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let us take a God, say, Apam Napat.

If some scripture says Apam Napat is supreme (Rig Veda talks about his Paramam Padam) - then it can simply be argued that Apam Napat is a name of the sectarian supreme God.

So with respect to any scripture that glorifies any entity as Brahman, it can be said that that entity is that sect's supreme God in one of three ways (all names of Brahman mean only that God, that God is the Antaryami of everybody, all names are only attributes and can be taken to mean that sect's God).

With this understanding, no Tamasic or Rajasic deity can be praised as Brahman from the standpoint of this sect.

How can there be Tamasic or Rajasic scriptures for such sects?

EDIT: The ideal answer should cite from canonical Sanskrit scripture or provide examples of real sects and their teachings in Sanskrit or other languages.

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  • You might have kindly misunderstood the concept. First of all, The Deity is not tamasika. The mode of material nature under their explicit control is tamasika or rajasika or sattvika, et al. All deities are Sattvika. A Divinity can never be called Tamasika. Their body is always pure and sattvika. Secondly, this triguna classification is not unique to Vaisnavas- Shiva Purana Verse 2.1.16.37-40 does say, Vishnu is internally Tamsika, while Rudra is internally Sattvika. I don't know what that exactly mean though.!
    – Vivikta
    May 1, 2022 at 1:55
  • Even Skanda Puarana - Samhita Version declares Vaishnava Puranas as Tamasika. So ultimately, it's a double edged-Sword with exchange of tarkas, from both sects, not a unidimensional idea, as is popularly portrayed.
    – Vivikta
    May 1, 2022 at 1:56
  • @Vivikta - there are varying levels of gunas in each jati. even in animals we have satvik animals, and tamasik animals. how can an animal be satvik, you may ask ? it doesn't mean fully satvik. it means, among the animals, it is satvik. i.e. the most satvik animal is more tamasik than the most tamasik man, and the most satvik man is more tamasik than the most tamasik deva, and so on. it is clear from common sense that among the trimurtis, who is responsible for rajasik acts, who is for satvik acts and who is for tamasik acts.
    – mar
    May 1, 2022 at 17:15

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