View source for Those who are Vaisnavas, they are demigods. Demigod does not mean that something extraordinary. Anyone who is Vaisnava, devotee of the Supreme Lord, he is demigod. That is the statement of Vedic literature

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<div id="Lectures" class="section" sec_index="4" parent="compilation" text="Lectures"><h2>Lectures</h2>
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<div id="Srimad-Bhagavatam_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="1" parent="Lectures" text="Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures"><h3>Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures</h3>
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<div id="LectureonSB791113HawaiiMarch241969_0" class="quote" parent="Srimad-Bhagavatam_Lectures" book="Lec" index="813" link="Lecture on SB 7.9.11-13 -- Hawaii, March 24, 1969" link_text="Lecture on SB 7.9.11-13 -- Hawaii, March 24, 1969">
<div class="heading">Who are demigod? Those who are Vaiṣṇavas, they are demigods. Demigod does not mean that something extraordinary. Anyone who is Vaiṣṇava, devotee of the Supreme Lord, he is demigod. That is the statement of Vedic literature. Viṣṇu-bhakto bhaved daivaḥ. Daiva. Daiva means devatā or demigod.
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<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on SB 7.9.11-13 -- Hawaii, March 24, 1969|Lecture on SB 7.9.11-13 -- Hawaii, March 24, 1969]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">So maintenance cannot be taken by anyone except by God. Therefore this material world is being operated in three departmental qualities: sattva, raja, tama. Sattva is maintenance. Sattva means goodness. Goodness is maintenance. And raja means activity. Without activity, there cannot be any creation in this material world. If you want to construct something, there must be activity. Raja means activity. And tama means darkness. So these, these qualities are working. These qualities are working. Now, in your country, by the rajo-guṇa you have created so many things, a nice country, very nicely operating. But another side: the confusion is there, the hippies. You see? Future hope of the country is very dark. You see? It will spoil the whole thing if the country's not alive to the situation. This is another way of protest. Just like in Europe there are, in Russia there is communist, so this is another way of... So these qualities will work because this material world—one side, goodness; another side, darkness; another side, activity. This is going on. So as there are so many departments of activities, all these demigods, they are in charge of, director, director in chief. So brahmādayaḥ. Brahmā is in charge of something. Indra is in charge of something. The demigods, they're officers. They have no information. They say, "It is nature, nature, nature, nature." No nature. They are department, department. Indra is in charge of this cloud, how cloud is conducted, how rain falls there, and he's in charge of... Water department, like that. Just like moon. Moon is in charge of lighting at night. Sun is in charge of lighting in daytime. Because it is darkness. The whole world is darkness. So these demigods... Similarly, Lord Śiva is in charge of destroying, tamo-guṇa. When there will be necessity of destroying this whole thing... Because this world is like that. Everything that is created, that must be destroyed. Your body is being created from the father and mother. Now it is being maintained. So creation and maintenance, and then a time will come—it will be destroyed. So these, these three departments are there. So for creative department of this material world, Lord Brahma; for maintenance department, Lord Viṣṇu Himself; and for destruction, Lord Śiva. These are the guṇa avatāras, three, trinity. One is creating, one is maintaining...</p>
<p>So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, brahmā, sarve hy amī vidhi-karās tava sattva-dhāmno: "They are all Your servants. These demigods, they are appointed servants, and they are not disturbing like us. And Your incarnation is specially meant for them, specially meant..." Because Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām ([[Vanisource:BG 4.8|BG 4.8]]). Actually He incarnates to protect these, I mean to say, faithful persons who are devoted to Kṛṣṇa. That is His main business. And vinā... And the sideways side, I mean to say, killing all these demonic per... Just like Hiraṇyakaśipu, he's demon, and Prahlāda is devotee. Lord Nṛsiṁha's appeared for two business: for killing Hiraṇyakaśipu and giving protection to Prahlāda. So Prahlāda Mahārāja says that "Actually Your appearance, Your incarnation, is meant for these devotees, these demigods." Demigod means devotee. There are two classes of men in the world. One class is demigod. Who are demigod? Those who are Vaiṣṇavas, they are demigods. Demigod does not mean that something extraordinary. Anyone who is Vaiṣṇava, devotee of the Supreme Lord, he is demigod. That is the statement of Vedic literature. Viṣṇu-bhakto bhaved daivaḥ. Daiva. Daiva means devatā or demigod. Asuras tad-viparyayaḥ. And those who are atheistic demons, they are just the opposite. They are never devotee. So there are two classes of men in this world. Sometimes the number, or the proportion, may be greater, this side or that... But in this material world there is never... The proportion of the demigods, or Vaiṣṇavas, is never greater. They are very few always. You cannot expect that the whole world, whole population of the world, will become Vaiṣṇava. That is not possible. Mostly they are demons, atheistic. So Prahlāda Mahārāja first of all appeals to the Lord that "My dear Lord, Nṛsiṁhadeva, Your appearance is for their protection. Now You have killed the demon, my father. Now Your business is finished. Now You become pacified, satisfied, because You have no other, no other cause for being angry." Because Nṛsiṁhadeva was groaning in anger, and the demigods were afraid to approach Him, so Prahlāda Mahārāja first appeals to Him, "My dear Lord, there is no need of any more groaning. You become satisfied because Your appearance is for the protection of these demigods. They are not disturbing to You." In this way he begins his prayer, very nice, simple, a child, although there is no question of Vedānta  philosophy. The simple truth. The simple truth. But it is very nice. We shall go on.</p>
<p>So he īśa amī udvijanto vibhrānta sarve brahmādayaḥ sattva-mūrtes tava vidhi-karāḥ. "Another thing is, now, they are very peaceful by nature. But by Your this fierceful appearance, they have become, I mean to say, fearful. So because Your incarnation is for them, now You become pacified so that they may also become pacified." Brahmādayaḥ sattva-mūrteḥ. Sattva-mūrte. They are... Sattva-mūrte means devotees. "All, they are devotees," sakta-mūrte. Tava vidhi-karā niyoga-kartā: "And they are Your faithful servant. They are Your faithful servant. They are demigod. They are not disturbing." In this way... So to glorify the devotees of the Lord is more pleasing to the Lord. Kṛṣṇa says, mad-bhaktaḥ pūjyābhyadhikaḥ. If we... Just like we say, nanda-nandana, ayi nanda-nandana. We don't say..., Caitanya Mahāprabhu does not say directly, "O Kṛṣṇa." He says, "O the son of Nanda." Kṛṣṇa is very much pleased. Just like Nanda Mahārāja is supposed to be maintainer of Kṛṣṇa, so He takes pleasure when His devotee's names is there. Just like we say, "Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa." Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. So Rādhā's name is first. Why? Nobody can be better devotee than Rādhārāṇī. So as soon as Rādhā's name is there, Kṛṣṇa is more pleased. So that is the way. So if we glorify the devotees, the character of the devotees, before the Lord, He's more pleased than to glorify Himself, He directly.</p>
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