Talk:Purāṇa:Why Differences among the Gods
By Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Swami
Each Purāṇa is in the main devoted to a particular devatā. In the Śiva Purāṇa it is stated: "Śiva is the Supreme Being. He is the highest authority for creation, sustenance and dissolution. It is at his behest, and under him, that Viṣṇu functions as protector. Viṣṇu is a mere bhogin, trapped in Māyā. Śiva is a yogin and jñāna incarnate. Viṣṇu is subject to Śiva and worships him. Once when he opposed Śiva he suffered humiliation at his hands." Stories are told to illustrate such assertions.
In the Vaiṣṇava Purāṇas you see the reverse. They contain stories to support the view that Viṣṇu is superior to Śiva. "Is Śiva a god, he who dwells in the burning grounds with spirits and goblins for company?" these Purāṇas ask.
In each Purāṇa thus a particular deity is exalted over others. It may be Subrahmaṇya, Gaṇapati or Sūrya. Each such deity is declared to be the Supreme God and all others are said to worship him. When, out of pride, they refuse to worship him they are humbled.
Doubts arise in our minds about such contradictory accounts. "Which of these stories is true?" we are inclined to ask. "And which is false? They cannot all of them be true. If Śiva worships Viṣṇu, how does it stand to reason that Viṣṇu should adore Śiva? If Ambā is superior to the Trimūrti (Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Maheśvara), how is it right to say that she remains submissive to Parameśvara as his devoted consort? The Purāṇas cannot all of them be true. Or are they all lies?"
Logical thinking seems to point to the conclusion that all Purāṇic stories cannot be true. But, as a matter of fact, they are. A deity that suffers defeat at one time at the hands of another emerges triumphant on another occasion. And a god who worships another deity is himself the object of worship at other times. How is this so and why?
The Paramātman is one and only one. He it is that creates, sustains and destroys. And it is he who exfoliates as the many different devatās. Why does he do so? He has not cast people in the same mould. He has created them all differently, with different attitudes, the purpose being to make the affairs of the world interesting by imparting variety to them. The Paramātman himself assumes different forms to suit the temperament of different people so that each worships him in the form he likes and obtains happiness. This is the reason why the one and only Paramātman manifests himself as so many different devatās.
Everybody must have firm faith in, and devotion for, his chosen deity. He must learn to believe that this deity of his is the Paramātman, that there is no power higher. That is the reason why each manifestation or form of the Supreme Godhead reveals itself to be higher than other forms or manifestations. It is thus that these other forms are shown to have worshipped it or suffered defeat at its hands. Altogether it means that each deity worships other deities and is in turn worshipped by others. Also each god suffers defeat at the hands of other gods and, at the same time, inflicts defeat on them.
In the Śaiva Purāṇas all those aspects that proclaim the glory of Śiva are brought together. Similarly, in the case of the Vaiṣṇava Purāṇas that deal with Viṣṇu. Ambā, Subrahmaṇya and other devatās are each of them dealt with in such a way as to show him or her to be the highest among the devatās.
The purpose of exalting a particular deity over another is not to depreciate the latter. The underlying idea is that a person who worships his chosen god has unflinching faith in him and becomes totally devoted to him. Such exclusive devotion is called ananyabhakti. The idea here, however, is not to regard other devatās as inferior to one's own chosen deity — an example of nahi nindā nyāya.
Those who are capable of looking upon all devatās as the manifestations of the one and only Paramātman have no cause for exclusive devotion to any one of them. It is only when we think that one deity is separate from — or alien to — another that the question arises of giving up one for another.
If we realise that all are the different disguises of the One Reality, the various gods and goddesses portrayed in the Purāṇas, with all the differences among them, will be understood to be nothing but the līlā or sport of the Supreme Being. It is the One alone that seems divided into manifold entities. This is to help men of various attitudes and temperaments. If this truth is recognised, we shall be able to see the stories in the Purāṇas — stories that seem contradictory — in the true light.
In the story of Bāṇāsura we see that Śiva is vanquished by Kṛṣṇa. But in the story of Tiruvaṇṇāmalai, Viṣṇu meets with failure in finding the feet of Śiva. Both stories must be treated as truthful. The first is to make devotees of Kṛṣṇa worship him as the Paramātman and the second to make devotees of Śiva adore him similarly. Although we think that one is winner and the other the loser — or that the one is superior to the other or inferior to him — the two know themselves to be one. Does one triumph over oneself — or does one inflict defeat upon oneself? So all this is play. The Paramātman indulges in sport assuming multifarious forms.
The purpose of the Purāṇas is to show people the right path. Pativratya is a virtue that is of the utmost importance. Ambā herself exemplifies it. The Parāśakti, the Supreme Power that she is, remains subject to her husband. Faith and devotion must grow in the world and for it the Lord himself must show the way. This is why in some temples Viṣṇu is represented as a worshipper of Śiva and in some other shrines Śiva is seen as a devotee of Viṣṇu. The same with other devatās. I have spoken more about Śiva and Viṣṇu since Śaivism and Vaiṣṇavism are the two major divisions.
To sum up, if a deity is glorified in the Purāṇas, and stories told in support of it, it is to create exclusive devotion to him as the Paramātman. And, if any god is portrayed as inferior to another, the true purpose of it is not to denigrate him but to develop unflinching faith in the latter.