Sri Krishna Kathamrita

Bindu Issue 542

Shiva, the Greatest Devotee of Krishna

 Sri Krishna Kathamrita
तवकथामृतं तप्तजीवनम्
tava kathāmṛtaṁ tapta-jīvanam
Bindu
Fortnightly email mini-magazine from Gopal Jiu Publications

Issue No. 542 Śrī Vijaya Ekādaśī 17 February 2023

• Lord Shiva is the Greatest Vaishnava

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

• Vaishnava Worship of Shiva

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada

• Nature of Lord Shiva

Srila Thakur Bhaktivinode
Highlights

• How Vishnu Gave His Names to the Gods

Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja

• Half Vishnu Half Shiva

• The Mysterious Lingaraja
• The Unusual Dress and Teachings of Lord Shiva
Padma Purana

• The Names of Shiva and Krishna

• Prayers to Lord Shiva

Lord Shiva is the

Greatest Vaishnava
His Divine Grace
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
In this article we pose certain commonly asked questions
about Lord Shiva, with answers from the teachings of Srila
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
In what way do devotees of Lord Krishna offer
respect to Lord Shiva? disrespect Lord Shiva, but worships Lord Shiva as the
It is said, vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā śambhuḥ — Lord Shiva is most exalted devotee of Lord Krishna. Consequently,
the best of all devotees. Therefore, all devotees of Lord whenever a devotee worships Lord Shiva he prays to
Krishna are also devotees of Lord Shiva. In Vrindavan Lord Shiva to achieve the favor of Krishna, and he does
there is Lord Shiva’s temple called Gopishwara. The not request material profit. In Bhagavad-gītā (7.20) it is
gopīs used to worship not only Lord Shiva but Katyayani, said that generally people worship demigods for some
Durga, as well, but their aim was to attain the favor of material profit — kāmais tais tair hṛta jñānāḥ. Driven by
Lord Krishna. A devotee of Lord Krishna does not material lust, they worship demigods. But a devotee
Cover: “Lord Shiva Offers Prayers to Radha Krishna”.
Unknown artist. Gita Press. Gorakpur, 1950s.
 Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu Issue Five Hundred Forty Two, Page — 2
Unknown artist. 19th century, Rajasthan

A young lady worshiping Lord Shiva in his liṅga form

never does so, for he is never driven by material lust. Prabhupada: But if he accepts that Lord Shiva is a
That is the difference between a devotee’s respect for devotee of Krishna, then by worshiping Lord Shiva
Lord Shiva and an asura’s respect for him. The asura he will be benefited. If he thinks that Lord Shiva is
worships Lord Shiva, takes some benediction from independent, then he will not be benefited.
him, misuses the benediction, and ultimately is killed Devotee: I’ve got him to accept that Lord Shiva
by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who awards is a devotee of Krishna, but there’s no practical
him liberation. (Purport to Bhāg. 4.24.30) instruction in his worldly activities coming.
Should devotees of Krishna discourage others from Prabhupada: No, vaiṣṇavānām yathā śambhuḥ:
worshiping Lord Shiva? “Amongst the vaiṣṇavas, Sambhu, Lord Shiva, is the
Devotee: Srila Prabhupada, in Winnipeg there is one greatest vaiṣṇava.” So we worship Lord Shiva as a
very pious East Indian man who for many years has been vaiṣṇava. We give respect to vaiṣṇavas. So why not
worshiping Lord Shiva. His wife is also a chaste woman Lord Shiva? Lord Shiva is a big vaiṣṇava. Generally,
and a sincere follower, and her parents were worshipers the devotees of Lord Shiva consider Lord Shiva is
of Lord Shiva. This man is reading your Bhagavad-gītā.
He visits our temple. I have given him the first volume Inaugurator of the
of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam canto four that discusses Lord
Shiva a great deal. He has read in one of your purports
Worship of Radha
that Krishna is more pleased when you worship his
pṛthivyāṁ prathame devī suyajñena ca pūjitā
devotee than when you worship him directly. And Lord
śaṅkareṇo padiṣṭena puṇya-kṣetre ca bhārate
Shiva is a very great devotee of Krishna. So this man has
now interpreted that to mean that if he worships Lord On the earth, however, Radha was first adored
Shiva nicely then actually he is pleasing Krishna. He is by the humans on the advice of Lord Shiva.
experiencing some difficulty because of this and I’m not (Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa, Prakṛti-kaṇḍa 1.161)
quite sure how to instruct him.
Issue Five Hundred Forty Two, Page — 3 श्रीकृष्णकथामृत बिन् दु

Unknown artist. Circa 1800.

The water of the Ganga falling down from the head of Lord Shiva
Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu Issue Five Hundred Forty Two, Page — 4

Unknown artist
Parvati worshiping five-headed Lord Shiva

independently God. That is offensive. If you know Prabhupada: If he simply understands that
that Lord Shiva is also a devotee then you can give Lord Shiva is a vaiṣṇava, and if he worships
more respect to Lord Shiva. Krishna will be pleased. Lord Shiva, then he will get the benefit. (Room
Devotee: But Srila Prabhupada, he does not chant Conversation, Chicago, 9 July 1975.)
Hare Krishna. He chants oṁ śivāya namaḥ.
Prabhupada: That’s all right. Vaishnava Worship
Devotee: It’s all right?
Prabhupada: He will gradually become a devotee. of Shiva
When God, Lord Shiva, will be pleased upon him he
will advise to worship Krishna. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Prabhupada
Devotee: He is already trying to follow in your Sri Ramanuja’s followers are strict, unalloyed
footsteps. Just before I left he said that he will try servants of Lord Vishnu. When I was traveling in South
once again to chant sixteen rounds of Hare Krishna India and entered the Minakshi temple in Madurai,
japa. He has tried already. He has a taste for... the godless followers of Durga asked me question
after question. “O great soul!” they said. “You look
Five Headed Shiva like a vaiṣṇava, so why are you going to a temple of
the goddess?” I cited vaiṣṇavānām yathā śambhuḥ – that
bāhyajñānaṁ tanna kiṁ cid dhyāyato māṁ divāniśam Shambhu is a topmost vaiṣṇava and I wished to have
mannām mad-guṇaṁ bhaktyā paṅca vaktreṇa gīyate his darśana and offer him my obeisances. Thinking
[Krishna said:] Since he is always engaged in like this I also went to Shivakanchi. There Lord Shiva’s
meditation on me, he remains unconcerned followers threw a similar question at me, because
with the outside world. He always recites my in South India, no vaiṣṇava enters the temple of any
glories from all his five heads. (Brahma-vaivarta demigod but goes only to the temples of Lord Vishnu.
Purāṇa, Prakṛti-kaṇḍa 13.28) In the temple of Lord Vishnu, the five-god worshipers
see him as equal to the other four demigods.
Issue Five Hundred Forty Two, Page — 5 श्रीकृष्णकथामृत बिन् दु
Sri Madhva’s followers know that the demigods
are devotees of Lord Vishnu. They know that Lord
Vishnu is supreme, so they worship the demigods
with the remnants of Lord Vishnu’s worship. In the
north of Udupi there is a place where Sri Vishnu śīlā
is placed on top of Shiva and worshiped. Below the
hand of Lord Ananta Padmanabha there is a deity of
Shiva. Demigod worship and respecting ancestors are
not disregarded in the Sri Madhva sampradāya, yet
the Madhvites are not in favor of material synthesis
in the form of five-god worship.
— From a lecture on 7 October 1924 on the appearance of Sri
Madhvacharya at the Sri Madhva Gaudiya Math, Nababpur, Dhaka.
Found in Śrī Vaktṛtāvalī. Translated by Bhumipati Das. Touchstone
Media. Kolkata. 2014.

