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We had to research different gods in the Hinduism religion debating whether Hinduism is polytheistic or monotheistic. The title was One or One Hundred and it was for Professor Levinovitz....

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Emily Akers

One or One Hundred

Religion 101 Dr. Levinovitz 10/21/18

Whether it be Ganesha, Shiva or the divine trinity, Hindus worship many gods or perhaps one main god with many deities. No matter what religion it is, there tends to be controversy involving the idea of multiple gods or just one. Hinduism, like other religions, deal with this issue. The fact that there are different forms of Hinduism, Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism and Smartism and each have different gods of focus, already prompts the idea of polytheism. Polytheism or “the doctrine of belief there is more than one god” (Oxford English Dictionary) fits the description of Hinduism because each form of it has different gods of focus such as Ganesha and Shiva, the Hindu trinity, and the idea of deities for each god eliminates the possibility for it to be a monotheistic religion or “the doctrine or belief there there is only one God”. (Oxford English Dictionary) To begin with, the first form of Hinduism, Vaishnavism, focuses primarily on the god of Vishnu. Vishnu can be worshiped in different incarnations such as animals or Krishna “ who was actually human and is depicted in human form” (Cognitive Constraints on Hindu Concepts of the Divine), but still identifies as Vishnu in Vaishnavism. He did this in times of “darkness and moral degradation.” (Hinduism: a very short introduction) Vishnu’s human incarnations, Krishna and Rama, still represent Vishnu. (God Is Not One) But, as Krishna and Rama, Vishnu accomplishes a different goal but altogether is still Vishnu. Rama and Krishna tend to represent their own separate deities away from Vishnu because of the power of their own stories. Vaishnavism or the devotion to Vishnu, has ten incarnations of Vishnu, either in the form of an animal, or as a human rather than having one supreme being representing Hinduism. Shaivism or the devotion to the god Shiva, known as the “destroyer or transformer” (Inner Tantric Yoga: Working with the Universal Shakti: Secrets of Mantras, Deities, and Meditation) is known as Rudra. Throughout Vedic texts, Shiva and Rudra are used

Emily Akers

One or One Hundred

Religion 101 Dr. Levinovitz 10/21/18

synonymously. In Rig Veda, Shiva is referred to as the “‘Father of the Rudras’ or a group of storm gods” (Dionysus and Siva: Parallel Patterns in Two Pairs of Myths). Also stated in the Rig Veda, Rudra has two different sides to him, “one wild and cruel (rudra), another that is calm and tranquil (shiva)...” (The Presence of Siva) linking them together. According to Wendy Doniger, a scholar in Sanskrit hypothesizes that the god Indra, the god of storms and war, is actually just Shiva. Both Shiva and Indra are linked to the wilderness, fierceness, warfare and fearlessness (The Vedic Antecedents) and are “likened to a bull”. (Chakravarti) Ganesha is another deity of Shaivism which is Shiva’s son. The ability for Shiva to represent more than just himself and have his son be major deity of Shaivism, further proves the impractical idea of Hinduism being monotheistic. For just Shaivism, there are two main deities worshiped by Hindus. Shaktism, or the devotion to Parvati, Shiva’s wife, who is a goddess. Goddesses are the main focus of Shaktism, for it is a more feminine tradition in Hinduism. A goddess, Tripurasundari, is another embodiment of Parvati. (Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices, 2nd Edition) This idea of Parvati being in different forms but yet still representing herself, further insinuates the fact of Hinduism as a polytheistic religion. Another example of polytheism in Shaktism is Lakshmi. She is a popular deity, but has two avatars of herself, Radha and Sita. (Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition). The ability of one god in a tradition of Hinduism take many forms eliminates the possibility of monotheism. Smartism is the last of the four different traditions in Hinduism. It is known for the rejection of devotion to just one Supreme Being and rather focuses on the five shrines with five deities, Vishnu, Shiva, Ganesha, Surya, and Devi. (An Introduction to Hinduism) With that being said, in Smartism, Brahman, “transcends all of the various forms of personal deity”. (An

