Contrary to popular belief in the West, Hindu deities are not "individual gods", indicating a polytheistic faith. They are, rather, different representations of particular aspects of the one god, the source, known as Brahman. The "human" or physical representation of Brahman's aspects or attributes in the form of deities is a vehicle for the devotee to focus his or her attention, devotion or meditation on that particular aspect or attribute in a form more easily visualized and held in the mind.

The many deities of Hinduism, which may be seen as reflecting different aspects of Brahman, are represented by images. Use is made of such features as posture, dress, multiple arms and symbolic objects to represent each deity. It should be noted, however, that there may be a range of different ways of representing a particular deity, particularly when the deity is seen to represent several different qualities. In some cases, symbols are used to show that a deity belongs to a particular 'family', e.g. there is a range of deities associated with Vishnu. In addition some symbols belong to the common heritage of Hinduism or more generally of India.

The image only becomes a "murti", an embodiment of Brahman, through a special act of consecration when it is installed in the temple or home. It then becomes a focal point for worship. Some images are consecrated on a 'permanent' basis and will continue to be used on the temple or home shrine unless they become damaged. Broken or damaged images are discarded as they no longer fulfill their purpose of representing the deity. Sometimes an image will only be consecrated for a specific period of time, e.g. a festival, after which it will be destroyed, perhaps as part of the concluding ritual of the festival.

Each deity is associated with a 'vehicle', a bird or animal on which it travels. The vehicles are used in Indian religious art to reflect and at times to extend the powers or qualities of the deity with which it is associated. These are often better expressed by an animal than by a human being. The vehicle also represents the close relationship between all living things.

There is a range of views within Hinduism about images of the deities. Most accept that within the context of worship they mediate the presence of Brahman/the particular deity and help the worshipper to visualize the deity. To those outsiders who find it difficult to empathize with the brightly colored plastic images which feature in many Hindu homes, some Hindu writers point to the very 'concrete' mental images of God held by many worshippers in other traditions, e.g. God as 'an old man in the sky'. Perhaps the very fact that there are so many images makes the point that each can tell only a very small part of the whole story.


These sites have pictures of the major deities and what their representation means.

http://www.iloveulove.com/spirituality/hindu/hindudeities#Brahma

http://www.muktinath.org/hinduism/


Brahma (pic missing in first link)

http://dingo.care2.com/pictures/c2c/galleries/cache/derivative/5/0/503709.jpg

Good reference.

Yes, though it is often considered polytheistic, it actually has one God expressed in multiple forms.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism

You are right , Sam .....

I still remember on one of my travels in India - that the indian government made the indian railway print on the backside of the tickets :
Remember that Allah, the christian God and Brahman are one and the same !!!

Do not confuse Brahman with Brahma though !!!

Brahman : the infinite one god - unification of all hindu gods ...

Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are the trinity gods of hinduism .....
Brahma : the creator
Vishnu: the preserver
Shiva : the destroyer

:)

You are right , Sam .....

I still remember on one of my travels in India - that the indian government made the indian railway print on the backside of the tickets :
Remember that Allah, the christian God and Brahman are one and the same !!!

Do not confuse Brahman with Brahma though !!!

Brahman : the infinite one god - unification of all hindu gods ...

Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are the trinity gods of hinduism .....
Brahma : the creator
Vishnu: the preserver
Shiva : the destroyer

:)

It is a quote by Mahatma Gandhi:
http://webhome.idirect.com/~aum108/bharat.html

On the reverse side of this ticket is a quote from Gandhi: "The Allah of Islam is the same as the God of Christians and the Ishwar of Hindus".

Thank you very much for the information , and this nice link - it makes me remember India again .....
As far as I remember there was 3 different versions of the text on the tickets (I travelled by train all over India ) I am pretty sure one of them mentioned Brahman ..

As you know Brahman is divided into 2 forms :
1) Nirguna Brahman = god without form (the infinite truth)
2) Saguna Brahman = god with personal attributes = Ishwar

I find religion very interesting (and entertaining ) - I used to work as an university lector in religion, before going into medicine and psychiatry ....

I wish all religious people think the way Gandhi did!

A link to all religious texts online:

http://www.sacred-texts.com/world.htm

I wish all religious people think the way Gandhi did!
What a coincidence- today is Mahatma Gandhi's birthday!

A link to all religious texts online:

http://www.sacred-texts.com/world.htm

Probably the best link I have ever seen about the major religions :)

Ofcourse not complete, but very,very good - still need the new translation
of the christian bible directly from hebrew (king james version is full of translation errors ) - and under eastern churches I really missed :
E.A.Wallis Budge : The book of the mysteries of the heavens and the earth

Still I found the book of Enoch , by using the searchfunction of this link , very good ....

just checked out christianity ......

Anyway - extreeeeemely usefull link !!!
Thank you Sam :)

What a coincidence- today is Mahatma Gandhi's birthday!

WOW - it is his birthday ....!!!!!!!!!
I always thought Gandhi was one of the most important persons in the last
millenium - still to this day , I do NOT understand why he did not receive
the Nobel price of peace !!!!!!!!

:)

WOW - it is his birthday ....!!!!!!!!!
I always thought Gandhi was one of the most important persons in the last
millenium - still to this day , I do NOT understand why he did not receive
the Nobel price of peace !!!!!!!!

:)

I've thought about that too.

I've thought about that too.

At last we agree on something :)

Probably the best link I have ever seen about the major religions :)

Ofcourse not complete, but very,very good - still need the new translation
of the christian bible directly from hebrew (king james version is full of translation errors ) - and under eastern churches I really missed :
E.A.Wallis Budge : The book of the mysteries of the heavens and the earth

Still I found the book of Enoch , by using the searchfunction of this link , very good ....

just checked out christianity ......

Anyway - extreeeeemely usefull link !!!
Thank you Sam :)

Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva hindu trinity sounds similar to the catholic holy trinity , father,son and holy spirit which is also similar to the ancient egyptian trinity isis,horus and seb which is incribed inside the catholic eucharist!

I think at a particular stage of time there was a sharing or transfer of religious information by travellers or philosophers in these lands.

I've also read the book of enoch and found it to be very strange apart from the other biblical books. There are very descriptive accounts by enoch on meeting God which raises alot of issues since enoch never died and was one of the earliest decendants of adam , I think 7th generation.
He described at seeing God's face as"terribly frightening" and metallic with a fire glow....probably a robot or something from an alien planet! :D

Guess why the catholic church regards it as gnostic!
One account that refers God actually wanting enoch to write down his secret knowledge on books and then having him specifically bury these books on earth.

This was at the same time the nephilim or fallen angels also shared their knowledge with the earth inhabitants. This knowledge was forbidden by God for unknown reasons but he willfully gave them to enoch probably explains why enoch was taken away from the earth.

According to certain other references enoch did hide these books and some sources say they are linked to freemasonary and other crafts. Some could be magic and something more.

Hindus have the coolest looking Gods.

Hindus have the coolest looking Gods.

If you like graphic mythology I strongly recommend the Amar Chitra Katha. They are a collection of all Hindu mythology (and some history) in graphic comics. Cool!


http://www.amarchitrakatha.com/store/mainpage.asp

I have a copy of the Baghavad Gita that my brother got from some krishas in an airport. Nice paintings.

I have a copy of the Baghavad Gita that my brother got from some krishas in an airport. Nice paintings.


Krishna to Arjuna: Behold My mystic opulence!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/3f/Gita1.jpg/250px-Gita1.jpg

Arjuna is a very interesting character. He was the most attractive of the Pandavas and was the best of archers. He received his education in archery from Guru Dronacharya. There is an interesting story reagarding his skills:

Arjuna was an outstanding and diligent student, learning everything that his guru Dronacharya could teach him, and early attaining the status of "Atirathi" or outstanding warrior. A story regarding his concentration at study is known to every Indian schoolboy. Guru Dronacharya once decided to test his students. He hung a wooden bird from the branch of a tree and then summoned his students. One by one, he asked his students to aim for the eye of the wooden bird and be ready to shoot; then, when they were ready, he would ask the student to describe all that he was able to see. The students generally described the garden, the tree, flowers, the branch from which the bird was suspended and the bird itself. Guru Dronacharya then asked them to step aside. When it was the turn of Arjuna, he told his Guru that he could only see the Bird's eye. (wiki)

Contrary to popular belief in the West, Hindu deities are not "individual gods", indicating a polytheistic faith. They are, rather, different representations of particular aspects of the one god, the source, known as Brahman. The "human" or physical representation of Brahman's aspects or attributes in the form of deities is a vehicle for the devotee to focus his or her attention, devotion or meditation on that particular aspect or attribute in a form more easily visualized and held in the mind.

The many deities of Hinduism, which may be seen as reflecting different aspects of Brahman, are represented by images. Use is made of such features as posture, dress, multiple arms and symbolic objects to represent each deity. It should be noted, however, that there may be a range of different ways of representing a particular deity, particularly when the deity is seen to represent several different qualities. In some cases, symbols are used to show that a deity belongs to a particular 'family', e.g. there is a range of deities associated with Vishnu. In addition some symbols belong to the common heritage of Hinduism or more generally of India.

I've studied Hinduism and this sounds slightly incorrect to me. The Hindu Devas, Suras, and other beings are simply that - other, higher beings. They do not make up Brahman, rather Brahman is the basis of reality. In fact there is really not much special about the devas and suras as it is said that humans by attaining liberation can become higher and superior to the devas, because even the devas are subject to happiness and distress.

Everything, from a thought, to a rock, to you and I are an aspect of Brahman. It's impossible for something not to be an aspect of brahman, brahman is all there is in reality, the only objective, unchanging reality or truth. It being unchanging and objective makes it alpha and omega, the beginning, middle, and end, the way, the truth, it is the only thing that really exists.

The personal aspect of Brahman is Ishvar, who is formless, inconcievable to the senses, a spiritual master is anyone who is situated in Brahman (or the kingdom of God).

I've studied Hinduism and this sounds slightly incorrect to me. The Hindu Devas, Suras, and other beings are simply that - other, higher beings. They do not make up Brahman, rather Brahman is the basis of reality. In fact there is really not much special about the devas and suras as it is said that humans by attaining liberation can become higher and superior to the devas, because even the devas are subject to happiness and distress.

Everything, from a thought, to a rock, to you and I are an aspect of Brahman. It's impossible for something not to be an aspect of brahman, brahman is all there is in reality, the only objective, unchanging reality or truth. It being unchanging and objective makes it alpha and omega, the beginning, middle, and end, the way, the truth, it is the only thing that really exists.

