FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.20.17

परस्य ब्रह्मण: साक्षाज्जातवेदोऽसि हव्यवाट् । देवानां पुरुषाङ्गानां यज्ञेन पुरुषं यजेति ॥ १७ ॥
parasya brahmaṇaḥ sākṣāj
[parasya brahmanah saakshaaj]
jāta-vedo ’si havyavāṭ
[jaata-vedo ’si havyavaat]
devānāṁ puruṣāṅgānāṁ
[devaanaam purushaangaanaam]
yajñena puruṣaṁ yajeti
[yajnena purusham yajeti]
parasya — of the Supreme brahmaṇaḥ — Brahman sākṣāt — directly jāta-vedaḥ — O fire-god asi — you are havyavāṭ — the carrier of Vedic offerings of grains and ghee devānām — of all the demigods puruṣa-aṅgānām — who are limbs of the Supreme Person yajñena — by performing the ritualistic sacrifices puruṣam — to the Supreme Person yaja — please carry oblations iti — thus.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
parasya brahmaṇaḥ sākṣāj
parasya
of the Supreme
brahmaṇaḥ
Brahman
sākṣāt
directly
jāta-vedo ’si havyavāṭ
jāta-vedaḥ
O fire-god
asi
you are
havyavāṭ
the carrier of Vedic offerings of grains and ghee
devānāṁ puruṣāṅgānāṁ
devānām
of all the demigods
puruṣa-aṅgānām
who are limbs of the Supreme Person
yajñena puruṣaṁ yajeti
yajñena
by performing the ritualistic sacrifices
puruṣam
to the Supreme Person
yaja
please carry oblations
iti
thus.
[This is the mantra by which the inhabitants of Kuśadvīpa worship the fire-god.] O fire-god, you are a part of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, and you carry to Him all the offerings of sacrifices. Therefore we request you to offer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead the yajñic ingredients we are offering the demigods, for the Lord is the real enjoyer.

The demigods are servants who assist the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If one worships the demigods, the demigods, as servants of the Supreme, carry the sacrificial offerings to the Lord, like tax collectors collecting revenue from the citizens and bringing it to the government’s treasury. The demigods cannot accept the sacrificial offerings; they simply carry the offerings to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As stated by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ: since the guru is a representative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he carries to the Lord whatever is offered to him. Similarly, all the demigods, as faithful servants of the Supreme Lord, hand over to the Supreme Lord whatever is offered to them in sacrificial performances. There is no fault in worshiping the demigods with this understanding, but to think that the demigods are independent of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and equal to Him is called hṛta-jñāna, a loss of intelligence ( kāmais tais tair hṛta jñānāḥ ). One who thinks that the demigods themselves are the actual benefactors is mistaken.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
They say: O fire! You are directly the carrier of offerings for the Supreme Lord. Please worship the Supreme Lord by offerings to the devatās, who are the limbs of the Lord. O fire! You are directly the carrier of offerings for the supreme lord. Worship the Lord by sacrifice to the devatās. This means “Offer what is given in the name of the devatās, who are limbs, to the Lord, who is the source of the limbs.”
Agni, the fire-god, is the postal worker who carries offerings to the Lord. Demigods are servants, not destinations. Always check who is the ultimate recipient of your worship — the rest are couriers.
Reflection Questions
  • Whom or what have I treated as a destination of devotion when they are actually messengers?
  • How does remembering the Lord as the real recipient change how I see ritual?
📝 My note

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