330 mill

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namaskar,

This post seeks to explain the reason for 330 million Gods in Hinduism. To read

the complete article that includes about religious development in India from

the Vedic Times, Role of Sankaracharya in modern day Sanathan Dharm, kindly

visit www.esamskriti.com section Culture and Philosophy, article titled

Religious Development in India. This post is written by my Email guru, a

learned and well known exponent of Vedanta.

love and om sanjeev

When Hinduism talks of one God how is it that we have so many Gods and Goddess,

thirty three million as the saying goes. ( By my E mail Guru. Since he is an

exponent on Vedanta, this represents a Vedantic view.)

The Rishis were highly intelligent & observant people. Following the scientific

premise that 'every effect has a cause', they infered that even for this

beautiful creation there has to be a creator, who naturally has to have not

only the knowledge but also the power to create. Thus we have to have a

causeless cause - who has to be omnitient, omnipotent & omnipresent. He being

the creator has to as though stand apart from the creation, and is thus free

from the all the limitations of time, space & objectivity which characterize

the creation. This transcendental, infinite embodiment of knowledge & power is

what the scriptures call GOD. Infinite by its very definition has to be one, so

we have the Vedas talking about one God. There after the entire scriptures talk

about ways & means to give us a way of life wherein we live in cohesion with

this fact of life. This Holistic way of living is the real 'Religious way of

living'.

Just as various ornaments are created out of one material, viz.gold; so also one

basic TRUTH manifests in the various forms. That one reality is called as

Brahman in Upanishads (from the word 'Brahat' meaning the largest thing

conceivable by man), while its various glorious manifestations are the

worshipped as various Devatas - the so called 33 million Gods. Here also the 33

million stands for infinite. It is noteworthy here to indicate that in Hinduism

we use two words as Ishwara & Devatas. The former is 'the thing', and the

latter its various manifestation. The problem comes because in English when we

use the word 'God' for both Ishwara & Devatas. (every body is Uncle, Mama,

Taya, Chacha). Devatas are also that one reality but manifested in a particular

conditioning, while the word God represents the unconditioned truth.

Creation is merely manifestation of one reality with different conditionings.

Just like an actor taking different costumes. If you can see the truth behind

all the roles then you know it, otherwise there will be inevitable

fragmentation in the world with all its negative consequences. Transactions are

only between conditionings so we have to learn to take them on, but yet be free

from them by realizing that we are basically that which transcends them all. If

you know that you are THAT, then you see yourself alone in & through all

conditionings and we know that whenever we see our reflection in anyone there

is that relationship & emotion which is seen in a mother & a child. That of

pure love. The statements like 'Vasudheva Kutumbakam' thus become obvious.

Imagine how beautiful will be the world when this vision is inculcated in all.

This inculcation is also not forced but is the result of the right

understanding of the world & ourselves.

In the 'Vedic era' the physical form of the various devatas were the elements of

nature - the water, fire, earth, sun etc, later in the 'Pauranic era' the were

humanised and thus we have various human form of devatas. It was seen that this

will help personalize the relationships between man & the Devatas. But the basic

principle remains the same. The worship of devatas always came with a package of

understanding the fundamental principles, and it was presupposed that people

will understand them properly. Whoever did - benefited, and those did not,

created lot of problems for themselves and those around, by creating more

divisions, sects & such fragmentation. (Idolatry in India does not mean

anything horrible. It is an attempt of the underdeveloped mind to grasp high

spiritual truths. )

Let us very briefly look at the various Gods and their functions.

1. Brahman is the Supreme Impersonal Godhead.

2. Iswara is the Brahman wielding his power of Maya to create, sustain or eliminate

things.

3. Brahma is the creative aspect of Ishwara.

4. Saraswati is the Goddess of Learning and Wisdom. She represents the power

present in a creator to create - knowledge. So every creator has to have Saraswati as his

consort.

5. Vishnu is the preservative aspect of Ishwara. His blue color represents infinity.

6. Lakshmi is the consort of Lord Vishnu, and as preservation & sustenance requires

wealth, she thus is the Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity.

7. Siva is in charge of destruction. Every new creation has to destroy the previous

condition so destruction is a part of the process of construction alone. He is also God

of austerity.

8. Uma or Parvati is the embodiment of Sakti of Lord Siva.

These are the main deities given out by the Puranas, all others are their

creation or secondary manifestations, whoever knows the truth does not mind any

of them, because he always sees the one behind the many. The Vedas say 'Ekam Sat

vipraha bahuda vadanti', the truth is one the wise men call it with different

names.

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