The personal aspect of Brahman is Ishvar, who is formless, inconcievable to the senses, a spiritual master is anyone who is situated in Brahman (or the kingdom of God).


I was being simplistic here, but aren't the Mahadevas called as gods under Brahman?

And I believe there are differences in thought based on the schools.

In Advaita Vedanta, they differentiate between Saguna Brahman and Nirguna Brahman.

In Dvaita Vedanta, they consider the world to be Saguna Brahman. This is probably the one you refer to.

The Trimurti, (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva) though are believed to be representatives of different aspects of Brahman or the Parabrahman.

I was being simplistic here, but aren't the Mahadevas called as gods under Brahman?

And I believe there are differences in thought based on the schools.

In Advaita Vedanta, they differentiate between Saguna Brahman and Nirguna Brahman.

In Dvaita Vedanta, they consider the world to be Saguna Brahman. This is probably the one you refer to.

The Trimurti, (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva) though are believed to be representatives of different aspects of Brahman or the Parabrahman.

Parabrahman is superior to all of them. Although Visnu is said to be equal, or a direct incarnation. God is acting through everyone and everything, even as the demons, the wicked, the cruel, however when he incarnates as himself, it is him, himself, just as a dreaming person dreaming that they are themself are indeed themself.

SB 2.9.33: Brahmā, it is I, the Personality of Godhead, who was existing before the creation, when there was nothing but Myself. Nor was there the material nature, the cause of this creation. That which you see now is also I, the Personality of Godhead, and after annihilation what remains will also be I, the Personality of Godhead.

"The transcendental Personality of Godhead is indirectly associated with the three modes of material
nature, namely passion, goodness and ignorance, and just for the material world's creation,
maintenance and destruction He accepts the three qualitative forms of Brahma, Visnu and Siva. Of
these three, all human beings can derive ultimate benefit from Visnu, the form of the quality of
goodness." (SB 1.2.23)

SB 2.6.32: By His will, I [Brahma] create, Lord Śiva destroys, and He Himself, in His eternal form as the Personality of Godhead, maintains everything. He is the powerful controller of these three energies.

SB 2.6.43-45: I myself [Brahmā], Lord Śiva, Lord Viṣṇu, great generators of living beings like Dakṣa and Prajāpati, yourselves [Nārada and the Kumāras], heavenly demigods like Indra and Candra, the leaders of the Bhūrloka planets, the leaders of the earthly planets, the leaders of the lower planets, the leaders of the Gandharva planets, the leaders of the Vidyādhara planets, the leaders of the Cāraṇaloka planets, the leaders of the Yakṣas, Rakṣas and Uragas, the great sages, the great demons, the great atheists and the great spacemen, as well as the dead bodies, evil spirits, satans, jinn, kūṣmāṇḍas, great aquatics, great beasts and great birds, etc. — in other words, anything and everything which is exceptionally possessed of power, opulence, mental and perceptual dexterity, strength, forgiveness, beauty, modesty, opulence, and breeding, whether in form or formless — may appear to be the specific truth and the form of the Lord, but actually they are not so. They are only a fragment of the transcendental potency of the Lord.

samcdkey

Contrary to popular belief in the West, Hindu deities are not "individual gods", indicating a polytheistic faith. They are, rather, different representations of particular aspects of the one god, the source, known as Brahman. The "human" or physical representation of Brahman's aspects or attributes in the form of deities is a vehicle for the devotee to focus his or her attention, devotion or meditation on that particular aspect or attribute in a form more easily visualized and held in the mind.


Actually there are two catergories - namely god and the demigods - god is accepted as vishnu tattva (tattva - truth) and demigods are jiva tattva (there is some controversy whether shiva is jiva or vishnu tattva but according to puranic statements he is neither).

So an ordinary living entity who is very pious can attain the position of a demigod (ajudicated managers of particular affairs - liek for instance a living entity who lives as a faultless brahmana for 100 life times can attain the position of Lord Brahma - similar guidelines there for chandra, ganesh, indra, varuna, surya etc etc) - there are pranic descriptions of how sometimes Indra gets a bit worried by yogis performing austerities thinking that they may be out to usurp his position by dint of their austerities so he sends apasaras to distract them with their heavenly wiles ....

Vishnu tattva is something different - like even though there are numerous incarnations of vishnu they are never accepted as jivas - nor is their worship credited to be anything like worshipping a demigod, which is why in the BG Krishna declares that worship of the demigods is by the less inteligent for material benedictions and why worship of him is conducive for actual happiness, liberation, the eternal abode etc

Endowed with such a faith, he endeavors to worship a particular demigod and obtains his desires. But in actuality these benefits are bestowed by Me alone.

BG 7.23: 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.

BG 7.24: Unintelligent men, who do not know Me perfectly, think that I, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, was impersonal before and have now assumed this personality. Due to their small knowledge, they do not know My higher nature, which is imperishable and supreme.


Each deity is associated with a 'vehicle', a bird or animal on which it travels. The vehicles are used in Indian religious art to reflect and at times to extend the powers or qualities of the deity with which it is associated. These are often better expressed by an animal than by a human being. The vehicle also represents the close relationship between all living things.


The vehicles of the demigods are actually subtle constructions whereas the vehicles of vishnu tattva (like garuda for instance) are actually conscious (actually garuda is an expansion of maha visnu, which makes him vishnu tattva)

Hey Guys...
Great posts...
I've been a regular reader of this forum and never have seen such discussion before on Hinduism...
I was born a Hindu, but am not religious.
But the philosophies are great....
Sadly, not many know what Hinduism actually is...
In fact not many know that there was no such thing as "Hinduism" or a Hindu "religion" until the British came...

Hey Guys...
In fact not many know that there was no such thing as "Hinduism" or a Hindu "religion" until the British came...
Many who?

Hindu was actually a term coined by the muslims as those who lived over the Sindu river (They pronounced their S's as H - thus "Hindu") - hence the term hindu encompasses the broad variety of what goes down in the name of vedic scripture, which on a casual observation extends to the social practices, ie varnasrma - divisions of spiritual and occupational duties

Hindu deities are not "individual gods", indicating a polytheistic faith. They are, rather, different representations of particular aspects of the one god, the source, known as Brahman.

Are you refusing these God any Individual Manifestation?

At a certain level they exist in and of themselves in the same way that we exist in and of ourselves. Yes, some Advaita Nut might say that we are all One in God, but it is a meaningless statement. you can say all of the Particular Gods are one in Brahman, but, likewise, we are back to meaningless statements.

When one is on the stratum of a particular God, where that God has its Manifestation, well, one owes that God enough respect to acknowledge its existence.

When you are finally at the Highest Stratum of Brahman then you can begin to talk about how everything is Brahman, because, there, you will be right.

In the Catholic Tradition, we have God, we have the Manifestions and Aspects of the Blessed Virgin Mother of God, and we have the Angels and the Saints. One could say they are all elements of the All Inclusive God, but how useful is such a statement?

We know where we are in our Spirituality by the Gods or Angels we meet up with in our Dreams, Visions and Meditations.

Just because you are only on the Level of a Minor Demi-god, it doesn't mean you must slap Him in the face and dismiss His existence. You should acknowledge how High you are, not how low.

Every God or Angel has something to teach us... an experience that will enrich us. We don't have to hurry past these Spiritual Beings. We are on their Level for a reason. Make friends. Stay awhile. Move onward and upward when the time comes.

You wouldn't want all the Gods and Angels to begin seeing you as clever, cunning and ambitious, would you? a Snob?

There is the view that "everything is brahman" works on the same principle of "god made man in his image" - in other words brahman means spiritual, but if you want to determine who is para brahman (the supreme brahman) then that requires a bit more than just a rudimentary observation - according to vedic scripture there are 330 000 000 demigods and they are empowered designated representatives of visnu, just as a king has many ambassadors and officials that act on his behalf

WOW - it is his birthday ....!!!!!!!!!
I always thought Gandhi was one of the most important persons in the last
millenium - still to this day , I do NOT understand why he did not receive
the Nobel price of peace !!!!!!!!

:)

They save it for real peaceniks like Kissinger....

Devi: the Mother Goddess.

http://www.asia.si.edu/devi/

http://www.asia.si.edu/devi/images/deviHome.gif

Who Is Devi?

The Great Goddess, known in India as Devi (literally "goddess"), has many guises. She is "Ma" the gentle and approachable mother. As Jaganmata, or Mother of the universe, she assumes cosmic proportions, destroying evil and addressing herself to the creation and dissolution of the worlds. She is worshiped by thousands of names that often reflect local customs and legends. She is one and she is many. She is celebrated in songs and poems.

A nice exhibit on the representation of the Mother Goddess in all her forms in Hinduism.


http://www.asia.si.edu/devi/

Devi: the Mother Goddess.

http://www.asia.si.edu/devi/

http://www.asia.si.edu/devi/images/deviHome.gif

Who Is Devi?

The Great Goddess, known in India as Devi (literally "goddess"), has many guises. She is "Ma" the gentle and approachable mother. As Jaganmata, or Mother of the universe, she assumes cosmic proportions, destroying evil and addressing herself to the creation and dissolution of the worlds. She is worshiped by thousands of names that often reflect local customs and legends. She is one and she is many. She is celebrated in songs and poems.

A nice exhibit on the representation of the Mother Goddess in all her forms in Hinduism.


http://www.asia.si.edu/devi/

Brahma samhita 5.44

The external potency Mäyä who is of the nature of the shadow of the cit potency, is worshiped by all people as Durgä, the creating, preserving and destroying agency of this mundane world. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda in accordance with whose will Durgä conducts herself.

Srimad Bhagavatam 10.2.11-12
Lord Kṛṣṇa blessed Māyādevī by saying: In different places on the surface of the earth, people will give you different names, such as Durgā, Bhadrakālī, Vijayā, Vaiṣṇavī, Kumudā, Caṇḍikā, Kṛṣṇā, Mādhavī, Kanyakā, Māyā, Nārāyaṇī, Īśānī, Śāradā and Ambikā.

(from the purport)
The names by which Māyādevī is known in different places have been listed by Vallabhācārya as follows. In Vārāṇasī she is known as Durgā, in Avantī she is known as Bhadrakālī, in Orissa she is known as Vijayā, and in Kulahāpura she is known as Vaiṣṇavī or Mahālakṣmī. (The representatives of Mahālakṣmī and Ambikā are present in Bombay.) In the country known as Kāmarūpa she is known as Caṇḍikā, in Northern India as Śāradā, and in Cape Comorin as Kanyakā. Thus she is distributed according to various names in various places.