Nature of Lord Shiva

Unknown artist.
Srila Thakur Bhaktivinode
Bhaktivinoda-vāṇī-vaibhava is a collection of the
teachings of Srila Thakur Bhaktivinode compiled by Sri
Sundarananda Vidyavinode, a prominent disciple of Srila Is Lord Shiva a separate truth from Krishna? What is
Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur, and published in 1938. the difference between Sadāśiva and Rudra?
The book is in the form of a series of questions composed by the Shambhu is not another God separate from
compiler, with answers extracted from Thakur Bhaktivinode’s Krishna. Those who hold such a biased view are
teachings. The following are some extracts from chapter 22. blasphemers of the Supreme Lord. Shambhu’s
What are the activities of Lord Shiva? control is subject to the control of Govinda, and so
Śrīmad Bhāgavatam verses such as vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā they are not really different from each other. Their
śambhuḥ glorify Shambhu as a vaiṣṇava. The purport nondifference is illustrated by the example of milk
of such statements is that Shambhu unites with transformed into yoghurt by the addition of an
Durga-devi according to his own time potency and
agent; similarly, the Lord becomes transformed
the will of Govinda. Thus, he accomplishes his tasks.
into another form. That form is dependent.
In many scriptures, headed by the tantras, he teaches
The material quality of inertia (tamoguṇa), the
religious duties that are a ladder for the jīvas of various
qualifications to come to bhakti, devotion. By Govinda’s quality of minuteness of the marginal potency, and
sweet will, Shambhu [indirectly] protects and sustains a minute degree of a mixture of divine cognizance
śuddha-bhakti, pure devotion, by preaching the (saṁvit) and ecstasy (hlādinī) — all these elements
doctrine of Māyāvāda, illusionism, and intellectual or combined constitute a particular transformation.
imaginary fabrications of the scriptures. The plenary portion of the Supreme Lord that is
The fifty qualities of the jīva are present within amalgamated with this transformation constitutes
Shambhu in copious proportion, and five more great the halo of the divinity of Sadāśiva, the masculine
qualities unattainable by the ordinary jīva are also
generative organ of Lord Shambhu, and from
found in him in partial proportion. So Shambhu
Shambhu, Rudradev is manifest. (Commentary on
cannot be categorized as a jīva; he is the lord of
Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.45.)
jīvas (īśvara) although he partakes of the nature of a
— From Śrī Bhaktivinoda Vāṇī Vaibhava. Chapter 22. Translated
separated part (vibhinnāṁśa) of the Supreme Lord. by Bhumipati Das. Published by Iswara Das and Touchstone Media.
(Commentary on Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.45.) Vrindavan. 2002.
Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu Issue Five Hundred Forty Two, Page — 6

Unknown artist. c. 1800

The gopīs pray to Lord Shiva to grant them association with Krishna
Issue Five Hundred Forty Two, Page — 7 श्रीकृष्णकथामृत बिन् दु
and that ācārya is one who has heard from his ācārya.
How Vishnu Gave His This is the descending process. Śabda-brahman descends.
Names to the Gods Misconception of the Mayavadis
The māyāvādīs don’t follow this process of hearing
Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja from a bona fide ācārya in disciplic succession. They
namaḥ śivāya rudrāya namaḥ śakti-dharāya ca adopt the ascending process to try to understand
sarva-vidyādhipataye bhūtānāṁ pataye namaḥ the absolute truth. They try to understand the
absolute truth by the thinking process, by dint of
I offer my respectful obeisances unto You, Lord Shiva, their own material knowledge, scholarship, merit
or Rudra, who are the reservoir of all potencies, the and speculation. But one cannot understand Krishna
reservoir of all knowledge, and the master of everyone. in this way. In the tenth canto of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam
Purport by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta (10.14.29), Lord Brahma has said:
Swami Prabhupada: It is the system for one to offer athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-
obeisances unto the expansion or incarnation of the prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi
Lord. Lord Shiva is the incarnation of ignorance, one jānāti tattvaṁ bhagavan-mahimno
of the material modes of nature. na cānya eko ’pi ciraṁ vicinvan

