Worship anybody. No problem.

Suppose you want to cross a river and reach the other shore. Will you worry the colour and type of boat? You just need a boat to cross the river that’s all, isn’t it?

Krishna makes this statement to explain His all-pervasiveness and universality. Not to proclaim his supremacy over others.

Gods do not have supremacy problems. It is only his followers who fight for such issues. It is also incorrect to believe that a small idol gives small results and that a big idol delivers big results. Everything is the same. The adage- ‘the bigger the better’- has no place in spirituality.

Worship Krishna, Rama, Shiva, Ganapati, Hanuman, Datta or any other deity. No problem. All of them bless us. Different paths of worship give us different experiences. It is like the sweets in the shop. All of them are made from sugar and are sweet, nevertheless the look, colour and feel are different. The same holds good for worshipping the deities.

If you want to travel to Mumbai, you will check your purse. If you can afford you will go by flight. Else you will go by train. If you don’t have money at all, you can walk and reach Mumbai. Ultimately the goal is to reach the destination. The experiences are different but goal is the same. So choose any method convenient to you to worship God.

(Q&A Surat Nov 2002)