Śrīla Vijayadhvaja Tīrthapāda, in his pada-ratnāvalī-ṭīkā, has explained the meanings of the different representations. Māyā is known as Durgā because she is approached with great difficulty, as Bhadrā because she is auspicious, and as Kālī because she is deep blue. Because she is the most powerful energy, she is known as Vijayā; because she is one of the different energies of Viṣṇu, she is known as Vaiṣṇavī; and because she enjoys in this material world and gives facilities for material enjoyment, she is known as Kumudā. Because she is very severe to her enemies, the asuras, she is known as Caṇḍikā, and because she gives all sorts of material facilities, she is called Kṛṣṇā. In this way the material energy is differently named and situated in different places on the surface of the globe.

more names and translations on
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/108_names_of_devi.htm

1 week from now it will be govardhana puja

http://www.salagram.net/annakut-GG.jpg

http://www.salagram.net/parishad77-g.htm

the day before that it is deepawali



which has many significances, one being Lord rama's return to ayodhya from ravana's lanka

108 names of Rama
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/108_names_of_lord_sri_rama.htm

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/af/Lord_Ram.jpg/290px-Lord_Ram.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rama

Curious if any other religion has female goddesses...

http://www.om-guru.com/

Gurus, Saints, and Seekers:
Holy Men and Women in the Indian Tradition

The tradition of seeking, evaluating, accepting, and following a guru is deeply rooted in Hindu society from the time of the earliest Hindu writings. However, not all disciples maintain a close outer connection with their guru. While some disciples spend years with their guru, others meet the guru only once in their lifetime. Some see the guru only in visions and dreams. In other cases, the only contact is through written material or pictures of the guru.

In Hinduism, it is believed that certain individuals have developed spiritually to the point where they can lead others to liberation (moksha), or give them access to spiritual states either in this life, or after death. These teachers are believed to have special abilities, such as the capacity to give darshan (a transfer of blessings or spiritual power from guru to disciple via glance or mantra). In addition, some Gurus are said to be able to enter a disciple's dreams to give teachings or initiation. Sometimes the guru's gaze can cause a profound spiritual experience. Many students claim to sense a spiritual atmosphere around their teacher which affects their moods and perceptions in positive ways.

(Short biographies of some gurus in the link)

1008 names of radharani
http://www.krishna.com/main.php?id=254


http://www.prabhupadaconnect.com/files/radharani.jpg

from
http://www.krishna.com/main.php?id=257

Who is That Girl with Krishna?
When people see a picture like the one you see here, they often ask, "Who is that girl with Krishna?" The answer is that She is Srimati Radharani, Krishna's pleasure potency. The devotees of the Krishna consciousness movement humbly try to glorify Srimati Radharani because by her mercy one can advance wonderfully in Krishna consciousness.

Common prayers to Laksmi
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/prayers_to_goddess_lakshmi.htm

http://www.vedanta.it/divinita/images/Ganesha_Laksmi_e_Sarasvati.jpg


The goddess of fortune personally comes to that place where fools are not worshiped, where grains are carefully stocked, and where there are no quarrels between husband and wife.
(Canakya Pandit - famous logician)


are we poverty stricken? ;)

Common prayers in glorification of Mother Ganga
http://www.chinmaya-chicago.org/BV/Ganga%20Stotram.pdf

"O Jahnavi! You are full of compassion. You purify your devotees with your holy waters. Your feet are
adorned with the gems of Indra’s crown. Those who seek refuge in you are blessed with happiness."

There is a puranic statement to the effect that no qualification is required to participate in spiritual life - everyone is free to participate, just as one is free to take bath in the ganga during the month of magha (winter season)

;)



http://www.sivananda.dls.org.za/pictures/Ganga.jpg

Asta-Nama-Stava from the Padma Purana The Eight Names of Vrinda-devi


Vrindavani, vrinda, visvapujita, pushpasara, nandini, Krishna-jivani, visva-pavani, tulasi


VRINDAVANI - One who first manifested in Vrindavan.
VRINDA - The goddess of all plant and trees ( even if one Tulasi plant is present in a forest it can be called Vrindavana.)
VISHVAPUJITA - One whom the whole universe worships.
PUSHPASARA - The topmost of all flowers, without whom Krishna does not like to look upon other flowers.
NANDINI - Seeing whom gives unlimited bliss to the devotees.
KRISHNA-JIVANI - The life of Sri Krishna.
VISHVA-PAVANI - One who purifies the three worlds.
TULASI - One who has no comparison.

Anyone while worshiping Tulasi-devi chants these eight names will get the same results as one who performs the Ashvamedha sacrifice. And one who on the full-moon day of Kartika (Tulasi-devi's appearance day) worships Her with this Mantra will break free from the bonds of this miserable world of birth and death, and very quickly attains Goloka Vrndavan. On the full moon-day of Kartik Lord Sri Krishna Himself worships Srimati Tulasi-devi with this Mantra.

http://www.iskcon.com/images/education/devpractice_book/tulasi.jpg

http://www.vrindavan-dham.com/vrinda/img/tulasi6.jpg

samcdkey; whats you real name dude; im me the name.

you seem to know some things :-)


Rick

actually; i want to clarify this for some hindus who dont know (i didnt know this some time ago)

A gayatri mantra is something from a meter (vedic meter): it consists of 3 padas each pada consisting of 8 alphabets in sanskrit( essentially rough estimates to be 3 lines with 8 alphabets each)
so theres gayatri mantra for shiv; ganesha etc.

(if i am slightly wrong on this; could you clarify? on gayatri mantra's metrics...)

Rick

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/mealac/pritchett/00routesdata/0400_0499/pantheon/modset/gayatri1.jpg

Actually there is a distinction between the gayatri meter and the gayatri mantra

Regardless of the numerous gayatris given by vedic authority, the central one, common to all schools is the brahma gayatri

BG 10.35: Of the hymns in the Sāma Veda I am the Bṛhat-sāma, and of poetry I am the Gāyatrī. Of months I am Mārgaśīrṣa [November-December], and of seasons I am flower-bearing spring.

Like the gayatri meter there are 16 108 different meters (according to the Chandas anyway - presently only a handful remain) - I read on Wikipedia (don't know if its true) that the theme song for battle star galactica is an abbreviated form of the gayatri meter ......

The gayatri mantra is a specific mantra - it is chanted by lots of different people, sometimes even school kids in morning parade in India, (even a few indian influenced western musicians bring out some versions of the gayatri mantra from time to time) - but according to the vedas it is a silent meditation performed by those that have undergone brahminical initiation at the three junctions of the day (one hour before sunrise, at midday and twilight)

The problem is that the gayatri is meant for spiritually advanced persons and thus it is not advocated as a general means for the conditioned soul to come to the platform of spiritual emancipation - in other words understanding what the gayatri mantra "means" is not so straight forward as reading a translation or someone's commentary on it or even studying sanskrit. Its kind of like having access to a compressed file but not being able to decompress it, because the (brahma) gayatri mantra is completely non-different from god, and unlike the maha-mantra it doesn't bestow benedictions without considerations of qualifications

http://www.iskcon.com/basics/mahamantra.html

There are prayers in glorification of Mother Gayatri on
http://www.gayatri.info/Bhajans/EnglisChalisa.html

The goddess of fortune personally comes to that place where fools are not worshiped, where grains are carefully stocked, and where there are no quarrels between husband and wife.
(Canakya Pandit - famous logician)




Sounds a great deal like "God helps him who helps himself".

Little Johnny was working in his garden when this Old Lady came by and told him he should Thank God for all the wonderful plants, flowers and vegtables. But Little Johnny replied "Oh, yeah... well, before I showed up, God only had a Weed Patch."

Another name for the goddess of fortune is Cancala.

from SB 3.15.21 Purport

It is also stated here that in the Vaikuṇṭha planets the goddesses of fortune are faultless. Generally the goddess of fortune does not remain steadily in one place. Her name is Cañcalā, which means "one who is not steady." We find, therefore, that a man who is very rich may become the poorest of the poor. Another example is Rāvaṇa. Rāvaṇa took away Lakṣmī, Sītājī, to his kingdom, and instead of being happy by the grace of Lakṣmī, his family and his kingdom were vanquished. Thus Lakṣmī in the house of Rāvaṇa is Cañcalā, or unsteady. Men of Rāvaṇa's class want Lakṣmī only, without her husband, Nārāyaṇa; therefore they become unsteady due to Lakṣmījī. Materialistic persons find fault on the part of Lakṣmī, but in Vaikuṇṭha Lakṣmījī is fixed in the service of the Lord. In spite of her being the goddess of fortune, she cannot be happy without the grace of the Lord. Even the goddess of fortune needs the Lord's grace in order to be happy, yet in the material world even Brahmā, the highest created being, seeks the favor of Lakṣmī for happiness.

Therefore another name for Vishnu is Srinath (Sri - goddess of fortune - Natha - protector or husband)
http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/temples/srirangam/ranganayaki.jpg

Mukunda Mala Stotra
SÜTRA 28-29. O Srinätha, Näräyana, Väsudeva, divine Krsna, O kind friend of Your devotees! O Cakrapäni, Padmanäbha, Acyuta, Kaitabhäri, Räma, Padmäksa, Hari, Muräri! O Ananta, Vaikuntha, Mukunda, Krsna, Govinda, Dämodara, Mädhava! Although all people can address You, still they remain silent. Just see how eager they are for their own peril!

Sounds a great deal like "God helps him who helps himself".

Little Johnny was working in his garden when this Old Lady came by and told him he should Thank God for all the wonderful plants, flowers and vegtables. But Little Johnny replied "Oh, yeah... well, before I showed up, God only had a Weed Patch."


BG 10.10: To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.

yes, surrender to god doesn't innvolve sitting on your brains
:)

Controversial in some circles (mainly those that consider scripture to be mundane) but Buddha is also an incarnation of vishnu

http://www.salagram.net/buddha_thumb.JPG



(from gita govinda - prayers glorifying incarnations of vishnu)
9
nindasi yajna-vidher ahaha shruti-jatam
sadaya-hrdaya darsita-pasu-ghatam
keshava dhrta-buddha-sarira jaya jagadisa hare

O Keshava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of Buddha! All glories to You! O Buddha of compassionate heart, you decry the slaughtering of poor animals performed according to the rules of Vedic sacrifice

lots of links here
http://www.salagram.net/Buddha-dev.html

tried to nut this one out on sciforums here
http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?p=1182601#post1182601

I am curious. Are most of you Indians?

I'm Indian :)

I'm not

I am!

at least according to my passport
;)

http://www.templenet.com/

A resource giving information on the temples of India

This temple is a very famous one in Mumbai. Every Monday people from all over Mumbai walk barefoot early morning or late late night (after 1 am) to this temple. They have a delicious prasad (sweet offering).

http://www.templenet.com/Maharashtra/siddhi1.jpg

The Siddhi Vinayak temple at Prabhadevi in Mumbai is a well visited one attracting thousands all through the year.

