The most important demigods acknowledge this truth, what to speak of the hosts of other demigods. To read what they themselves are saying, please follow the links below
Lord Shiva Lord Brahma Lord Indra Yamaraja Lord Ganesha Lord Varuna Lakshmi devi All the demigods
Throughout The Vedas and the Bhagavad Purana or Srimad Bhagavatam, Great Vedic authorities like Suta Goswami, Uddhava, Sage Maitreya, Four Kumaras, Sages at Kurukshetra, Shrimati Kunthi Devi, Uttara, Prahlada Maharaj, Arjuna, Dhruva, Maharaj Yudhisthira, and Kulashekara and many others, declared the same.
The Śrī Īśopaniṣad 12 declares
andhaḿ tamaḥ praviśanti
ye 'sambhūtim upāsate
tato bhūya iva te tamo
ya u sambhūtyām ratāḥ
TRANSLATION
Those who are engaged in the worship of demigods enter into the darkest region of ignorance, and still more so do the worshipers of the impersonal Absolute.
In the Bhagavad-gītā (10.2) The Absolute Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, states:
na me viduḥ sura-gaṇā
prabhavaḿ na maharṣayaḥ
aham ādir hi devānāḿ
maharṣīṇāḿ ca sarvaśaḥ
"Neither the hosts of demigods nor the great sages know My origin or opulences, for in every respect I am the source of the demigods and sages."
Thus Kṛṣṇa is the origin of the powers delegated to demigods, great sages and mystics. Although they are endowed with great powers, these powers are limited, and thus it is very difficult for them to know how Kṛṣṇa Himself appears by His own internal potency in the form of a man.
Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 7.20
kāmais tais tair hṛta-jshānāḥ
prapadyante 'nya-devatāḥ
taḿ taḿ niyamam āsthāya
prakṛtyā niyatāḥ svayā
TRANSLATION
Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires surrender unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures.
Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 7.23
antavat tu phalaḿ teṣāḿ
tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām
devān deva-yajo yānti
mad-bhaktā yānti mām api
TRANSLATION
Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods go to the planets of the demigods, but My devotees ultimately reach My supreme planet.
Introduction
Demigods are jivas or ordinary living entities whom the Supreme Personality of Godhead empowers to represent Him in the management of the universe. The first of the demigods is Brahma. Indra is the demigod of rain, Surya of the sunshine, Chandra of the moonshine, and Varuna of water. There are thirty-three million demigods in all. They live in the upper regions of the universe called svarga, or heaven. The Sanskrit equivalent of the word demigod is deva or devata. According to the Srimad Bhagavatam, the idea that the demigods are Krishna is a misunderstanding and not supported.
According to Hindu conception, there are thirty-three crores of Demigods like Indra, Chandra, Varuna, and many others. John Walters in his book World Religion has made a sarcastic comment that Hindu religion has high God to man ratio. One God for every three men. There is a misconception about the Hindu religion among people who profess other religions, such as Christians and Muslims, who say that in the Hindu religion there are many Gods. Actually that is not a fact. God is one, but there are many other powerful living entities who are in charge of different departments of administration. They are called demigods. All the demigods are servants who carry out the orders of the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead. One must offer proper respects to all the demigods. If one can offer respects even to an ant, why not to the demigods? One must always know, however, that no demigod is equal to or above the Supreme Lord. Therefore when asked whom to worship, what is it that Lord Krishna can not give?
Ekale isvara krishna, ara saba bhritya: (Chaitanya-caritamrita Adi 5.142)
Only Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and all others, including the demigods such as Lord Lord Shiva, Lord Brahma, are all His servants
Lord Brahma is the first created living being and secondary creator of the material universe. Directed by Lord Vishnu, he creates all life forms in the universes. He also rules the mode of passion.