• • • O Lord, only one who has gotten a little mercy of your

In this section of the Bhāgavatam, Kasyapa Muni is lotus feet can understand your tattva. Those who
speculate about you cannot understand you even after
speaking about the rituals and procedures of payo-
many, many lives — ciraṁ vicinvan.
vrata worship. He is instructing his wife Aditi that she
should chant these mantras, all of which are directed But the māyāvādīs do not follow this process.
to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vishnu. For example, it is found in śāstra that names such
In his purport, Srila Prabhupada says that one should as “Brahma”, “Rudra”, “Shiva”, and “Indra” are
offer obeisances unto the expansion or incarnation of included amongst the names of Lord Vishnu. Since
the Lord. And Lord Shiva is one of the guṇa-avatāras — māyāvādīs do not know tattva, they misinterpret
Lord Vishnu is the incarnation of sattva-guṇa, the mode such śāstric statements and create confusion by
of goodness, Brahma is the incarnation of rajo-guṇa, saying that all of the demigods are also Vishnu, the
the mode of passion, and Shivaji is the incarnation of Supreme Lord. But what is the real tattva behind it?
the mode of ignorance, tamo-guṇa-avatāra. Names of Vishnu
But sometimes some confusion arises here due to
Srila Baladev Vidyabhushanpad says (Siddhānta-
the misinterpretation of the māyāvādīs. Māyāvādīs
ratnam 3.12):
don’t know tattva. Therefore, they say Shiva, Brahma,
and all demigods are also bhagavān, like Vishnu. sahasra-nāma-stotre śarva-śiva-śambhu-rudrādi-
Because they don’t come under this bona fide disciplic śabdā viṣṇu-nāmāni paṭhyante. teṣāṁ tatra
succession, hearing process, they never hear from the pravṛttau nimittāni coktāni brahmāṇḍe,
bona fide ācārya. They adopt the ascending process.
There are two processes followed for attempting to
understand the supreme truth — the ascending process Lord of the Devotees
and the descending process. The absolute truth can only
be understood through the descending process, śrota- āśutosaḥ sa bhagavān śaṅkaraś ca satāṁ gatiḥ
pāramparya — hearing from the bona fide ācārya who bhaktā-dhīnaś ca bhakteśo bhaktātmā bhakta-vatsalaḥ
has heard from his guru. The Chāndogya Upaniṣad (6.14.2)
Lord Shiva gets pleased easily, is protector of
states, ācāryavān puruṣo veda. He is ācāryavān puruṣaḥ
the noble people, is under the command of the
who has heard from and taken shelter of the ācārya.
devotees, Lord of the devotees, the soul of the
Out of causeless mercy, the ācārya imparts tattva-jñāna
devotees, and is loved by his devotees. (Brahma-
unto one who has pleased him by service and submissive
vaivarta Purāṇa, Prakṛti-kaṇḍa 13.25)
inquiries. Ācārya is one who has heard from his ācārya,
 Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu Issue Five Hundred Forty Two, Page — 8
Lord Vishnu is “Shiva” because he is all-auspicious and
all-good. “Hara” means, “one who annihilates”. Thus,
one of the names of Lord Vishnu is “Hara”. One of the
names of Lord Shiva is also “Hara”, because he anni-
hilates. “Bṛhat” means “very great”. Thus “Brahma”
is also a name for Lord Vishnu. And because he is full
of all opulences, so his name is also “Indra”. Thus the
one same Lord Trivikrama, the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, is glorified by various different terms in
the Vedas and Purāṇas.

Baladeva Vidyabhushan in Siddhānta-ratnam 3.13

explains with evidence from the Skanda Purāṇa:
nārāyaṇādinī nāmāni vinānyāni sva-nāmāni
druhiṇādibhyo dadau

kṛte nārāyaṇādini nāmāni puruṣottamaḥ

prādād anyatra bhagavān rājevarte svakaṁ puraṁ
Lord Purusottama kept some names for himself, like
“Narayana”, etc., and others of his own names he gave
to the demigods:

A king keeps a palace for himself and he gives

Unknown artist

residential quarters to his ministers and subordinate

officers. Like that, Lord Vishnu keeps some of his
names like “Narayan” for himself, and other names he
gives to demigods because they are his subordinates.
Shiva drinks the ocean of poison Baladeva then comments on further evidence from
the Brahma Purāṇa:
rujaṁ drāvayate yasmād rudras tasmāj janārdanaḥ
catur-mukhaḥ śatānando brahmaṇaḥ padma-bhūr iti
īśanād eva ceśāno mahā-devo mahattvataḥ
ugro bhasma-dharo nagnaḥ kapālīti śivasya ca
pibanti ye narā nākaṁ muktāḥ saṁsāra-sāgarāt viśeṣa-nāmāni dadau svakīyāny api keśavaḥ — iti
tad-ādhāro yato viṣṇuḥ pīnākīti tataḥ smṛtaḥ
svakīyāni rudra-viriñcy-ādīni ca
śivaḥ sukhātmakatvena sarva-saṁrodhanād dharaḥ
kṛty-ātmakam idaṁ viśvaṁ yato vaste pravartayan
Lord Kesava also gave away these particular names,
even though they are actually his own. He gave “the
kṛttīvāsās tato devo viriñcaś ca virecanāt one with four heads”, “the one with hundredfold
bṛṁhaṇād brahma-nāmāsāv aiśvaryād indra ucyate
bliss”, and “the one born from a lotus” to Brahma,
evaṁ nānā-vidhaiḥ śabdair eka eva trivikramaḥ and “the fierce one”, “the one who wears ashes”,
vedeṣu sa-purāṇeṣu gīyate puruṣottamaḥ “the naked one”, and “the one with a skull” to Shiva.
In the Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma-stotra, the thousand names Thus his own names include the names “Rudra”,
of Lord Vishnu, you will find that “Sharva”, “Shiva”, “Virinchi”, etc.
“Shambhu”, and “Rudra”, are all names of Vishnu.
Why did Krishna Worship Shiva?
The Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa describes that Lord Vishnu,
Janardana, controls Rudra. Therefore, Lord Vishnu The Mahābhārata describes that Lord Krishna
is known as “Rudra”. Lord Shiva works under the worshiped Rudra, Shivaji. Why? It is said that he prayed
control of Lord Vishnu, therefore Shiva is known as for a son to be born from his wife Jambavati. That son
“Ishan”. “Ishan” is also a name of Lord Vishnu. One of
was Samba. The Mahābhārata also says that all of the
the names of Shiva is “Mahadev”. “Mahadev” is also
a name of Lord Vishnu because he is the Lord of the demigods have come from the body of Rudra, and
Lords, the Lord of Shiva and Brahma. “Śiva” means, therefore Rudra is parameśvara. This is because Rudra
“all-auspicious”, or “all-good”. One of the names of is one of the names of Vishnu. One should understand
Painting by B. K. Mitra. Gita Press.c. 1955
Issue Five Hundred Forty Two, Page — 9 श्रीकृष्णकथामृत बिन् दु

Why did Krishna worship Shiva?

Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu Issue Five Hundred Forty Two, Page — 10
these things in tattva — why Krishna worshiped Rudra,
Shivaji, and why it is said that all of the demigods
came from the body of Lord Shiva. Lord Rama also
worshiped Shiva. Before going to Lanka to kill Ravan,
before building the bridge over the ocean, Lord Rama
worshiped Shivaji. In Rameshwaram there is a Mahadev
Shiva temple known as “Rameshwar”, meaning the
īśvara (lord) of Lord Rama. Lord Rama said, “I worship
My master, My lord, Rameshwar Shiva.”

