Volume 3 - Prabhupada Books

140 Sri Caitanya-caritamrta [Madhya-lila, Ch. 8
adopts. A general example is given. If one wishes to arrive at a certain place, there
are many roads leading there, and one can go to that place by any one of these
roads. Similarly, these gross materialists say that there are different ways to attain
the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They claim that one can con­
ceive of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as goddess Durga, goddess Kali,
Lord Siva, demigod Gat:�esa, Lord Ramacandra, Kr�t:Ja, impersonal Brahman or
whatever, and one can chant the Lord's name in any way and in any form and
ultimately become one. Such materialists claim that the result is the same. They
also say that a man may have different names, but he will answer if called by any
one of them. Therefore they claim that there is no need to chant the Hare Kr�t:�a
mantra. If one chants the name of Kali, Durga, Siva, Gat:�esa or anyone else, the
result will be the same. Such claims made by mental speculators are no doubt
very pleasing to mental speculators, but those who are actually in knowledge do
not admit such conclusions, which are against the authority of the sastras. A bona
fide acarya will certainly not accept such a conclusion. As Kr�t:�a clearly states in
Bhagavad-gita:
yanti deva-vrata devan
pit(n yanti pitr-vratab
bhatani yanti bhatejya
yanti mad-yajino 'pi mam
"Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those
who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; those who
worship ancestors go to the ancestors; and those who worship Me will live with
Me." (Bg. 9.25)
Only the devotees of the Lord can be admitted to His kingdom-not the
demigod worshipers, karmis, yogis, or anyone else. A person who desires eleva­
tion to the heavenly planets worships various demigods, and material nature may
be pleased to offer such devotees their desired positions. Consequently material
nature gives one one's own nature by which he increases affection for different
types of demigods. However, Bhagavad-gita says that demigod worship is meant
for men who have lost all their intelligence.
kamais tais tair hrta-jnanab
prapadyante 'nya-devata/:1
tarh tarh niyamam asthaya
prakrtya niyatab svaya
"Those whose minds are distorted by material desires surrender unto demigods
and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own
natures." (Bg. 7.20)