Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.19.26

yaih śraddhayā barhishi bhāgaśo havir

niruptam ishtam vidhi-mantra-vastutah

ekah prithań-nāmabhir āhuto mudā

grihnāti pūrnah svayam āśishām prabhuh

SYNONYMS

yaih — by whom (the inhabitants of Bhārata-varsha); śraddhayā — faith and confidence; barhishi — in the performance of Vedic ritualistic sacrifices; bhāgaśah — by division; havih — oblations; niruptam — offered; ishtam — to the desired deity; vidhi — by the proper method; mantra — by reciting mantras; vastutah — with the proper ingredients; ekah — that one Supreme Personality of Godhead; prithak — separate; nāmabhih — by names; āhutah — called; mudā — with great happiness; grihnāti — He accepts; pūrnah — the Supreme Lord. who is full in Himself; svayam — personally; āśishām — of all benedictions; prabhuh — the bestower.

TRANSLATION

In India [Bhārata-varsha], there are many worshipers of the demigods, the various officials appointed by the Supreme Lord, such as Indra, Candra and Sūrya, all of whom are worshiped differently. The worshipers offer the demigods their oblations, considering the demigods part and parcel of the whole, the Supreme Lord. Therefore the Supreme Personality of Godhead accepts these offerings and gradually raises the worshipers to the real standard of devotional service by fulfilling their desires and aspirations. Because the Lord is complete, He offers the worshipers the benedictions they desire even if they worship only part of His transcendental body.

PURPORT

In Bhagavad-gītā (9.13) Lord Krishna says:

mahātmānas tu mām pārtha

daivīm prakritim āśritāh

bhajanty ananya-manaso

jñātvā bhūtādim avyayam

"O son of Prithā, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible." Mahātmā, advanced devotees, worship only the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Others, however, who are also sometimes called mahātmās, worship the Lord as ekatvena prithaktvena. In other words, they accept the demigods as different parts of Krishna and worship them for various benedictions. Although the devotees of the demigods thus achieve the desired results offered by Krishna, they have been described in Bhagavad-gītā as hrita jñāna, not very intelligent. Krishna does not desire to be worshiped indirectly through the different parts of His body; Krishna wants direct devotional worship. Therefore a devotee who directly worships Lord Krishna through staunch devotional service, as recommended in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, (tīvrena bhakti-yogena yajeta purusham param [SB 2.3.10]), is very quickly elevated to the transcendental position. Nevertheless, devotees who worship the demigods, the different parts of the Lord, receive the benedictions they desire because the Lord is the original master of all benedictions. If anyone wants a particular benediction, for the Lord to award it is not at all difficult.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness