Sanathan Dharma often faces this question over and over again. "Why do you have million Gods?" Yes... We all know that unlike other religions, Sanathan Dharma has no single holy scripture and no single God. We do not have one common rule to follow but instead, many many options and ways to choose. We also agree that the "Supreme Brahmam" is formless, changeless and ever blissful and in every holy scripture (of particular God), that God is declared as this "Supreme Brahmam". This is somewhat complex for people to understand and hence Sanathan Dharma (Hinduism) is considered as the most mysterious, difficult to comprehend and composite religion. We, the followers of Sanathan Dharma, too have the same question in our inner minds for which we are trying to get convincing answers. The explanations of Spiritual masters, who have declared that "God is one", are also complex to understand, the reason being our own limitation in perceiving such concepts. Spiritual masters have always stressed that enlightenment cannot be explained but rather to be felt. Due to this reason, they might have not revealed everything point blank. In this article, I have tried to bring out some simple convincing answers for our "multiple god" system and the possible reasons behind such idea. I have tried to analyse this from both believers' and non-believers' point of view. This is definitely an extensive article as I need to touch base about various facets of Sanathan Dharma before beginning the analysis. I request you all to read it completely to understand the essence. I have also included the views from scriptures as well as from scholars throughout this post to enable proper reasoning.
QUICK VIEW :
| Key concept | Attempt to explain why many Gods and many Paths in Sanathan Dharma |
| Answers For Believers' | One God manifested as many, For Universe to be in order, each force should be in order, Gods as celestial beings who live in different abodes with different powers, the step by step approach in reaching the ultimate truth (infinite). |
| Answers For Non Believers' | We are not alone in this Universe ; Powerful Gods could be celestial aliens ; Mantras are like codes to unlock the cosmic powers and to invoke a particular deity (super powered alien being) |
| General Details About Sanathan Dharma | The basic ideology, Six philosophies, Holy scriptures, Paths to salvation, The deities including Rig vedic deities. |
The Basic Ideology :
"God - The Supreme Brahmam" is one. Sanathan Dharma agrees to this completely and there is no doubt that this is the basic idelogy. But, who is that supreme one and how to reach him? Here comes many variations. Shaivaites call that "Shiva" and Vaishnavites call that "Vishnu". The followers of Devi, call that "Shakthi" and so does the followers of other Gods. Advaits call that "Atman - self. The paths that lead to "The Supreme Brahmam" also have many variations like Karma, Dharma, Yoga, Bakthi, Gnana, Sanyasa and so on. Before going in depth about these concepts, let us take a look on what Spiritual Masters have told about "The Supreme Brahmam".
- Adi Sankaracharya : "Brahma satyam jagan mithya jiva brahmaiva naaparah" - Brahman, the absolute alone is real. The world is unreal (Maya). The jiva or the individual soul is not different from Brahman.
- Madvacharya : "Sriman Narayana is the lord of the universe, and the creation, destruction, sustenance, control etc are according to his wish. He is the one called Brahmam in the vedas and he is full of knowledge, bliss and power.
- Ramakrishna Paramahamsa - More are the names of God and infinite are the forms through which he may be approached. In whatever name and form you worship him, through them you will realize him.
The Different Philosophies :
Sanathan dharma allows you to reason and choose a path of your choice, rather than sticking on to one principle and asking everyone to follow that. Where ever you stand in terms of knowledge and wisdom and which ever path you choose, you can attain worldly pleasures, peace, spiritual progress and finally salvation. This is its unique specialty. In this context, let us first see the six different schools of philosophy. They are :
- Sankya : Emphasizes duality that the consciousness (Purusha) is different from that of matter (Prakriti). It believes that "due to ignorance that the Purusha identifies himself with Prakriti and absolute freedom arises with the realization that Purusha is different from that of Prakriti.
- Yoga : This is Patanjali's school of thought. The eight limbed Ashtanga yoga, which deals with the discipline of body and mind and the psychic powers of mind. Here, the realization of self happens with intense control of senses, breath control called pranayama and constant meditation.