The Temple: The known history of the temple dates back to early nineteenth century. This temple has been renovated thoroughly in the late 1900s in order to accomodate the needs of the surging crowds of devotees that throng the temple during festive occasions.

The sanctum here houses a small mandapam enshrining Siddhi Vinayak. The inner roof of the sanctum is plated with gold, and the wooden doors to the sanctum are carved with images of Ashta Vinayak.

Siddhi Vinayak: Most icons of Ganapati depict the elephant faced God with his trunk curled towards his left. Siddhi Vinayak in Mumbai, Siddhi Vinayak at Siddhatek in Maharashtra as well as Karpaka Vinayakar at Pillayarpatti in Tamilnadu are depicted with a trunk pointing to the right (Valampuri).

Ganapati here is depicted with four arms bearing a lotus, an axe, modakas and a garland of beads, flanked by his consorts Siddhi and Riddhi.

Festivals: Hundreds of thousands of devotees throng the temple, especially during Angaraki and Sankashti Chaturti days, when there is a continuous stream of visitors for as long as a 24 hour period.

the leseer gods are all expressions of the formless overall nameless creator god in hinduism i have been studying it a little over the last month or so its interesting,

the leseer gods are all expressions of the formless overall nameless creator god in hinduism i have been studying it a little over the last month or so its interesting,

actually there are different dialecticss within the vedic writings - some say that the formless brahman is supreme ( a view popularized by the british who, for the sake of forming a simplified historical continuum of the culture of india- and thus make it appear subservient to christianity - , relied exclusively on the scriptural commentaries of sankacharya) while others say that the personal form of visnu is the basis of brahman - the last view can be supported by the bhagavad-gita

BG 14.36 And I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman, which is immortal, imperishable and eternal and is the constitutional position of ultimate happiness.

The result of this mixing of dialects is that on a popular level people tend to recognize the unique position of visnu and on an academic level it is advocated that the formless brahman is the ultimate

more info here (http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz/encyclopedia/pramana.htm#8)

BTW, the term "brahman" isn't commonly used much in India.

BTW, the term "brahman" isn't commonly used much in India.

Yes most Indians use the term Bhagwan instead.

Is that right?

BTW, the term "brahman" isn't commonly used much in India.
Thats right - it is mostly used by those who are religious scholars or erudite practioners - most religious people don't really read that much scripture and in this regard hindus are the same as any other division of faith .... perhaps even more competitive -lol

Yes most Indians use the term Bhagwan instead.

Is that right?
Bhagavan (many times the a is silent and the v turns into a w, hence bhagwan) means the possessor of 6 opulences

Bhagavan means who possesses these six opulences in full: all riches, all strength, all influence, all wisdom, all beauty, all renunciation.
(Visnu Purana 6.5.47)

Actually the word bhagavan is reserved for god, however there are occasions where the term is also used to indicate a pure devotee of god, since on account of a pure devotee's dearness to god, whatever god possesses is possessed by them also (And of course it is more often used by unscrupulous persons to take advantage of people's lack of philosophical grounding in the vedas to pass themselves off as incarnations of god etc)

Siddhi Vinayak is superior to Vishnu. Vinayak means 'no one above him". Narayana is the Supreme. Shiva is the the Ultimate God. Krishna has no parallel and the Greatest. Without Vishnu there is no Brahman. Sakthi is above all. Let me find out if anyone is left out.

Siddhi Vinayak is superior to Vishnu. Vinayak means 'no one above him". Narayana is the Supreme. Shiva is the the Ultimate God. Krishna has no parallel and the Greatest. Without Vishnu there is no Brahman. Sakthi is above all. Let me find out if anyone is left out.

you seem to have compiled a list of personalities who possess greater merit than humans - but to examine the existing hierarchical systems requires a bit more closer scrutiny by scriptures

for instance regarding ganapati

Brahma-samhita 5.50
I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, whose lotus feet are always held by Ganesa 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.
PURPORT
The power of destroying all obstacles to mundane prosperity has been delegated to Ganesa who is the object of worship to those who are eligible to worship him. He has obtained a rank among the five gods as Brahmä possessing mundane quality. The self-same Ganesa is a god in possession of delegated power by infusion of the divine power. All his glory rests entirely on the grace of Govinda.

I could bring up other slokas regarding siva and durga (I assume taht is who you are referencing by sakti), but here's one that catches it all

Brahma-samhita 5.43
Lowest of all is located Devi-dhama [mundane world], next above it is Mahesa-dhäma [abode of Mahesa]; above Mahesa-dhäma is placed Hari-dhäma [abode of Hari] and above them all is located Krsna's own realm named Goloka. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, who has allotted their respective authorities to the rulers of those graded realms.

Is the Brahma-samhita a separate document or part of the Bhagavatam Purana?

Shaivites, for instance, do not consider Vishnu to be Supreme. Instead, if you read the Shiva Purana and the Shiva Agamas, Vishnu and all the other Gods bow to the Shiva. And if you read the Shakti Purana, Vishnu, Shiva and all the other Gods bow to Shakti and her other forms.

In Hinduism, God is considering transcendent (impersonal) and immanent (personal), so it is no surprise that in each Purana, each sage had his favorite deity who he placed above the rest. To establish a heirarchy is almost impossible.

Read the Upanishads and you will find that Brahman is not even that transcendent, and instead, acts like a God himself (formless, cannot be sensed or known, but only experienced). According to the Upanishads, it explicitly states that Brahman is the source of all the Gods and makes no exception for Vishnu or any other Gods.

The Bhagavad Gita was written much later than the Upanishads and most likely by a Vaishnavite, who grew up being taught that Vishnu was the highest, and thus incorporated it into the scripture.

LG,

If i quote shivapurana or devi mahatmiyam or skandapurana you would realize that all the puranas/samhitas including bhavad purana/brahma-smhita emphasise only their favourite deities are supreme. There is no point in finding who is supreme, anyway. besides, it is rather divisive argument.

LG,

If i quote shivapurana or devi mahatmiyam or skandapurana you would realize that all the puranas/samhitas including bhavad purana/brahma-smhita emphasise only their favourite deities are supreme. There is no point in finding who is supreme, anyway. besides, it is rather divisive argument.
I doubt if you can find a scriptural quote that clearly establishes how any other entity (or even brahman itself) is the cause of any incarnation of visnu. You may find quotes that establish the greatness of a personality (after all, the 18 puranas are divided into three divisions according to sattva, rajas and tamas, so naturally there will be different focuses of importance), but you can not find quotes that specifically establish any entity's greatness in comparison to visnu.

However you can find many quotes that specifically state how visnu is the infallible cause to durga, siva, ganesh etc.

It is not a divisive argument, any more than establishing that sattva possesses superior qualities to tamas or rajas

I doubt if you can find a scriptural quote that clearly establishes how any other entity (or even brahman itself) is the cause of any incarnation of visnu.

Are we talking about vishnu or incarnations of vishnu?? if it is about later, parents of those incarnations were the cause, naturally and obviously.

It seems you don't agree that shiva purana and skanda purana etc as scriptures.

You may find quotes that establish the greatness of a personality (after all, the 18 puranas are divided into three divisions according to sattva, rajas and tamas, so naturally there will be different focuses of importance), but you can not find quotes that specifically establish any entity's greatness in comparison to visnu.

Some puranas don't not just compare but go to the extent of embarassing you.

However you can find many quotes that specifically state how visnu is the infallible cause to durga, siva, ganesh etc.

in brahma samhita, bhagavad purana etc, ofcourse.

It is not a divisive argument, any more than establishing that sattva possesses superior qualities to tamas or rajas

God is supposed to be above all these gunas. By nature the deities are sattva, if necessary they assume rajas or tamas for the sake of other mortals.

everneo
“
Originally Posted by lightgigantic
I doubt if you can find a scriptural quote that clearly establishes how any other entity (or even brahman itself) is the cause of any incarnation of visnu.
”
Are we talking about vishnu or incarnations of vishnu?? if it is about later, parents of those incarnations were the cause, naturally and obviously.

There is no distinction, in terms of tattva, between vishnu and an incarnation of vishnutherefore the appearance of vishnu is not mundane, hence numerous refernces in BG

One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.
BG 4.9

By Me, in My unmanifested form, this entire universe is pervaded. All beings are in Me, but I am not in them.
BG 9.4

BG 4.6 Although I am unborn and My transcendental body never deteriorates, and although I am the Lord of all living entities, I still appear in every millennium in My original transcendental form.

As for the parents of krishna, they certainly seem to be aware of the situation

SB 10.3.15-17: (Vasudeva, the husband of devaki, prays) The mahat-tattva, the total material energy, is undivided, but because of the material modes of nature, it appears to separate into earth, water, fire, air and ether. Because of the living energy [jīva-bhūta], these separated energies combine to make the cosmic manifestation visible, but in fact, before the creation of the cosmos, the total energy is already present. Therefore, the total material energy never actually enters the creation. Similarly, although You are perceived by our senses because of Your presence, You cannot be perceived by the senses, nor experienced by the mind or words [avāń-mānasa-gocara]. With our senses we can perceive some things, but not everything; for example, we can use our eyes to see, but not to taste. Consequently, You are beyond perception by the senses. Although in touch with the modes of material nature, You are unaffected by them. You are the prime factor in everything, the all-pervading, undivided Supersoul. For You, therefore, there is no external or internal. You never entered the womb of Devakī; rather, You existed there already.

SB 10.3.24: Śrī Devakī said: My dear Lord, there are different Vedas, some of which describe You as unperceivable through words and the mind. Yet You are the origin of the entire cosmic manifestation. You are Brahman, the greatest of everything, full of effulgence like the sun. You have no material cause, You are free from change and deviation, and You have no material desires. Thus the Vedas say that You are the substance. Therefore, my Lord, You are directly the origin of all Vedic statements, and by understanding You, one gradually understands everything. You are different from the light of Brahman and Paramātmā, yet You are not different from them. Everything emanates from You. Indeed, You are the cause of all causes, Lord Viṣṇu, the light of all transcendental knowledge.


