View source for A person who worships the demigods and gives up Lord Vasudeva is like a man who gives up the protection of his mother for the shelter of a witch

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"A person who worships the demigods and gives up Lord Vasudeva is like a man who gives up the protection of his mother for the shelter of a witch"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Iswaraj}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|2021-04-30T06:37:34Z}}
{{last|2021-04-30T06:37:34Z}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=1|OB=0|Lec=0|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|1}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Person]]
[[Category:Demigod Worship]]
[[Category:Giving Up God]]
[[Category:Likeness]]
[[Category:Man]]
[[Category:Protection]]
[[Category:Mother]]
[[Category:Shelter]]
[[Category:Witch]]
[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila Chapter 24 Purports - The Sixty-One Explanations of the Atmarama Verse]]
[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila Purports]]
[[Category:Sri Caitanya-caritamrta - 62 Chapters, All Purports]]
</div>
<div id="section">
<h2>Sri Caitanya-caritamrta</h2>
</div>
<div id="sub_section">
<h3>CC Madhya-lila</h3>
</div>
<div class="quote">
<div class="quote_heading">
A person who worships the demigods and gives up Lord Vāsudeva is like a man who gives up the protection of his mother for the shelter of a witch.
</div>

<div class="quote_link">
[[Vanisource:CC Madhya 24.330|CC Madhya 24.330, Translation and Purport]]
</div>
<div class="quote_translation">
“Your book should describe the characteristics of the bona fide guru and the bona fide disciple. Then, before accepting a spiritual master, one can be assured of the spiritual master’s position. Similarly, the spiritual master can also be assured of the disciple’s position. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, should be described as the worshipable object, and you should describe the bīja-mantra for the worship of Kṛṣṇa, as well as that for Rāma and for other expansions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
</div>
<div class="text">
The words sevya bhagavān in this verse of the Caitanya-caritāmṛta are important. Bhagavān indicates the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu. Lord Viṣṇu alone is worshipable. There is no need to worship demigods. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā ([[Vanisource:BG 7.20 (1972)|BG 7.20]]):

<div class="quote_verse">
:kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ prapadyante ‘nya-devatāḥ</dd><dd>taṁ taṁ niyamam āsthāya prakṛtyā niyatāḥ svayā
</div>

“Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires surrender unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures.”It is also stated in the Skanda Purāṇa:

<div class="quote_verse">
:vāsudevaṁ parityajya yo ‘nya-devam upāsate</dd><dd>sva-mātaraṁ parityajya śva-pacīṁ vandate hi saḥ
</div>

“A person who worships the demigods and gives up Lord Vāsudeva is like a man who gives up the protection of his mother for the shelter of a witch.”It is also stated by Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā ([[Vanisource:BG 9.23 (1972)|BG 9.23]]):

<div class="quote_verse">
:ye ‘py anya-devatā-bhaktā yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ</dd><dd>te ‘pi mām eva kaunteya yajanty avidhi-pūrvakam
</div>

“Those who are devotees of other gods and who worship them with faith actually worship only Me, O son of Kuntī, but they do so in a wrong way.”Demigods are also living entities and parts and parcels of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore in one sense one worships Kṛṣṇa when one worships the demigods, but not in the proper way. There is a proper method to water a tree: one should water the root. But if one waters the leaves and branches instead, he is simply wasting his time. If one worships the demigods to the exclusion of Lord Viṣṇu, his rewards will only be material.
</div>
</div>
</div>