- Nyaya : This school of thought is based on logic and reasoning. According to this philosophy, there are four sources of knowledge viz. perception, inference, comparison and testimony. The main ideology here is "the only way to get released from suffering is to obtain the true knowledge.
- Vaisheshika : It is based on the concept of "atomic theory". It emphasizes that all objects in physical universe are the aggregation of atoms and Brahmam is the fundamental force that causes consciousness in these atoms and that "individual souls are eternal and pervade material body for a time period". According to Vaisheshika, there are nine classes of realities viz, Earth, water, light, air, space, time, direction, infinity of souls and mind and seven categories of experience viz, substance, quality, activity, generality, particularity, inherence and non-existence.
- Purva Mimamsa : It is a system of vedic interpretation. It emphasizes unquestionable faith in vedas, especially to that of rituals mentioned in vedas (Brahmanas), like yajnas and sacrifices. This system believes that the power of mantras and yajnas are enough to sustain all the activities of this universe. As such, performance of vedic rituals are considered as primary dharma to attain salvation.
- Vedanta : It concentrates on the philosophical teachings of the Upanishads, rather than the ritualistic injunctions of the Brahmanas. The term "Vedanta" means "the end of vedas" which can be literally said as the "essence of vedas". The ideology of "Vedanta" is that "Self-consciousness is continuous with and indistinguishable from consciousness of Brahmam". Later, Vedanta separated into six categories viz, Advaita, Vishishtadvaita, Dvaita, Dvaitadvaita, Shuddhadvaita and Acintya Bheda Abheda.
For detailed description about the six schools of philosophy, click the following links :
The Holy scriptures :
Mahatma Gandhi - When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad Gita and find a verse to comfort me : and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. My life has been full of external tragedies and if they have not left any visible or invisible effect on me, I owe it to the teaching of the Bhagavad Gita".
Unlike other religions, there is no single holy book in Hinduism, but rather many. Each main classification has many many sub classifications, making an extensive list of holy scriptures. Although there are many scriptures, the well known among them are the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Ithihasa and the Bhagavad Gita. The scriptures are basically classified into two main categories viz. Sruti - That which has to be heard , and Smriti - That which has to be remembered. I have compiled a chart (after referring to many sources) of these scriptures which is given below. I seek your apology in case if there are any errors or omissions.
Unlike other religions, there is no single holy book in Hinduism, but rather many. Each main classification has many many sub classifications, making an extensive list of holy scriptures. Although there are many scriptures, the well known among them are the Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Ithihasa and the Bhagavad Gita. The scriptures are basically classified into two main categories viz. Sruti - That which has to be heard , and Smriti - That which has to be remembered. I have compiled a chart (after referring to many sources) of these scriptures which is given below. I seek your apology in case if there are any errors or omissions.
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| connectsciencetodivnity.blogspot.com |
Refer these links for detailed descriptions of various scriptures....
http://www.hinduism.co.za/vedas-.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Hindu_scriptures
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_texts
http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Hindu_Scriptures.htm
The well known four paths to salvation :
Though Hindu Philosophy has been divided into six classifications, when it comes to "path to salvation", there are four prominent ways, which are widely known. Bhagavad Gita gives clear accounts for all these four paths namely "Karma yoga", "Raja yoga", "Gnana yoga" and "Bakthi yoga", and emphasizes that, "Men can choose which ever path, and by following it correctly, can attain salvation". Detailed explanation of these four paths are not given here considering the length of this article but have provided links for those who are interested.
- Karma Yoga - Salvation through right action
- Raja Yoga - Salvation through "Ashtanga Yoga" (yoga and meditation)
- Gnana Yoga - Salvation through philosophical research and wisdom
- Bakthi Yoga - Salvation through pure devotion
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa - "God can be realized through all paths. All religions are true. The important thing is to reach the roof. You can reach it by stone stairs or by wooden stairs or by bamboo steps or by a rope. You can also climb up by a bamboo pole."
