Who is Supreme? Shiva or Vishnu?

Since ages, this fight is there, that who among the "Gods" is supreme? Shiva or Vishnu?

Devotee of each tries to demean others. Everybody has some logic. Everybody gives reference to some holy scripture. A general person is confused, who is greater?

When I was young, I also thought on this many times. If you see scriptures devoted to Shiva, it says Shiva is greatest and other Gods prays him, similarly Scriptures related to Vishnu says same for Vishnu......all this is quite confusing.

To whom should we worship? Who is the "True" God?

One day I saw one program on Television. It was based on a Novel by Jawahar Lal Nehru "Discovery of India".

In the end a few singers sang some shlokas from Vedas. It was very pleasing to ears and I searched a lot for the source until one fine day I got that. It was Hiranyagarbha Suktam from Rigveda (10:121).

It says:
In the beginning was the Divinity in his splendour, manifested as the sole Lord of land, skies, water, space and that beneathand he upheld the earth and the heavens.
Who is the Deity we shall worship with our offerings?

It is he who bestows soul-force and vigour,whose guidance all men invoke, the Devas invoke whose shadow is immortal life-and death.
Who is that Deity to which we shall worship with our offerings?

It is he who by his greatness became the one King of the breathing and the seeing,who is the Lord of man and bird and beast.
Who is the Deity we shall worship with our offerings?

It is he through whose glory the snow-clad mountains rose,and the ocean spread with the river, they say.His arms are the quarters of the sky.
Who is that Deity to which we shall worship with our offerings?

It is he through whom the heaven is strong and the earth firm,who has steadied the light and the sky’s vault,and measured out the sphere of clouds in the mid-region.
Who is that Deity to which we shall worship with our offerings?

It is he to whom heaven and earth, placed in the lightby his grace, look up, radiant with the mind while over them the sun, rising, brightly shines.
Who is the deity we shall worship with our offerings?

When the mighty waters came, carrying the universal germ, producing the flame of life,then dwelt there in harmony the One Spirit of the Devas.
Who is that Deity to which we shall worship with our offerings?

It is he who in his might surveyed the waters, conferring skill and creating worship- he,the God of Gods, the One and only One.
Who is that Deity to which we shall worship with our offerings?

Father of the world - may he not destroy us who with Truth as his Law made the heavens
and produced waters, vast and beautiful.
Who is that Deity to which we shall worship with our offerings?

Lord of creation ! no one other than thee pervades all these that have come into being.May that be ours, for which our prayers rise, may we be masters of many treasures!

Such a beautiful Richa from Rigveda......

Perhaps the answer was here. I got that.

So no confusion left...there are no two or three or many...only one. The Lord of Lords, the King of Kings......

One day I was just looking into Gita. Tenth Chapter is called Vibhuti Yoga. I liked this very much because Lord tells about himself.

He declares "....I am the Vishnu among twelve sons of Aditi......I am Shankar among eleven Rudra......."

So Krishna declared that he is Vishnu and he is shiva....wow!

Then again confusion.... Vishnu has taken birth through Aditi..so he is mortal so How God?

But in the tenth chapter itself Krishna continues "...........you treat me among the best of any thing that you see or feel or realize". So he is just trying to say that I am the best and nothing is beyond me...So he only one called through different names.

Now perhaps I see that doubts are getting cleared a little.

He and alone he is the Lord, he has manifested himself as Vishnu or Shiva or many other devas. You can call him by any name.

Krishna again declares ".........those who worship different deities and gods...actually do not know that actually they are worshipping me only................"

Wow....all doubts cleared.

Then there is reference in Bhaagwatam. Lord Vishnu declares ....."It is me who is Shiva".

Is there any doubt still that both are one and same?

As Kaliyuga came on this planet, the great masters secluded themselves in caves and forests and the people became ignorent. And so the fight started that who is great.

There is a beautiful story in Raam Charita Maanas by Goswami Tulsidaas. When Lord Raam
was doing worship of Lord Shiva at sea shore to gain victory over Lanka. Mother Sita asked Lord Raam that what this Lingam will be known in future...Lord replied, "It will
be Rameshwaram.....meaning "Ishwar of Raam"

Mother Paarvati asked Lord Shiva that Lord Raam has worshipped and named that as
Raameshwaram that is Ishwar of Raam. Shiva smiled and said that Raam is great. The actual
meaning of Rameshwaram is not "Ishwar of Raam....but that "whose ishwar IS
Raam".....see the beauty of words.

So what do you mean by Rameshwaram......
1. that who is Ishwar of Raam
2. or that whose iswar is Raam.

To silent the people who fight each other on the issue that who is great, Raam declares
that "whoever tries to be my devotee and hates Shiva....can not realize me even in
dreams."

Then there is one more doubt...we read through scriptures..he get angry...or get happy
or get sad. He is showing human like behaviour. How he can be God?

These scriptures primarily Puraan were written by great sage Ved Vyasa. The motive was
that in Kaliyuga, people will not be intelligent enough to understand the deep
knowledge of Veda. Hence he tried to gave that knowledge through stories in Puraan.

Each one of us is a different individual. No two people are alike in all their habits. Hence as per their interest they worship Shiva or Vishnu or any other deity. But as we have seen earlier Krishna says in Gita:
".........those who worship different deities and gods...actually do not know that actually they are worshipping me only................"

Any doubt left?

The narration in Puraan that they show human like behaviour is because so that the reader can understand it in better way. If I have to teach a person then I have to talk
in a manner so that he/she can understand it as per his/her intelligence. I have to put
myself in his/her place and then explain.

This is the reason that God shows human behaviour. He shows it so that we can understnad about him. Actually he is above all such things.

Again reference from Gita....

Lord says..."...I love nobody and I hates nobody..............but those who are in me..I am in them"
Such a beautiful sentence....."those who are in me..I am in them"

Any doubts left on this topic?