Why Do Hindus Have So Many Gods?
According to Google’s “All-Knowing Eye” the Knowledge Graph, there are 330 million Hindu Gods. This is excessive even when you consider the huge number of Gods in Hindu mythology.
Nobody can name the 330 million Gods, because they don’t actually exist. This figure comes from the idea that there are 33 Crores Gods and one Crores is a million.
Every explanation we have read attempting to explain this principle turns into complete drivel, so we will not join that legion and move on.
What we do know is there are 33 principle Gods named in the Vedas, the oldest writings from ancient India. Over time, these 33 Gods were given different names. For example, Rama and Krishna are reincarnations of Vishnu.
The reason why Hindus worship so many Gods is because Hindus appreciate that everyone has their own path to follow so dedicate temples to specific Devas.
However, the real reason for a confusing number of Hindu Gods goes much deeper than religious tolerance. It is because the Gods represent aspects of human nature.
Despite the multitude of Gods, Hindus are no different from the Judeo-Christian or Muslim religions that believe one Supreme God created the Universe. They call it Brahman.
Brahman is essentially the cosmic soul, the seed from which all life stems; the beginning of consciousness. Brahman is not to be mistaken with the God Brahma which is the evolution of Brahman – hence Brahma is known as the God of creation.
There are many manifestations of Brahman, all of which become part of nature, including human nature. Hindu deities represent aspects of the ultimate Brahman, and are the manifestations of creation which we find in nature and ourselves.
And thus we find in Hinduism, personifications of Gods that reflect human nature and the evolution of consciousness within us. By evolving our consciousness, we grow as human beings, and therefore the individual soul, or atma, which is one with Brahman. Let’s take a closer look.
The diverse cultures of India
The ancient Sanskrit writers that created the catalogue of mythological Gods for Hinduism wanted to reflect the potential for god-like qualities in man. It is up to the individual to reunite the Atma with Brahman.
Because we have so many aspects to our nature, the ancient scribes had to create enough devas to describe the nature of mankind. They deduced there were “33 important Gods”: 12 Adityas, 11 rudras, 8 Vasus, Lord Indra and Prajapati.
The 33 important gods represent the potential higher values of mankind. We also find a series of demi-gods and asparas in Hindu myth, all of whom represent the lower aspects.
It is interesting to note here that Jesus died at the age of 33 when he becomes God on earth and the highest rank of Freemasonry is the 33rd degree. In Islam ‘the verse of purification’ is 33:33.
These numbers are not a coincidence, but confirm that modern day religions have their roots in the same ancient wisdom. When you master each of the aspects demonstrated in each of the 33 Gods you are purified and reach moksha.
If only Christians and Muslims realized this, they would adopt the same principles of tolerance to all religions that is a trait Hindus are proud to claim. For thousands of years, Hindus have been consciously aware of opposing views towards the worship of God and accept that everyone must follow their own path.
This is due to the diversity of languages and cultures in India, all of whom have their own means of worship and different names for Gods – even though the Gods share the same 33 aspects of human nature.
Over the years, several religious cultures developed in the vast lands of India; Saivism, Shaktism, Vaishnavites and Smartas. Later there came Jainism and Buddhism and later still more enlightened beings that initiated cults and attracted a huge following of worshippers that believed they were Gods such as Sai Baba of Shirdi.
Saivites worshipped the God Shiva as their principle God. Shiva is considered the most powerful deva of the Hindu pantheon because of his ability to destroy old values that no longer serve you. During this process your atma experiences death and rebirth whereby the old values are replaced with an improved view of the world.
Shaktas believe that the Goddess Shakti is Supreme because she is the primordial energy that gives rise to creation. However, Shakti is the consort of Shiva and without one another are both powerless. Neither are Supreme until they are united as one within the individual soul.
The Vaishnavites pray to Lord Vishnu as the Supreme God. Vishnu is the absolute consciousness from where the seed of consciousness grows (Brahma) to be nurtured into creation through knowledge (Sarawati).
Smartas believe all deities are a reflection of the one God (Brahman) which is closer to the truth than the other three cultures. And this is why there are so many Hindu Gods that are worshipped even in one temple. It is also the reason why Hindus are so tolerant of other people’s religious beliefs.
Hindus understand that the entire pantheon of Gods, together with the demi-gods and asparas – live in each and every soul. They are in our hearts and teach us about our nature. They help us to expand our consciousness on the physical plane so that we can connect with our higher self.
The purpose of the multiplicity of Gods is to invoke the power of the God you need at any given time in your life. So if you do need to change an aspect of your character, pray to Shiva and Shakti and follow the principles that are explained in ancient mythology.
Hinduism is the only religion that does not hide the route to purification and liberation like monotheistic religions, yet is still very much understood by the majority of devotees.
If you are interested learning more about Hinduism read Buddhism alongside it – they are essentially one and the same. Buddhism describes the philosophy with more clarity, but the Gods of Hindu mythology paint a brighter picture that help to explain complicated philosophies.