It seems you don't agree that shiva purana and skanda purana etc as scriptures.
try these from the skanda purana

saḿsāre 'smin mahā-ghore

janma-mṛtyu-samākule

pūjanaḿ vāsudevasya

tārakaḿ vādibhiḥ smṛtam

In the material world, which is full of darkness and dangers, combined with birth and death and full of different anxieties, the only way to get out of the great entanglement is to accept loving transcendental devotional service to Lord Vāsudeva. This is accepted by all classes of philosophers.

and this one which is found in the skanda, linga and padma purana

āloḍya sarva-śāstrāni

vicārya ca punaḥ punaḥ

idam ekaḿ suniṣpannaḿ

dhyeyo nārāyaṇaḥ sadā

"By scrutinizingly reviewing all the revealed scriptures and judging them again and again, it is now concluded that Lord Nārāyaṇa is the Supreme Absolute Truth, and thus He alone should be worshiped."

and this one from the skanda purana again

arcite deva-deveśe

śańkha-cakra-gadā-dhare

arcitāḥ sarva-devāḥ syur

yataḥ sarva-gato hariḥ

When the Supreme Lord, the personality of Godhead, who carries in His hands a conchshell, wheel, club and lotus flower, is worshiped, certainly all other demigods are worshiped automatically because Hari, the personality of Godhead, is all-pervading. Therefore, in all cases, namely nominative, objective, causative, dative, ablative, possessive and supportive, everyone is benefited by such transcendental loving service to the Lord. The man who worships the Lord, the Lord Himself who is worshiped, the cause for which the Lord is worshiped, the source of supply, the place where such worship is done, etc. — everything is benefited by such an action.

and of course the visnu purana is loaded full of things like

sa hānis tan mahac chidraḿ

sa mohaḥ sa ca vibhramaḥ

yan-muhūrtaḿ kṣaṇaḿ vāpi

vāsudevaḿ na cintayet

"If even for a moment remembrance of Vāsudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is missed, that is the greatest loss, that is the greatest illusion, and that is the greatest anomaly."

if you are interested in followingthis up you can read
http://srimadbhagavatam.com/2/9/36/en, from which this references were excerpted

regarding siva, he is accepted as the greatest vaisnava

SB 12.13.16: Just as the Gańgā is the greatest of all rivers, Lord Acyuta the supreme among deities and Lord Śambhu [Śiva] the greatest of Vaiṣṇavas, so Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the greatest of all Purāṇas.

there are 4 vasinava sampradayas, of which siva is the param guru of one (although as a side issue there is the incident innvolving the cursing of daksa and nandi, which has implications for one who worships siva not as a servant of vishnu but as the supreme cause - an overview on http://srimadbhagavatam.com/4/2/en)

“
You may find quotes that establish the greatness of a personality (after all, the 18 puranas are divided into three divisions according to sattva, rajas and tamas, so naturally there will be different focuses of importance), but you can not find quotes that specifically establish any entity's greatness in comparison to visnu.
”
Some puranas don't not just compare but go to the extent of embarassing you.
well please feel free to quote them

“
However you can find many quotes that specifically state how visnu is the infallible cause to durga, siva, ganesh etc.
”
in brahma samhita, bhagavad purana etc, ofcourse.
It can established through other sources, even the skanda purana as indicated - what I am finding perplexing at the moment is whether you actually accept the vedas as a body of scriptural work - they are all attributed (upanisads, puranas, vedas, vedanta sutra etc) to vyasdeva. Its not clear on what grounds you reject some of vyasadeva's works and accept others (If you are an atheist it is useless to talk of scriptural authority- better philosophy - and if you are a theist why do you think you have a better grasp on authorship than srila vyasadeva?)

“
It is not a divisive argument, any more than establishing that sattva possesses superior qualities to tamas or rajas
”
God is supposed to be above all these gunas. By nature the deities are sattva, if necessary they assume rajas or tamas for the sake of other mortals.

I was illustrating not the nature of god but the nature of the vedas and puranas - 90% deal with fruitive activities, 9% deal with jnana and less than 1% deals with pure unmotivated devotional service to the supreme personality of godhead - the reason is that the living entities have numerous material desires and the vedas aims at addressing this by providing the opportunity for purification for persons at all levels of material contamination
hence ....

BG 2.45 The Vedas deal mainly with the subject of the three modes of material nature. O Arjuna, become transcendental to these three modes. Be free from all dualities and from all anxieties for gain and safety, and be established in the self.

BG 2.46 All purposes served by a small well can at once be served by a great reservoir of water. Similarly, all the purposes of the Vedas can be served to one who knows the purpose behind them.

Is the Brahma-samhita a separate document or part of the Bhagavatam Purana?
it is a seperate document - there are numerous samhitas by numeorus personalities (like the garga samhita is a treatise of the realizations of garga muni) - brahma samhit is the realizations of brahma after the successful performance of his meditation, just prior to his beginning the engineering of the material universe

Shaivites, for instance, do not consider Vishnu to be Supreme. Instead, if you read the Shiva Purana and the Shiva Agamas, Vishnu and all the other Gods bow to the Shiva. And if you read the Shakti Purana, Vishnu, Shiva and all the other Gods bow to Shakti and her other forms.
I just posted a huge tract of scriptural quotes, mostly form the skanda purana BTW, to everneo just below - rather than post it again perhaps you can read it - if you are interested in the topic you can read the source on
http://srimadbhagavatam.com/2/9/36/en

In Hinduism, God is considering transcendent (impersonal) and immanent (personal), so it is no surprise that in each Purana, each sage had his favorite deity who he placed above the rest. To establish a heirarchy is almost impossible.
actually this is a topic of heated discussion within the rich theistic philosophy of india -
at the very least, tehre are numerous scriptural quotes to establish that there are flaws in considering the words "transcendental" and "impersonal" synonomous - just to give you the tip of the ice berg ...

BG 7.22: Endowed with such a faith, he endeavors to worship a particular demigod and obtains his desires. But in actuality these benefits are bestowed by Me alone.

BG 7.23: 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.

BG 7.24: Unintelligent men, who do not know Me perfectly, think that I, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, was impersonal before and have now assumed this personality. Due to their small knowledge, they do not know My higher nature, which is imperishable and supreme.

BG 14.27: And I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman, which is immortal, imperishable and eternal and is the constitutional position of ultimate happiness.

Read the Upanishads and you will find that Brahman is not even that transcendent, and instead, acts like a God himself (formless, cannot be sensed or known, but only experienced).
experienced through what - merging in brahman is where the object of knowledge, the process of knowledge and the knowable are all one, thus there is no "I" to speak of, what to speak of an experience

According to the Upanishads, it explicitly states that Brahman is the source of all the Gods and makes no exception for Vishnu or any other Gods.
there is the isopanisad

Iso Invocation: The Personality of Godhead is perfect and complete, and because He is completely perfect, all emanations from Him, such as this phenomenal world, are perfectly equipped as complete wholes. Whatever is produced of the Complete Whole is also complete in itself. Because He is the Complete Whole, even though so many complete units emanate from Him, He remains the complete balance.
all emanations come from a perfect source - how can brahman, which is bereft of any qualities or varieties be the perfect source of variety?


Iso 12: 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 case there i s any further doubt

Iso 15: O my Lord, sustainer of all that lives, Your real face is covered by Your dazzling effulgence. Kindly remove that covering and exhibit Yourself to Your pure devotee.
indicates that the impersonal brahman rests on something - fully confirmed in the BG
BG 14.27: And I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman, which is immortal, imperishable and eternal and is the constitutional position of ultimate happiness.

Katha Upaniñad 2.2.13
The Supreme Lord is eternal and the living beings are eternal. The Supreme Lord is cognizant and the living beings are cognizant. The difference is that the Supreme Lord is supplying all the necessities of life for the many other living entities.
indicates that the consciousness of the living entities is contingent on the consciousness of god

The Bhagavad Gita was written much later than the Upanishads and most likely by a Vaishnavite, who grew up being taught that Vishnu was the highest, and thus incorporated it into the scripture.


all the vedas, including the upanisads and puranas, owe their creedence to srila vyasadeva - if you are not working out of that understanding you have no entrance into discussion of vedic scripture (if one is actually on the platform of assigning merit to the vedas, one cannot over ride vedic statements by saying "well actually thats not a very important part of the vedas" - the only exception is if you can quote a vedic statement that assigns relative greater or lesser importance to an aspect of the vedas - either you accept the vedas in their entirety or you don't accept them at all - in the event of the later there is no point discussing the vedas, rather it is philosophy, outside of scriptural injunctions, that is more progressive)

There is no distinction, in terms of tattva, between vishnu and an incarnation of vishnutherefore the appearance of vishnu is not mundane, hence numerous refernces in BG

Parasurama, Rama and Balarama needed others to remind that they were incarnation of Vishnu.

As for the parents of krishna, they certainly seem to be aware of the situation

so says SB.

try these from the skanda purana

saḿsāre 'smin mahā-ghore

janma-mṛtyu-samākule

pūjanaḿ vāsudevasya

tārakaḿ vādibhiḥ smṛtam

In the material world, which is full of darkness and dangers, combined with birth and death and full of different anxieties, the only way to get out of the great entanglement is to accept loving transcendental devotional service to Lord Vāsudeva. This is accepted by all classes of philosophers.

and this one which is found in the skanda, linga and padma purana

āloḍya sarva-śāstrāni

vicārya ca punaḥ punaḥ

idam ekaḿ suniṣpannaḿ

dhyeyo nārāyaṇaḥ sadā

"By scrutinizingly reviewing all the revealed scriptures and judging them again and again, it is now concluded that Lord Nārāyaṇa is the Supreme Absolute Truth, and thus He alone should be worshiped."

and this one from the skanda purana again

arcite deva-deveśe

śańkha-cakra-gadā-dhare

arcitāḥ sarva-devāḥ syur

yataḥ sarva-gato hariḥ

When the Supreme Lord, the personality of Godhead, who carries in His hands a conchshell, wheel, club and lotus flower, is worshiped, certainly all other demigods are worshiped automatically because Hari, the personality of Godhead, is all-pervading. Therefore, in all cases, namely nominative, objective, causative, dative, ablative, possessive and supportive, everyone is benefited by such transcendental loving service to the Lord. The man who worships the Lord, the Lord Himself who is worshiped, the cause for which the Lord is worshiped, the source of supply, the place where such worship is done, etc. — everything is benefited by such an action.



I could not find them in Skanda purana or linga purana. Please give the verse numbers.


if you are interested in followingthis up you can read
http://srimadbhagavatam.com/2/9/36/en, from which this references were excerpted

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī Prabhupāda is said to have quoted those puranas. I have no idea what kind of person this srila guy is.

regarding siva, he is accepted as the greatest vaisnava


there are 4 vasinava sampradayas, of which siva is the param guru of one (although as a side issue there is the incident innvolving the cursing of daksa and nandi, which has implications for one who worships siva not as a servant of vishnu but as the supreme cause - an overview on http://srimadbhagavatam.com/4/2/en)

SB is hardly a source to be identified with deities other than Vishnu.


well please feel free to quote them

mudslinging is not a great virtue, leaving that affair to you and the puranas.

