Hindu Monotheism

[duvduv]

I don't understand, if the original essence of Hinduism is monotheism and acknowledgement of Brahma as only God (Ishwar), why do Hindus need to incorporate what we would consider polytheistic beliefs and observances? See below from the Vedas:

Yajurveda 40.1:

This entire world is embedded within and managed by the One and Only One Ishwar. Never dare do any injustice or desire riches through unjust means. Instead follow the righteous path and enjoy His bliss. After all He alone is source of all bliss!

Rigveda 10.48.1

Ishwar alone is omnipresent and manager of entire universe. He alone provides victory and eternal cause of world. All souls should look up only to Him in same manner as children look up to their Father. He alone provides for our sustenance and bliss.

Rigveda 10.48.5

Ishwar enlightens the entire world. He alone is undefeated and undying. He alone is the creator of the world. All souls should seek bliss through seeking knowledge and acting thereupon. They should never shun the friendship of Ishwar.

Rigveda 10.49.1

Ishwar alone provides true knowledge to truth seekers. He alone is promoter of knowledge and motivates virtuous people into noble actions to seek bliss. He alone is the creator and manager of the world. Hence never worship anyone else except one and only Ishwar.

Yajurveda 13.4

There is one and only One Creator and Maintainer of the entire world. He alone is sustaining the earth, sky and other heavenly bodies. He is Bliss Himself! He alone deserves to be worshiped by us.

Atharvaveda 13.4.16-21

He is neither two, nor three, nor four, nor five, nor six, nor seven, nor eight, nor nine, nor ten. He is, on contrary, One and Only One. There is no Ishwar except Him. All Devtas reside within Him and are controlled by him. So He alone should be worshiped, none else.

Atharvaveda 10.7.38

Ishwar alone is greatest and worth being worshiped. He is the source of all knowledge and activities.

Yajurveda 32.11

Ishwar resides at each point in universe. No space is devoid of Him. He is self-sustaining and does not need help of any agent, angel, prophet or incarnation to perform His duties. The soul which is able to realize this One and only One Ishwar achieves Him and enjoys unconditional ultimate bliss or Moksha.
[Ishwar means God in Hindi]

 

[Aupmanyav]

I don't understand, if the original essence of Hinduism is monotheism and acknowledgement of Brahma as only God (Ishwar), why do Hindus need to incorporate what we would consider polytheistic beliefs and observances?

How can you understand unless you understand that Hinduism is a free form religion in which polytheism and monotheism and even atheism exist side by side? A Hindu is free to choose his views. For example, I am an orthodox, strong atheist Hindu. See from RigVeda:

"The Gods are later than this world's production. Who knows then whence it first came into being?"
http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rigveda/rv10129.htm (Nasadiya Sukta - Creation)

Belief in how many Gods or Goddesses or which God or Goddess to worship is purely an individual matter. What is essential is ethical conduct (Dharma).

"Atheism (Sanskrit: निरीश्वरवाद, nir-īśvara-vāda, lit. "statement of no Lord", "doctrine of godlessness") or disbelief in God or gods has been a historically propounded viewpoint in many of the orthodox and heterodox streams of Hindu philosophies. In Indian philosophy, three schools of thought are commonly referred to as nastika for rejecting the doctrine of Vedas: Jainism, Buddhism and Cārvāka.

Hinduism is a religion, but also a philosophy. Among the various schools of Hindu philosophy, Samkhya, Yoga and Mimamsa while not rejecting either the Vedas or the Brahman, typically reject a personal God, creator God, or a God with attributes. While Samkhya and Yoga rejected the idea of an eternal, self-caused, creator God, Mimamsa argued that the Vedas could not have been authored by a deity.

Though some schools of thought view the path of the atheist as difficult to follow in matters of spirituality, it is still a valid one. Hindu atheists accept Hinduism more as a "way of life" than a religion."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheism_in_Hinduism

 

[SomeRandom]

Depends on how you define polytheism.

 

[Terese]

I don't understand, if the original essence of Hinduism is monotheism and acknowledgement of Brahma as only God (Ishwar), why do Hindus need to incorporate what we would consider polytheistic beliefs and observances? See below from the Vedas:

Yajurveda 40.1:

This entire world is embedded within and managed by the One and Only One Ishwar. Never dare do any injustice or desire riches through unjust means. Instead follow the righteous path and enjoy His bliss. After all He alone is source of all bliss!

Rigveda 10.48.1

Ishwar alone is omnipresent and manager of entire universe. He alone provides victory and eternal cause of world. All souls should look up only to Him in same manner as children look up to their Father. He alone provides for our sustenance and bliss.