Painting by Keshav. 2002

What is the purport behind Krishna’s worship of
Lord Shiva? Two reasons are there: One reason is
to teach people that devotees should be worshiped.
Lord Shiva is a vaiṣṇava — vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā śambhuḥ
— to teach people, Krishna worships him. Krishna
thinks, “Unless I worship Shiva, the people won’t Krishna worshiped his devotee Sudama Vipra
worship him.” Krishna says in the Gītā (3.23), mama
vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ — “O “I Worship Myself”
Arjuna, although I have nothing to do here, if I don’t The second reason why the Lord sometimes
act, then people won’t, because they will follow worships Shiva is described by Krishna to Arjuna in
me.” Why has he to do anything? Krishna says, the Nārāyaṇa Tantra (quoted in Siddhānta-ratnam 3.22):
“I am completely full. I don’t feel any deficiency.
aham ātmā hi lokānāṁ viśveṣāṁ pāṇḍu-nandana
Why shall I engage in activity? People are engaged
tasmād ātmānam evāgre rudraṁ sampūjayāmy aham
in their activities to fulfill their deficiency. But I
have no deficiency. Why shall I engage in activity? mayā kṛtaṁ pramāṇaṁ hi lokaḥ samanuvartate
Because, unless I do so, people won’t act.” So here pramāṇāni hi pūjyāni tatas taṁ pūjayāmy aham
in this verse [see beginning of this article] it says, kaṁ hi viṣṇuḥ praṇamati kasmaicid vibudhāya ca
“I worship Shiva, who is a vaiṣṇava, to teach people ata ātmānam eveti tato rudraṁ bhajāmy aham
that a devotee should be worshiped.
O beloved son of Pandu, I am the soul of all the worlds.
Krishna offered worship to his dear friend and
Therefore, in the beginning of creation I worship my-
dear devotee Sudama Vipra. He offered ārati to him, self as Rudra. The whole world follows the precedent
washed his feet, and sprinkled that water on his head. that I set. It is those who set a proper example who are
Why? Because Sudama Vipra is a very dear devotee. worshipable. Therefore, I worship him. Vishnu offers
Krishna is showing that he should be worshiped. In respect to Brahma and to certain demigods. Thus I
the Bhāgavatam (9.4.63) Krishna said to Durvasa Muni, worship Rudra, since he is actually myself.
ahaṁ bhakta-parādhīno — “Though I am supreme, Krishna says, “O Arjuna, I am the soul of the
still I am subordinate to my devotee. Although I am universe, viśvātmā, but I worship Lord Rudra. Why?
supremely independent, I am dependent on my dear
devotee. I am the supreme controller, but I am under
the control of my devotee. He has bound me up.” Dearer than my Life
Krishna accepts the bondage of love. The dear devotee
binds up Krishna with the rope of love in his heart. sudarśanaṁ śivaś caiva mama prāṇādhika-priyaḥ
Although Krishna is almighty, he has no power, no brahmaṇḍeṣu na tejasvī he brahmannanayoḥ paraḥ
strength, to break this bondage. In Śrīmad Bhāgavatam [Krishna said:] O Brahmin both the
(10.32.22) he said, na pāraye, “I cannot break it.” I have Sudarśana-cakra and Shiva are dearer to me
no power. This bondage of love is so tight. This is bhakta- than my life even. There are none more
vātsalya, because he is so dear to his devotees. So in glorious than them in the universe. (Brahma-
order to teach people that Shivaji as a vaiṣṇava should vaivarta Purāṇa, Prakṛti-kaṇḍa 13.26)
be worshiped, he offered worship to him.
Painting by Gokul Bihari Pattnaik
Issue Five Hundred Forty Two, Page — 11 श्रीकृष्णकथामृत बिन् दु

Lord Nrisimhadeva manifested out of the śiva-liṅga

That is my own worship. By worshiping him, I Krishna is the supreme authority, the supreme
worship myself, I worship my soul.” truth. So he says, “Therefore I establish this truth.
Shiva and Nrisimhadev Unless I worship Rudra, people won’t do so.”
This is the purport behind Krishna’s worship of
The Viṣṇu-dharmottara describes how a demoniac
Shivaji, one reason is to teach people that Rudra —
person once forced a vaiṣṇava brāhmaṇa to worship
Shivaji, as a devotee, vaiṣṇava, should be worshiped,
Lord Shiva. That vaiṣṇava thought to himself, “Lord
and the second point is that Krishna says that “By
Shiva is the incarnation of the mode of ignorance
doing so, I worship myself.”
and Lord Nrisimhadev kills this ignorance.” So he
worshiped Shiva with the mantra, oṁ nṛsiṁhāya You Must Inquire
namaḥ. Seeing this that demoniac person drew out Some confusion may arise as to whether
his sword to cut off the vaiṣṇava’s head. When he drew the demigods are also the Supreme Lord. The
his sword, Lord Nrisimhadev suddenly came out of
Māyāvādīs say like that, based on certain śastric
that śiva-liṅga and cut off the head of that person. This
statements. This verse [see the beginning of this
story shows that Lord Nrisimhadeva is there in Shiva.
article] says, “I offer my respectful obeisances unto
Therefore, Krishna says, “I worship Rudra,” meaning,
You, O Supreme Personality of Godhead Shiva, or
“I worship myself. I worship myself because whatever
Rudra...” The Supreme Personality of Godhead is
I do, people will follow. In order to teach people, I am
also Shiva and Rudra. What does it mean? There
doing.” Krishna says in Gītā (3.21):
is a purport behind it. Vaiṣṇava ācāryas have given
yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas tat tad evetaro janaḥ this tattva. It is very subtle. If one knows this tattva,
sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute lokas tad anuvartate then there will be no confusion for him. Otherwise
Whatever action a great man performs, common men there will be confusion.
follow.
Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu Issue Five Hundred Forty Two, Page — 12

Unknown artist

Brahma, Shiva, and Lakshmi worshiping Lord Vishnu

Srila Prabhupada has not quoted all these things. serious. You say, “Yes, yes, yes.” but you are not
He has only given a hint. Then you will have to going deeper and deeper to the deepest regions. You
inquire as to why it is so. Inquiry should be there. are not inquiring, so how can you get it? Baladev
He left it for you, just to inspire you, to see how
Vidyabhusan has given all of these answers in his
inquisitive you are. The ācārya does like that. If
book Siddhānta-ratna. Unless you go to that book,
you have no inquiry, how can you get the answer?
how can you understand this topic?
If you have no inquisitiveness then it proves that
— From a lecture in Bhubaneswar. 11 July 1992.
you are superfluous and careless, that you are not
Issue Five Hundred Forty Two, Page — 13 श्रीकृष्णकथामृत बिन् दु

