[Advaita-l] Fwd: Devotion to any Devata results in moksha: Akrura in Bhagavatam

[V Subrahmanian]

In the Bhagavatam there is a stuti by Akrura.  There he says: those who
worship other deities are actually worshiping You alone. They will also
ultimately attain You alone just like all rivers attain the ocean.

श्रीमद्भागवतपुराणम्/स्कन्धः १०/पूर्वार्धः/अध्यायः ४०
https://sa.wikisource.org/s/ukw

त्वामेवान्ये शिवोक्तेन मार्गेण शिवरूपिणम् ।
 बह्वाचार्यविभेदेन भगवन् समुपासते ॥ ८ ॥
 सर्व एव यजन्ति त्वां सर्वदेवमयेश्वरम् ।
 येऽप्यन्यदेवताभक्ता यद्यप्यन्यधियः प्रभो ॥ ९ ॥
 यथाद्रिप्रभवा नद्यः पर्जन्यापूरिताः प्रभो ।
 विशन्ति सर्वतः सिन्धुं तद्वत्त्वां गतयोऽन्ततः ॥ १० ॥

Sridhara swami's commentary is very revealing:  See here:

https://groups.google.com/g/advaitin/c/ShQXUFkkCxg

He says 'the other gods have no existence apart from You.'

The Bhagavata verses also show that the contention that worship of other
(tamasa) gods will result in hell is un-scriptural. The verses clearly say
that all of them will attain liberation.

We are reminded of the popular verse of Pushpadanta:


<http://www.ms.uky.edu/%7Esohum/sanskrit/mahimna/trayii.wma>त्रयी साङ्ख्यं
योगः पशुपतिमतं वैष्णवमिति

प्रभिन्ने प्रस्थाने परमिदमदः पथ्यमिति च।

रुचीनां वैचित्र्यादृजुकुटिल नानापथजुषां

नृणामेको गम्यस्त्वमसि पयसामर्णव इव॥ ७॥


The different practices based on the three Vedas, SaMkhya, Yoga,
Pashupata-mata, VaishhNava-mata etc . are but different paths (to reach to
the Greatest Truth) and people on account of their different aptitude
choose from them whatever they think best and deserved to be accepted . But
as the sea is the final resting place for all types of streams , You are
the only reaching place  for all people whichever path,straight or zigzag,
they may accept .  (7)

Many others have also expressed the above idea. 'ShaNmata' is mentioned by
Thyagaraja:

The famous Pancharatna kriti of Thyagaraja, 'Endaro mahanubhaavulu..', in
one of its charaNams, mentions the term 'ShaNmata' with a prefix 'shiva
aadi'.  The meaning can be read in this site:
http://www.shivkumar.org/music/endaromahanubhavulu-new.htm

Annamacharya too has said that the Lord of Tirupati is the same
Lord/deities that a devotee of each deity worships.