Text 34]
The Haṅsa-guhya Prayers
235
TEXT 34
यः प्राकृतैर्ज्ञानपथैर्जनानां यथाशयं देहगतो विभाति । यथानिलः पार्थिवमाश्रितो गुणं स ईश्वरो मे कुरुतां मनोरथम् ॥३४॥
yaḥ prākṛtair jñāna-pathair janānām yathāśayam deha-gato vibhāti yathānilaḥ pārthivam āśrito guṇam sa īśvaro me kurutām manoratham
yaḥ —who;  prākṛtaiḥ —lower grade;  jñāna-pathaiḥ —by the paths of worship;  janānām —of all living entities;  yathā-āśayam —according to the desire;  deha-gataḥ —situated within the core of the heart;  vibhāti —manifests;  yathā —just as;  anilaḥ —the air;  pārthivam —earthly;  āśritaḥ —receiving;  guṇam —the quality (like flavor and color);  saḥ —He;  īśvaraḥ —the Supreme Personality of Godhead;  me —my;  kurutām —may He fulfill;  manoratham —desire (for devotional service).
TRANSLATION
As the air carries various characteristics of the physical elements, like the aroma of a flower or colors resulting from a mixture of dust in the air, the Lord appears through lower systems of worship according to one's desires, although He appears as the demigods and not in His original form. What is the use of these other forms? May the original Supreme Personality of Godhead please fulfill my desires.
PURPORT
The impersonalists imagine the various demigods to be forms of the Lord. For example, the Māyāvādis worship five demigods ( pañcopāsanā ). They do not actually believe in the form of the Lord, but for the sake of worship they imagine some form to be God. Generally they imagine a form of Viṣṇu, a form of Śiva, and forms of Gaṇeśa, the