Half Vishnu Half Shiva

As a manifestation of Sadasiva, Lord Shiva is an

aṁśa-avatāra, part of Krishna, and in that sense they
are non-different. They are also considered to be
non-different since Shiva is the greatest worshiper of
Krishna. Sometimes to show how intimately related
they are, they manifest the form known as Hari-Hara,
which is half Vishnu and half Shiva.
In the Padma Purāṇa, bhūmi khaṇḍha 83.37-38, Lord

Painting by B. K. Mitra. Gita Press. c. 1955

Shiva tells Maharaja Yayati:
antaraṁ nāsti rājendra mama viṣṇor na saṁśayaḥ
O lord of kings, have no doubt, there is certainly no
difference between Vishnu and myself.

yo ’sau viṣṇu-svarūpeṇa sa vai rudro na samśayaḥ

yo rudro vidyate rājan sa ca viṣṇuḥ sanātanaḥ
There is no doubt that Vishnu is the form of Rudra and
Rudra is the form of Vishnu. You should know, O king,
Hari-Hara, half Vishnu and half Shiva
that Rudra is always the same as Vishnu. — MD.
River in Madhya Pradesh; 5) Kedarnath, in the Garhwal
Himalayas, Uttarakhand; 6) Bhima-shankar, north of
The Mysterious Lingaraj
Pune, Maharashtra; 7) Vishwanath, in Varanasi, Uttar
Pradesh; 8) Triambakeshwar, on the Godavari in Nasik,
Maharashtra; 9) Vaidyanath, near Deogarh, Bihar; 10)
The ancient deity of Bhubaneswar Shiva, Nageshwar, near Dwaraka, Gujarat; 11) Rameshwar,
described by Srila Murari Gupta in his Śrī Caitanya- in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu; and 12) Gushmeshwar,
carita and by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta in his Caitanya near the Ajanta-Ellora Caves in Maharashtra.
Bhāgavata purports, is more widely known today by Gaudiya Vaishnavas see Lingaraj as the greatest devotee
the name “Lingaraj”. Lingaraj is the doorkeeper to of Krishna — vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā śambhuḥ (Bhāg. 12.13.16).
Sri Kshetra, Jagannath Puri Dham. They remember Lord Chaitanya’s visit to Bhubaneswar,
For the majority of Hindus, including the followers his ecstatic dancing in front of Lingaraj, and his accepting
of Lord Shiva, Lingaraj is the king (rāja) of all liṅgas. the prasādam of Lingaraj. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta comments
He is worshiped as the chief of the dvādaśa-liṅgas, about the prasādam of Lingaraj Mahadeva: “With his
the twelve liṅgas situated in different places of thousand mouths, even Anantadeva is unable to describe
India considered by the faithful to be the twelve the glories of this mahā-mahā-prasāda, which is the
most important manifestations of Lord Shiva. The remnants of Sri Ananta Vāsudev’s remnants.”
dvādaśa-liṅgas are described by Lord Shiva in the Śiva Although the process of offering Ananta Vāsudev
Purāṇa and in the Nandi Purāṇa. Shiva says there, “I prasādam to Lingaraj has long since been discontinued,
am omnipresent, but I am especially found in twelve interestingly there are still many strict vaiṣṇavas who
forms and places.” The dvādaśa-liṅgas are: continue to honor Lingaraj prasādam. This is very unusual
1) Somanath, near Veraval, Gujarat; 2) Mallikarjunam, because generally vaiṣṇavas do not take the remnants
in Sri Sailam, Andhra Pradesh; 3) Mahankaleshwar, of Lord Shiva. To understand why some of them do so
along the Kshipra River in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh; in Bhubaneswar, one must more deeply examine the
4) Omkareshwar, at Mandaleshwar on the Narmada position of Lingaraj and the way in which he is worshiped.
Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu Issue Five Hundred Forty Two, Page — 14

Unknown photographer
Lingaraj temple complex in Bhubaneswar

Unknown artist

Main entrance to the Lingaraj temple in 1847

 Issue Five Hundred Forty Two, Page — 15 श्रीकृष्णकथामृत बिन् दु
(the worshipable deity of Lord Narayan in the form
of a stone from the Gandhaki River in Nepal) within
it. Sri Vasudeva Puja Panda, presently the priest in
charge of offering bhoga to Lingaraj, says that when
they offer foodstuffs to Lingaraj, following ancient
tradition, they also offer to the śālagrāma inside of
Photo by Madhavananda Das

the liṅga using the gopāla-mantra for Lord Krishna.

