2

BG 7.20 : Those whose knowledge has been carried away by material the celestial gods. Following their own nature, they worship the devatās, practicing rituals meant to propitiate these celestial personalities.

Commentary by Swami Mukundananda

Shree Krishna says that people worship the devatās (celestial gods) as per the prescribed rituals to attain material gains. Material desires have shrouded their knowledge. Hence, they forget that the Supreme Lord is the source of all that exists, including these celestial gods. As a president of a country appoints his officers among different departments. Similarly, these celestial gods also occupy different positions in the working of God’s creation. They derive their powers from God; they are not independent of Him. They can bestow on their devotees only material things that are under their control. But cannot liberate anyone from the bondage of Maya or the cycle of birth and death because; they themselves are not liberated from this cycle. God alone has the power to do so. The celestial gods are also souls like us. However, they have attained these positions in the celestial abodes as a result of their pious deeds from previous lives. Once their account of pious deeds depletes, they have to return to earth. Hence, even the celestial gods are perishable; God alone is eternal.

Commentary by Brahma Vaishnava Sampradaya

The compound word hrta-jnanah means one whose spiritual intelligence has been diverted by distortion. This is due to their inherent natures, innate attributes and over attraction to sense gratification. Being enslaved by cravings they choose a path away from Lord Krishna which looks most likely to grants them their material desires and they ingratiate themselves unto the demigod of their choice. The Supreme Lord is not averse to those who worship the demigods but He makes a distinction between worship to Him and worship to others. The results of worshipping all other gods is temporary and fleeting because the inherent power invested in them has limitations being only applicable to the material worlds; but the results of worshipping the Supreme Lord are permanent and eternal because unlimited power is possessed by Him.

My question : How powerful are devatās

Are devatās Nigh-Omnipotence(almost all powerful)

Dark Knight
  • 5,291
  • 1
  • 10
  • 36
  • 5
    Since the language of the question shows heavy ISKCON influence('even the celestial gods are perishable; God alone is eternal'), I doubt whether your intent is to really know more or to spread ISKCON propaganda. – অনু Feb 25 '21 at 08:50
  • "Sometimes he(soul) identifies himself as an animal in the animal species, sometimes he assumes the identity of a Demigod, thus due to the result of identification with particular species the jiva experiences the result of his particular actions performed in those particular bodies." Mahabharata, https://hinduism.stackexchange.com/questions/43272/evidence-silokas-transmigration-even-among-animals-and-plants-and-insects-or-de/43279#43279 – Krsna Dasa Feb 25 '21 at 09:01
  • @AnubrataBit not a hindu bro. – Dark Knight Feb 25 '21 at 10:12
  • @AnubrataBit as for the commentary https://www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org/chapter/7/verse/20 – Dark Knight Feb 25 '21 at 10:13
  • @KrsnaDasa thanks for your answer, but my question is about how powerful are demigods or devatās. – Dark Knight Feb 25 '21 at 10:20
  • 2
    Giving away the benefit of doubt to "shoo-away" the sectarian influenced Egoistic Godhead supremacy War of Debate chauvinism (pheww, that was a long term!), I'll say your specifically pointed "demigods" are powerful enough to make the dead monkeys alive again (Devarãj Indra did that, as a boon to Shrí Rãma, after the Lankã Yuddha)! So, the question of who's more supreme may RIP ! – Vivikta Feb 25 '21 at 13:00
  • @Vivikta How powerful are demigods? That's all, and the reason I have given you the verses and the commentry is because in got the idea of question after reading the verse and the commentary. If you want or any body wants I will remove it. – Dark Knight Feb 25 '21 at 13:28
  • 3
    @DarkKnight I just gave a perspective of how powerful the demigods are via this Indra feat. – Vivikta Feb 25 '21 at 13:43
  • @Vivikta So can you answer it – Dark Knight Feb 25 '21 at 14:29
  • RigVed 1.6.2 says about Lord Indra "Thou, making light where no light was, and form, O men: where form was not, Was born together with the Dawns". RV 1.21.4 "Strong Gods, we bid them come to this libation that stands ready here: Indra and Agni, come to us". I ask you whether it is even correct to call them "demigods". They are clearly not simply some minor deities. – user0 Feb 25 '21 at 16:16
  • @DevashsihKaushik thanks for this comment, but can you answer it. And these verse do not tell how powerful they are. By "How powerful" I mean what can they do and what they can not do. – Dark Knight Feb 25 '21 at 16:44
  • @DevashsihKaushik Example : can a devatā bring a dead back to life and can a devatās be powerful enough to create the universe. Other things. – Dark Knight Feb 25 '21 at 16:45
  • Ngl, Most of the questions here are infected with sectarian intent to just irritate people. I guess it is not very hard to guess those sects! – User 29449 Sep 10 '23 at 19:16

1 Answers1

0

This question makes sense only if one believes in the "demotion" of non-sectarian Rig Vedic gods in the itihasapuranas in favor of deities that are elevated to sole supreme status by their sectarian votaries. To add insult to injury, a sect that arose in New York in the early 1970s dubbed most of the supreme Vedic divinities "demigods".

Which Vedic verses describe Indra as Brahman?

Who is the real creator of heaven and earth as per the Vedas?

Which scriptures or Vedic hymns declare the Sun as the Supreme God (Brahman)?

There has been astounding interpretational acrobatics by sectarians starting in the middle ages to shoehorn the kathenotheistic(1) deities of the Rig Veda into sectarian deities, degrading the earlier deities in the process.

(1) Kathenotheism is a form of polytheism in which one God at a time is considered supreme.

S K
  • 1
  • 4
  • 22
  • 79