Administrative gods?

[SpentaMaynu]

Namaste all

I have some questions which I guess ISCKON devotees will be in the best position to answer, nevertheless I would like to hear the opinion of anyone in this DIR.

At the moment I am at Chapter 8 of the Bhagavad Gita (As it is). In 8:2 Swami Prabhupada comment saying that Lord Indra is the chief of the administrative demigods... Keeping in mind that my first language is not English (or Sanskrit for that matter) - what is 'administrative demigods'? When I hear the word 'administrative' I think of paper work of office work ... I've tried to see if there is a different meaning to the word but couldn't find something and so I'm at a lost as demigods doing office work doesn't sound right to me...

Then in 8:3 Swami explains that there is five types of fire (heavenly planets, clouds, earth, man and woman) and five types of offerings (faith, enjoyer of the moon, rain, grains and semen). What is these types of fire? I kind of interpret it as the sun, thunder, normal fire, body heat and emotions - am I right or do I totally misunderstand it? And, lastly, what is 'enjoyer of the moon' or what is the meaning of it?

Thank you in advance for all answers

 

[Shrew]

I never read the Bhagavad Gita as it is, but I have an idea rearding administative gods.
I think those could be gods who are responsible for granting mundane wishes, such as money, food, comforts, health.... basically everything but Moksha.
Just my 5 cents.

 

[SomeRandom]

Administrative gods are gods in charge of specific jobs that keep the universe going, sort of like checks and balances, making sure the whole team runs as smoothly as possible or at least "according to plan."
Like Indra is the god of rain (or thunder and/or lightning depending on who you ask)
Agni is the god of Fire
Yama is the god of death
Surya is the Sun God
Varuna is the god of water
Vayu is the god of the wind (air)
Soma (Chandra) is the moon god

Of course you could also include the goddess of illness, Saraswati and Lakshmi if one wants to stretch the definition (or differ in interpretation, of course.)

 

[Chakra]

I'd agree with @SomeRandom and @Shrew.

 

[Kirran]

You've generally got the answers here, so I'd just like to note that the translation and commentary you're reading is one that is quite divergent from all others.

 

[Chakra]

You've generally got the answers here, so I'd just like to note that the translation and commentary you're reading is one that is quite divergent from all others.

That's always a good thing to keep in mind regardless of which translation and commentary one reads.

 

[Aupmanyav]

When I hear the word 'administrative' I think of paper work of office work ..

Then in 8:3 Swami explains that there is five types of fire (heavenly planets, clouds, earth, man and woman) and five types of offerings (faith, enjoyer of the moon, rain, grains and semen).

Yes, some one has to supervise things. Lord Yama's task is most extensive. His office has to keep the records of all actions (even thoughts and desires) of all living beings in the world (not just humans), so that he could then reward or punish the soul accordingly. Of course, he has a great help in Chitragupta in the accounts department. Indra has to keep a watch on where the rains are going, where they should or they should not, etc.

As for fires juxtapose the fire and the offering, what pleases what, and you get the idea.
heavenly planets ... faith
clouds ... moon
earth ... rain
man ... grains, food
woman ... semen, sex

Like it ... Good, Don't like it ... still Good. Krishna did not say all that, Prabhupada said it. Sometimes in explanations, the sense of original is lost. What Krishna said is this:

"The indestructible, transcendental cause is called Brahman, and its self is called 'adhyātma'. Its fruitive activity is the 'creation of the sense of existence'."

(bhūta-bhāva-udbhava-karaḥ, the correct literal meaning of the expression is very deep, very relativistic, very Quantum-mechanical. It is a very secular verse, just defining words and discussing the process).

"Akṣaraḿ brahma paramaḿ, svabhāvah adhyātmam ucyate;
bhūta-bhāva-udbhava-karah, visargaḥ karma-saḿjñitaḥ." BG 8.3

 

[ShivaFan]

Yes, Administrative Gods (Demis, so on doing important things just so everyone who has Powers is kept fully employed as much as possible or someone might complain about the unemployment rate and always get around to blaming that on Management) ...

For example, Lord Shiva wants to meditate while sitting in the lotus position on Mount Kailash. So He just lets others like Kama Devi the God of Love go around doing a job while Management meditates.

However, the only problem with that is sometimes whoever is doing their job decides when the cat is away the mice will play. Or something like that.