Once Lord Brahma wanted to examine the potency of Krishna, he took away all the calves and cowherd boys and kept them in a secluded place. When one full year had passed, Brahma returned and saw that Krishna was still engaged as usual with His friends and the calves and cows. Then Krishna exhibited all the calves and cowherd boys as four-armed forms of Narayana. Brahma could then understand Krishna's potency, and he was astonished by the pastimes of Krishna, his worshipable Lord. Krishna, however, bestowed His causeless mercy upon Brahma and released him from illusion. At that time Lord Brahma began to offer prayers to glorify the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
pasyesa me nayam ananta adye
paratmani tvayy api mayi-mayini
maya vitatyeksitum atma-vaibhava
hy aha kiyan aiccham ivarcir agnau
My Lord, just see my uncivilized impudence! To test Your power I tried to extend my illusory potency to cover You, the unlimited and primeval Supersoul, who bewilder even the masters of illusion. What am I compared to You? I am just like a small spark in the presence of a great fire. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.14.11)
Lord Brahma is the original speaker of Vedic wisdom to Narada, and Narada is the distributor of transcendental knowledge all over the world through his various disciples, like Vyasadeva and others. The followers of Vedic wisdom accept the statements of Brahmaji as gospel truth, and transcendental knowledge is thus being distributed all over the world by the process of disciplic succession from time immemorial, since the beginning of the creation. Lord Brahma is the perfect liberated living being within the material world, and any sincere student of transcendental knowledge must accept the words and statements of Brahmaji as infallible. The Vedic knowledge is infallible because it comes down directly from the Supreme Lord unto the heart of Brahma, and since he is the most perfect living being, Brahmaji is always correct to the letter. And this is because Lord Brahma is a great devotee of the Lord who has earnestly accepted the lotus feet of the Lord as the supreme truth. In the Brahma-samhita, which is compiled by Brahmaji, he repeats the aphorism govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami: ** "I am a worshiper of the original Personality of Godhead, Govinda, the primeval Lord." So whatever he says, whatever he thinks, and whatever he does normally in his mood are to be accepted as truth because of his direct and very intimate connection with Govinda, the primeval Lord. Sri Govinda
Lord Shiva is a partial incarnation of Lord Krishna and he is in charge of the mode of ignorance or tamo-guna amongst the three modes of material nature. He takes charge of destroying the universe at the time of annihilation. He is also considered the greatest Vaishnava, or devotee, of Lord Krishna. He is confused by some with the Supreme Lord.
Lord Shiva while instructing the sons of King Pracinabarhi about the Absolute Truth prays…
namas ta ashisam isha
manave karanatmane
namo dharmaya brhate
krsnayakuntha-medhase
purusaya puranaya
sankhya-yogeshvaraya ca
My dear Lord, You are the topmost of all bestowers of all benediction, the oldest and supreme enjoyer amongst all enjoyers. You are the master of all the worlds' metaphysical philosophy, for You are the supreme cause of all causes, Lord Krishna. You are the greatest of all religious principles, the supreme mind, and You have a brain which is never checked by any condition. Therefore I repeatedly offer my obeisance's unto You. (Shrimad Bhagavatam 4.24.42)
Lord Indra
Lord Indra is the chief demigod of heaven and presiding deity of rain, and the father of Arjuna. He is the son of Aditi.
Once Lord Indra was overcome by anger when the residents of Vraja cancelled his sacrifice. He tried to punish them by sending forth a devastating rainfall to Vrindavana, and Lord Sri Krishna protected Gokula by lifting Govardhana Hill and for seven days using it as an umbrella to ward off the rain. Ashamed of having attacked Vrindavana with a violent storm, Indra secretly came before Lord Krishna, offered obeisances and praised Him.
pita gurus tvam jagatam adhisho
duratyayah kala upatta-dandah
hitaya ceccha-tanubhih samihase
manam vidhunvan jagad-isha-maninam
You are the father and spiritual master of this entire universe, and also its supreme controller. You are insurmountable time, imposing punishment upon the sinful for their own benefit. Indeed, in Your various incarnations, selected by Your own free will, You act decisively to remove the false pride of those who presume themselves masters of this world. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.27.6)
namas tubhyam bhagavate
purusaya mahatmane
vasudevaya krsnaya
satvatam pataye namah
Yamaraja is the demigod of death, who passes judgment on non-devotees at the time of death. He is the son of the sun-god and the brother of the sacred river Yamuna. Yamaraja instructs his messengers, the yamadutas as follows
yama uvaca
paro mad-anyo jagatas tasthusash ca
otam protam patavad yatra vishvam
yad-amshato 'sya sthiti-janma-nasha
nasy otavad yasya vashe ca lokah
My dear servants, you have accepted me as the Supreme, but factually I am not. Above me, and above all the other demigods, including Indra and Chandra, is the one supreme master and controller. The partial manifestations of His personality are Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, who are in charge of the creation, maintenance and annihilation of this universe. He is like the two threads that form the length and breadth of a woven cloth. The entire world is controlled by Him just as a bull is controlled by a rope in its nose. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.3.12)
aham mahendro nirrtih pracetah
somo 'gnir ishah pavano virincih
aditya-vishve vasavo 'tha sadhya
marud-gana rudra-ganah sasiddhah
anye ca ye vishva-srjo 'maresha
bhrgv-adayo 'sprsta-rajas-tamaskah
yasyehitaṁ na viduḥ spṛṣṭa-māyāḥ
sattva-pradhānā api kiṁ tato ’nye
I, Yamarāja; Indra, the King of heaven; Nirṛti; Varuṇa; Candra, the moon-god; Agni; Lord Śiva; Pavana; Lord Brahmā; Sūrya, the sun-god; Viśvāsu; the eight Vasus; the Sādhyas; the Maruts; the Rudras; the Siddhas; and Marīci and the other great ṛṣis engaged in maintaining the departmental affairs of the universe, as well as the best of the demigods headed by Bṛhaspati, and the great sages headed by Bhṛgu are all certainly freed from the influence of the two base material modes of nature, namely passion and ignorance. Nevertheless, although we are in the mode of goodness, we cannot understand the activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. What, then, is to be said of others, who, under illusion, merely speculate to know God?
