absolute truth from the Vedas.
The reality is that what is known of the Vedas in India is very much distorted and perverted because of many bogus gurus and preachers perverting the truth throughout the ages. Some of this perversion of course was done by Lord Buddha who is an incarnation of Krishna. So why Krishna would misrepresent the Vedic teachings in the way Lord Buddha did may be a great mystery but it can be clearly understood why he did this. But it is too long to explain here. Also Sri Sankacharaya, who is a very famous and powerful acharya in India, he is also an incarnation of Lord Shiva and a great devotee of Lord Krishna, but he also covered the real meaning of the Vedas in his impersonal, Mayavadi commentaries on the Vedas.
And following Lord Buddha and Sankacharaya there have been so many more gurus misrepresenting the teachings of of the Vedas. So the result is the Indians are now totally confused and have no clear understanding at all as to what the Vedic knowledge is.
So you need to accept this, that what you have learned in India to date is all mixed up and you have to be prepared to put that aside and start learning again.
A big disqualification many Indians have when they come to Krishna consciousness is the idea “I am an Indian, I know Krishna, I know the Vedas, I know the Gita. I know everything already.” So coming with this idea that you already know everything disqualifies yourself from learning anything. To learn something we have to approach the teacher in a submissive mood and with an open mind. So we need to cultivate this attitude and hear from Srila Prabhupada in this mood and that will be very effective. If we can do this we will make very rapid advancement and all the most confidential meanings of the Vedas will become self-evident to us.
So I suggest you start seriously reading Srila Prabhupada’s books in this mood and automatically you will find the entire knowledge of the Vedas will become manifest before you gradually.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Helo… So am a guy who is always looking for love in women, I always want to have affection,love and peace its all that matter for me, Recently i have i have again passed through a tough time when my girlfriend left me all of a sudden and now i feel like a useless guy, I want to be free from emotion,i want to live happily and feel complete within myself, I started to hear the mantra hare Krishna hare Krishna… Krishna Krishna hare hare. Really somewhere am getting my result and the love i have for my lord Krishna is increasing, yet sometime when i think of her i feel sad of how she could be so strong to do so to me.. I feel useless
Hare Krishna
Yes. The thing is there is no love actually in the material world. Everyone is ultimately selfish. They are after their own personal sense gratification. So your girlfriend will stay with you so long as she thinks you are good for satisfying her senses but as soon as she sees some other boy who she thinks will be better than you or as soon as she gets sick of you then she will leave you. She has no love for you. Just for some time she is thinking you can satisfy her senses, you will spend your money on her, you will satisfy her. So this is not love. This is exploitation. They will exploit you until they get all they can get and then they will go on to exploit someone else. That is the way of all relationships in the material world.
However we have a real loving relationship with Krishna. Krishna is eternally our object of love and affection and if we can reawaken this dormant love for Krishna that is present within all our hearts then we will be happy, because it is our natural constitutional position to be loving servants of Krishna.
So just keep on chanting Hare Krishna and reading Srila Prabhupada’s books and as you do this more and more your love for Krishna will become more and more uncovered and as you become more attached to Krishna automatically you will no longer be interested in the so-called love of the material world.
“Love” in the material world will only hurt you in the end. But reestablishing our original loving relationship with Krishna will allow us to enter into the eternal transcendental world of Goloka Vrindavan and engage there in eternal pastimes with Krishna and His cowherd boyfrieds and the other residents of Vrindavan. It is in that spiritual world, in Goloka Vrindavan, playing in the fields of Vrindavan with Krishna and His cowherd boyfriends, that we can be really happy, it is there that we can experience our real natural and eternal loving relationship with Krishna.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
i love to read gitas . i fell this is our life. if i read gita i fell do not worry god is with me. thanks
This is insanity. Lord Shiva is the husband of Parvati and Sati. Not Krishna!
