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This with reference to a verse from Mahabharata:

न देवा दण्डमादाय रक्षन्ति पशुपालवत् । यं तु रक्षितुमिच्छन्ति बुद्ध्या संविभजन्ति तम् ॥ विदुरनीति ३-४०

Translation: The gods don't protect like a shepherd with a stick. Whom they want to protect, they give them intelligence.

If gods don't offer protection at time of crisis, what do they provide to their devotees ? Will a devotee of a deity be predisposed to be blessed with fortune & luck ?

Maheshan M
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  • Gods do protect their devotees ..What you quoted is possibly Vidura's opinion? and Vidura did not know everything ..different people have different opinions about a given subject. Also even if we assume the quote to be the truth then the intelligence bestowed by gods is also a type of protection only which can be earned with worship and devotion. – Rickross Dec 26 '23 at 16:44
  • The cause of all suffering is - ignorance. Gods can provide wisdom at best (if they exist) to those sufferers. – User 29449 Dec 27 '23 at 03:44
  • @Rickross The context is different, Vidura doesn't actually mean that devatās don't do rakṣā of their bhaktas at all, in the sense, you and the OP are interpreting it. There is nothing wrong said by Vidura here. Just because devatās do rakṣā of their genuine bhakta, doesn't imply that one must sit, do nothing and not face the difficulties one encounters. This jīvana is to be lived by us, its karman executed by us, not by devatās. The śāstra itself is named Viduranīti, and Vidura is talking in the context of nīti here. – Bingming Feb 14 '24 at 20:51
  • "Just because devatās do rakṣā of their genuine bhakta, doesn't imply that one must sit, do nothing and not face the difficulties one encounters. " -- I have never said that too @Bingming – Rickross Feb 15 '24 at 08:33
  • There are various scriptures which are like Vidura Niti .. hey are not ultimate authority for me .. also I know that taking a verse without judging the context in which it was said can be misleading @Bingming – Rickross Feb 15 '24 at 08:37
  • Well, Viduranīti is prāmāṇya (you might not think so), for it comes in Mahābhārata (it's not some separate śāstra which came out of nowhere), and Vidura is svarūpa of Dharma himself. What he says here, isn't wrong, so I disagree with what you were intending, in your first message. – Bingming Feb 15 '24 at 08:40
  • Its not wrong according to you and its wrong according to me .. Dharma is a deity and deities have committed Adharma umpteen number of times. So just because Vidura was an incarnation does not make all his opinions correct. @Bingming BTW i have written an answer on Vidura Niti here - https://hinduism.stackexchange.com/a/16449/4732 – Rickross Feb 15 '24 at 09:07

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God helps His devotees.

Whoever, being devoted to Me solely, engage themselves always in contemplation and worship of Me – to such ever-steadfast devotees I ensure the procurement of all their wants and the preservation of their assets (worldly interests).

Gita 9.22

Vidura is talking about people who are not devotees.

Pradip Gangopadhyay
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The gods don't protect like a shepherd with a stick, why should we worship them?

To get "intelligence" of course.

This is evident from गायत्रीमहामन्त्र.

ॐ भूर् भुवः स्वः। तत् सवितुर्वरेण्यं। भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि। धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात् ॥

Translation by Swami Vivekananda-

"We meditate on the glory of that Being who has produced this universe; may She enlighten our minds."[1]

[1] - Vivekananda, Swami (1915). The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. Advaita Ashram. p. 211.

Lokesh
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For myself, reading stotras and chanting mantras pretty much blasts me inward to the 'I'. Read the Ramana Maharishi's book - "Who am I", to understand what I'm talking about. Chanting the mantras of Hari (which I do throughout the day) has helped me free myself of addiction - in particular to porn. Lust is greatly reduced.

Therefore, from my own experience, there are immediate, tangible benefits. I just have to be present, stop thinking about stuff, and chant the mantra in my mind, and right away, my eyes close, the tongue cleaves to the roof of the mouth (kundalini), and I'm pulled inward to the 'I'.

Hinduism and Buddhism are kind of complementary. Study Buddhism and Advaita vedanta while also using the worship of Hari, and his mantras.

Keep in mind that you may have to avoid ejaculating to experience such things, even if you have sex. Swami Ramdas (https://anandashram.org/) said, in order to experience bliss when chanting Rama's mantra, one has to stop indulging in lust.

Moreover, you've taken that quote from the Mahabharata out of context. Vidhura was referring to the follies of Dhuryodana and Dhritrashtra when he spoke so.

AN C
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  • Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please [edit] to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center. – Community Dec 27 '23 at 04:57