Cosmic Principles and the Deities
The path of Knowledge, Jnana, concentrates on tattvas, cosmic principles.  The path of Devotion, Bhakti, focuses on deities.  Consciousness inhabits both tattvas and deities.  The mechanism for Pure Consciousness is awakened Intelligence.  Once this fire of Intelligence is ignited, these tattvas and deities will come out naturally.

If one follows the path of jnana, one needs to know tattvas.  If one follows the path of bhakti, one needs to know deities.  Tattvas and deities are not compartmentalized such that they will never meet.

When considering the tattvas of Mahat (cosmic mind), Buddhi (intellect), and Ahamkara ("I" sense) consider them in vyasti and samasti modes, that is, in their individual, collective, and cosmic aspects.  One should never think of these teachings without this triputi (triple teaching), otherwise one is not a whole person, perhaps not even one-third of a person.   Individual, collective, and cosmic modes are like stations – like a satellite station out in space that allows one to explore further and afar. One should never be without these three.

The ancestors, angels, gods and goddesses, want the subtle realms of name and form, so one has to propitiate them along the path to formlessness via transcendence.  Swami Aseshanandaji, my teacher, would say that in Vedanta we go to Enlightenment hand in hand.  It is a matter of all-inclusiveness, not negation.

We are all (individually and collectively) a kind of manager of the 24 Cosmic Principles.  We have to keep the different regions under control by keeping them in mind.  Then we can live in Lila (divine sport) rather than Maya, suffering.