Vaiṣṇava Śiva
By Śrīla Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswāmī Mahārāja
Lord Śiva can give liberation. He has that power, and he is a perfect agent of Lord Kṛṣṇa. In the last chapter of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (12.13.16), you will see:
nimna-gānāṁ yathā gaṅgā devānām achyuto yathā
vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā śambhuḥ purāṇānām idam tathā
As the Gaṅgā is the greatest of all rivers, Lord Achyuta the greatest of all deities, and Lord Śiva the greatest of the Vaiṣṇavas, so Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is the greatest of all Purāṇas.
Here you can understand that Lord Kṛṣṇa has given power to other demigods, and also that Lord Śiva is the supreme Vaiṣṇava. What does Lord Śiva chant? He chants the Name of Rāma. And on whom does Lord Śiva meditate? On his master, Rāma, Viṣṇu. So, what is the mood of Lord Śiva? Why does he meditate and chant? When you can understand this, then you can understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Once, Parvatī Devī asked to Lord Śiva, “Which form of the Lord is supremely worshippable?” Parvatī expected Lord Śiva to say, “Me. I am the Supreme Personality.” But Lord Śiva did not say that. Lord Śiva said:
ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param
The supremely worshippable Personality of Godhead is Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa.” Then, Parvatī Devī thought, “I am not worshipping Lord Viṣṇu. I am worshipping Lord Śiva.” Lord Śiva smiled and said,
tasmāt parataraṁ devi tadīyānāṁ samarchanam
Nārāyaṇ is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and someone who worships Nārāyaṇ worships the highest worshippable Lord, but even more than them is someone who worships the devotees of Nārāyaṇ.”
Parvatī Devī was very happy to hear this. She knows Lord Śiva meditates on Viṣṇu and serves Viṣṇu. She knows he is Vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā Śambhuḥ, the best of all Vaiṣṇavas, so she thought, “He serves Viṣṇu, and I am serve him, so I am in a very peaceful position.”
You know that in Vṛndāvan Dhām there is Rāseśvar Śiva, Gopīśvar Śiva, and many other forms of Lord Śiva. We worship these forms. We offer praṇām to Gopīśvar Śiva in this way:
vṛndāvanāvani-pate jaya soma soma-
maule sanandana-sanātana-nāradeḍya
gopīśvara vraja-vilāsa-yugāṅghri-padme
prītiṁ niyachchha nitarāṁ nirupādhikam me1
O protector of Vṛndāvan Dhām! O husband of Umā, whose crown is the moon! O Śiva, you are worshipped by Sananda, Sanātan, Nārad, and all the sages! All glory to you! O guardian of the gopīs! Please give me resolute and unconditional devotion to the lotus feet of the Divine Couple who play in Vraja.
Lord Śiva gives entrance to the Rāsa-līlā of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He is the doorkeeper of the Rāsa Sthali. That form of Śiva, however, is not a male form. In the form of a girl, a gopī, he is the gatekeeper of the Rāsa Sthali, and when we are offer praṇām there, we use this mantra. We ask him for devotion to Kṛṣṇa and entrance to the Rāsa-līlā of Kṛṣṇa. He gives that visa, and then we go inside the Rāsa Sthali. So, Lord Śiva has two positions: one as guṇāvatār, and the other as Śuddha Śiva. We always respect everybody, not only Guṇāvatārs, Manvantārāvatārs, or Līlā-āvatārs. We respect everything, but we are in the line of exclusive devotion to Lord Kṛṣṇa. That is our position.
- Sri Sankalpa-kalpadruma: 103 [↩]
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