The Deities :
Here comes the most important part, the deities. After looking into the different concepts, different texts and ways to be followed for salvation, we should understand about the deities to know "who is the subject matter" of all these concepts and scriptures. Before proceeding, please take a look into what scholars have told about the multiple God system.
Max Muller - "When these individual gods are invoked, they are not conceived as limited by the power of others, as superior or inferior in rank. Each god, to the mind of the supplicants, is as good as all the gods. He is felt at the time as a real divinity, as supreme and absolute, in spite of the limitations which, to our mind, a plurality of gods must entail on every single god. All the rest disappear for a moment from the vision of the poet, and he only who is to fulfill their desires, stands in full light before the eyes of the worshippers.....................It would be easy to find, in the numerous hymns of the Rig Veda, passages in which almost every single god is represented as supreme and absolute."
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa - "You are son to your father, husband to your wife, father to your son, master to your servant and brother to your sibling. If, a normal man like you, can have these many forms to different people, then why not God, the creator of all?
Rig Vedic Deities :
Rig veda, the oldest among the Hindu scriptures, gives account to as many as 33 Gods (Devas), which are classified as follows :
When you look at the above chart, you can spot the names called "Dyaus" Prithvi". They are the Sky god and Earth god respectively. Please note that the term "Dyaus" is similar to that of "Zeus", sky god according to "Greek Mythology".
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| Zeus - Sky God of Greek Mythology |
Trimurti :
Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva - The Trimurtis also called as "Hindu Trinity", are responsible for creation, preservation and destruction respectively. Brahma is often referred as "Prajapati". Vishnu's incarnations are well knows as Dasavathara. Both Vishnu and Shiva, have many many names and many many forms.
Tridevi :
The consorts of Trimurti, viz. Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati are collectively called as Tridevi. Saraswati is considered the God of education and arts, Lakshmi, for wealth and prosperity and Parvati for Power. These Gods too have many many names and forms.
Vinayaka and Muruga :
The sons of Lord Shiva, Vinayaka and Muruga, are popular deities too. Ganesha, the elephant faced God, is prayed to, before beginning any task as he is considered as the destroyer of all obstacles. Lord Muruga, also called as Kartikeya, is considered as God for "Tamil" language. There are innumerable names for these gods as well.
Rama and Krishna :
The most popular incarnations of Vishnu. Rama and Krishna, both are worshiped individually as supreme Gods. Rama is famously knows as "Eka pathni vratha" and Krishna as "Geethacharya", as he revealed Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna.
Apart from the above, we do have many many more including Hanuman, Dhanvantri, Ayyappa, Dakshinamurthy etc. We also have Devas (Demi gods). Though we do not know the exact number of Devas, there is generally a popular saying in Sanathan Dharma, that Devas are 33 million in total. (முப்பத்து முக்கோடி தேவர்கள்)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gadadhara-pandit-dasa/the-33-million-demigods-o_b_1737207.html
http://www.worldhistorycharts.com/hindu-gods-chart/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Hindu_deities
Why these many Gods ?
The analysis starts at this point. Thank you for reading this extensive post so far. In this analysis I have tried to provide convincing answers (logically) for both believers and non believers,as to why we worship many Gods and follow many paths. The ideas expressed here are purely my views and I am not a great spiritual master. Hence I do not claim that they are 100% correct. But I encourage you to consider the points, make your own analysis and decide whether to take it or leave it, according to your own judgement. The main criteria, which I have taken to substantiate my case (for both the cases), is "The Universe".
Convincing answer for believers :
Believers actually do not need the answers for why we are worshiping many Gods. They simply trust and offer their prayers to all Gods. But I thought of providing this answer for one reason, that there is no inferiority or superiority among Gods. Before proceeding, I encourage you to read the following articles.
