Why so many gods and goddesses in Hinduism?

What is called ‘Hinduism’ in the present day could not be destroyed as no invader or foreigner or practicing Hindu could explore Hinduism in depth. Its roots are embedded in mysterious sources. Hinduism is supposed to be ‘apauruseya’, i.e., of impersonal origin and therefore it is devoid of errors of instrument and cognition. Even if the three authorities namely, the Upanisads, the Brahmasutras and the Bhagavadgita did not exist, that could have hardly done any harm to Hinduism.

Many people ask, ‘What is the need to have so many gods in religion? Are they personifications of nature or conceptual symbols? According to the scholars, gods represent forces of nature.
• Agni represents Fire
• Vayu represents Wind
• Indra represents thunderbolt
• Soma represents plants and liquor and so on.
Hinduism has not turned its back on Vedic beliefs. On the contrary, it is the continuation of Vedic tradition. Veda in its embryonic state had all the characteristics which developed in course of time. Towards the end of the Vedic age, i.e., towards the end of 5th century B.C., there appeared the Upanisads. Without giving up the Vedic modes of thought, the texts revealed a sort of philosophy which established the relation between Atman and Brahman. Towards the end of the Upanisadic period, popular Hinduism comes out in bold relief. Here we see religion fighting against some tendencies, open to some tendencies and making the Upanisadic ideas more popular.

The peculiar characteristic of Hinduism is that it does not easily lend itself to be fitted into any rigid pattern or framework. Unlike the other great religions of the world, it does not have one founder, one scripture or even one way of life. It is precisely due to this reason that it is sometimes dubbed, not as a religion, but only as a way of life or just a culture.
An unbiased, if not reverent, study of the Hindu gods and goddesses can convince anyone of the rich symbology they represent. Contemplating on them with a proper understanding of their symbolical significance will help us to be raised to more profound levels of spiritual experience. The subject matter is abstruse and literature meager. Hence it has often been an uphill task to bring out sensible and acceptable interpretation from a medley of information available on it.
Philosophical thinking in Hinduism has risen to sublime heights in the Upanisads, the Bhagavadgita and the Brahma Sutras. However, these great works and the thinkers following in their footsteps recognized the limitation of the average human mind and its emotional needs. That is why they wisely provided for various kinds of Upasana (meditations and modes of worship) to suit the different tastes and needs of the different people.



Tirumalanath

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