It can established through other sources, even the skanda purana as indicated - what I am finding perplexing at the moment is whether you actually accept the vedas as a body of scriptural work - they are all attributed (upanisads, puranas, vedas, vedanta sutra etc) to vyasdeva. Its not clear on what grounds you reject some of vyasadeva's works and accept others (If you are an atheist it is useless to talk of scriptural authority- better philosophy - and if you are a theist why do you think you have a better grasp on authorship than srila vyasadeva?)

Nothing was established so far. Read for yourself other puranas by vyasadeva.

I was illustrating not the nature of god but the nature of the vedas and puranas - 90% deal with fruitive activities, 9% deal with jnana and less than 1% deals with pure unmotivated devotional service to the supreme personality of godhead - the reason is that the living entities have numerous material desires and the vedas aims at addressing this by providing the opportunity for purification for persons at all levels of material contamination
hence ....

customizing scriptures for every one ! see what happened, result is bigotry.

BG 2.45 The Vedas deal mainly with the subject of the three modes of material nature. O Arjuna, become transcendental to these three modes. Be free from all dualities and from all anxieties for gain and safety, and be established in the self.

BG 2.46 All purposes served by a small well can at once be served by a great reservoir of water. Similarly, all the purposes of the Vedas can be served to one who knows the purpose behind them.

Vedas seldom speak of the deities like Vishnu, Shiva etc. Most of the upanishads too talk more about brahman than these deities.

Ever neo

Before I respond I think you should respond to this

It can established through other sources, even the skanda purana as indicated - what I am finding perplexing at the moment is whether you actually accept the vedas as a body of scriptural work - they are all attributed (upanisads, puranas, vedas, vedanta sutra etc) to vyasdeva. Its not clear on what grounds you reject some of vyasadeva's works and accept others (If you are an atheist it is useless to talk of scriptural authority- better philosophy - and if you are a theist why do you think you have a better grasp on authorship than srila vyasadeva?)
your response is not sufficient
Nothing was established so far. Read for yourself other puranas by vyasadeva.]

If you don't give any creedence to vedic authority (such as the four Vedas (Rg, Yajur, Sama and Atharva) and the eighteen Puranas, the Upanisads and the Vedanta-sutra) feeling at ease to pick and choose whatever scriptures compiled by vyasadeva appeal to your whimsical ideas and disregarding others, there is no point in having any in depth discussion on the basis of the vedas

śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi-

pañcarātra-vidhiḿ vinā

aikāntikī harer bhaktir

utpātāyaiva kalpate

"Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the authorized Vedic literatures like the Upaniṣads, Purāṇas and Nārada-pañcarātra is simply an unnecessary disturbance in society."

"As already explained, there are three prasthānas on the path of advancement in spiritual knowledge — namely, nyāya-prasthāna (Vedānta philosophy), śruti-prasthāna (the Upaniṣads and Vedic mantras) and smṛti-prasthāna (the Bhagavad-gītā, Mahābhārata, Purāṇas, etc.). Unfortunately, Māyāvādī philosophers do not accept the smṛti-prasthāna. Smṛti refers to the conclusions drawn from the Vedic evidence. Sometimes Māyāvādī philosophers do not accept the authority of the Bhagavad-gītā and the Purāṇas, and this is called ardha-kukkuṭī-nyāya, "the logic of half a hen" (See Ādi-līlā 5.176). If one believes in the Vedic literatures, one must accept all the Vedic literatures recognized by the great ācāryas, but the Māyāvādī philosophers accept only the nyāya-prasthāna and śruti-prasthāna, rejecting the smṛti-prasthāna.
http://caitanyacaritamrta.com/adi/7/117/en
BTW - the logic of half a hen is that one is impressed by the egg laying capacity of one part of the chicken but not so enthusiastic about the head which requires to be fed - so the logic is to chop off the head to remove the unwanted part

You should ask the question to yourself.

You should ask the question to yourself.
I accept everything that falls under the catergory of vedic literature - I am curious why you do not - before we continue the discussion I think it has to be addressed on what grounds you say the skanda purana is vedic and other puranas like the bhagavatam and the bhagavad gita are not (or perhaps you are saying that the SB does not have credibility - maybe you can clarify your position?)

I told you to peep into other puranas than SB, VP etc. I never said i don't accept SB, but SB alone is not the preferred purana.

Your arguement that "accept them as whole" is more applicable to you than me, for i am the one telling you to take all the puranas into consideration before declaring anything.

I told you to peep into other puranas than SB, VP etc. I never said i don't accept SB, but SB alone is not the preferred purana.

Your arguement that "accept them as whole" is more applicable to you than me, for i am the one telling you to take all the puranas into consideration before declaring anything.
and I did that - I quoted the skanda purana
it is you that decries the value of vedic statements by saying "but that is from the bhagavata purana" or "that is from the bhagavad gita" - that is not the method how problems are ressolved in the vedas-
it is ironic that you don't describe the SB as the preferred purana (BTW what do you mean that some purana is not the 'preferred' purana?), since it was the final last work of Vyasadeva that satisfied his despondency for not presenting vedic knowledge to his full satisfaction

SB 1.4.24: Thus the great sage Vyāsadeva, who is very kind to the ignorant masses, edited the Vedas so they might be assimilated by less intellectual men.

SB 1.4.25: Out of compassion, the great sage thought it wise that this would enable men to achieve the ultimate goal of life. Thus he compiled the great historical narration called the Mahābhārata for women, laborers and friends of the twice-born.

SB 1.4.26: O twice-born brāhmaṇas, still his mind was not satisfied, although he engaged himself in working for the total welfare of all people.

SB 1.4.27: Thus the sage, being dissatisfied at heart, at once began to reflect, because he knew the essence of religion, and he said within himself:

SB 1.4.28-29: I have, under strict disciplinary vows, unpretentiously worshiped the Vedas, the spiritual master and the altar of sacrifice. I have also abided by the rulings and have shown the import of disciplic succession through the explanation of the Mahābhārata, by which even women, śūdras and others [friends of the twice-born] can see the path of religion.

SB 1.4.30: I am feeling incomplete, though I myself am fully equipped with everything required by the Vedas.

SB 1.4.31: This may be because I did not specifically point out the devotional service of the Lord, which is dear both to perfect beings and to the infallible Lord.

the point of the vedas, both smrti and sruti, is that it is all cohesive - if one perceives contradictions in the vedas that is due to a lack of knowledge of the perceiver - the problem is that the vedas is literally an ocean and impossible for the modern person to comprehend - therefore the bhagavad gita is accepted as the most common book in hinduism

(padma purana)
TEXT 13
TRANSLATION
A person who knows nothing about learning and teaching the Gita is a failure in the duty of the human form of life.

even sripad sankacharya (who is not a vaisnava) comments

TEXT 4
TRANSLATION
Because Bhagavad-gita is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one need not read any other Vedic literature. One need only attentively and regularly hear and read Bhagavad-gita. In the present age, people are so absorbed in mundane activities that it is not possible for them to read all the Vedic literatures. But this is not necessary. This one book, Bhagavad-gita, will suffice, because it is the essence of all Vedic literatures and especially because it is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

any vedic conclusion, even from the upanisads, can be substantiated by the gita

TEXT 6
TRANSLATION
All the Upanisads are like a cow, and the milker of the cow is Sri Krishna, the son of Nanda. Arjuna is the calf, the beautiful nectar of the Gita is the milk, and the fortunate devotees of fine theistic intellect are the drinkers and enjoyers of that milk.

further elaborated in padma purana
TEXT 23
TRANSLATION
The study of the Vedas and Puranas - verily, the study of all scriptures is completed in all respects by one who studies the Gitä with devotion.

even lord shiva gives special status to the bhagavad gita
http://www.bhagavad-gita.us/articles/683/1/Gita-Mahatmya-Chapter-One/

and I did that - I quoted the skanda purana

You quoted what srila goswami quoted. I asked the verse numbers you are yet to reply.

it is you that decries the value of vedic statements by saying "but that is from the bhagavata purana" or "that is from the bhagavad gita" - that is not the method how problems are ressolved in the vedas-

You have short memory, you keep on quoting from SB to 'establish' your favourite deity is the greatest. There are other puranas by same vyasa wherein the picture is not same.

it is ironic that you don't describe the SB as the preferred purana (BTW what do you mean that some purana is not the 'preferred' purana?), since it was the final last work of Vyasadeva that satisfied his despondency for not presenting vedic knowledge to his full satisfaction

SB looks a preferred purana for you. And continued to be so..:

SB 1.4.24: Thus the great sage Vyāsadeva, who is very kind to the ignorant masses, edited the Vedas so they might be assimilated by less intellectual men.

SB 1.4.25: Out of compassion, the great sage thought it wise that this would enable men to achieve the ultimate goal of life. Thus he compiled the great historical narration called the Mahābhārata for women, laborers and friends of the twice-born.

SB 1.4.26: O twice-born brāhmaṇas, still his mind was not satisfied, although he engaged himself in working for the total welfare of all people.

SB 1.4.27: Thus the sage, being dissatisfied at heart, at once began to reflect, because he knew the essence of religion, and he said within himself:

SB 1.4.28-29: I have, under strict disciplinary vows, unpretentiously worshiped the Vedas, the spiritual master and the altar of sacrifice. I have also abided by the rulings and have shown the import of disciplic succession through the explanation of the Mahābhārata, by which even women, śūdras and others [friends of the twice-born] can see the path of religion.

SB 1.4.30: I am feeling incomplete, though I myself am fully equipped with everything required by the Vedas.

SB 1.4.31: This may be because I did not specifically point out the devotional service of the Lord, which is dear both to perfect beings and to the infallible Lord.


BTW, Vyasadeva praising himself in 1.4.24 & 25 as the composition of SB also attributed to Vyasa ?!!

You quoted what srila goswami quoted. I asked the verse numbers you are yet to reply.



You have short memory, you keep on quoting from SB to 'establish' your favourite deity is the greatest. There are other puranas by same vyasa wherein the picture is not same.



SB looks a preferred purana for you. And continued to be so..:



BTW, Vyasadeva praising himself in 1.4.24 & 25 as the composition of SB also attributed to Vyasa ?!!

I have never suggested that the skanda purana is outside of vedic literature - on the ocntrary you have sugested that the SB and BG are outside of vedic literature (if thats not the case please clarify your position).