Finally, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta has expressed
another even more intimate conception of Lingaraj,
“The rūpānuga-vaiṣṇavas consider Sri Bhubaneswar to
be the form of the energy of Srimati Radharani (śrī
gopālinī-śakti-rupa) and pray to him for the service
Courtyard of the Lingaraj temple of the divine young couple, Sri Radha-Govinda.”
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta has written, “The deity Sri Bhakti Kusum Sraman Maharaja, a disciple of
of Sri Bhubaneswar within the main temple is Srila Bhaktisiddhanta and author of the biography,
a combined form of Sri Hari [Vishnu] and Hara “Prabhupada Srila Sarasvati Thakura”, has on pages
[Shiva].” This is described by Srila Vyasadev in 202-203 described Srila Saraswati Thakur’s visit to
Skanda Purāṇa (2.2.12.97). When Narada Muni was Bhubaneswar on 22 June 1922. He says that as soon
bringing Indradyumna Maharaj to Puri to have as the devotees arrived at the Bhubaneswar train
darśana of Nila Madhava Jagannath, he told the king station, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta immediately offered
that before entering Puri he should first worship his obeisances and recited a praṇāma-mantra to
Bhubaneswar Mahadev: Gopishwar Mahadev in Vrindavan:
liṅgaṁ tribhuvaneśaṁ taṁ mahā-snānena pūjayan vṛndāvanāvani-pate jaya soma soma-
atulāṁ prītim ālebhe viṣṇor advaita darśanaḥ maule sanandana-sanātana-nāradeḍya
After taking a holy bath, he worshiped Tribhubanesha gopīśvara vraja-vilāsi-yugāṅghri-padme
liṅga — Shiva, the lord of the three worlds, at Bhu- prema prayaccha nirupādhi namo namas te
baneswar. Indradyumna Maharaj relished matchless
pleasure as he saw the non-difference between Lin- O Shiva, O gatekeeper of Vrindavan! O you who are
garaj and Vishnu. — Skanda Purāṇa accompanied by Uma (Parvati)! O you who carry the
moon in your hair! O lord worshipped by Sanandan-
Lingaraj’s identity as Hari-Hara is evidenced in kumar, Sanat-kumar, and Narada Muni! O Gopishwar,
some interesting ways. In India, temples of Krishna the worshipable deity of the gopīs! Desiring that you
and his Vishnu incarnations traditionally bear a cakra, bestow upon me love for the lotus feet of the divine
Krishna’s disk, on the top of the temple. Temples of couple Sri Sri Radha Madhava, who perform joyous
Lord Shiva and other deities are generally recognized pastimes in Vraja, I offer my obeisances unto you
again and again. — Srila Viswanath Chakravarti’s Śrī
by the triśūla, Shiva’s trident, on top of the temple.
Sankalpa-kalpadruma 103. — MD
Because Lingaraj is considered to be Hari-Hara, there
is both a cakra and a triśūla on top of his temple.
Garuda is not found in temples of Lord Shiva, which
usually only have a bull known as Nandi. However, as Bestower of Auspiciousness
noted by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, “After crossing the
śiva-svarūpo bhagavāṅ śivādhiṣṭātṛ devakaḥ
lion-gate there is a Garuda-stambha, on the top of
śivaṁ bhavati tasmāc ca śivaṁ tena vidurbudhāḥ
which a bull and Garuda are situated.” The Lingaraj
paṇḍās say that the fact that both are found at this Lord Shiva is the Lord of welfare. Because
temple is another indication that Lingaraj is both of his being the Lord of welfare, he is known
Hari and Hara, Vishnu and Shiva. always by the people as the bestower of welfare.
According to the Lingaraj priests, the ancient (Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa, Prakṛti-kaṇḍa 13.30)
śiva-liṅga at the temple there has a śālagrāma-śilā
Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu Issue Five Hundred Forty Two, Page — 16

Unknown artist
and symbols dear to Vishnu, such as conches, discs, and
The Unusual Dress and vertical-lined tilaka worn on the forehead, are said to be
Teachings of Lord Shiva pāṣaṇḍīs. That Brahmin who does not follow the practices
given in the śāstras should be known as a pāṣaṇḍī and
should be condemned by all people. Those who have
.Adapted from Śrī Padma Purāṇa, no devotion for the Lord are said to be pāṣaṇḍīs. One
Uttara-khaṇḍa, chapter 235-236 who behaves as he likes and offers oblations into the
Parvati said, “O lord, you once told me that one fire for the worship of deities other than Lord Vishnu
should avoid speaking with pāṣaṇḍīs, atheistic demons, should be known as a pāṣaṇḍī, for Lord Vishnu is the
and that doing so is worse than talking to caṇḍālas, enjoyer of the fruit of all sacrifices and is the deity of
outcastes. Please tell me what the symptoms of such the Brahmins. He who considers Lord Vishnu as equal
persons are and what signs they wear on their bodies.” to other deities such as Brahma and myself, Rudra,
Shiva replied, “Those persons who, deluded by should always be called a pāṣaṇḍī. That Brahmin, who
ignorance, describe any other deity as being superior with his speech, body, and deeds does not recognize
to Vishnu, the Lord of the world, are said to be pāṣaṇḍīs. Vishnu, is a pāṣaṇḍī. What is the use of saying much in
Those who, although they do not belong to the this regard? Those Brahmins who are not devotees of
vānaprastha āśrama, use skulls, decorate their bodies Vishnu should never be asked any questions, should
with ashes and bones, have non-Vedic marks, matted never be talked to, and should never be seen.”
hair, and wear garments of tree bark, are said to be Parvati said, “O lord, O best of the gods, I want
pāṣaṇḍīs. Those Brahmins who are devoid of the marks to ask you something secret. Through love for me,
Unknown artist
Issue Five Hundred Forty Two, Page — 17 श्रीकृष्णकथामृत बिन् दु

Parvati said, "My dear husband, śāstras condemn using skulls, decorating the body
with ashes, and wearing skins of animals. Yet, you do all of these things. I don't understand."

please answer. I have a great doubt. The śāstras Indra were greatly frustrated. Overcome by fear, they
condemn using skulls, decorating the body with ashes, approached Lord Vishnu and took shelter of him.
and wearing skins of animals. Yet, you do all of these “The devas said, ‘O Kesava! Only you can conquer these
things. Why are these things condemned? O lord of great demons who cannot be conquered by all of the
the gods, O highly intelligent one, due to women’s gods and who have washed off their sins with penance.’”
natural fickleness I am asking you these questions. It Lord Shiva continued, “Hearing the frightful
may be that due to your great power you do not have words of the demigods, Lord Vishnu, Purushottama,
to follow the śāstric injunctions you just described, consoled the devas, and said to me, ‘O Rudra, O you
but previously you had not instructed me in this way. of mighty arms, O you who are the best of the gods,
Therefore, O lord, please pardon my question.” for the purpose of deluding the enemies of the
Inquired thus by Parvati in that lonely place free demigods, prepare a course of conduct to be followed
from people, Lord Shiva explained to her the great by pāṣaṇḍīs. Narrate to them the dark Purāṇas, which
secrets of his own behavior. Shiva said, “O goddess, will take them astray. O intelligent one, you should
please listen carefully. I shall tell you a very wonderful create holy texts that will cause the demons to
secret. You should not repeat what I am about to become confused.
tell you to common people. I shall tell you this since “‘Through devotion to me, and for the good of
your body is not separate from mine. Long ago, in the world, you should approach atheistic sages such
the age of Swayambhuva Manu, there were many as, Kanada, Gautama, Sakti, Upamanyu, Jaimini,
great demons like Namuchi [The demon Namuchi Kapila [not to be confused with Kapila, the son of
is described in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 8.11.23-40.] who Devahuti], Durvasa, Mrikandu, Brihaspati, Bhargava,
were very powerful and valorous heroes. All of them and Jamadagni. Exert upon them your power of
were devoted to Vishnu, acted purely, and were free suggestion. Being infused by your power they will
from all sins. They followed the practices laid down become powerful pāṣaṇḍīs. There is no doubt about
in the Vedas. Seeing this, all of the gods headed by it. Empowered by you, these Brahmins will narrate
Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu Issue Five Hundred Forty Two, Page — 18

Unknown artist. Pahari painting. Late 18th c.