And watch this video to know about Multiverse :
When we see Sanathan Dharma Gods, everyone of them have separate tasks. Devas have their own assigned tasks and the Trimurtis have creation, preservation and destruction. If you closely observe the tasks of Gods, you will come to know that they are deities to preserve one force each in the Universe. Let me give more examples... Please take a look at the following images :
Surya - The Sun God
Agni - The Fire God
Soma - The Moon God
Varuna - The God of Water
Yama - The God of Death
Likewise, we have, Vayu - wind , Gandharvas - celestial musicians, Bhudevi - Earth, Saniswara - Saturn, Bhuda - Mercury, Dhanvantri and Ashwini Devas - celestial physicians and so on. Each and every deity has a nature force to control, be it celestial objects (planets, galaxies and space) or earthly elements (fire, water, wind, etc) or the various things needed (like wealth, prosperity, education, power) to lead human life happily.
Sanathan Dharma is famous for its massive time calculations (yuga, manvantara and kalpa) and million and trillion year old gods and different time periods for different worlds. It has mentioned different worlds (abode) for different deities, which are obviously, the celestial planets and has even given the distance between (in terms of yojanas) the different worlds. The image of Mount Kailash is given below. It is an Earthly manifestation of a celestial abode. We have many such manifestations and can understand them if we study scriptures deeply.
Now we have two approaches to answer "Why many gods?". The first one is what almost all the spiritual masters have told. "One God is what is manifested in many forms. God is in you and in me. He is smallest of smallest and biggest of biggest. Whoever you worship and whichever form you worship, you still worship the supreme lord, provided you do it whole-hearted".
Bhagavad Gita - "When he sees me in all and sees all in me, then I never leave him and he never leaves me. And he who in this oneness of love, loves me in whatever he sees, wherever this man may live, in truth, he lives in me."
The second approach is to closely observe the Universe. Just imagine Earth alone... If Earth has air and water but no fire, has water and fire but no air, how will it be? What will happen if one tiny system changes in the Solar system? Universe, in order to function in an orderly manner, need all forces to be in order. Scientists, even now, are puzzled that how this universe is made in perfectly measured manner. Sanathan Dharma Gods are universal forces who have taken responsibility in proper functioning of that particular force (celestial bodies, elements or basic needs of humans). Which force is superior and which is inferior? All are equally important, isn't it?
When we say, surya is the sun god, we should be clear about one thing. There are millions of sun in the Universe, but what we know with our limited knowledge is only, our sun, which is in the solar system. Surya could be the deity of this Sun or the deity of all suns in the universe... who knows? When we see Rig vedic hymns, it is said that there are 12 Adithyas. Same applies to every thing like, moon, planets, fire, water and so on.
Hence, all deities are equally important, though we understand that the supreme brahmam is formless, shapeless and changeless (The Infinite). Similarly, all mantras have equal importance and they specifically invoke a particular force (deity). None is superior or inferior and the Multi-God system in Sanathan Dharma is logically justifiable.
Please understand this saying from the "Isha Upanishad" :
"Purnam adah purnam idam purnatpurnam udachyate
purnasya purnam adaya purnam evavashishyate"
"What is here is infinite. What is there is also infinite. From infinite, infinite comes out. Taking infinite from infinite, what remains is also infinite."
But to understand the above, we should have enough wisdom. Sanathan dharma has provided step by step approach to get that wisdom. If the above saying is a "college lesson" then we need to finish primary school, middle school and high school before reading that. Isn't it? If we trust and pray in any God, through him we will get the wisdom to understand the infinite. Wise people, one among millions, understand this without studying preliminary lessons. But for the other average million people, we should understand that this (worshiping many gods) system gradually takes them to the ultimate goal.
Convincing answer for non-believers :
This section is for the Athiests. Hence the analysis is done having "Universe" and "Aliens" as the base. The word "Aliens" is used here as just a scientific term to understand the phenomena. It doesn't mean to hurt anyone in any way. Please watch the following video to understand how "Sanathan Dharma Gods as Aliens" are classically explained...
