Shloka 9
Akrūra’s Prayers (Akrūra-stuti): The Lord as Cause of Causes, Virāṭ, and the Goal of All Paths
सर्व एव यजन्ति त्वां सर्वदेवमयेश्वरम् । येऽप्यन्यदेवताभक्ता यद्यप्यन्यधिय: प्रभो ॥ ९ ॥
sarva eva yajanti tvāṁ sarva-deva-mayeśvaram ye ’py anya-devatā-bhaktā yady apy anya-dhiyaḥ prabho
ప్రభూ! అందరూ నిన్నే ఆరాధిస్తారు; నీవు సమస్త దేవతల స్వరూపమైన పరమేశ్వరుడవు. ఇతర దేవతలను భజించే వారూ నిజానికి నిన్నే పూజిస్తున్నారు.
The idea here is that even those who worship the demigods are indirectly worshiping the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu. The understanding of such worshipers, however, is imperfect.
FAQs
This verse states that even those who worship other deities are, in effect, worshiping Krishna, because He is the Supreme Lord in whom all gods are included—though such worshipers may have a different understanding.
In his prayers, Uddhava affirms Krishna’s supreme position: since all divine powers rest in Him, any worship offered to subordinate deities ultimately reaches the Supreme Controller, even when the worshiper’s intent is elsewhere.
Respect diverse forms of worship, but keep your spiritual focus clear: recognize one Supreme source behind all divinity and cultivate steady devotion (bhakti) to that Supreme Lord.