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GITĀ, TRANSLATION & COMMENTARY, CH. IX 1055
यान्ति देवव्रता देवान् पितृन्यान्ति पितृव्रताः।
भूतानि यान्ति भूतेज्या यान्ति मद्याजिनोऽपि माम् ॥ २५ ॥ pp. 408-10). In the same way, it is again stated later on in the Nārāyaniyopākhyāna, that:
ye yajantı pilrün derān gurūns caivātuthims tathā 1 gāś caiva dvrjamukhyāmś ca prthivim mātaram tathā 11 karmaṇā manasā vācā vişnum eva yajanti te
(Ma. Bhā. Sāni. 345, 26, 27). that is, "those who worship deities, ancestors, preceptors, guests, Brahmins, cows, etc., indirectly worship only Visņu." It is surprising that even the followers of the Bhagavata religion should quarrel with the followers of Saivism, though the Bhāgavata religion itself thus clearly states that Devotion should be taken as the principle factor, and that the symbol in the form of a deity is a matter of minor importance, or that though there may be a difference in the form of worship, yet, the worship is only of the One Parameśvara. To proceed: the Blessed Lord now explains how though the proposition, that whatever deity is worshipped, the worship is ultimately received by the Bhagavanta, is true, worshippers miss the Path of Release, as they do not realise that the deity is one and the same; and the Blessed Lord Himself gives different Fruits of Action to different persons according to their
respective faith(25) Those, who worship deities go to and are merged in the deities; those, who worship ancestors, in the ancestors ; those, who worship (different) past beings, in (those respective) past beings; and those who worship Me, in Me.
[In short, although one Parameśvara alone pervades everything, yet, the fruit of the worship is of a higher or lower grade to every one according to his respective faith. Nevertheless, it must not be forgotten, that the act of giving the reward is not performed by the deity, but by the Parameśvara, as has been stated above (Gi. 7. 20-23). The statement made above by the Blessed Lord, in the 24th stanza that, "I am the recipient of all Yajñas" means the