Lord Shiva is an expansion of Lord Krishna. As we have explained Lord Shiva is Visnu in contact with the material energy. So Lord Shiva is in a very special and completely unique category. He is not Visnu and he is not jiva-tattva. He is Visnu transformed by contact with the material energy. So the example is given of milk and yoghurt. Krishna is like the milk and when the milk is touched by some sour object it transforms into yoghurt. So once the milk has turned into yoghurt it has completely different qualities to milk and can not be used in the same way milk is used and can no longer be turned back into milk. Even though factually the yoghurt is nothing but milk once it is transformed into yoghurt it no longer acts as milk. It becomes a completely different thing.
So it is like that with Lord Visnu and Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva comes from Visnu but has been transformed by contact with the material energy and now is acting in a completely different way to Lord Visnu. So we can not get liberation from the material world for example from Lord Shiva. For that we have to go to Lord Visnu, Krishna.
There is absolutely no question. Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and everyone else, including Lord Shiva, is subordinate to Krishna,is serving Krishna.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Very well explained, thanks a lot.
Greetings from Tijuana, México.
i am confused that iscon ignores shiva when he is part of the trimurti.
i respect krishna and ram and so on.
this is causing a partisan in Hinduism please stop.
We don’t ignore Shiva. But Shiva is a servant of Krishna. So he is subordinate to Krishna. Shiva is Visnu transformed by the material energy. He can only give boons withing the material world. And an intelligent person is not interested in any boon within the material world. He wants to be liberated from the material world. So for that one has to worship Krishna or one of His many Visnu expansions. We offer all respects to Lord Shiva and worship him in his real position, as a devotee of Krishna. It is a great mistake to accept Lord Shiva as the supreme lord. He is not. Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and Lord Shiva is subordinate to Krishna.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
Both shiv and Vishnu are same and equal
No. Shiva is Shiva-tattva and Visnu is Visnu-tattva. Different. The example is given in the Sastras is that Lord Shiva is like Lord Visnu transformed, like yoghurt is nothing but milk transformed. So Visnu is like the milk and Shiva is like the yoghurt. So yoghurt is nothing but milk, but it has been transformed and it no longer acts in the same way as milk. And milk is the source of the yoghurt. You can not product milk from yoghurt but you can produce yoghurt from milk. So it is like that.
see friends,one thing I wanna tell u(this will end d discussion here itself)
shiva says: if u dont worship vishnu then dont worship me
vishnu says: if u dont worship shiva then dont worship me
the effect,gain,fruit of vishnu puja is shivabhakti & vice versa.
this has been proved….at least with me…and I hav experienced this.
I was devotee of vishnu. After I did satyanarayan puja,
I became devotee of mahadeva as well………so plz dont
close ur gateway of moksha.
mahadev & vishnu r equal ….If u see no difference in them both
then u will realize the absolute truth & u ll be free from this
material world
Creator is omnipresent. You love Creator – you love all. 😀
Sabkaa malik ek
In Bhagvadgita when arjun asks lord krishna when can he see him ,lord krishna says;-
of adityas i am vishnu.
of rudras i am shankar.
of weapon holders i am ram. and many more
It is very important to understand Krishna ( Shiva) . Both are one . AUM.
who are we to compare both the forms when we are not even the tip of the nail of the foot of both the forms of lord.
Leave THE ABOVE TOPIC. WORSHIP ONE FORM YOU LIKE.give respect to the other. HE IS KRISHNA SHIVA AND RAM AND AUM.
vishal
RAM KRISHNA HARI. OM NAMAH SHIVAYA.
