Demigod worship serves the materially inclined; pure devotion means desiring only Krishna, nothing else.Listen — Srila Prabhupada Uvaca
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.3.2–7 — May 24, 1972, Los Angeles 720524SB-LOS ANGELES [33:27 Minutes] SB-02.03.02–07_720524SB-LOS ANGELES Prabhupāda: Translation? Pradyumna: Read all up to where we are? Prabhupāda: Hmm? Pradyumna: "One who desires to be absorbed in the impersonal brahmajyoti effulgence should worship the master of the Vedas [Lord Brahmā or Bṛhaspati, the learned priest], one who desires powerful sex should worship the heavenly King, Indra, and one who desires good progeny should worship the great progenitors called the Prajāpatis. One who desires good fortune should worship Durgādevī, or the superintendent of the material world. One desiring to be very powerful should worship fire, and one who aspires after money only should worship the Vasus. One should worship the Rudra incarnation of Lord Śiva if he wants to be a great hero.
One who wants a large stock of grain should worship Aditi. One who desires a worldly kingdom should worship Viśvadeva, and one who wants to be popular with the general mass of population should worship the Sādhya demigod." [SB 2.3.2-7] Prabhupāda: So these are the problems. [chuckles] We have to... fix. Exactly like that.
Just like government departments: If you want to have this, you have to go to a particular department—building department, water department, so many, electric department. Many departments. Tax department, income tax department, support tax department. vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca buddhayo 'vyavasāyinām [Bg. 2.41] So there are many statements in the Bhagavad-gītā that... In Indian villages still, there are different wells.
One well is meant for washing dishes. Another well is meant for taking bath. Another well is meant for washing cloth. Another well is meant for drinking water.
So Kṛṣṇa says, "There are different wells for different purposes, but when you go to the river, all the purposes will be served." You can wash your dishes, you can wash your cloth, you can take bath, and then you take drinking water. Similarly, all these desires... Of course, a devotee has no material desire. Unless one is free from all these material desires... These are all material desires.
Somebody wants to be powerful, somebody wants wealth, somebody wants to have beautiful wife, somebody wants to possess grains and worldly kingdom... There is no limit of our desires. And there are different department also. You can fulfill your desires.
Yānti deva-vratā devān pitèn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ [Bg. 9.25]. So this is kindness, mercy, of Kṛṣṇa, that He has given you facility if you want to fulfill your desire. But all of them are kāma. In each, every line the word is used, kāma. We have marked it.