THIRTY-THREE MILLION GODS

 THIRTY-THREE MILLION GODS

 https://ramamohanraocheruku.blogspot.com/2021/01/thirty-three-million-gods.html

THIRTY-THREE MILLION GODS --1

This is one thing that makes people skeptic about this sanatana dharma. Let 

us very briefly look into this issue. I drew certain ideas from Stephen Knapp's 

article on this.

The four primary Vedas represent the accomplishment of a highly developed 

religious system and encourage satisfaction of material desires through 

worship of the demigods. They contain many directions for increasing one’s 

power and position, or for reaching the heavens in one’s future by properly 

performing particular sacrifices in worship to Devas (demigods), and so on.

      Some people ask why there seems to be so many gods within Hinduism 

or Vedic culture. Yet, if we properly analyze the situation, we will understand that there is but one Supreme Being who has many agents or demigods who assist in managing the creation and the natural forces within. And, like anyone else, if they are properly approached with prayer or worship, they may help facilitate the person by granting certain wishes that may be within the jurisdiction of that demigod. Is it not resembling a present day office where all the entrants into the office need not see the boss for their petty wants? He is available only for those whose approach is for the ultimate.

       In some places in the Vedic literature it is explained that there are 33 

Vedic gods, or even as many as thirty-three million. The 33 gods are 

calculated as being eight Vasus, eleven Rudras (forms of Shiva), twelve 

Adityas, along with Indra and Prajapati (Brahma). Then there are also other 

positions that are considered major or minor devas. According to the Vedas, 

Devas are not imaginary or mythological beings, but are agents of the 

Supreme Will to administer different aspects of the universal affairs. They also 

represent and control various powers of nature. Thus, they manifest in the 

physical, subtle or psychic levels of our existence both from within and 

without. In this way, a transcendentalist sees that behind every aspect of 

nature is a personality.

       The names of these gods are considered offices or positions, rather than 

the actual name of the demigod. For example, we may call the president of 

the country by his personal name, or simply Mr. President. It’s the position 

itself that allows for him to have certain powers or areas of influence. In the 

case of the devas, it is only after accumulating much pious credit that a living 

being can earn the position of being a particular demigod. Then a person may 

become an Indra, or Vayu, or attain some other position to assume specific 

powers, or to control various aspects of material energy.

       Another example is that when you walk into a big factory, you see so 

many workers and all that they are doing. You may initially think that these 

workers are the reason for whatever goes on in the factory. However, more 

important than the workers are the foremen, the managers, and then the 

executives. Amongst these you will find people of varying degrees of 

authority. Someone will be in charge of designing the products. Another may 

be the Chief Financial Officer or main accountant. Another may be in charge 

of personnel, while someone else may be in charge of maintenance in the 

factory itself. Finally, a chief executive officer or president of the company is 

the most important of all. Without him there may not even be a company. 

You may not see the president right away, but his influence is everywhere 

since all the workers are engaging in projects according to his decisions. The 

managers and foremen act as his authorized agents to keep things moving 

accordingly. The numerous demigods act in the same way concerning the 

functions of nature, all of whom represent some aspect or power of the 

Supreme Will. That’s why it is sometimes said there are 33 million different 

gods in Hinduism. Actually, there may be many forms, Avataras, or aspects of 

God, but there is only one God, or one Absolute Truth.

Rest of the article tomorrow……….

THIRTY-THREE MILLION GODS - 2

      

This is often a confusing issue to people new to Vedic philosophy. We often 

hear the question among Westerners that if Hinduism has so many gods, how 

do you know which ones to worship? The point is that the devas affect all 

levels of universal activities, including the weather, or who is bestowed with 

particular opulence such as riches, beautiful wife or husband, large family, 

good health, etc. For example, one could worship Agni for getting power, 

Durgadevi for good fortune, Indra for good sex life or plenty of rain, or the 

Vasus for getting money. Such instruction is in the karma-kanda section of 

the Vedas which many people considered to be the most important part of 

Vedic knowledge. This is for helping people acquire the facilities for living a 

basic material existence.

