Understanding the Many Gods in Hinduism-3

Understanding the Many Gods in Hinduism-3

One of the ways to attain God-perception is through prayer, contemplation and meditation. The goal being to focus our minds on certain specific attributes of the Supreme, such as truth, love, and purity; and make these qualities manifest in our inner nature.

In this way, the hard shell of the ego, which confines our consciousness into a wave, is gradually chipped away, and our spirit is freed to unite with the ocean of God. (For more, visit: Why should we be good, when being selfish is more rewarding?)

Now in trying to get ordinary people to mediate, the rishis of the Vedas faced a dilemma. The inexperienced minds of most people are unable to focus on the qualitative attributes of a formless, infinite God. For example, it is very hard to meditate on goodness, by imagining a blank space or a void.

“This is because the mind can focus only on those properties which it can perceive through the five senses of sight, smell, sound, taste and touch. Even amongst these, the sense of sight (for example, a picture which signifies goodness) is the most effective tool with which the mind’s attention can be fixed for long periods of time.”
- A translation from Pandit Shriram Sharma’s Hindi essay, The Many Gods in Hinduism are a Symbolic Representation of the Various Powers of One Supreme God.

Keeping this psychological truth in view, the rishis contemplated images for the various attributes of God. Here it is important to note that God is not just an infinite mass of consciousness. Being conscious alone is not sufficient to create anything. For that you need power (shakti), intelligence and capabilities, and the Supreme is full of these.

Thus the sages, took the countless attributes of the Universal Lord, and creatively depicted each of them in the forms of the various Gods and Goddesses of Hinduism:

For example, as the creator of the universe, the Supreme is symbolically represented as Brahma; as the sustainer and nourisher of the world, He is depicted as Vishnu; and as the power which keeps creation in balance, He is represented as Shiva.

Similarly, that aspect of the Supreme which guides our intellect on the path of righteousness is called Mother Gayatri; the power which enhances our creativity is Goddess Saraswati and the courage that helps us leap across oceans, is Lord Hanuman.

In this way arise the multitudinous deities of the Hindus. The purpose of these idols being, to aid the mind of the devotee during prayer and meditation.

“The various Hindu Gods all exist, but not independently. Just as the seven colors exist within one ray of light, so too these various Hindu Gods exist within the Supreme, as names of his different qualities.”
“It is for this reason that the Vedas declare, “Ekam sad vipra bahudha vadanti” – God is One, whom the sages call by various names.”
- A translation from Pandit Shriram Sharma’s Hindi essay, A Look at the Controversy Over Many Gods in the Hindu Religion.

Thus in conclusion, Hinduism is a monotheistic religion. The many Gods of the Hindus are simply a creative acknowledgement of the numerous powers and manifestations of the One Supreme Lord. His manifestations are worshiped as the various elements of nature (jad), while His conscious powers (chetan) are worshiped in the form of different Gods and Goddesses.

Om Namah Shivay