Dear devotees of shiva and of vishnu…i just want to tell you all one thing to put an end to this …ever going debate on krishna and shiva…..” WE ALL ARE MERE ORDINARY HUMAN BEINGS AND ARE NOT EVEN IN MICRO FRACTION IN COMPARISON TO Great gods like shiva and krishna…so better not try to judge their superiority and powers please don’t gather “paap” in your bhagya by commenting on god we are no one 2 compare gods nor do we have right to do so….namah shivaya
Om Namah Shivaya
you are right
perfect
Why did Lord Rama Worshiped Lord Shiva when Lord Rama has been considered the incarnation of Supreme God Krsna (Vishnu)? Plz Answer
In the Ramayana, Lord Rama desired to kill Ravana, an ardent devotee of Lord Siva. He is simply being courteous towards Lord Siva before he proceeds to Sri Lanka to kill his devotee. Never the less, it is said Rake Krsna mare ke, mare Krsna rake ke. It means “Whomever Krsna intends to protect, no one can kill but whomever Krsna intends to kill, no one can protect.
Lord Rama destroyed Ravana & Lord Siva didn’t intervene to help him. And Lord Krsna almost destroyed Banasura, only stopping at the pleading of Lord Siva to spare his devotee. By the way, it was Lord Krsna who saved Lord Siva’s head from the attack of Vrtrasura, who got a boon from Lord Siva himself. It was only by the intervention of Lord Krsna that Lord Siva was spared the agony of being killed by the boon awarded to his own devotee.
OM NAMO NARAYANAYA!
OM NAMO BHAGAVATHE VASUDEVAYA!
Please read this story of Sant Narahari Sonar
src: http://indiansaints.wordpress.com/2009/08/13/sant-narahari-sonar/
Narahari was born into a family of goldsmiths. He was a pious man .He was doing his family business with utmost sincerity, devotion and honesty. He was an ardent devotee of lord shiva “MALLIKA ARJUNA”whose temple is situated on the mahadwar of Vitthal Rukmani temple in Pandharpur. He firmly held lord Shiva in his heart and chanted NAMASHIVAYA panchaksharam. He was a non-compromising staunch saivite and even though he lived in Pandharpur and though his house was just a stonesthrow away from the Vitthal temple yet he never once visited Vitthal’s temple as he wanted to have nothing to do with lord Vitthal or even his devotees. During festival season at Vitthal’s shrine Narahari would move away from pandarpur to the neighboring villages as the festivities did not interest him and the crowds of devotees bothered him. Everyone in the village knew of this peculiar quality of his.
However one day a devotee of Vitthal who was a trader by profession and was from a different town visited Narahari. Narahari was busy making gold ornaments. The trader told Narahari that he had come to see him with a special jewel order. Narahari asked him, what he wanted. The trader said, ”Swami, on hearing your extraordinary skills I have come here to make an exclusive one of a kind waist band. ”Narahari said, ”surely I will make one for you.”The trader replied, ”you are indeed a lucky person and do you know to whom you will be making this ornament. It is for our great Vitthal. ”On hearing this Narahari became furious. The trader did not know much about Narahari’s resolve, not to have anything to do with Vitthal. Again he said to Narahari, ”Swami, you are going to make this for our Vitthal. It is indeed your great fortune and it is very appropriate as there is no such skilled person in this village to do this job. Kindly accept my request. ”Narahari shouted, ”I don’t know anything about Vitthal and have no intention of entering the temple for any reason whatsoever.”
The trader persisted as ”I have been childless for a long period. We prayed to Vitthal and we got all our prayers answered and now we want to show our gratitude and keep up our vow by offering this special jewel. Finally the trader pleaded with him and half-heartedly and reluctantly Narahari accepted to do a waist band for Vitthal. Even then, Narahari said, ”Take measurement of Vitthal’s waist and I will make the jewel. I will not come to the temple myself.”The trader was surprised to hear this and he agreed to bring the measurements. The trader then went to the temple and took the measurement of Vitthal’s waistline and gave it to Narahari. He also gave a few valuable diamonds and various other precious stones for embedding on the jewel. Narahari started making the waistband and finished it in a short period of time. The jewellery came out so beautiful and dazzling with excellent workmanship and the trader was pleased with it.
