A most priceless of knowledge: Hinduism: Belief in One God

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>

> II. Belief in One God : There is a misconception among many that

> Hindus worship many gods and nothing else. To those not familiar

> with Hinduism, this practice of Hindus appear absurd and

> primitive. The way Hindus worship gods is different from the way

> the ancient Hittites or the Mediterranean people worshipped their

> gods. Know from this article why Hindus worship so many gods and

> goddesses, but how at the same time firmly believe in the

> unquestionable fact that God is but one indivisible Supreme Truth.

>

> http://www.hinduwebsite.com/onegod.asp

>

>

 

Belief in One God

 

The Hindus believe in many gods and goddesses. At the same time they

also believe in the existence on one Supreme God, whom they call

variously as Paramatma (Supreme Self), Parameshwar (Supreme Lord),

Parampita (Supreme Father). Iswara, Maheswara, Bhagawan, Purusha,

Purushottama, Hiranyagarbha and so on.

 

God is one, but also many. He manifests Himself in innumerable forms

and shapes. As Purusha (Universal Male), He enters Prakriti (Nature,

Matter or Divine Energy) and brings forth the numerous worlds and

beings into existence. He upholds His entire creation with His

unlimited powers.

 

He is both the Known and the Unknown, the Being as well as the Non-

Being, Reality as well as Unreality. As the Unknown, He is rarely

known and worshipped for difficult and painful is the path for those

who choose to worship Him as the Unmanifest (The Bhagavad-Gita

XII.6).

 

He exists in all and all beings exist in him. There is nothing other

than Him, and there is nothing that is outside of Him. He is

Imperishable, unknowable, immortal, infinite, without a beginning

and without an end. All the same when worshipped with intense

devotion and unshakeable faith, He responds to the calls of His

devotees and comes to their aid and rescue.

 

All the gods and goddess are His manifestations only. In His female

aspect He is Shakti, who as the Divine Universal Mother assists the

whole creation to proceed through the process of evolution in Her

own mysterious ways.

 

The relationship between man and God is purely personal and each can

approach Him in his own way. There are no fixed rules and no central

controlling authority on the subject of do's and don'ts. There are

of course scriptures and Smritis but whether to follow them or not

is purely an individual choice.

 

The concept of monotheism is not new to Hinduism. It is as old as

the Vedas themselves. References to One indivisible and mysterious

God are found in the Rigveda itself. The concept is the central

theme of all the Upanishads in which He is variously referred as

Brahman, Iswara, Hiranyagarbha, Asat etc.

 

While the students of Upanishads tried to understand Him through the

path of knowledge and there by made it the exclusive domain of a few

enlightened persons, the bhakti marg or the path of devotion brought

Him closer to the masses. The One Imperishable and Ancient Being was

no more a God of remote heights, but down to the earth, ready to

help His needy devotees and willing to perform miracles if necessary.

 

The rise of tantric cults added a new dimension to our understanding

of Him. To the tantric worshippers the Supreme Self is the Universal

Mother. Purusha is subordinate to Her and willing to play a

secondary role in Her creation. By Himself He cannot initiate

creation unless He joins with His Shakti.

 

On the abstract level He is satchitananda. Truth, Consciousness and

Bliss. He is the inhabitant of the whole world. There is nothing

that is outside of Him or without Him. He exists in the individual

being as Atman, the Enjoyer who delights in Himself, without

undergoing any change, but willing to participate in the cycle of

births and deaths and bear witness to all the illusions of life.

 

He can be realized in many ways, which broadly fall into three main

categories: the path of knowledge, the path of devotion and the path

of renunciation. Of this the middle one is the best, the first one

is very difficult and the third one requires immense sacrifice and

inner purification. In the Bhagavad-Gita we come across the path of

action which combines the rest of the three into one integrated

whole in which a devotee has to live his life with a sense of

supreme sacrifice, performing his actions with detachment, without

any desire for the fruit of actions and offering them to God with

pure devotion and total surrender.

 

Hindus have a very broader approach to the concept of God. The names

that people give to Him are just mere reference points for the sake

of our understanding. How can He have names, who is actually beyond

all words and thoughts? He represent the loftiest ideal which

mankind can aspire to achieve. He is the goal and reaching Him in

our individual ways is the very purpose of our lives. Those who

quarrel on his name are blind men who grope in darkness and go to

the worlds of ignorance.

 

Truly the Brahman of Hinduism represents the Highest principle which

the human mind can ever conceive of. He is not God of just one world

or a few worlds, but represents the entire known and unknown

Universe as well as the past, the present and the future that is yet

to come.

 

Hinduism: Belief in One God

http://www.hinduwebsite.com/onegod.asp