A Shiva Hater Is Also a Vishnu Hater
आदिस्त्वं सर्वभावानां मध्यमन्तस्तथा भवान्
त्वत्तः सर्वमभूद्विश्वं त्वयि सर्वं प्रलीयते
You are the beginning, middle, and end of everything. The universe has originated from you, and it will go back into you. The universe is like a wave — the calm sea first, then the wave appears and collapses back into the sea. Is the wave different from the sea? No. Sri Hari is the sea and the universe is the wave. It rises up from him and falls back into him. Sri Hari is not just the sea. When the wave appears, he is both the sea and the wave.
In Harivamsha, during Kailasa Yatra, Shiva addresses Sri Hari:
अहं त्वं सर्वगो देव त्वमेवाहं जनार्दन
आवयोरन्तरं नास्ति शब्दैरर्थैर्जगत्रये
You are the same as me. I am the same as you. Between us there is no difference — either by name or its meaning.
नामानि तव गोविन्द यानि लोके महान्ति च
तान्येव मम नामानि नात्र कार्या विचारणा
The names by which you are known, I am also known by the same names. There is no doubt about this.
त्वदुपासा जगन्नाथ सैवास्तु मम गोपते
यश्च त्वां द्वेष्टि भो देव स मां द्वेष्टि न संशयः
Your worship itself is my worship. When you are worshiped, I am worshiped. One who hates you, in fact, hates me — since we are not different from each other.
This practice is still there in some places — a Vaishnavite, when passing by a Shiva temple, turns his head away. Or a Shaivite ridicules the Vaishnavite for the way they wear their namam. This is settled here. One who hates Vishnu hates Shiva. One who hates Shiva hates Vishnu. And this is from Harivamsha.
A villager opens a bank account for the first time. He has 5000 rupees in hand and deposits it into the account. For him, he has handed over the money for safekeeping. As and when he wants it, he has to go and take back as much as he wants. You ask him — where is your money? 'It is in the bank.' For him, it is sitting inside the bank locker ready to be taken out whenever he wants it.
He doesn’t understand beyond that. He doesn’t realize that his money is going to go into circulation. The currency notes he handed over at Kanyakumari may end up being used in Kashmir or Dwaraka or Guwahati. He doesn’t know all this. That money is going to be put to use. The bank will lend that money, earn out of it, and give a part of that earning to him. The money that is going to come back to him when he asks for it is not even his own money — that is, if you are talking about currency notes. He doesn’t understand all this. He doesn’t understand the whole banking system.
He doesn’t know that the whole world is connected through this banking system. You can send money, receive money, sell, buy, invest anywhere in the world using this system. Sitting in Mumbai, you can pay for an item purchased in Amsterdam. The villager doesn’t know this.
This much is our understanding about the divinity. And we boast and fight saying — Shiva is the greatest, Vishnu is the greatest, and Durga is the greatest. Just understand — when you are saying Vishnu is the greatest and Vishnu is the one and only God, you are also saying Shiva is the greatest and Shiva is the one and only God, Durga is the greatest and Durga is the one and only Goddess.
एकं सत् विप्राः बहुधा वदन्ति
The truth is only one. Scholars call it by different names.
त्वद्विस्तारो यतो देव ह्यहं भूतपतिस्ततः
न तदस्ति विभो देव यत्ते विरहितं क्वचित्
I am Bhutapati — lord of all beings. Even when I am Bhutapati, I am still an extension of you. Other than you, there is nothing else.
यदासीत् वर्तते यच्च यच्च भावि जगत्पते
सर्वं त्वमेव देवेश विना किंचित् त्वया न हि
Whatever was there, whatever is there, whatever will be there — they are all nothing but you. There is nothing other than you.
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