So you get into situations where, for example, Shiva is meditating but then Kama tries to shoot Shiva with one of his love darts.

You're fired.

 

[निताइ dasa]

Hi. I am a Gaudiya Vaishnav (ISKCON by association) devotee here.

Administrative being are who demi-gods who are responsible for the maintanence of this material world. See, the Sumpreme Lord, Krsna does not interfere directly for the running of these world, but delegates special beings (called devatas or demigods) who do this. Similar to how a King has different people like his general, or financial adviser who carry out his will. Sometimes these demigods are jivas (like Indra, Ganesh etc) sometimes they are partial forms of God (like Lord Shiva etc) sometimes they are His energy (like Durga devi) and sometimes they are the Lord Himself (like the Paramatma has administrative roles too).

Then in 8:3 Swami explains that there is five types of fire (heavenly planets, clouds, earth, man and woman) and five types of offerings (faith, enjoyer of the moon, rain, grains and semen). What is these types of fire? I kind of interpret it as the sun, thunder, normal fire, body heat and emotions - am I right or do I totally misunderstand it? And, lastly, what is 'enjoyer of the moon' or what is the meaning of it?

Hmm, I'm not sure Prabhupada syas anything about the 5 types of offering and fire in that verse at all (from what I am reading). He is saying, that after our offering's are finished the souls can return to the world in 5 successive ways. Firstly they enter through faith (into various bodies). Others enter this planet through the influence of the moon (the moon actually, according to Gita, is responsible for the function of vegetation). Some souls enter the rain where they are taken up in grains and planets. These grains are eaten by an man and hence the soul may enter into the semen and from the semen enter into the ova and form a new body.

 

[Aupmanyav]

However, the only problem with that is sometimes whoever is doing their job decides when the cat is away the mice will play. Or something like that. So you get into situations where, for example, Shiva is meditating but then Kama tries to shoot Shiva with one of his love darts.

ShivaFan, what else could Kama do? It was a necessity at that time. All Gods had requested Kama to arouse Shiva. Tarakasura could not have been killed unless Shiva begot a son, but Shiva was just engrossed in his meditation. Kama knew that this did not bode well for his future. Sort of, he made himself a sacrifice for the benefit of all Gods. Shiva hands over his effulgence of the third eye used to destroy Kama to Agni, the Fire-God, as he alone is capable of handling it until it becomes the desired offspring. But even Agni, tortured by its heat, hands it over to Ganga who in turn deposits it in a lake in a forest of reeds (sharavanam). The child is finally born in this forest (vana) with six faces. He is first spotted and cared for by the six Pleiades - Kritikas in Sanskrit. He thus gets named Kartikeya. (Other story says six boys were born and Parvati combined them in the form of Kartikeya. There is no dearth of stories in Hinduism) As a young lad, he destroys Tarakasura. He is also called Kumara (Sanskrit for 'youth'). Kama was not at fault. Kama was later rejuvenated but remained without a physical body. Only time he assumed a body was in the form of Aniruddha, the grandson of Lord Krishna.

 

[ShivaFan]

ShivaFan, what else could Kama do? It was a necessity at that time. All Gods had requested Kama to arouse Shiva. Tarakasura could not have been killed unless Shiva begot a son, but Shiva was just engrossed in his meditation. Kama knew that this did not bode well for his future. Sort of, he made himself a sacrifice for the benefit of all Gods. Shiva hands over his effulgence of the third eye used to destroy Kama to Agni, the Fire-God, as he alone is capable of handling it until it becomes the desired offspring. But even Agni, tortured by its heat, hands it over to Ganga who in turn deposits it in a lake in a forest of reeds (sharavanam). The child is finally born in this forest (vana) with six faces. He is first spotted and cared for by the six Pleiades - Kritikas in Sanskrit. He thus gets named Kartikeya. (Other story says six boys were born and Parvati combined them in the form of Kartikeya. There is no dearth of stories in Hinduism) As a young lad, he destroys Tarakasura. He is also called Kumara (Sanskrit for 'youth'). Kama was not at fault. Kama was later rejuvenated but remained without a physical body. Only time he assumed a body was in the form of Aniruddha, the grandson of Lord Krishna.

Sounds like Kama was a good Administrative "God"!

 

[Aupmanyav]

Add: 'on the request of his wife 'Rati' (indulgence).