Hindu deities=1 God?

fitd said:
Hello!

Recently a Hindu friend of mine told me that Hinduism is actually monotheistic, and that all of the deities are parts of the one true god. Could any of you please elaborate on this for me?
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The one true god is the neutral Brahman, but it is not revered as it is not 'erotic' in the sense of Shiva, Shakti, Vishnu, Bhairava and all the other awesome forms that spawn from the great Brahman. Even the God Brahma is different from the Brahman, which has no face. It is only the "inherent rumbling" of the cosmos.

So ultimately the Hindu Brahmans did most certainly believe in one Cause, and their considered it the holy work of man as the king of all nature to bring this Cause into Manifestation. In this, they created/werecreatedby, sustained and drew from the deities of manifestation, especially those of energy (Shakti) and Power (Shiva), whic together for the erotic form that gives India its wild, joyful nature.
 
Taurean said:
The one true god is the neutral Brahman, but it is not revered as it is not 'erotic' in the sense of Shiva, Shakti, Vishnu, Bhairava and all the other awesome forms that spawn from the great Brahman. Even the God Brahma is different from the Brahman, which has no face. It is only the "inherent rumbling" of the cosmos.

So ultimately the Hindu Brahmans did most certainly believe in one Cause, and their considered it the holy work of man as the king of all nature to bring this Cause into Manifestation. In this, they created/werecreatedby, sustained and drew from the deities of manifestation, especially those of energy (Shakti) and Power (Shiva), whic together for the erotic form that gives India its wild, joyful nature.
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shakiti and shiva have bisexual anatomy. Makes you think about the nature of bisexuality being associated with them. Individually they are each the perfect bisexual mate making it monogamous
 
You can say one is incomplete without the other. They say Shiva is 'shava' (dead body) without Shakti. Sexuality does not intrude in India. That is Wendy Doniger and others of her kind. As for cause and manifestation, in my 'advaita' (non-dual) view, there is no creation, since Brahman is unchangeable, uninvolved, eternal, and formless in itself. Human perception is only an illusion. No birth, death, heaven or hell.
 
Taurean said:
So ultimately the Hindu Brahmans did most certainly believe in one Cause, and their considered it the holy work of man as the king of all nature to bring this Cause into Manifestation. In this, they created/were created by, sustained and drew from the deities of manifestation, especially those of energy (Shakti) and Power (Shiva), which together for the erotic form that gives India its wild, joyful nature.
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:) One cause but which one? Vishnu for Vaishnavas, Shiva for Shaivas, Shakti for Shaktas, Purusha and Prakriti for Smartas? The One Cause differs from one person to another. If Shiva and Shakti are erotic/exotic, then Radha and Krishna more so. Man is but an illusion or at best an apparent cause. Krishna said:

"Mayaivaite nihatah purvam eva, nimitta-matram bhava Savya-sacin." BG 11.33
(All these have already been put to death, and you, O Savyasaci (Arjuna), become just the medium.)
 
@David,

"But I wonder what ordinary Hindus, who've never stopped to consider philosophy, would make of being told that they are really identical to the God they worship. Not much, I suspect. Personally, I'm for Madhva, and he defined the gods a liberated souls, not as aspects of Brahman."

As I said, the ordinary Hindu is a soft polytheist. He would also agree to 'Kana kana mein Bhagawan' (God even in every grain of sand). After all, for the believers, soul is a part of the Supreme Soul (Madhva with his five essential differences being an honored exception - perhaps relates to your Abrahamic background). Hare-Krishnas (Gaudiya Vaishnavas), who originated with Madhva brought things back to make a full circle, Achintya Bheda-Abheda Advaita - Indescribable Oneness and separateness. That is my humble reply to your question. All these 'acharyas' are perfectly valid in Hinduism. Depends on the person's view. Even my being an atheist advaitist is OK.

What is the absolute necessity in Hinduism is action according to 'dharma' without which all philosophies are useless.
 
In my experience, Hinduism is vast. Practically all theisms exist within it somewhere. It's a mistake to say it's this or it's that.
 
Aupmanyav said:
After all, for the believers, soul is a part of the Supreme Soul (Madhva with his five essential differences being an honored exception - perhaps relates to your Abrahamic background).
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Actually, it's more due to my philosophical background: I accept Ramanuja's criticisms of the equation of God and the soul as being based on invalid arguments, such as circularity. As for the idea that the Gods are simply aspects of Brahman, that seems to me to be just be be an assumption: "everything is Brahman, therefore the Gods are too."

Some-one once said that the West concentrates on the universe, China on society, and India on the soul. I'm just an incurable Westerner, determined to get a clear idea of what's what.
 
Aupmanyav said:
What is wrong with my post or with Swami Krishnananda? Nobody is genuine. We are all 'maya'. Where is the head and where is the tail of your post? :(
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I did not read those posts but Hinduism is ironically Hinduism has most gods and godesses !
 
Pooja Pandey said:
I did not read those posts but Hinduism is ironically Hinduism has most gods and godesses !
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Actually no, what appears to be gods in Hinduism are aspects of the one 'Source' the Brahman.

If you are a Trinitarian Christian the belief in multiple gods making up one god is even more problematic, especially with the Devil and a pantheon of angelic gods.
 
Devils' Advocate said:
Is it more problematic? If Hinduism has multiple gods who are all part of the one, why cannot the same be said of the Abrahamic religions?
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The same is often described this way in the Abrahamic religions. First, the text of the OT indicates a distinct polytheistic culture among early Hebrews belfore 1000-700 BC. This evolved into a Greater God with lesser gods to a Tritheism found in Christianity. the Descriptions of polytheism in the OT are often interpreted as referring to the Trinity by Christians.
 
shunyadragon said:
The same is often described this way in the Abrahamic religions. First, the text of the OT indicates a distinct polytheistic culture among early Hebrews belfore 1000-700 BC. This evolved into a Greater God with lesser gods ...
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Not really. It evolved into monotheism and the angelic orders.

shunyadragon said:
... to a Tritheism found in Christianity.
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Where is tritheism found in Christianity?

shunyadragon said:
Having said that the Descriptions of polytheism in the OT are often interpreted as referring to the Trinity by Christians.
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Not a scholarly position, though. Not in Catholic, nor Orthodox, I think? Of course, in the U.S. you can find every shade of interpretation.
 
shunyadragon said:
Actually no, what appears to be gods in Hinduism are aspects of the one 'Source' the Brahman.
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This is simply not true. It's the view of one school, namely Advaita Vedanta, which isn't even nearly the most common school in Hinduism. Hinduism has pure polytheism, atheism, henotheism, and more under the umbrella term.
 
Senthil said:
This is simply not true. It's the view of one school, namely Advaita Vedanta, which isn't even nearly the most common school in Hinduism. Hinduism has pure polytheism, atheism, henotheism, and more under the umbrella term.
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Good to see you chiming in, Senthil.
 
StevePame said:
Good to see you chiming in, Senthil.
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It's a duty to rid the west of misconceptions about the east. You have a tough job today especially. Several forum moderators all over do. I wish solutions for violence against humanity were in sight, but they're not.
 
I'm referring to religious belief and paradigms, not geographic locations.
 
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