On an auspicious day the trader took the jewel to the temple and made elaborate pooja arrangements and offered it to Vitthal. But unfortunately the waistband didn’t fit the lord and it was tight. Disappointed he took it back to Narahari and told him to make it longer. Narahari added an extra link to the jewel to increase its length a bit. Again the trader went to the temple and tried the jewel, but this time surprisingly the waistband was too loose.At first the trader was confused and the next moment he thought that he had committed some mistake causing unhappiness to the lord and tears rolled over his eyes. Then he pulled himself up together and came to a final conclusion. He went back to Narahari and said, ”The waistband does not fit Vitthal. It is very surprising and confusing. Will you please come to the temple and take measurements yourself?”
Narahari got angry and shouted, ”I am a staunch saivaite. I will never come to the temple and look at your Vitthal. I have done my job perfectly. Please go away. ”But the trader was adamant and told him that he would blindfold him and take him to the temple and to this Narahari agreed. Both of them went to the temple.
The blindfolded Narahari took a thread to measure Vitthal’s waist and began his work. But while touching Vitthal’s body he felt Vitthal wearing tigerskin as his garment. This made him curious. Then he held his hands and felt the deer, axe, trishul, agni, drum and all of Shiva’s paraphernalia and this made him very suspicious. He even felt rudraksha mala around his neck, cresent and Ganges on his head ,his third eye on his forehead and snakes over his body. Having felt all this his suspicion made him so anxious and he wanted to have darshan of Vitthal as he was almost sure of seeing lord Shiva. The very next moment he removed his blindfold with great expectancy but he was utterly disappointed to see lord Vishnu instead of lord Shiva. At first he felt as if he had made a grave mistake. Immediately he closed his eyes with his hands, but he felt lord Shiva’s presence in front of him. He then understood this leela of god and he prostrated in front of lord Vitthal.
Narahari immediately bursted out crying , Oh Vitthala, ”please forgive me, I have done a great mistake all my life due to my ignorance. I didn’t realize Hari and Shiva are the same. I will have to forsake moksha for my fanatic attitude and the sin I have committed. ”Then a voice was heard from the sanctum sanctorum” this leela was performed to show to all through you that there is absolutely no difference between Vishnu and Shiva who are both aspects of the same Parabhramam”. Narahari was excited with what he heard and the realization that he had and with great love offered the waistband to the lord and it fitted perfectly. From then on, Narahari became devoted to Vitthal whom he realized was Hari & Shiva in one form. In one of his abangs on Vitthal he says “it is immaterial to me whether this deity is Shiva or Vishnu, all I seek is your unconditional love and grace oh Vitthal”.
Gurumaharaj Sri Sri Anna says that one should have exclusive love towards ones ishta deiva but at the same time he should never entertain any type of hatred towards other forms of god and must respect all his forms and more importantly respect the devotees of all his forms.
Is lord Shiva Demigod?
Hare Krishna Kaladevi
Lord Shiva is in a special position.
To explain Lord Shiva’s position the example of milk and yoghurt is given. You know that yoghurt is nothing but milk. You mix a little yoghurt with the milk in the night and in the morning the whole pot is full of yoghurt. So there has been nothing added. It is only the milk in there that was in there the previous night. But now it is yoghurt and eating yoghurt has a completely different effect on your body than eating milk. In fact if you eat a lot of milk sweets and become sick then the cure is to take some yoghurt. So yoghurt and milk act completely differently. But really the yoghurt is nothing but milk. But you can never turn it back into milk.
So in this example Krishna is compared to the milk and Shiva is compared to the yoghurt. He is Krishna in touch with the material energy. So as milk is transformed into yoghurt when in touch with the culture Shiva is Krishna transformed in touch with the material energy.
So like the yoghurt is nothing but transformed milk, but yoghurt can not act like milk, Shiva is nothing but Krishna transformed, but he can not act like Krishna.
So you see Shiva is not Krishna, but he is not like the demigods also. Who are ordinary living entities like you and me but they have become very qualified. Shiva is not an ordinary living entity. We can become demigods. We could become Lord Brahma. But we can never become Shiva.