Emily Akers

One or One Hundred

Religion 101 Dr. Levinovitz 10/21/18

Introductory Dictionary of Theology and Religious Studies, Liturgical Press). To elaborate on Brahman, there are two different beliefs, the saguna Brahman and the nirguna Brahman. The conception of two ideas of Brahman and the five deities of Smartism rejects monotheism. Just with Smartism there are seven possible gods that Hindus worship rather than just one Supreme Being. The Hindu trinity consists of Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma. Brahma, “creator god of Hinduism” (Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities) typically is not worshiped as often as Shiva and Vishnu, but like them, he has many forms at which he exists. Brahma has other names such as, “Vedic god Prajapati, Vedanatha (god of Vedas), Gyaneshwar (god of Knowledge), Chaturmukha (having Four Faces), and Svayambhu (self born)” (Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities). The ability of Brahma to exist as other gods, not just variations of himself, furthermore distinguishes the idea of polytheism. Shiva and Vishnu have this power too, as discussed earlier. Another example of polytheism, Brahma and Vishnu are not the same god because of their different powers as gods, Vishnu the power of preservation and Brahma with the power of creation. But yet, Brahma is an avatar of Vishnu because Brahma came from Vishnu’s stomach. (Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities) If it were monotheism, Brahma would be the Supreme Being since his power is creation but, the Hindu trinity has three aspects to it, creation, (Brahma) destruction, (Shiva) and preservation. (Vishnu) The Hindu trinity has three gods that Hindus worship, putting an end to the idea of monotheism. Some scholars argue monotheism because of the idea of Brahman being the Supreme Being to all of the deities as a whole. Much like Christianity and God, Hinduism and Brahman seem to go hand in hand. As early as the Upanishads other proof of the doctrine of polytheism. An excerpt from the Upanishads has a man asking a sage how many gods there are, to which the

Emily Akers

One or One Hundred

Religion 101 Dr. Levinovitz 10/21/18

sage answers, “Three and three hundred, and three and three thousand.” (Upanishads: Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 3.9.1) This excerpt demonstrates the possibility of worshiping only a few deities or thousands. This religious text supports polytheism because the fact that not a clear, direct answer of one god was given, there are multiple gods and depending on the Hindu, they could worship a few deities or a hundred, but there is not just one supreme god. Brahman is considered the Supreme Being, but most Hindus worship multiple gods, not just Brahman. So, how can Hinduism be monotheistic when the people that practice it worship other gods, not just Brahman? Hinduism, often debated over whether it’s monotheistic, belief in one God or polytheistic, belief in many gods, creates an atmosphere of question. People often confuse the idea of the Supreme Being Brahman, as the only god that Hindus worship because Brahman is above all other gods, but if it were monotheistic, would there even be other gods? Hinduism is a polytheistic religion because there are different gods other than Brahman, the Hindu trinity, and deities rejects the idea of monotheism. Bibliography “Monotheism Definition of Monotheism in English by Oxford Dictionaries.” Oxford Dictionaries English, Oxford Dictionaries, en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/monotheism. “Polytheism Definition of Polytheism in English by Oxford Dictionaries.” Oxford Dictionaries English, Oxford Dictionaries, en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/polytheism. Coulter, C. (Ed.), Turner, P. (Ed.). (2000). Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities. New York: Routledge. Esp@n Orlando O., and James B. Nickoloff. An Introductory Dictionary of Theology and Religious Studies. Liturgical Press, 2007. Kinsley, David R. Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition. Univ. of California Ahuja, Randheer. Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices. Maxford Books, 2008.Press, 2008.

Emily Akers

One or One Hundred

Religion 101 Dr. Levinovitz 10/21/18

Jinendrabuddhi, et al. K01ik0vivaranapa3jik0 2 = The Kasika Vivarana Panjika (The Nyasa): a Commentary on Vamana-Jayaditya's Kasika. 1913. Flood, Gavin D. An Introduction to Hinduism. Cambridge Univ. Press, 2011. Doniger, Wendy. Asceticism and Eroticism in the Mythology of...