আরাধনানাং সর্বেষাং বিষ্ণোরারাধনং পরম্ তস্মাত্পরতরং দেবি তদীযানাং সমর্চনম্
आराधनानां सर्वेषां विष्णोराराधनं परम् तस्मात्परतरं देवि तदीयानां समर्चनम्
ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param tasmāt parataraṁ devi tadīyānāṁ samarcanam
Synonyms
ārādhanānām—of varieties of worship; sarveṣām—all; viṣṇoḥ—of Lord Viṣṇu; ārādhanam—worship; param—the most exalted; tasmāt—and above such worship of Lord Viṣṇu; parataram—of greater value; devi—O goddess; tadīyānām—of persons in relationship with Lord Viṣṇu; samarcanam—rigid and firm worship..
Translation
"Lord Śiva told the goddess Durgā, 'My dear Devī, although the Vedas recommend worship of demigods, the worship of Lord Viṣṇu is topmost. However, above the worship of Lord Viṣṇu is the rendering of service to Vaiṣṇavas, who are related to Lord Viṣṇu.'
Purport
The Vedas are divided into three divisions—karma-kāṇḍa, jñāna-kāṇḍa and upāsanā-kāṇḍa. These are activities dealing with fruitive work, empiric philosophical speculation and worship. There are recommendations in the Vedas for the worship of various demigods as well as Lord Viṣṇu. Lord Śiva answers Durgā's question in this quotation from Padma Purāṇa. This verse is also included in Laghu-bhāgavatāmṛta (2.4) by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. The words viṣṇor ārādhanam refer to the worship of Lord Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa. Thus the supreme form of worship is the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa. It is further concluded that the worshiper of Lord Viṣṇu renders better service by worshiping the devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. There are different types of devotees—those in the śānta-rasa, dāsya-rasa, sakhya-rasa, vātsalya-rasa and mādhurya-rasa. Although all the rasas are on the transcendental platform, the mādhurya-rasa is the supreme transcendental mellow. Consequently it is concluded that the worship of devotees engaged in the Lord's service in the mādhurya-rasa is the supreme spiritual activity. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His followers mainly worship Lord Kṛṣṇa in the mādhurya-rasa. Other Vaiṣṇava ācāryas recommended worship up to the vātsalya-rasa. Therefore Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī in his Vidagdha-mādhava (1.2) describes Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's cult as supreme:
anarpita-carīṁ cirāt karuṇayāvatīrṇaḥ kalau
samarpayitum unnatojjvala-rasāṁ sva-bhakti-śriyam
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu appeared in this age of Kali to exhibit the superexcellence of mādhurya-rasa, a gift never previously bestowed by any ācārya or incarnation. Consequently Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is accepted as the most magnanimous incarnation. It is He only who distributed love of Kṛṣṇa while exhibiting the superexcellence of loving Kṛṣṇa in the conjugal rasa.