Hindu Monotheism

[ajay0]

The Lingayats, Brahmo Samajis, Arya Samajis and Prajapita Brahmakumaris practice monotheism which is similar to the Abrahamic faiths, minus the violence and fanaticism. Modern India is grateful to them also for the social reforms they pioneered, such as the abolition of widow burnings,abolition of casteism,untouchability and casteist discrimination, supporting widow remarriage and women's education, equality and liberty from Hindu chauvinist domination and control.

The Lingayats condemned caste discrimination and inequality as early as the 12th century A.D.


Rajaram Mohan Roy who created the Brahmo Samaj is creditted with ending the vicious and violent widow burnings in India through legislation.


The social reforms promoted by the Arya Samaj such as denunciation of untouchability, caste discrimination, gender equality and so on helped bring out constitional reforms for the better as pointed out by Indian president and scholar S.Radhakrishnan.

The Prajapita Brahmakumaris have played a major role in the empowerment of women in India and all over the world through employing women as leaders, administrators and teachers of the Brahmakumari centres in India and all over the world.

They are the makers of modern India and all that is actually good in Hinduism is actually due to their efforts.

So I would say Hindu monotheism has its own space and niche in the world's monotheistic religious culture.

 

[duvduv]

The Devisukta, found in the Rig Veda, is presented with Mahadevi speaking in the first person. I hesitate to even mention this as I am not trying to engage in sectarian polemics, but I think you need to see that your sources are omitting much that is important and thus giving you an incomplete picture of the Vedas.
Devīsūkta - Wikipedia

How would these statements be reconciled with any reference to multiple deities in the Vedas? I think Dayanand Saraswati says that identifying them as deities is a misinterpretation.

 

[atanu]

How would these statements be reconciled with any reference to multiple deities in the Vedas? I think Dayanand Saraswati says that identifying them as deities is a misinterpretation.

Are you not imposing your own idea of God on Hinduism (and all other religions too possibly?) In following paragraphs, I will attempt to summarise the main tenets of Hinduism related to this thread.

You may wish to peruse through the following link as a primer, in order to follow easily the text that follows:

Hindu Scriptures

Hinduism is layered. To recap the above, Hindu scriptures range from unparsed Sanskrit Shruti of Veda-s, Upanishads, Upaveda-s, Agama-s, Darsana-s, Puranas-sand Itihasa-s.

In Vedas and Upanishads, the God is 'One without a second' with many aspects, sometimes hierarchical. Yajur Veda pertains to the ritualistic worship part and to this day temples follow Yajur Veda. From Agamic perspectives, the mode of worship becomes more personalised to help facilitate devotion. Worship may also happen through Puranic or Itihasic modes. At folk level, Puranic myths or scriptures from Mahabharata or Ramanaya (Itihasa) maybe used.

Whether following Vedic, Vedantic, Agamic, Puranic, or Itihasic worship/devotional routes, Hinduism is layered, in that it has a very very strong base of monotheism but extends to non dualism through other intermediate teachings. The three main schools are:

• Dvaita (absolute dualism) -- God (Brahman with attributes as the highest principle) and living beings are different and can never be same.
• Vishista Advaita (qualified monism) -- God (Brahman with attributes as the highest principle) and living souls are qualitatively identical but quantitatively vastly different.
• Advaita (non dualism) -- Attribute-less Brahman as the highest principle and living souls are identical in essence. Living souls are like designs made of gold but are in essence indistinguishable from gold.

There are some other darsanas (views-philosophies) that are intermediate.

All darshanas take the Veda-s (and the Upanishad-s i) as revealed Shruti (heard directly by the rishis) and infallible. The common followers may or may not know these but the teachers will usually do. In South India most people know their scripture well.

All darshanas, except the Advaita Darshana, are more or less monotheistic (from the perspective of agamic worship), in the sense that according to those schools, living souls can never attain sameness with Ishwara (Brahman with attributes: Vishnu or Shiva or Devi). They do worship other deities (mainly five), that are considered emanations of the main Deity. So, actually it is still Monotheism.

As a previous poster pointed out, the monotheistic traditions have made immense contribution in all areas related to religion and spirituality.

However, based on Shruti Pramana (proof), Advaita is the only school that teaches absolute non difference of the attribute-less Brahman (the highest principle as per Advaita) and living souls, when stripped of qualifications. For example a gold bangle is nothing but gold when we disregard its design. In other words, when both God (Brahman with attributes) and living beings are stripped of their respective attributes, at the core, the attribute-less 'one without a second' Brahman remains as beginning less reality.

Although, even in Advaita tradition, devotion -- Bhakti to God -- is a key part. Only when the non dual Brahman-Self is realised and established firmly, the traditional prescriptions of worshipping God can be renunciated. But then there will be no one to claim "I am an Atheist" etc.

This is just an outline and not an exhaustive summary.
...

So there. You are correct yet you are wrong. Not all will need same medicine. Not all will be satisfied with same path. Yet, the goal is same in all of Hinduism -- to attain Moksha, a state of non return to this phenomenal world, where death is the reigning King.

 

[atanu]

What you are saying is irrelevant. I wasn't quoting from some sect. The reference was to the Vedas themselves, which is quite different from what is called now Hinduism.

A friendly suggestion. Do not use selected Veda verses in an attempt to prove your point. Hindu sages over many kalpa-s have organised the Vedic teaching into groups. Vedas-s have given rise to six very well organised Darshana-s (philosophies) like six facets of same diamond. The Shruti part of the Vedas have been studied by sages and recorded in 108 Upanishads. Then there are Smriti, Itihaasa, and the Agamas.

The following page will give you an idea about the vastness of the Vedas and its tributaries. IMO, one life is too small to make judgements. Follow a bonafide teacher, if you can, if you really wish to learn.

Hindu Scriptures

 

[atanu]

Hmm, maybe that is a good reason to state that Hinduism is not a revealed religion.
It may well be that a revealed religion would have more of a central role for scripture.

Veda-s and Agama-s are revealed.