 

       There are, of course, various actions, or karmas, prompted by our desires 

to achieve certain results, but this is not the complete understanding of the 

karma-kanda section of the Vedas. The karma-kanda section is meant to 

supply the rituals for purifying our mind and actions in the pursuit of our 

desires, and not merely to live with the intent of acquiring all of one’s material 

wants and necessities from the demigods. By having faith and steadiness in 

the performance of the ritual, one establishes purification in one’s habits and 

thoughts. This provides a gradual process of acquiring one’s needs and 

working out one’s desires while simultaneously becoming purified and free of 

them. Such purification can then bring one to a higher level of spiritual 

activity. This was the higher purpose of the karma-kanda rituals. Without this 

understanding, one misses the point and remains attached to rituals in the 

pursuit of material desires, which will drag one further into material existence.

     The reciprocation between the demigods and society is explained in 

Bhagavad gita (3.10-12). It is stated that in the beginning the Lord of all beings 

created men and demigods along with the sacrifices to Lord Vishnu that were 

to be performed. The Lord blessed them saying that these sacrifices will enable 

men to prosper and attain all desirable things. By these sacrificial duties the 

demigods will be pleased and the demigods will also please you with all the 

necessities of life, and prosperity will spread to all. But he who enjoys what is 

given by the demigods without offering them in return is a thief.

     In this way, it was recommended that people could perform sacrificial 

rituals to obtain their desires. However, by the performance of such acts they 

should understand their dependent position, not only on the demigods, but 

ultimately on the Supreme Being. As further explained in Bhagavad-gita (3.14-

15), all living beings exist on food grains, which are produced from rain, which 

is produced by the performance of prescribed sacrifices or duties. These 

prescribed duties are described in the Vedic literature, which is manifest from 

the Supreme Being. Therefore, the Supreme is eternally established in acts of 

sacrifice.

 

       Although the demigods may accept worship from the human beings and 

bless them with particular benedictions according to the sacrifices that are 

performed, they are still not on the level of the Supreme Lord Vishnu (who is 

an incarnation of Lord Krishna). The Rig-veda (1.22.20) explains: “The 

demigods are always looking to that supreme abode of Vishnu.” Bhagavad-

gita (17.23) also points out: “From the beginning of creation, the three syllables 

om tat sat have been used to indicate the Supreme Absolute Truth 

(Brahman). They were uttered by brahmanas while chanting the Vedic hymns and during sacrifices, for the satisfaction of the Supreme.” In this way, by uttering om tat sat, which is stressed in Vedic texts, the performers of the rituals for worshiping the demigods were also offering obeisances to Lord Vishnu for its success. The four Vedas mainly deal with material elevation and since Lord Vishnu is the Lord of material liberation, most sacrifices were directed toward the demigods.

        In Bhagavad-gita, however, Lord Krishna points out that men of small 

knowledge, who are given to worldly desires, take delight in the flowery words 

of the Vedas that prescribe rituals for attaining power, riches, or rebirth in 

heaven. With their goal of enjoyment they say there is nothing else than this. 

However, Krishna goes on to explain (in Bhagavad-gita 7.21-23) that when a 

person desires to worship a particular demigod for the temporary and limited 

fruits he or she may bestow, Krishna, as the Supersoul in everyone’s heart, 

makes that person’s faith in that demigod steady. But all the benefits given by 

any demigod actually are given by Krishna alone, for without whom no one 

has any power. The worshipers of the demigods go to the planets of the 

demigods, but worshipers of Krishna reach Krishna’s spiritual abode.

continued.......

THIRTY THREE MILLION GODS -- 3 [Last Part]

       Thus, as one progresses in understanding, it is expected that they will 

gradually give up the pursuit for temporary material pleasures and then begin 

to endeavor for reaching the supreme goal of Vedic knowledge. For one who 

is situated in such knowledge and is self-realized, the prescribed duties in the Vedas for worshiping the demigods are unnecessary. As Bhagavad-gita (3.17-18) explains, for one who is fully self-realized, who is fully satiated in the self, delights only in the self, there is no duty or need to perform the prescribed duties found in the Vedas, because he has no purpose or material desires to fulfill.

However, another view of the Vedic gods is that they represent different 

aspects of understanding ourselves, especially through the path of yoga and 

meditation. For example, the god of wind is Vayu, and is related to the 

practice of yoga as the breath and its control in pranayama. Agni is the god 

of fire and relates to the fire of consciousness or awareness. Soma relates to 

the bliss in the samadhi of yoga practice. Many of the Vedic gods also 

represent particular powers of yoga and are related to the different chakras in 

the subtle body. It is accepted that as a person raises his or her consciousness 

through the chakras, he or she will attain the level of awareness and the 

power and assistance that is associated with the particular divine personality 

related to that chakra.

Swasthi.