My question is why do you minimize the SB and BG - true, I am maybe minimizing other vedic literature, but I have done so by quoting vedic literature and Lord Siva, and even an accredited commentator on the vedas (sripad sankacharya) who is not a vaisnava.
You seem to be minimizing the SB and BG according to your conditioned senses
(once again, if thats not the case, please clarify your position)

I have never suggested that the skanda purana is outside of vedic literature - on the ocntrary you have sugested that the SB and BG are outside of vedic literature (if thats not the case please clarify your position).

Why do you think that I have sugested SB and BG are outside vedic literature ? I have not discussed about BG in this thread so far. You will never find Vishnu is more glorified than Shiva in Shiva purana / Skanda Purana, nor more glorified than Shakti in Devi Bhagavatam. Similiarly you cannot find any other dieties more glorified than Vishnu in SB or Vishnu Purana.

My question is why do you minimize the SB and BG - true, I am maybe minimizing other vedic literature, but I have done so by quoting vedic literature and Lord Siva, and even an accredited commentator on the vedas (sripad sankacharya) who is not a vaisnava.

As i already told you, in puranas praising Vishnu, you can only find other deities also praising Vishnu. Sankaracharya's comments were on BG - which does not clash with his advaita philosophy or with his devotion to his favourite deity Shiva. His famous works are dedicated to Shiva, Shakti, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Skanda also.

You seem to be minimizing the SB and BG according to your conditioned senses
(once again, if thats not the case, please clarify your position)

No question of minimizing / maximizing. My conditioned senses telling me to be sensible in assessing scriptures. That is what the Jagat Guru Sri Krishna emphasizes : be balanced.

Why do you think that I have sugested SB and BG are outside vedic literature ? I have not discussed about BG in this thread so far. You will never find Vishnu is more glorified than Shiva in Shiva purana / Skanda Purana, nor more glorified than Shakti in Devi Bhagavatam. Similiarly you cannot find any other dieties more glorified than Vishnu in SB or Vishnu Purana.

this is simply not true

Skanda Purana Reva-khanda
"O Lord Janardana, unwavering devotional service to You is the
same as liberation. O Lord Visnu, O Lord Hari, Your devotees are
already liberated."

Skanda Purana Prabhasa-khanda and the Linga Purana
"By scrutinizingly reviewing all the revealed scriptures and judging
them again and again, it is now concluded that Lord Narayana is the
Supreme Absolute Truth and thus He alone should be worshipped."

Skanda Purana
"When performed by they who have no devotion for Lord Visnu,
the pious activities described in the Sruti and Smrti bring results that
torture the body, results like the sins of prostitutes."

Skanda Purana
"Sacred Vrindavana is ruled by Lord Hari, taken shelter of by Vrinda-devi, and served by Brahma, Siva, and the demigods."

Skanda Purana
"Neither a devotee of Surya, a devotee of Siva, a devotee of
Brahma, a devotee of Sakti, nor a devotee of any other demigod is equal
to a devotee of Visnu."

Skanda Purana
"O Lord Hari, You alone are the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If Brahma, Siva, and the demigods cannot accomplish something, then only You can accomplish it."

In the Skanda Puräna, Lord Siva tells Kärttikeya:
"The statements of the Siva scriptures should be accepted only when they agree with the Visnu scriptures. Lord Visnu is the only Supreme Lord, and knowledge of Him is the path to liberation.
That is the conclusion of all the scriptures. Any other conclusions are meant only to bewilder the people."

Skanda Purana
"Lord Hari is the only supreme controller. He is only the creator, maintainer, and destroyer of the worlds. Anyone else who may seem to be a creator, maintainer, or destroyer is only a wooden puppet in His hands.


skanda purana
Lord Visnu is completely aloof from the influence of the material
energy. He is eternal, imperishable, unbreakable, undefeatable, and
undecaying. He appears in this world and enjoys pastimes with His
devotees. He pretends to be an ordinary human being, and in this role
He may sometimes appear to be bound with ropes, or to bleed when
wounded. Although these activities bewilder the demons, the liberated
souls do not become bewildered. They always understand the actual
nature of the Lord

Prabhasa Khanda (of the Skanda Purana):

"O Best of the Bhrgus, the name of Krsna is the sweetest of the sweet,, the most auspicious, the choicest fruit of the creeper of all the Vedas, of the nature of pure consciousness. If sung but once, whether with devotion or with contempt, the name of Krsna will transport a mere mortal to the other shore."
while you can easily find verses in vedic literature that glorify demigods and the service of demigods, you can never find verses that declare such things to be superior to visnu and the service of visnu



As i already told you, in puranas praising Vishnu, you can only find other deities also praising Vishnu. Sankaracharya's comments were on BG - which does not clash with his advaita philosophy or with his devotion to his favourite deity Shiva. His famous works are dedicated to Shiva, Shakti, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Skanda also.

(here is an interesting quote regarding the SB) Skanda Purana, Prabhasa Khanda (Sk.P.2/39-42):

"That is to be known as the Bhagavata which, basing itself on the Gayatri, describes dharma in all its fullness, and which narrates the slaying of the asura Vrtra. And that is known in the world as the Bhagavata, which
has its origin in tales concerning the gods and men who live in the sarasvata kalpa. Whosoever will make a copy of this Bhagavata and offer it away, mounted on a throne of gold on the full moon day of Bhadra month, will attain the supreme goal. This purana is said to contain eighteen thousand
(verses)."
(And these same line are found in the Agni Purana as well.)

another one about the SB

Skanda Purana:
(Sk.P., Visnu Khanda 16/40,42,44,331)

"If the Bhagavata is not kept in one's house in the Kali Yuga, of what avail are collections of other scriptures by the hundreds and thousands? How can he be considered a Vaisnava who, in the Kali Yuga, does not keep the Bhagavata in his house? Even if he is a brahmana, he is lower than an
outcaste. O Narada, O Sage, wherever the Bhagavata is found in the Kali Yuga, there Hari goes together with all the demigods. O Muni, that pious soul who daily recites a verse from the Bhagavata reaps the fruits of the eighteen Puranas."

so the skanda purana establishes that in the current age there is no need to study any other scripture than the SB to understand the highest truth




No question of minimizing / maximizing. My conditioned senses telling me to be sensible in assessing scriptures. That is what the Jagat Guru Sri Krishna emphasizes : be balanced.
actually this is what Krishna emphasizes

BG 9.34: Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.

and says the same thing in virtually identical sanskrit again
BG 18.65: Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.

and the conclusion being

BG 18.66: Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.

the reason being

BG 7.14: This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.

this is simply not true

:cool:

Skanda Purana Reva-khanda
"O Lord Janardana, unwavering devotional service to You is the
same as liberation. O Lord Visnu, O Lord Hari, Your devotees are
already liberated."

Where this compares with other deities ?

Skanda Purana Prabhasa-khanda and the Linga Purana
"By scrutinizingly reviewing all the revealed scriptures and judging
them again and again, it is now concluded that Lord Narayana is the
Supreme Absolute Truth and thus He alone should be worshipped."

This is a repeat. You had already quoted earlier, but not to be found in Skanda/Linga Purana. I had asked the verse numbers.

Skanda Purana
"When performed by they who have no devotion for Lord Visnu,
the pious activities described in the Sruti and Smrti bring results that
torture the body, results like the sins of prostitutes."

Where this compares with other deities ?

Skanda Purana
"Sacred Vrindavana is ruled by Lord Hari, taken shelter of by Vrinda-devi, and served by Brahma, Siva, and the demigods."

Skanda Purana
"Neither a devotee of Surya, a devotee of Siva, a devotee of
Brahma, a devotee of Sakti, nor a devotee of any other demigod is equal
to a devotee of Visnu."

Skanda Purana
"O Lord Hari, You alone are the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If Brahma, Siva, and the demigods cannot accomplish something, then only You can accomplish it."

In the Skanda Puräna, Lord Siva tells Kärttikeya:
"The statements of the Siva scriptures should be accepted only when they agree with the Visnu scriptures. Lord Visnu is the only Supreme Lord, and knowledge of Him is the path to liberation.
That is the conclusion of all the scriptures. Any other conclusions are meant only to bewilder the people."

Skanda Purana
"Lord Hari is the only supreme controller. He is only the creator, maintainer, and destroyer of the worlds. Anyone else who may seem to be a creator, maintainer, or destroyer is only a wooden puppet in His hands.



Verse numbers please. More than 18000 stanzas of Skanda Purana make it very difficult to locate the quoted verses, if they are there.


skanda purana
Lord Visnu is completely aloof from the influence of the material
energy. He is eternal, imperishable, unbreakable, undefeatable, and
undecaying. He appears in this world and enjoys pastimes with His
devotees. He pretends to be an ordinary human being, and in this role
He may sometimes appear to be bound with ropes, or to bleed when
wounded. Although these activities bewilder the demons, the liberated
souls do not become bewildered. They always understand the actual
nature of the Lord

Prabhasa Khanda (of the Skanda Purana):

"O Best of the Bhrgus, the name of Krsna is the sweetest of the sweet,, the most auspicious, the choicest fruit of the creeper of all the Vedas, of the nature of pure consciousness. If sung but once, whether with devotion or with contempt, the name of Krsna will transport a mere mortal to the other shore."

Again, no comparision with other deities.

while you can easily find verses in vedic literature that glorify demigods and the service of demigods, you can never find verses that declare such things to be superior to visnu and the service of visnu

Read them, LG.




(here is an interesting quote regarding the SB) Skanda Purana, Prabhasa Khanda (Sk.P.2/39-42):

"That is to be known as the Bhagavata which, basing itself on the Gayatri, describes dharma in all its fullness, and which narrates the slaying of the asura Vrtra. And that is known in the world as the Bhagavata, which
has its origin in tales concerning the gods and men who live in the sarasvata kalpa. Whosoever will make a copy of this Bhagavata and offer it away, mounted on a throne of gold on the full moon day of Bhadra month, will attain the supreme goal. This purana is said to contain eighteen thousand
(verses)."
(And these same line are found in the Agni Purana as well.)

another one about the SB

Skanda Purana:
(Sk.P., Visnu Khanda 16/40,42,44,331)

"If the Bhagavata is not kept in one's house in the Kali Yuga, of what avail are collections of other scriptures by the hundreds and thousands? How can he be considered a Vaisnava who, in the Kali Yuga, does not keep the Bhagavata in his house? Even if he is a brahmana, he is lower than an
outcaste. O Narada, O Sage, wherever the Bhagavata is found in the Kali Yuga, there Hari goes together with all the demigods. O Muni, that pious soul who daily recites a verse from the Bhagavata reaps the fruits of the eighteen Puranas."

so the skanda purana establishes that in the current age there is no need to study any other scripture than the SB to understand the highest truth

Skanda purana praises SB and that SB brings fruits of reading other puranas by reciting the SB verse. Fine complementary. But where it does it establish that there is no need to study any other scripture (including BG) than the SB to understand the highest truth ??




actually this is what Krishna emphasizes

BG 9.34: Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.

and says the same thing in virtually identical sanskrit again
BG 18.65: Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.

and the conclusion being

BG 18.66: Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.

the reason being

BG 7.14: This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.