Rigveda 10.48.5

Ishwar enlightens the entire world. He alone is undefeated and undying. He alone is the creator of the world. All souls should seek bliss through seeking knowledge and acting thereupon. They should never shun the friendship of Ishwar.

Rigveda 10.49.1

Ishwar alone provides true knowledge to truth seekers. He alone is promoter of knowledge and motivates virtuous people into noble actions to seek bliss. He alone is the creator and manager of the world. Hence never worship anyone else except one and only Ishwar.

Yajurveda 13.4

There is one and only One Creator and Maintainer of the entire world. He alone is sustaining the earth, sky and other heavenly bodies. He is Bliss Himself! He alone deserves to be worshiped by us.

Atharvaveda 13.4.16-21

He is neither two, nor three, nor four, nor five, nor six, nor seven, nor eight, nor nine, nor ten. He is, on contrary, One and Only One. There is no Ishwar except Him. All Devtas reside within Him and are controlled by him. So He alone should be worshiped, none else.

Atharvaveda 10.7.38

Ishwar alone is greatest and worth being worshiped. He is the source of all knowledge and activities.

Yajurveda 32.11

Ishwar resides at each point in universe. No space is devoid of Him. He is self-sustaining and does not need help of any agent, angel, prophet or incarnation to perform His duties. The soul which is able to realize this One and only One Ishwar achieves Him and enjoys unconditional ultimate bliss or Moksha.
[Ishwar means God in Hindi]

Pranam Duduv! I will do my best to answer your question

The Supreme Lord, Iswara, is One, but has many forms that he takes, like an actor on a stage. So Brahman is One. However, there cannot be two Brahmans. It is against all logic, and is not a valid argument. Since i am a Vaishnava, i see Narayana and Lakshmi as the male and female aspects of Brahman. This is not polytheism, since Vaishnavas do not see them as seperate entities, but the Supreme enjoying himself.

Now, polytheism. If your definition of monotheism is the worship of only one Supreme, and denies the existence of other gods, that is not any definition any Vedantic tradition would take. There are 330 million devas in existence. All of them inferior to the Supreme of course, like an ant to a mountain, but they do exist. Worship of devas is unnecessary, for simply worshiping the Supreme, one satisfies all the devas. Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita proclaims this:

BG 9. 23: "O Arjuna, those who worship devotedly different demigods, (devas) although faithfully; they also worship me only, but in an unauthorised manner."

A snippet of Sri Ramanujacharya's commentary on this verse reveals more:

"It should be clearly understood that although the Vedic scriptures directly enjoin worship of the demigods they also explain that the demigods constitute the transcendental body of the Supreme Lord and that He is the spirit soul within each and every one of them as well and thus the spiritually intelligent mahatmanas or great souls easily understand that by worshipping the Supreme Lord all the demigods are automatically worshipped as well and thus with great love and devotion they exclusively worship the Supreme Lord Krishna or any of His authorised incarnations and expansions as revealed in Vedic scriptures."

It is also discouraged by the Supreme, if one wants to attain his abode:

BG 9. 25: “Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods; those who worship the ancestors go to the ancestors; those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings; and those who worship Me will live with Me.”

And so, worship of the devas independent of Isvara, or worshipped in the belief that they are more powerful than Isvara, or that worship of devas will bestow one moksha, is false and discouraged. So when you say "Why do Hindus need to incorporate what we would consider polytheistic beliefs and observances?", it is because they are not familiar with scriptural injunctions and seek material benefits from these devas.

 

[duvduv]

Thank you very much for your reply. However I am a bit confused. If everyone knows that Ishwar is the one God as the God of the Bible, then what is the need for the rest? I am a religious Jew and I see great similarities in those Vedas with the Torah. But we have no concept of Deva demigods. There is only the one person to worship. Why isn't it the same for Hindus? And why is someone like Krishna necessary? Moses was a holy man who spoke to God, but he was only a man, and God is infinity.

 

[SomeRandom]

Thank you very much for your reply. However I am a bit confused. If everyone knows that Ishwar is the one God as the God of the Bible, then what is the need for the rest? I am a religious Jew and I see great similarities in those Vedas with the Torah. But we have no concept of Deva demigods. There is only the one person to worship. Why isn't it the same for Hindus? And why is someone like Krishna necessary? Moses was a holy man who spoke to God, but he was only a man, and God is infinity.

Because Hindus are comfortable with the idea that each individual sees God differently, and so will have an infinity of interpretations. Some are drawn to Kali, some to Krishna, some to Rama and so on. That's just how life is.

And Krishna is God. At least to those who are Vaishnavas, if I'm not mistaken.

We are not of the book, we are of life.