Parvati offering a muṇḍa-mālā (garland of skulls) to Lord Shiva

 Issue Five Hundred Forty Two, Page — 19 श्रीकृष्णकथामृत बिन् दु
for me to carry out this instruction, yet your order is
not to be disobeyed. This is very painful.’
“O goddess, hearing my words, Vishnu spoke in
such a way to restore my happiness. He said, ‘This
will not be the cause of your destruction. Do as I order
you for the good of the demigods. I shall also give
you the means to maintain yourself while you are
preaching these demoniac philosophies.’ Then, with
compassion, Lord Vishnu gave me the prayers known
as Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma. Vishnu said, ‘Installing me
in your heart, utter my indestructible mantra. This
very powerful six-syllable mantra is transcendental
and awards liberation to those who worship me with
devotion. There is no doubt about this.’
indīvara-dala-śyāmaṁ padma-patra-vilocanam
śaṅkhāṅga-śārṅgeṣu-dharaṁ sarvābharaṇa-bhūṣitam

pīta-vastraṁ catur-bāhuṁ jānakī-priya-vallabham

Unknown artist

śrī-rāmāya nama ity evam uccāryaṁ mantram-uttamam

sarva-duḥkha haraṁ caitat pāpinām api mukti-dam

imaṁ mantraṁ japan nityam amalas tvaṁ bhaviṣyasi

Lord Shiva wearing wooden pādukās, I offer my obeisances to him, dark like the petal of a
shoes traditionally worn by yogis blue lotus, with lotus-petal eyes, holding a conch, a
to the three worlds the Purāṇas and doctrines in the disc, and the śārṅga bow, adorned with all ornaments,
wearing yellow garments, having four arms, and who
mode of ignorance. O Shiva, on your person you
is the dear lord of Janaki, Sita-devi. The topmost man-
should bear symbols like a skull, animal skins, ashes, tra, ‘śrī-rāmāya namaḥ’, should be chanted. It removes
and bones. Dressed in this way you should fully all lamentation and gives salvation even to sinners.
delude everyone in the three worlds. You should One who regularly chants this mantra will be free from
also inaugurate the pāśupata order [the pāśupatas are all contamination. [6.235.44-46]
a group of followers of Lord Shiva] with its divisions “‘All of the sinful reactions due to wearing ashes
like kaṅkāla, śaiva, pāṣaṇḍa and mahāśaiva. Through and bones will all be destroyed and everything will
these persons you should preach a doctrine whose become auspicious due to reciting my mantra. O best
followers wear no particular identifying marks and of the gods, being pleased I shall destroy all sin. By
my blessings, devotion to no other god than me will
are outside the Vedic fold. Wearing ashes and bones,
arise. In your heart, worship me, who is the Supreme
they will be bereft of higher consciousness and will Being. Obey my order. Due to love for me, everything
consider you to be the greatest god. will be auspicious for you.’ Having thus ordered me, O
“‘Taking to these doctrines, all of these demons goddess, he dismissed the hosts of gods who then re-
will become averse to me in a moment. There is no turned to their own abodes. The gods led by Indra then
requested me, ‘O Mahadev, Shiva, quickly perform
doubt about it. O powerful Rudra, in every age, in
those beneficial acts as instructed by Lord Vishnu.’”
my different incarnations I too shall worship you to
delude the demons. Following these doctrines, they Mahadev then said to the goddess Parvati, “O
will undoubtedly fall down.’” auspicious one, for the good of the gods I took to the
Lord Shiva then told Parvati, “O beautiful one, after way of the pāṣaṇḍīs and started wearing skulls, hides,
hearing Vishnu’s words, although I am a good speaker, I ashes, and bones. O auspicious one, as instructed by
became helpless and silent. Then, offering my obeisances Vishnu, I distributed the tamasic Purāṇas and the
to Lord Vishnu, I said, ‘O Lord, if I do what you have said, pāṣaṇḍī Shiva doctrines. O sinless one, by entering
it will certainly lead to my destruction. It is not possible Gautama and other Brahmins with my potency I
Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu Issue Five Hundred Forty Two, Page — 20

Unknown artist

The gopīs worship Lord Shiva

 Issue Five Hundred Forty Two, Page — 21 श्रीकृष्णकथामृत बिन् दु
Unknown artist. Kalamkari painting

Lord Ramachandra worships Shiva at Rameshwaram

proclaimed texts outside the Vedic fold. Adopting the all that you have asked me. Affectionately I ask you,
system I gave, all of the wicked demons became averse what else do you desire to hear?”
to Lord Vishnu, and were enveloped in ignorance. Parvati said, “O sinless one, tell me about the
Applying ashes to their bodies and performing severe tamasic scriptures that were composed by the
penances, they stopped worship of Vishnu and Brahmins bereft of devotion to the Lord. O Lord of
worshiped only me with flesh, blood, and sandalwood. the demigods, please tell me their names in sequence.
“Receiving boons from me, they became intoxicated Lord Shiva replied, “O goddess, please listen. In
with power and pride. They were very much attached sequence I shall tell you about the tamasic texts.
to the objects of the senses and were full of lust and Simply by remembering them even wise persons
anger. In that condition, devoid of goodness, they were become deluded. First, I myself proclaimed the
defeated by the devas. Bereft of righteous paths, those Śaiva, Pāśupata, and related texts. After my power
had entered him, Kanada preached the Vaiśeṣika
who resort to this doctrine of mine always go to hell.
philosophy. Similarly, Gautama preached Nyāya,
“O goddess, thus this behavior of mine is only
and Kapila preached atheistic Sāṁkhya. Brihaspati
followed by me for the good of the gods. Following
preached the much-censured Cārvāka doctrine, and
Vishnu’s order, I decorate myself with ashes and
Vishnu, in the form of Buddha, proclaimed the false
bones. O goddess, these external marks are meant
teachings of Buddhism to destroy the demons.
only for deluding the demons. In my heart I always
meditate upon the Supreme Lord Vishnu and always māyāvādam asac chāstraṁ pracchannaṁ bauddham ucyate
chant his mantra. By chanting this great six-syllable mayaiva kalpitaṁ devi kalau brāhmaṇa-rūpiṇā
mantra we always taste the eternal nectar of ecstatic Māyāvāda philosophy is an impious, wicked belief. It
joy. O lady with an auspicious face, I have answered is covered Buddhism. My dear Parvati, in Kali-yuga I
Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu Issue Five Hundred Forty Two, Page — 22

