WRITTEN BY LONDON SWAMINATHAN
Post No. 10,612
Date uploaded in London – – 30 JANUARY 2022
Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com
Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge.
this is a non- commercial blog. Thanks for your great pictures.
tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com
How many Gods are there in Hindu Religion? Ten years ago I published a post under ‘330 Million Gods’ (Matter given at the end)
33 is repeated in all the four Vedas of Hindus. But it is equally important in Buddhist and Zoroastrian religions. We know that Hinduism influenced them. When we compare the similarities between the ancient religion of Iran, also known as Parsi Religion or Zoroastrian religion, this is one of the points discussed by scholars of yester years.
Rig Veda, Buddhist and Avesta scriptures describe the Heaven as ‘the region of eternal light’. Vanaparva of Mahabharata also described the stars are nothing but holy souls. The Hindu belief is that holy souls become eternal stars.
Later Buddhist scriptures used the expression ‘heaven of 33 gods’ it is also found in Zoroastrian’s Avesta. More than half a dozen passages in the Rig Veda, the oldest book in the world, quote 33 gods. In some passages we see 33,330, 3309 etc. here is the list from 3 Vedas-
Rig Veda –
1-34-11; 1-45-2; 1-139-11;
3-6-9
8-28-1; 8-30-2; 8-39-9
9-92-4
Xxxx
Yajur Veda
BLACK YAJUR VEDA 1-4-10-1
WHITE YAJUR VEDA 14-31
Xxx
Atharvana Veda
10-4-27; 10-7-13, 23
Xxx
Later we see 33 gods in Brahmana books , Ramayana ,Mahabharata and the Puranas .
This was borrowed by the Buddha .
Who are 33 gods ?
Vasus 8
Adityas 12
Rudras 11
Prajapati
Daksha
xxx
330 MILLION GODS (posted on August 5, 2012)
From London Newspaper’s Q and A column
How many gods and goddesses are there in the Hindu pantheon?
Depending on how you look at it, the Hindu pantheon may consist of one Supreme Being and 330 million gods. In ancient times, it was held that there were 330 million living beings, given rise to the idea of 330 million deities or gods.
Of course, this vast number of gods could not have been worshipped, since 330 million names could not have been designed for them. The number was simply used to give a symbolic expression to the fundamental Hindu doctrine that God lives in the hearts of all living beings.
The misunderstanding arises when people fail to grasp the symbolism of the Hindu pantheon. For just as a single force in space can be mathematically conceived as having various spatial components, the Supreme Being or God, the personal form of the Ultimate Reality, is conceived by Hindus as having various aspects.
A Hindu deity (god or goddess; note the small “g”) represents a particular aspect of the Supreme Being. For example, Saraswati represents learning and knowledge. So if a Hindu wants to pray for knowledge and understanding, he prays to Saraswati.
Just sunlight cannot have an existence independent of the sun itself, a Hindu deity does not have a separate and independent existence from the Supreme Being.
Thus, Hindu worship of deities is monotheistic polytheism and not simple polytheism.
-Marion Kinder, Manchester ( Daily Mail, Saturday, 3rd Feb. 2001; Answers to Correspondents)
Xxxx subham xxxx
Tags- Number 33, Avesta, Zoroastrian
Tamil and Vedas 