 

[Terese]

Thank you very much for your reply. However I am a bit confused. If everyone knows that Ishwar is the one God as the God of the Bible, then what is the need for the rest? I am a religious Jew and I see great similarities in those Vedas with the Torah. But we have no concept of Deva demigods. There is only the one person to worship. Why isn't it the same for Hindus? And why is someone like Krishna necessary? Moses was a holy man who spoke to God, but he was only a man, and God is infinity.

Ishwara is not the God of the Bible. The Supreme is infinitely powerful, but he has servants that participate in his lilas (pastimes) and perform tasks for him. All the devas were human at one point. They achieved their posts through pious activity. Yes, every deva is appointed to perform their task. And after the destruction of our current universe and the appearance of our "new" universe, new devas will be appointed. The devas from the last lifetime of the universe attainted moksha.

Why should it be the same for Hindus? Besides, if i am not mistaken Judaism has no concept of lilas. Everything that exists is for the enjoyment of the Supreme. While the Lord is always satisfied, he has propagated himself throughout the cosmos. Everything that exists has an atma, which is the Supreme himself. Devas exist because the Supreme wants them to exist.

Lord Krishna is the Supreme Lord. He is a manifestation of Ishvara to please his devotees and participate in miraculous acts which fill his devotees with joy. Do not be mistaken. Lord Krishna is not a physical avatara made of flesh. He is made of purusha, the transcendental stuff that Brahman is made of, his abode, and the atma. If Lord Krishna had not appeared, we would not have the Srimad Bhagavatam, which details his life, as well as his other avataras.

My signature is a lila of Lord Krishna pretending to be a peacock in front of his brother Lord Balarama and their gopa (cowherd) friends. The nectar of devotion to the Supreme increases when the Supreme has a form and qualities. It is the Supreme's limitless mercy that he has a form and fraternises with us jivas stuck in the cycle of samsara.

 

[duvduv]

According to what I know among Hindus each individual doesn't decide for himself, but rather it depends on one's community or ethnic group. Aren't there Hindus who only worshiped .God directly - Ishwar? Who ignore the imaginary devas etc.? Like someone who seeks the director of a company and not just minor clerks...

 

[Terese]

Devas are not imaginary. There are hindus who do not worship the devas however, like Vaishnavas (i am a Vaishnava) and only worship the Supreme and his devotees.

 

[sayak83]

I don't understand, if the original essence of Hinduism is monotheism and acknowledgement of Brahma as only God (Ishwar), why do Hindus need to incorporate what we would consider polytheistic beliefs and observances? See below from the Vedas:

Yajurveda 40.1:

This entire world is embedded within and managed by the One and Only One Ishwar. Never dare do any injustice or desire riches through unjust means. Instead follow the righteous path and enjoy His bliss. After all He alone is source of all bliss!

Rigveda 10.48.1

Ishwar alone is omnipresent and manager of entire universe. He alone provides victory and eternal cause of world. All souls should look up only to Him in same manner as children look up to their Father. He alone provides for our sustenance and bliss.

Rigveda 10.48.5

Ishwar enlightens the entire world. He alone is undefeated and undying. He alone is the creator of the world. All souls should seek bliss through seeking knowledge and acting thereupon. They should never shun the friendship of Ishwar.

Rigveda 10.49.1

Ishwar alone provides true knowledge to truth seekers. He alone is promoter of knowledge and motivates virtuous people into noble actions to seek bliss. He alone is the creator and manager of the world. Hence never worship anyone else except one and only Ishwar.

Yajurveda 13.4

There is one and only One Creator and Maintainer of the entire world. He alone is sustaining the earth, sky and other heavenly bodies. He is Bliss Himself! He alone deserves to be worshiped by us.

Atharvaveda 13.4.16-21

He is neither two, nor three, nor four, nor five, nor six, nor seven, nor eight, nor nine, nor ten. He is, on contrary, One and Only One. There is no Ishwar except Him. All Devtas reside within Him and are controlled by him. So He alone should be worshiped, none else.

Atharvaveda 10.7.38

Ishwar alone is greatest and worth being worshiped. He is the source of all knowledge and activities.

Yajurveda 32.11

Ishwar resides at each point in universe. No space is devoid of Him. He is self-sustaining and does not need help of any agent, angel, prophet or incarnation to perform His duties. The soul which is able to realize this One and only One Ishwar achieves Him and enjoys unconditional ultimate bliss or Moksha.
[Ishwar means God in Hindi]

Where did you get these translations from? They seem very dodgy.

 

[duvduv]

What is wtong with the translation? I found them online. You can Google them. I don't understand how Vishnaism is monotheism if in Hinduism Vishnu is called the Destroyer in relation to Shiva and Brahma. I thought Brahma was the single God as well.