Lord Ganesha is the demigod in charge of material opulence and freedom from misfortune. He is the son of Lord Shiva and Parvati, and is the scribe who wrote down the Mahabharata. He has an elephant head.
In the Brahma samhita, it is stated
yat-pada-pallava-yugam vinidhaya kumbha-
dvandve pranama-samaye sa ganadhirajah
vighnan vihantum alam asya jagat-trayasya
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, whose lotus feet are always held by Ganesha upon the pair of tumuli protruding from his elephant head in order to obtain power for his function of destroying all the obstacles on the path of progress of the three worlds. (Brahma-samhita 5.50)
Lord Varuna ( no image available )
Lord Varuna is the demigod in charge of the oceans.
Once the king of the cowherds, Nanda Maharaja, observed the prescribed fast on the eleventh day of the lunar month and then considered how to break his fast properly on the twelfth day. By circumstance only a few more minutes remained, and so he decided to take his bath at the very end of the night, although astrologically that was an inauspicious time. Thus he entered the water of the Yamuna. A servant of Varuna, the demigod of the ocean, noticed Nanda Maharaja entering the water at a time forbidden by scripture and took him away to the demigod's abode. In the early morning the cowherd men unsuccessfully searched for Nanda, but Lord Krishna immediately understood the situation and went to see Varuna. Varuna worshiped Krishna with great and variegated festivity. Afterwards he begged the Lord to forgive his servant for having foolishly arrested the king of the cowherds.
shri-varuna uvaca
adya me nibhrto deho
'dyaivartho 'dhigatah prabho
tvat-pada-bhajo bhagavann
avapuh param adhvanah
Goddess Lakshmi
Lakshmi devi is the goddess of fortune and the eternal consort of the Supreme Lord as Lord Narayana, who resides in the unlimited spiritual realm of Vaikuntha. In the Brahma Samhita, it is mentioned,
cintamani-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrksa-
laksavrtesu surabhir abhipalayantam
laksmi-sahasra-shata-sambhrama-sevyamanam
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami
I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor who is tending the cows, yielding all desire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees, always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds of thousands of lakshmis or gopis. (Brahma-samhita 5.29)
Shri Varuna said: Now my body has fulfilled its function. Indeed, now the goal of my life is achieved, O Lord. Those who accept Your lotus feet, O Personality of Godhead, can transcend the path of birth old age disease and death
All the demigods
When the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna entered the womb of Devaki to kill Kamsa, all the demigods understood that the Lord was living within Devaki's womb, and therefore in veneration they offered Him the Garbha-stuti prayers.
matsyashva-kacchapa-nrsimha-varaha-hamsa-
rajanya-vipra-vibudhesu krtavatarah
tvam pasi nas tri-bhuvanam ca yathadhunesha
bharam bhuvo hara yaduttama vandanam te
O supreme controller, Your Lordship previously accepted incarnations as a fish, a horse, a tortoise, Narasimhadeva, a boar, a swan, Lord Ramacandra, Parashurama and, among the demigods, Vamanadeva, to protect the entire world by Your mercy. Now please protect us again by Your mercy by diminishing the disturbances in this world. O Krishna, best of the Yadus, we respectfully offer our obeisance's unto You.
(Shrimad Bhagavatam 10.2.40)
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