Hindu Gods and Pushti Marg
A number of Pushti Margiya vaishnavs asked me to remove the pic of Ganesh from the main page of the website. Their main contention was that in Pushti Marg, we do not promote the images of other Hindu gods - not even Ganesh !
I have often been told, that even Ohm, \, the primordial sound, is something we must not say in our satsangs !!
Why ?
Are we not Hindu ?
Are we not basing our entire philosophy on the Vedas ?
Are we not using Shrimaada Bhagvatam as our main praman ?
Are we not followers of Shrimaada Bhagvad Gita ?As Hindus, it is incumbent on us to honour the Gods of our pantheon. Just because we love Krushna, does not mean we should be disrespectful of the other deities of Hinduism. We seem to base our illogical conclusion drawn from a single incidence in Shri Vallabh's life, where he did not eat prasad given to him of Shri JagganNathji and instead stood there praising it for hours on end. What we forget is, Shri Vallabh did this only because he was fasting due to agiyaraasa and once baras started, Shri Vallabh did consume the prasada.
Vedas are the base upon which the entire edific of Pushti Marg is built. Shri Vallabh has categorically stated that every word of the Vedas and BrahmaSutra are absolutely truthful and must not be doubted. How can we than insult the very gods mentioned in the Vedas by saying that even a mention of these gods will ruin your chances of salvation ? Indeed, any insult, direct or indirect should be avoided to keep Shri Vallabh's main tenants in mind.
Shrimaada Bhagvatam is full of lilas of the Gods. Shri Krushna lila covers the last three sections of this 12 sectioned book. How can we ignore what is mentioned in the first nine sections and say only the 10th section matter ? Some vaishnavs maintain that the last two sections are unimportant in comparison to the 10th !! If Shri Vallabh meant us to do this, he would have mentioned it in his various writings. He has never mentioned that the 10th section is over and above the others. Yes, he wrote his detailed commentaries on the 10th section, but that is only because he was short of time ! Indeed, he was so busy with his various activities, that he did not mange to finish the 10th section properly either. This does not diminish the importance of the other sections in anyway.
Shri Vallabh considered Shrimaada Bhagvad Gita as a key praman of our sect. In the Gita, the Lord Himself says I am \ - Ohm !! How can we than avoid / ignore Ohm ? To do so would surely be a direct insult to the Lord Krushna Himself !!! Because we love Krushna, we should love all aspects of Him - including Ohm !!
One of the most contentious issues amongst vaishnavs is, we can not have anything to do with Lord Shiva ! We cannot speak his name, even in any other context - like sewing clothes - and must not visit his temples or take any prasada from his temple !!
Why ?
Lord Shiva is the ideal vaishnav. We are always asked to keep company of good vaishnavs, and indeed, seek them out where possible !! Why should we than avoid or insult Shiva, our fellow vaishnav ? Shiva is the foremost of our group and is beloved of Shri Krushna. Surely, just as we try to emulate the gopis, we should also emulate Lord Shiva !!
Anyone who does any of the above is considered by many to be less than a "good" vaishnav. They are suppose to have committed a crime equivalent to aposthe - Annyashraya !! Salvation can never be there's !!!
Why ?
If you believe God is everywhere and at all times, Annyashraya cannot happen !!
(Read my views on Annyashraya and Annanyashraya !!)
I am going to reinstate the pic of Ganesh.
Sadly, I took it down to please the leaders of the sect, but I have recently realised that that was a huge mistake. My faith in Krushna is strong enough for me to pay my respect to Shiva, Ganesh or any other form mentioned in the Vedas and purans, without losing my love for Shri Krushna !!
Bhagwat Shah ©
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