Complete surrender to the deity is a pre-requisite for focus, dedication and severing/crossing bonds.

“
Skanda Purana Reva-khanda
"O Lord Janardana, unwavering devotional service to You is the
same as liberation. O Lord Visnu, O Lord Hari, Your devotees are
already liberated."
”
Where this compares with other deities ?
it establishes the superiority of worship of visnu

“
Skanda Purana Prabhasa-khanda and the Linga Purana
"By scrutinizingly reviewing all the revealed scriptures and judging
them again and again, it is now concluded that Lord Narayana is the
Supreme Absolute Truth and thus He alone should be worshipped."
”
This is a repeat. You had already quoted earlier, but not to be found in Skanda/Linga Purana. I had asked the verse numbers.
I gave the khanda sections - if you cannot find them I guess you are only pretending to be familiar with the skanda purana (I don't have a version that has complete verse numbers)

“
Skanda Purana
"When performed by they who have no devotion for Lord Visnu,
the pious activities described in the Sruti and Smrti bring results that
torture the body, results like the sins of prostitutes."
”
Where this compares with other deities ?
its establishing which deities are the most worshippable

“
Skanda Purana
"Sacred Vrindavana is ruled by Lord Hari, taken shelter of by Vrinda-devi, and served by Brahma, Siva, and the demigods."

Skanda Purana
"Neither a devotee of Surya, a devotee of Siva, a devotee of
Brahma, a devotee of Sakti, nor a devotee of any other demigod is equal
to a devotee of Visnu."

Skanda Purana
"O Lord Hari, You alone are the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If Brahma, Siva, and the demigods cannot accomplish something, then only You can accomplish it."

In the Skanda Puräna, Lord Siva tells Kärttikeya:
"The statements of the Siva scriptures should be accepted only when they agree with the Visnu scriptures. Lord Visnu is the only Supreme Lord, and knowledge of Him is the path to liberation.
That is the conclusion of all the scriptures. Any other conclusions are meant only to bewilder the people."

Skanda Purana
"Lord Hari is the only supreme controller. He is only the creator, maintainer, and destroyer of the worlds. Anyone else who may seem to be a creator, maintainer, or destroyer is only a wooden puppet in His hands.

”
Verse numbers please. More than 18000 stanzas of Skanda Purana make it very difficult to locate the quoted verses, if they are there.
when was the last time you read the skanda purana? Actually it doesn'e have 18 000 slokas - it has 81 000 (http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz/encyclopedia/puranas.htm)

“
skanda purana
Lord Visnu is completely aloof from the influence of the material
energy. He is eternal, imperishable, unbreakable, undefeatable, and
undecaying. He appears in this world and enjoys pastimes with His
devotees. He pretends to be an ordinary human being, and in this role
He may sometimes appear to be bound with ropes, or to bleed when
wounded. Although these activities bewilder the demons, the liberated
souls do not become bewildered. They always understand the actual
nature of the Lord

Prabhasa Khanda (of the Skanda Purana):

"O Best of the Bhrgus, the name of Krsna is the sweetest of the sweet,, the most auspicious, the choicest fruit of the creeper of all the Vedas, of the nature of pure consciousness. If sung but once, whether with devotion or with contempt, the name of Krsna will transport a mere mortal to the other shore."
”
Again, no comparision with other deities.
it establishes the unique position of visnu and addresses your earlier claim about the mundane nature of krishna's appearance (since you were not prepeared to give any credibility to claims made in the srimad bhagavatam)

“
while you can easily find verses in vedic literature that glorify demigods and the service of demigods, you can never find verses that declare such things to be superior to visnu and the service of visnu
”
Read them, LG.
you get all antsy because I can not provide the exact verse numbers of texts that appear in the skanda purana while maintaining that somewhere in the vedas there are verses that clearly establish the benefits of worshipping a demigod/being a devotee of a demigod as greater than visnu/being a devotee of visnu - I could find many such verses in the SB and BG that meet these demands, instead I have met your demands and located them in the skanda purana-
Are there any verses in the SB or BG that clearly establish the superiority of demigod worship over worship of visnu?


“
(here is an interesting quote regarding the SB) Skanda Purana, Prabhasa Khanda (Sk.P.2/39-42):

"That is to be known as the Bhagavata which, basing itself on the Gayatri, describes dharma in all its fullness, and which narrates the slaying of the asura Vrtra. And that is known in the world as the Bhagavata, which
has its origin in tales concerning the gods and men who live in the sarasvata kalpa. Whosoever will make a copy of this Bhagavata and offer it away, mounted on a throne of gold on the full moon day of Bhadra month, will attain the supreme goal. This purana is said to contain eighteen thousand
(verses)."
(And these same line are found in the Agni Purana as well.)

another one about the SB

Skanda Purana:
(Sk.P., Visnu Khanda 16/40,42,44,331)

"If the Bhagavata is not kept in one's house in the Kali Yuga, of what avail are collections of other scriptures by the hundreds and thousands? How can he be considered a Vaisnava who, in the Kali Yuga, does not keep the Bhagavata in his house? Even if he is a brahmana, he is lower than an
outcaste. O Narada, O Sage, wherever the Bhagavata is found in the Kali Yuga, there Hari goes together with all the demigods. O Muni, that pious soul who daily recites a verse from the Bhagavata reaps the fruits of the eighteen Puranas."

so the skanda purana establishes that in the current age there is no need to study any other scripture than the SB to understand the highest truth
”
Skanda purana praises SB and that SB brings fruits of reading other puranas by reciting the SB verse. Fine complementary. But where it does it establish that there is no need to study any other scripture (including BG) than the SB to understand the highest truth ??

well its in the skanda purana - do you still hold the skanda purana as authoratative?

BG concludes on the point of 18.66 sarva dharma partiyajna (Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.)
Sb begins on the point of surrendering to Krsna

SB 1.1.1: O my Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, son of Vasudeva, O all-pervading Personality of Godhead, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. I meditate upon Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa because He is the Absolute Truth and the primeval cause of all causes of the creation, sustenance and destruction of the manifested universes. He is directly and indirectly conscious of all manifestations, and He is independent because there is no other cause beyond Him. It is He only who first imparted the Vedic knowledge unto the heart of Brahmājī, the original living being. By Him even the great sages and demigods are placed into illusion, as one is bewildered by the illusory representations of water seen in fire, or land seen on water. Only because of Him do the material universes, temporarily manifested by the reactions of the three modes of nature, appear factual, although they are unreal. I therefore meditate upon Him, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is eternally existent in the transcendental abode, which is forever free from the illusory representations of the material world. I meditate upon Him, for He is the Absolute Truth.

with the next verse (http://srimadbhagavatam.com/1/1/2/en) clearly establishing it is not about cheating religious principles (dharmaḥ — religiosity; projjhita — completely rejected; kaitavaḥ — covered by fruitive intention; atra — herein; paramaḥ — the highest; nirmatsarāṇām — of the one-hundred-percent pure in heart)




“
actually this is what Krishna emphasizes

BG 9.34: Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.

and says the same thing in virtually identical sanskrit again
BG 18.65: Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.

and the conclusion being

BG 18.66: Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.

the reason being

BG 7.14: This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.
”
Complete surrender to the deity is a pre-requisite for focus, dedication and severing/crossing bonds.

he doesn't say "to the deity" or "to the demigods"
(krishna establishes earlier that such practices are for the alpa-medhasa.. less intelligent)

BG 7.22: Endowed with such a faith, he endeavors to worship a particular demigod and obtains his desires. But in actuality these benefits are bestowed by Me alone.

BG 7.23: 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.

instead he says "to me"

9.34

man-manā bhava mad-bhakto

mad-yājī māḿ namaskuru

mām evaiṣyasi yuktvaivam

ātmānaḿ mat-parāyaṇaḥ

Engage your mind always in thinking of Me, become My devotee, offer obeisances to Me and worship Me. Being completely absorbed in Me, surely you will come to Me.

18.65

man-manā bhava mad-bhakto

mad-yājī māḿ namaskuru

mām evaiṣyasi satyaḿ te

pratijāne priyo 'si me

Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.

18.66

sarva-dharmān parityajya

mām ekaḿ śaraṇaḿ vraja

Abandon all varieties of religion and surrender unto Me

the reason Sri Krsna establishes the importance of Himeslf over other deities is that one's destination is determined by whom one worships

BG 9.25: Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those who worship the ancestors go to the ancestors; those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; and those who worship Me will live with Me.

and as with many important points in the gita, krishna says it more than once

BG 8.5: And whoever, at the end of his life, quits his body, remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.

BG 8.6: Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his body, O son of Kuntī, that state he will attain without fail.

BG 8.7: Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Kṛṣṇa and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt.

BG 8.8: He who meditates on Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his mind constantly engaged in remembering Me, undeviated from the path, he, O Pārtha, is sure to reach Me.

and just in case you raise it, the abode of krishna and th e abode of the demigods are completely different

BG 8.16: From the highest planet (Lord brahma's planet) in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kuntī, never takes birth again.

BG 10.12-13: Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate abode, the purest, the Absolute Truth. You are the eternal, transcendental, original person, the unborn, the greatest. All the great sages such as Nārada, Asita, Devala and Vyāsa confirm this truth about You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me.

BG 4.9: One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.

There are very good reasons for the statements in the the vedas, including the skanda purana, for declaring the superiority of Visnu and the devotee of Visnu over that of demigods and the worship of demigods (superior in the sense that a worshipper of Visnu is stabilized on a more satisfactory level of spiritual performance)- but of course demigod worship tends to be more popular because most people can only function with a life in the pursuit of their material desires

Here are some links about the puranas you may be interested to read

the standard of valid knowledge (http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz/encyclopedia/pramana.htm)

These things are not my opinions - they are conclusive statements from the vedas

“
Skanda Purana Reva-khanda
"O Lord Janardana, unwavering devotional service to You is the
same as liberation. O Lord Visnu, O Lord Hari, Your devotees are
already liberated."
”
Where this compares with other deities ?

it establishes the superiority of worship of visnu

It gives the assurance and benefits of worshipping vishnu - like other diety worship, not a declaration of the superiority of worship of vishnu over the worship of other deities.