 

[duvduv]

Devas are not imaginary. There are hindus who do not worship the devas however, like Vaishnavas (i am a Vaishnava) and only worship the Supreme and his devotees.

Why are divas not imaginary if only one trur God exists?

 

[Terese]

Why are divas not imaginary if only one trur God exists?

Duvduv, i politely say that we (Hindus) do not believe only our "one true god exists". let me re-post what i said before:

If your definition of monotheism is the worship of only one Supreme, and denies the existence of other gods, that is not any definition any Vedantic tradition would take. There are 330 million devas in existence. All of them inferior to the Supreme of course, like an ant to a mountain, but they do exist.

As no Hindu subscribes to such a definition of Monotheism, the closest we can get is Henotheism, which is "The worship of a single god while not denying the existence or possible existence of other deities."

I also forgot to explain to you that while Vaishnavas do not worship devas, that does not mean we deny their existence. It would be ridiculous to do so, as the Supreme Lord has interacted with devas many times.

 

[Kirran]

In the Vishnu stotram there's a line '...pitri deva svaroopa dhrik' meaning '...who takes on the form of the ancestors and the devas'. This is a chant, or hymn, or that kind of thing, in praise of God-Vishnu. Thus line is signifying that anything to which you have devotion is a form of God. Giving yourself into that love is the point, more than the form taken by the loved.

That's one sample of understanding of this within Indian traditions.

 

[Vinayaka]

I don't understand, if the original essence of Hinduism is monotheism and acknowledgement of Brahma as only God (Ishwar), why do Hindus need to incorporate what we would consider polytheistic beliefs and observances? See below from the Vedas:

Seriously, why do you feel the need to understand this? It's not your religion. Hindus don't feel the need to understand Judaism.

This planet has many religions, each suiting the needs of a huge variety of people.

So what are your reasons for asking? Seems to me you already know your personal answer anyway, and you won't be swayed from that.

 

[Kirran]

Seriously, why do you feel the need to understand this? It's not your religion. Hindus don't feel the need to understand Judaism.

This planet has many religions, each suiting the needs of a huge variety of people.

So what are your reasons for asking. Seems to me you already know your personal answer anyway.

Not everyone thinks like that in constituencies, Vinayaka. Positive and negative spins can of course me made on all ways of thinking.

 

[SomeRandom]

According to what I know among Hindus each individual doesn't decide for himself, but rather it depends on one's community or ethnic group.

False. Born Hindus are often bound by familial duty and honour, thus will often tow the family line, as it were. But none are under any obligation to believe as the group does. This is even reflected in Temples, where one can find a vast array of differing beliefs and philosophies at any given time. One is encouraged to seek out their own guru however.

Aren't there Hindus who only worshiped .God directly - Ishwar?

Probably.

Who ignore the imaginary devas etc.? Like someone who seeks the director of a company and not just minor clerks...

That's probably not the best way of looking at it. Think of God like a large pizza. The devas are merely slices of the same pizza. Savvy?

What is wtong with the translation? I found them online. You can Google them. I don't understand how Vishnaism is monotheism if in Hinduism Vishnu is called the Destroyer in relation to Shiva and Brahma. I thought Brahma was the single God as well.

Vaishnaism is called Vaishnasm because they believe Vishnu is the Supreme. It's sort of in the title. And it's Brahman, not Brahma. Brahman is the ultimate (often) Brahma is another deity. As for individual deities, they will (or won't) be recognized differently among the sects. Meh, different strokes for different folks.

 

[Kirran]

False. Born Hindus are often bound by familial duty and honour, thus will often tow the family line, as it were. But none are under any obligation to believe as the group does. This is even reflected in Temples, where one can find a vast array of differing beliefs and philosophies at any given time. One is encouraged to seek out their own guru however.


Probably.


That's probably not the best way of looking at it. Think of God like a large pizza. The devas are merely slices of the same pizza. Savvy?


Vaishnaism is called Vaishnasm because they believe Vishnu is the Supreme. It's sort of in the title. And it's Brahman, not Brahma. Brahman is the ultimate (often) Brahma is another deity. As for individual deities, they will (or won't) be recognized differently among the sects. Meh, different strokes for different folks.

That pizza thing was great. Kudos.

 

[SomeRandom]

Seriously, why do you feel the need to understand this? It's not your religion. Hindus don't feel the need to understand Judaism.

This planet has many religions, each suiting the needs of a huge variety of people.

So what are your reasons for asking. Seems to me you already know your personal answer anyway.

Calmness, dear Vinayaka. The OP is merely trying to understand, it is difficult to translate across paradigms. Just as it is difficult to understand another way of thinking.

 

[SomeRandom]

That pizza thing was great. Kudos.

Hehe thanks.