Shiva is also a great Vaisnava, a great devotee of Vishnu.
Hope this helps.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
thank you sir for this wonderfull explanation.
Jai Jai Shree Radhe.
The article is no better than any cheap trick played by Christian evangelists. Krishna is the outward manifested potency of Lord Shiva. And Lord Shiva is the inner Truth-consiousness-Bliss of Krishna.
Lord Shiva himself is this foolish Nirantara Dasa.
Lord Shiva himself is the daughter of Moodamathi Nirantata Dasa.
Lord Shiva himself is the ‘cancer’ which infected NirantaraDasa’s daughter.
Lord Shiva himdelf is the ‘cure’ for the disease.
Lord Shiva himself is ‘Krishna’
Vedas say :
eko hi rudro na dvitīyāya tasthur
ya imāṃl lokān īśata īśanībhiḥ
pratyaṅ janāṃs tiṣṭhati sañcukocānta-kāle
saṃsṛjya viśvā bhuvanāni gopāḥ ( SV Up III-2)
Meaning : Rudra is truly one; for the knowers of Brahman do not admit the existence of a second, He alone rules all the worlds by His powers. He dwells as the inner Self of every living being. After having created all the worlds, He, their Protector, takes them back into Himself at the end of time.
Mr Yo: Please do not refer to lord shiva as demi god: or by any means less in strata then lord krishna. Lord krishna is himself a devotee of Shiva, and meditates on him, whilst lord shiva meditates on Sri krsna, it has been mentioned in vishnu puran that both of them have different forms but are one by all means. and it is also not advisable to try and compel any shiva devotee to convert to krsna devotee or otherwise.because you follow a certain practice. because bhakti is a divine gift by god to humanity and you do not worship a god unless the god wishes to be worshiped by you.it is the karmic connection & should not be disturbed it should b left on the eternal soul to decide in whose holy feet on finds peace. (One more critical thing that every krsna & shiva devotee should realize that it has been clearly stated by both shiva & krsna in vishnu & shiva puran that those who disrespect or differentiate between shiva & vishnu go to unending hell after their death and are hated by all) so even if you are not a devotee of shiva, or krsna you should not deny or disrespect the shakti of either…..
your right
I agree with you.You are Right.
It is certainy very appalling to see ISCKON brand Vishnu as the supreme godhead, whilst belittling Shiva, I can cull heaps of instances where Vishnu surrendered to Shiva in penance and for liberation, take the story of SomaSkanda Murty. And the story where Vishnu offers his eye to Shiva. The story where neither Vishnu or Brahma were unable to measure the divine form of Lord Shiva. It is conventional in the vedas and in mythology to praise one lord above all. This does not mean one is supreme over the other. In reality they are all the same.
“Ekam evadvitiyam”
“He is One only without a second.”
[Chandogya Upanishad 6:2:1]1
Hari Hara, Hare Krishna
all paths lead to the same end. to pick one because you deem it “more lucky” is selfish and self serving. devote your self for devotions sake not for the fruits it may bear
Hare Krishna Vac
This is not right, “all paths lead to the same end.” It makes no sense. If you were lost and trying to find your way home one dark night and you met someone and asked him directions as to how you can get to your home and he says to you “all paths lead to the same end…” you would be very upset with him. Because you know there are many paths but only one of them leads to your home. So think before you speak. All paths do not lead to the same end… This is a crazy idea.
trayī sāṃkhyaṃ yogaḥ paśupatimataṃ vaiṣṇavam iti
prabhinne prasthāne param idam adaḥ pathyam iti ca
rucīnāṃ vaicitryād ṛjukuṭilanānāpathajuṣāṃ
nṛṇām eko gamyas tvam asi payasām arṇava iva
O Lord shiva, There are different paths of realization as enjoined by the Vedas, Sānkhyā, Yoga, Pāśupata doctrine and Vaishnava śāstras . Persons following different paths – straight or crooked according as they consider that this path is best or that one is proper due to the difference in temperaments, reach You alone O Lord Shiva, just as rivers enter the ocean.