Athiests do not believe in God at all. Even that is perfectly okay with Sanathan Dharma, as it never compels any one. But they do accept "Aliens" as it is logical. Almost everyone of us believe that, in this vast universe (or multi-verse), there are more possibilities for life to exist somewhere (or in many places) apart from our own Earth. The term for such beings in modern science are "Aliens" and the vehicles they use for transportation are called the "UFO". Here, I am trying to establish here, with clear details of course, that the powerful Gods of Sanathan Dharma, are celestial beings (Whom we might be calling as aliens these days).
We live, here, in this milky way galaxy :
And these are the Sombrero and Andromeda galaxies :
There are millions and millions of galaxies in this universe. Watch this short video for knowing about the concept of multi-verse.
Now back to Sanathan Dharma, it has some very clear details for celestial beings. It has mentioned many worlds, (in this material universe alone), viz. 7 higher worlds and 7 lower worlds. The distance, people (deities) who are living there all are very clearly given. Unfortunately these are called mythologies. Take a look about the various worlds, along with their distances,given in our scriptures....
http://connectsciencetodivinity.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-fourteen-72-worlds-lokas.html
Celestial beings live a life which are somewhat similar to that of human beings. They have families, children, musicians and dancers for entertainment and even doctors and physicians for curing ailments. All these are told as beautiful stories in Sanathan Dharma. Here, we have Gods (or universal force) for everything...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishpala
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apsara
Next, we need to look at the sanskrit veda chantings. Those mantras are always chanted in a specific modulation and that is why they have been passed on orally for many generations (to preserve the modulation of chanting... may be). These sanskrit mantras invoke the deities., Each mantra invokes a specific deity. Even modern scientists now agree (after various researches) that sound of mantra produces specific vibration in the universal force. When Gayatri mantra is chanted, for instance, it may produce vibrations in the sun which may trigger the positive energy. Likewise we have mantras for all deities (universal forces). Why can't Sanskrit mantras be codes to invoke/trigger a particular force? When we write software program, we do not use the same codes for all platforms right? When we say about celestial beings, these mantras are like codes to invoke them and to get a specific energy from them for the benefit of human society. Take a look at the following links to know the vibrations of mantras.....
Considering the above, the multi god system of sanathan dharma, is again, logically justified, even from the point of view of athiests. These beings, in our mythology, have their own abode, their own vehicles (UFO) and unique powers which are unimaginable for humans in Earth. It is even said that, "Devas, do not blink, nor their feet touch the ground and their bodies are beyond the five elements". These may be the beyond our dimension, but perfectly possible, if they live in another planet, in which another dimension exists. Their time span is also different. One human year is one day for the Devas, for instance. When we analyze planets and galaxies from the perspective of modern science, we very well know that the orbit time of each planet is different. This is nicely explained in the movie "Interstellar". Hence, if Sanathan Dharma Gods are Aliens, it is perfectly possible to have millions of them. Isn't it???
Conclusion :
For getting material pleasures in life viz.... education, career, marriage, finance planning etc, we take much effort to analyse various options and choose finally which is best for us. If we are ready to take so much pains for material stuff, why do we need single path when it comes to GOD? Why are we not ready to take up the challenge of analyzing the various options and chose one which is best for us and stick to it? We need immediate results. We worship today and expect good fortune tomorrow.. and if we do not get it, we say something is wrong with God.... This is not the required attitude to understand "GOD". Sanathan Dharma perfectly understands that, every person is different and hence there are many paths to choose according to the person's wisdom, understanding and maturity. I hope that I conveyed the points correctly in this article. Again, all the views expressed here are my own views and I welcome feedback... Let me conclude this lengthy article with the beautiful verses of Bhagavad Gita....
"When he sees me in all and sees all in me
Then I never leave him and he never leaves me
And he who in this oneness of love
Loves me in whatever he sees
Wherever this man may live
In truth he lives in me".
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