Vishnu or Shiva – Who is Supreme? | Differences between Vishnu and Shiva
Srimad Bhagavatam reveals that Lord Shiva is the foremost of all the Vaishnavas (devotees of Vishnu) – ‘vaishnavanam yatha sambhuh purananam idam tatha’ (Srimad Bhagavatam – 12.13.16). However, some people having incorrect sambandha gyan (knowledge of relationship with the Supreme) incorrectly claim that Lord Shiva is the Supreme Lord. The scriptures, however, unambiguously reveal that Lord Shiva is a devotee of the Supreme Lord and in fact he is a devotee of the highest order. The Mohini Murti pastime, wherein Lord Shiva was bewildered by Krishna who took the form of a beautiful attractive woman, or the pastime of Bhasmasura , wherein Lord Shiva had to flee from the asura unto whom he had bestowed several benedictions a while before, reflect the superiority and the position of Lord Krishna as the Supreme.
In fact, Shiva is always meditating and hankering to render service unto Sri Krishna who is his dear beloved Lord. In Chaitanya Mangala, it is described how Lord Shiva once became mad with ecstasy after honoring a tiny morsel of Krishna Prasadam which he had received from Narada Muni. Such were his feelings, that he began loudly singing and dancing. The dance slowly became more and more vigorous and took the shape of ‘Tandava’, a dance that is usually performed at the time of annihilation. As the whole world started shaking, the helpless demigods approached mother Parvati requesting her to console her husband. We can thus clearly understand how dear Krishna and His food remnants are to Lord Shiva.