manaḥ pratyakcitte savidham avadhāyāttamarutaḥ
prahṛṣyadromāṇaḥ pramadasalilotsaṅgitadṛśaḥ
yad ālokyāhlādaṃ hrada iva nimajyāmṛtamaye
dadhaty antas tattvaṃ kim api yaminas tat kila bhavān
O Lord Shiva, Thou art indeed that unspeakable truth which the Yogis realize through meditation on the Self, on controlling the breath according to the scriptural directions, and realize which they shed tears of thrilling joy and swimming as it were in a pool of nectar, enjoy inner bliss.
“O Lord Girîsha, since the You are Brahman which is transcendental to the material modes of goodness, passion and ignorance, the various directors of this material world certainly cannot appreciate it or even know where it is. It is not understandable even to Lord Brahmâ, Lord Vishnu or the King of heaven, Mahendra” ( Srimad Bhagavatam 8:7:31)
“O lord Shiva, you are self-effulgent and supreme. You create this material world by your personal energy, and you assume the names Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśvara when you act in creation, maintenance and annihilation.” ( Srimad Bhagavatam 8:7:23 )
But Krsna is such a home that is present on all paths and even on the paths so
even if one worships any other god or demigod or his parents, he is actually
worshipping Krsna. Several instances are to be found in different scriptures.
So no matter which diety you worship you worship Krsna or shiva or maa durga
or Allah subhaan wtala you worship that one supreme god.
So you mean all paths do not lead to union with god and moksha? all has to reach moksha then no more cycles of death and birth.. all paths leads here. About your home its not a good comparison.. Of course you cannot follow a certain path in this life cause then youll get lost. but eventually you will reach moksha if your lucky.
Hare Krishna Daniel
You have been confused by some bogus nonsense philosophy.
All paths do not lead to the same destination.
Otherwise why do we bother with maps and the GPS devices? Why not just get in your car and drive some random directions because all the roads lead to the same destination?
Can you not see how foolish and crazy this statement is.
If you want to go somewhere you need the address and you have to look up the address on the GPS or the map and follow the directions to get there. If you do not do this, if you just get in your car and drive randomly, you are not going to arrive at the correct destination at all.
There are so many roads and so many different destinations. There are 8,400,000 different species of life spread out over all the planets in this universe and there are unlimited universes beyond this universe. You can take birth in any one of these different species of life and you can take birth on any one of the planets in any of the universes. Or, if you can spiritualize your existence, you can escape from this material world and go to the spiritual world.
And even in the spiritual world there are many different planets and many different destinations.
So the roads are many and the destinations are many. If you want to reach a particular destination then you have to know the destination you want to reach and you have to find the directions to that destination from a reliable source and then you have to follow those directions correctly, then you can reach that destination. Not otherwise.
All paths do not lead to the same destination. This is a crazy, insane statement that has no basis in reality.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Madhudvisa dasa
With the greatest respect, if you simply get in your car and drive somewhere you will indeed arrive at the “correct” destination.
Correct in the sense that one has allowed one’s inner self, unperturbed by the twists and turns of the road to direct the vehicle unconsciously in order to arrive at wherever you intended to be.
If, on the other hand the goal is simply to use a map, and get quickly and painlessly from A to B (and also miss the scenery and whatever wonderful unfoldings can happen along a journey), then of course, simply use a map.
Either way, all roads DO lead to the same place, for example, even if you have to double back when you hit a dead-end or go a very long way around, all roads (at least within a continent) lead to the exact same place – wherever you’re looking to go.
The only difference is the length and content of the journey.
Please also, I respectfully ask you to show respect to Krishna-Pala, Gopsivara Mahadeva, Pushpalochana, Mahayogi, Trilochana, Tamohara.
