Hinduism: Monotheistic or Polytheistic

Over time, Hinduism has evolved from a polytheistic religion to one that is widely monistic. Jews and Muslims would surely say that Hinduism is polytheistic—for them, worship of anything that is not the Supreme Being is a sin. They believe that God cannot manifest into physical form, and certainly cannot be personified. For a Christian, Jesus and the Holy Spirit is not a form or force of God, but is God. Hindus, they argue, commenced to personify the various forces of nature (e. g. , the stars, moon, sun, water, fire, etc. ) and worship them.

In the Bible, Paul says “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator” (New International Version, Gen. 3. 15), clearly condemning the worship of his creation. It may appear that Hindus worship many separate gods and entities, but it is more complicated than this. They believe that All is One, and therefore worship of anything is ultimately worship of God. In the Rig Veda, every force of nature was personified and worshipped as separate entities—clearly indicative of polytheism (Course Reader 1, p. 25).

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There is no concept of a Supreme Being, only separate Gods that have separate roles. There is no god that is greater than another. In the Rig Veda, it states that “Not one of you, gods, is small, not one a little child; all of you are truly great. Therefore you are worthy of praise and sacrifice” (Course Reader 1, p. 26). This demonstrates that the devas are separate and equal entities. The warrior god Indra is eventually elevated to King of the Gods in the Vedic tradition. He is not identified as the Supreme Being however—he still requires sacrifice, and is therefore not omnipotent.

Later in the Rig Veda, questions arise concerning creation and death. There are no definitive answers supplied, and no one god is credited with creation (Course Reader 1, p. 33). During this time, Hinduism was unapologetically polytheistic. With the revelation of the Upanishads, Hinduism began to evolve into a monistic tradition. It was revealed that there is one force in the universe, called Brahman, and that our Atman (spiritual self) is a part of this force (Course Reader 1, p. 52). We are not separate from Brahman; our Atman is Brahman.

It is revealed that all things come from The One Source, known as Brahman. The One Source becomes an infinite number of things taking on numerous forms, but ultimately there is and always shall be only One (Course Reader 1, p. 59). There is no difference between the contents of the Universe, and the cause of the Universe. Recognition of Brahman is so important that it is the only way to escape samsara, and become spiritually liberated. Acquiring the sacred knowledge of Brahman is the way to salvation (Course Reader 1, p. 60).

If we perceive the countless Hindu gods as separate and independent, we are not enlightened. In the early Upanishads, Brahman is neuter. It is the totality of everything, and is completely abstract and without qualities (Course Reader 1, p. 64). This soon changes, with the introduction of Vishnu and Shiva. Vishnu and Shiva eventually become the most prominent gods in the Hindu tradition. They are both widely recognized as the Supreme Beings, but there are disagreements as to which is the most supreme (Course Reader 1, p. 3).

The Vedic gods are still worshipped, but are nowhere near as powerful. It is now obvious to me that Hinduism will never me a monotheistic religion, there is far too much variation between its followers, and too many gods that are worshipped. Brahman is still the ultimate force of the universe, and Vishnu is a manifestation of Brahman, as are all of the gods. Brahman is the force that permeates all creation, including our Atman. Therefore, we are Brahman and the gods are Brahman.

In this sense we are not separate from the gods, but the same. According to Hinduism, Brahman is the eternal and unchanging force that transcends time and space. The nature of Brahman is described as non-dual and both personal and impersonal. In the Puranas, this force is personified as the Creator God Brahma—while Vishnu and Shiva are being called Brahman simultaneously (Course Reader 1, p. 111). Since the force Brahman is considered to be anyone, whether it be Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma or even Jesus, Hinduism is monistic.