Hinduism One God or Many Gods ?

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Since millennia Sanatana Dharma or Hinduism has had a fascinating tradition of worshipping many deities. The divine manifestations of Bhagwan Rama, Krishna, Shiva, Swaminarayan, Ganesha, Hanumanji, Lakshmiji, Parvati, Sarasvati and many others that form the Hindu pantheon of we are worshipped with profuse devotion and reverence by their countless Hindus.

With reference to this practice many non-Hindus believe that Hindus are polytheists or worshippers of many 'Gods' well, the truth is the majority of Hindus are not polytheists. They believe in and worship the one Supreme God. Hinduism can be said to have its own form of monotheism. Max Muller described it as henotheism, which means belief in and worship of one Supreme God without denying the existence of other gods or forms of the Supreme God.

Hinduism is a family or federation of religious traditions. The four prominent denominations of Hinduism are Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism and Smartism. The Vaishnavas believe in Bhagwan Vishnu and his avatars, the Shaivas believe in Bhagwan Shiva and his avatars; the Shaktas believe in Parvati and her divine manifestations and the Smartas worship the five deities or any one of them:

Vishnu, Shiva, Parvati, Ganesha and Surya. The worship of different deities in Hinduism reflects its spirit of religious freedom. Each Hindu believes and worships the deity of his or her choice in relation to his or her spiritual leaning, need and karmic disposition. Furthermore, a Hindu worships his own deity with the underlying belief and faith of Him or her being the Supreme God. Hinduism allows this freedom of worship and belief of supremacy. This does not mean there are many Supreme Gods, but the genuine spiritual sadhanas of devotion, prayer, meditation, service, etc. by a Hindu toward his or her own deity will eventually lead to the realization of the Supreme Paramatma. The Rig Veda states, "Ekam sat vipraba babudha vadanti."-"To what is one, wise seers give many names,"

Hinduism: One God or Many 'Gods'? Deals concisely with the different manifestations of Paramatma on earth, their purpose and function. The principal ten avatars of Bhagwan Vishnu and other deities have been elaborated upon. The female element or power of God, called Devi, is a unique aspect of Hinduism. In the Puranic period, the belief in the goddesses or devis came to prominence as consorts of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The three major devis are Sarasvati (consort of Brahma), Lakshmi (consort of Vishnu) and Parvati (consort of Shiva).

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