Hare Krishna! 🙂
Hare Krishna Sean
You are rambling on insanely here. Different roads lead to different destinations. I think perhaps you should look at a map.
If you are in Denver for example and you head West then there is some hope that you will reach Los Angeles. But if you want to go to New York from Denver you are not going to get to New York if you drive your car in the Westerly direction.
These things are very obvious. The road to Los Angeles will take you to Los Angeles. If you want to go to New York you have to take the road to New York. You can not travel to New York on the road to Los Angeles. It is not possible.
So different paths lead to different destinations. Therefore we have to determine what is the ultimate destination and we have to find the correct path and follow that if we want to reach the ultimate destination. Now there are a number of paths that in theory could lead us to that ultimate destination but we live in Kali-yuga which is a very dark and fallen time. So we are not qualified to follow practically any of the spiritual processes. We are very unfortunate in this regard. But there is one great benefit of this Kali-yuga. There is a verse “This age of Kali is an ocean of faults but there is one great boon. Simply by chanting the Hare Krishna mantra one can very easily become liberated.”
So realistically in Kali-yuga there is only one path that will world for us for making spiritual advancement and that is simply chanting:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
So… Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
Krishna = Vishnu = Rama.
Worship of any will do . Shiva is a demi god according to Vaishnava tradition whether Gaudya or Sri.
Hare Krsna
Jai Jagannath
Krsna is the supreme personality of godhead.
Coz, He only having the rights to provide a Liberate (Mukthi) from this material world. Also Krsna only having the Six qualities.
Bramma & Shiva says,
Bramma bole chatur muke Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Mahadeva pancha Muke Rama Rama Hare Hare
Chant Hari nama and be happy
Govindham Adhi purusham ter no alternative
With my humble request
Om Nama Shivaya … God of all forms…
I am very disappointed with the posts here gloryfying one god and rebuking other is not a mark of a devotee but of a power hungry person .Look only thing that a god wants from a devotee is complete surrender to him .Then be it to any god we mortals should not question their powers or compare his powers with others.It doesnt matter if you are a krishna bhakt or a shiv bakht what matters is that your devotion to him your trust in him is pure.If u rebuke a person for being a bhkat of another god then you are not a devotee but your a trader .There are people of different faiths who had many such experiences would tell them it was a myth.Not even saints compare one lords power to another then we are just common people .
True. Some ISKCON devotees are a bunch of bigots. They hate any worship that is not pointed to Krishna. Though they never state it, quite a few of them hate Lord Rama and Hanuman also. Though Lord Narayana is the supreme being, Lord Shiva has is the overload of Tamas- the natural mode of darkness. None but Shiva can release us from darkness. Additionally Lord Shiva is the greatest devottee of Lord Rama who is Krishna/Narayana, the Supreme Being. Lord Shiva is the Supreme Vaishnava. Worshipping a devottee pleases Narayana and the aspirant is immensely benefitted. Iskcon is hypocrtic about one thing. It worships so many Vaishnava but the greatest Vaishnava i.e. Lord Shiva is given no importence. That is moronic.
it would be rather interesting to get systematically educated about something before passing comment about it.
in this regard an indepth study of the srimad bhaagavatam (also known as the bhaagavat puraan) is recommended by vedic authorities.
what literature is this?
according to the author of this literature, this literature is the natural commentary of the famous vedanta written by the same author! Vedanta sutras just happen to mean the “conclusions of knowledge!”
so giving Srimad Bhaagavatam a reading seems like a genuine method for getting educated!
Education Empowers! 🙂
here is the link for the literature: http://srimadbhagavatam.com/en3
I agree with Mr Biresh’s comment that Shiva is the greatest Vaishnava. Generally people pray to Shiva because he is ‘easily accessible'(you can observe in all Ramayana/Mahabharata/ or any other Purana). Shiva can be pleased with ‘effort’ but not Vishnu simply because Vishnu is GOD..
Absolutely true and very simply put by Sri Akshay ji!
