Durga Puja at ISKCON Seattle

BY: SUN STAFF

Oct 12, 2011 — CANADA (SUN) — On Sunday, October 2nd, ISKCON Seattle again observed Durga Puja. As the following video illustrates, Durga Puja went on in front of the Deities, as They were being offered arotika.

At the end of the program, devotees were seen counting laxmi from the hundi, taking some of the money and giving it to Durga Ma instead of offering it all to the installed Temple Deities. This is the mood of materialist demigod worshippers, as Srila Prabhupada explains below in his lecture of October 23rd, 1974, Mayapur:

"Just like this Durga Puja, they'll want dhanam dehi rupam dehi rupavati-bharyam dehi yaso dehi, this dehi, that dehi, dehi, dehi... There is no limit how much they are asking. Therefore they are called sarva-kama. You go on supplying a karmi; he'll never be satisfied. "More, more, more." You go to so many businessmen--they have got crores and lakhs--but if you want to talk something about Krsna, they have no time: "Please take your money, contribution. Let us do business." Because their kama is never satisfied."

Following are some of Srila Prabhupada's statements on why the devotees are prohibited from engaging in demigod worship like Durga Puja:

Srila Prabhupada's Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam, Oct 23, 1974, Mayapur:

"Now the Durga Puja is going on. This is also recommended in the Vedic sastra, that those who want material opulence... Material opulence means riches and good wife. For this purpose, sastra recommends that you can worship Durga. There are different purposes, and different demigod worships are recommended. But at the conclusion it is said that,

akamah sarva-kamo va
moksa-kama udara-dhih
tivrena bhakti-yogena
yajeta purusam param

There are three kinds of men: akama... Akama means one who has no desire. Desire there is--not material desire. Desire you cannot kill. Desire must be there. We have to simply transfer the quality of the desire. Instead of desiring material opulence, we have to desire the favor of Krsna. That is spiritual.

So akama means devotees. They do not want anything from Krsna. That is bhakta. Bhaktas, they are simply satisfied by serving Krsna. They are therefore called akama, no desires, no material desires. A bhakta feels ashamed to ask from Krsna for his material comforts. Just like Prahlada Maharaja. Prahlada Maharaja, when he was offered by Nrsimhadeva, "Now you ask from Me whatever you want," so Prahlada Maharaja became surprised. He said, "My dear Sir, I am not a mercantile man. We are in the modes of passion, and You are offering me all kinds of benediction. I can ask You. But do You mean to say that I served You in expectation of some return? No, no. Don't induce me in this way." This is suddha-bhakta. Suddha-bhakta never gives trouble to Krsna for his personal benefit. They are called akama.

And sarva-kama means karmis, ordinary. They are working hard to get some result, good result for sense gratification. They are called sarva-kama. And there is no limit of their desires. Just like this Durga Puja, they'll want dhanam dehi rupam dehi rupavati-bharyam dehi yaso dehi, this dehi, that dehi, dehi, dehi... There is no limit how much they are asking. Therefore they are called sarva-kama. You go on supplying a karmi; he'll never be satisfied. "More, more, more." You go to so many businessmen--they have got crores and lakhs--but if you want to talk something about Krsna, they have no time: "Please take your money, contribution. Let us do business." Because their kama is never satisfied."




Srila Prabhupada's Lecture on Srimad Bhagavatam, May 22, 1972, Los Angeles:

"Sri means beauty. In the Durga-puja, Devi-puja, they ask... After offering Mother Durga all sorts of paraphernalia, then they puspanjali, they pray favor, dhanam dehi rupam dehi balam dehi. Dehi dehi. Dehi means "give me." After puja... Therefore it is called puja. Puja, just like in business circle, if you want to take some business from a big merchant, so you satisfy him, flatter him, and sometimes invite him in hotel and give him nice dinner.

In this way, after he is satisfied, "Sir, if you kindly give me this contract." (laughter) "Or if you give me this post." The ultimate aim is his post and contract, not to satisfy the person. No. He's spending some money for his own sense gratification. Similarly, all these pujas... The demigod puja, that is for his sense gratification. That's all. Krsna, therefore, condemns this: kamais tais tair hrta-jnana yajante anya-devatah. This very kama. These words, kama, kamas, kama, kama. So Krsna also says... So you won't find any difference between Bhagavad-gita, or Srimad-Bhagavatam, or any Vedic literature. It is to be understood through proper channels. So all these kamas have been condemned by Krsna. Kamais tais tair hrta-jnana yajante anya-devatah. The persons who go to worship other demigods like Devi, Maya, Durga, Siva, or Indra, Candra, so many ..."

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