Unknown artist. Rajasthan, Kishangarh, c. 1780

Krishna stealthily steals a garland that Radha is offering to Lord Shiva

 Issue Five Hundred Forty Two, Page — 23 श्रीकृष्णकथामृत बिन् दु
Unknown artist

Lord Shiva dances ecstatically in kīrtana with his associates

assume the form of a brāhmaṇa and teach this imagined and the māyāvādī sannyāsīs of Benares, Sri Chaitanya
philosophy. — 6.236.7 Mahaprabhu cited these texts to show how Lord Shiva
apārthaṁ śruti-vākyānāṁ darśayan loka-garhitam had come in Kali-yuga as Sripad Sankaracharya to
sva-karma-rūpaṁ tyājya tvam atraiva pratipādyate propound the philosophy of monism. Cited translations
of texts 7, 10 and 11 are based on the translations of His
sarva-karma-paribhraṣṭair vaidharma tvaṁ tad ucyate Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada as
pareśa-jīva-pāraikyaṁ mayā tu pratipādyate found in his purport to Cc. ādi 7.110.]
This māyāvāda philosophy deprives the words of the
Bibliography
holy texts of their actual meaning and thus it is con-
demned in the world. It recommends the renunciation — Krishna Dvaipayan Vyasadev. Padma Purāṇa. English translation.
Motilal Banarshidass. 1990. Delhi.
of one’s own duties, since those who have fallen from
their duties say that the giving up of duties is religios- — Krishna Dvaipayan Vyasadev. Padma Purāṇa. Nag Publishers. 2003.
Delhi. Sanskrit.
ity. I have also propounded the identity of the Supreme
Lord and the individual soul. — 6.236.8-9
The Names of Shiva
brahmaṇaś cāparaṁ rūpaṁ nirguṇaṁ vakṣyate mayā
sarva-svaṁ jagato ’py asya mohanārthaṁ kalau yuge
And Krishna
In order to bewilder the atheists, in Kali-yuga I de-
scribe the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be As described in this issue (Page 7: “How Vishnu Gave
without form and without qualities. — 6.236.10 His Names to the Gods”), the intimate connection between
Krishna and Lord Shiva extends even to their names. In his
vedānte tu mahā-śāstre māyāvādam avaidikam
text and purport to Śrī Bṛhad Bhāgavatāmṛta, (1.2.86)
mayaiva vakṣyate devi jagatāṁ nāśa-kāraṇāt
Srila Sanatan Goswami also speaks about the intimacy
Similarly, in explaining Vedānta, I describe the between the names of Shiva and Krishna:
same māyāvāda philosophy in order to mislead the kṛṣṇāc chivasya bhedekṣā mahā-doṣa-karī matā
entire population toward atheism by denying the āgo bhagavatā svasmin kṣamyate na śive kṛtam
personal form of the Lord.” — 6.236.11 [As described To consider Lord Shiva different from Krishna is a serious
in the seventh chapter of the ādi-līlā of Śrī Caitanya- spiritual deviation. The Personality of Godhead tolerates
caritāmṛta, while speaking to Prakasananda Saraswati offenses against himself, but not against Lord Shiva.
Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu Issue Five Hundred Forty Two, Page — 24
Purport: Lord Shiva is described as a recipient of offenses to the holy name. If such offenders can become
Lord Vishnu’s mercy, but this does not mean that enlightened by a devotee with thorough knowledge of
the two Lords are different from one another in the the matter, then they can realize in what way Shiva and
same way that Lord Vishnu differs from the jīvas. The Vishnu are non-different. With this realization, and by
Padma Purāṇa includes the Nāmāparādha-bhañjana- doing nāma-kīrtana, they can nullify their offenses.
stotra, a list of ten offenses against chanting Lord Bibliography
Vishnu’s names. Therein it is said:
— Sanatan Goswami. Śrī Bṛhad-bhāgavatāmṛta. English translation by
Gopiparanadhana Das. Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. Los Angeles. 2003.
śivasya śrī-viṣṇor ya iha guṇa-nāmādi sakalaṁ
— Viswanath Chakravarti Thakur. Mādhurya Kādambinī. Edited by
dhiyā bhinnaṁ paśyet sa khalu hari-nāmāhita-karaḥ
Deena Bandhu Das. Vrinda Trust. Nandagram, UP. India. 1993.
“One who sees differences between any of Lord Shiva’s
qualities and names and those of Sri Vishnu is an antago-
nist to hari-nāma.” (Padma Purāṇa, Brahma-khaṇḍa 25.15) Prayers to Lord Shiva
Lord Vishnu cannot tolerate offenses against Lord
Shiva, because Lord Shiva is the greatest of Lord ohe kṣetrapāla śiva tumi dayāmaya
Vishnu’s empowered incarnations. Lord Shiva is kṛṣṇa-bhakti deha more ha-iyā sadaya
especially empowered to distribute in the material
O Kshetrapala Shiva, protector of the Dham! You are
world the elevated tastes of pure devotional service.
certainly very merciful. Being kind to me, please give me
While describing this second offense to the holy
love for Krishna. (Originally this verse was found on the
name in his Mādhurya Kādambinī, Srila Viswanath
wall behind the deities of Gopishwar Mahadeva at the
Chakravarti Thakur also speaks of the non-different
Yogapitha. It is ascribed to Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur.)
nature of Shiva and Vishnu:
Those without knowledge in the matter may say that śrīmad-gopīśvaraṁ vande śaṅkaraṁ karuṇā-mayam
Vishnu is the Lord, not Shiva, or they may say that Shiva sarva-kleśa-haraṁ devaṁ vṛndāraṇya-rati-pradam
is the Lord and not Vishnu: “Since I am a devotee of I offer my respectful obeisances to Sri Gopishwar,
Vishnu, I will not give regard to Shiva.” —or vice versa. who is merciful Lord Shiva himself. He removes all
Absorbed in such arguments, such people also commit troubles and grants spiritual love in Vrindavan. (Śrī
Bhakti-ratnākara 5.3741. Srila Narahari Chakravarti
Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu states that this is the prayer that the gopīs used to
worship Gopishwar Mahadeva.)
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Quotations from the books, letters, and lectures of His Divine Grace
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada ©Bhaktivedanta Book
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