I am unable to understand this “man-made creation of God rivalry”!
As being born in Bharat & brought up as Hindu I never ever was taught/brain-washed nor did we see any fights going on between the different sects of VAISHNAVITES,,SAIVITES,,SHAKTAS or any other specific groups within the great fold of SANATANA DHARMA.
All lead to the same BRAHMAN-ब्रह्मन् !
The beautiful Shloka- wipes out every doubt & difference & we understand ADVAITA-PERFECT UNITY!
आकाशात् पतितम् तोयम् यथा गच्छति सागरः
सर्वदेव नमस्कारः केशवम् प्रतिगच्छति
Everything goes to the ONE & ONLY ONE KESHAVA!
Let each ‘JEEVAATMA’ find the Truth on this voyage of Life!If there is need for help each will seek it on his own!
Each ‘atman” is evolving at his /her own evolutionary state and speed & no one can give ‘illumination’ by force.
What is the point in squabbling for Power by trying to put down another by ridiculing & criticizing the other person’s ways?
Hare Krishna!!!
Hare Krishna,
10 or so years ago i found myself living with a Hare Krishna diciple and read the Bhagavad Gita and other literature from His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada which i tried to follow as best i could after having an outer body realisation which was that, i was loved for what i am not who i am…… Whilst meditating a fuzzy grainy light over took my third eye, the colour was like when you put your hand over a torch in the dark, an orangy pinky colour, but like when the tv is when its not tuned in, and i was filled with love….. that was the moment i recognised Krishna as the supreme godhead!!!
Unfortunately throughout the years maya has slowly returned to my life and although i have a wonderful family now, with 2 teenage step sons and 2 beautiful very young daughters with wonderful souls and a partner that i love dearly. I find myself missing the light and love i once had. I have very recently returned to eating meat and although i know i am eating my brothers and sisters it is a path i am going down at the moment due to convienience, at least that is the word i have given it.
I have always thought it wrong to chant “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna, Krishna, Hare, Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama, Rama, Hare, Hare” if your whole being is not connected as i refuse to chant for materialistic value because i feel it defeats the object!!!!
What i want to ask is, i need to get back to where i was and although i am walking beside the path, not on it, is it wrong to meditate using the Krishna mantra, i am sure once my routine includes meditating the lord will provide the energy and will that i need to get myself back on the road to love and enlightenment.
Thank you for your time.
Hare Krishna
I am very new to the path of Krsna Consciousness. The hardest struggle has been learning to be a vegetarian. Raised in the heart of cattle country, “beef” was “what’s for dinner.” This was drilled into my brain, along with “you will eventually die without meat.”
Now that I am older and I know many “old” vegetarians, and also know facts that I did not know before, I feel well-equip to become a proper vegetarian.
Here is the hang up, i.e. my problem. I have been able to give up meat MOST of the time. The issue comes into play around my menstrual cycle. I then CRAVE it. The rest of the month I am perfectly happy and DO NOT crave nor eat meat of any kind. I have limited myself to only eat chicken, shrimp, or tuna, I would like to get to the point I can limit ALL.
Has this been an issue for other women as well?
How to rid myself of this craving?
Any insight would be most wonderful.
Hare Krsna!
Hare Krishna Anna Marie
We all have attachments to different material things and part of making advancement in Krishna consciousness is to be able to become determined to “do the right thing” even though we may want to do something else. The real answer to this problem is prasadam. If you have nice prasadam to eat, food cooked with love and devotion by devotees and offered to Krishna, then this will not be a problem. So if you learn how to cook and offer your food to Krishna and you only eat the food that has been offered to Krishna, prasadam, you will find it these things are not so much of a problem.
Chant Hare Krishna and be happy!
You are craving the iron in the red meat, obviously, as you are losing it in your blood during this time. Simply increase the amount of dark green leafy vegetables in your diet (especially during this time), and it should work itself out soon.
spend time with animals that helped me stop eating me i went to a farm for a weekend