Author: Shivashankar Rao (Bangalore, India)
Swami Vivekananda exclaims, “It is a grand explanation- one that has given the theme to all subsequent thought in India and one that will be the theme of the whole world of religions: EKAM SAT VIPRAH BAHUDHAA VADANTI…..”
It is true that we have many Gods in appearance only. In reality, we have only one God who is called by various names.- Indra, Varuna, Hiranyagarbha, Rama, Krishna, Shiva, Shakti …etc., Whichever of these is chosen for adoration, that one becomes God himself , in whom every thing exists including all other gods.
The question as to why there are elementary ideas of God as well as the most advanced in the hymns requires to be examined. This represents a graduated scale of Vedic conceptions for varied stages of religious attainment. Some may be beginners; some may even be seers and sages. Vedas cater to all according to their own needs. For some flying is taught, for some others walking has to be taught.
To those who are at a lower stage, polytheism is taught and for those at a higher stage monotheism is taught. To those who are at the top of the scale a notion of God so impersonal, devoid of any thing describable in human terms is given.
Thus there are contrasting spiritual levels of Vedic hymns and this shows the variety and flexibility. The central oneness is its remarkable capacity for adaptation.
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VEDIC RELIGION IS NOT POLYTHEISTIC.
God has been described by various terms -Bhagavan, Dhaata, Eshvara, Paramaatmaa,ParamEshvara, Vidhaata etc., As you know Hinduism does not depend upon a single scripture. Depending on the needs and tastes of His votaries He can appear to them in any form they like to worship and respond through that form. He can also incarnate himself.
He can also be the impersonal or absolute Brahman which word means “infinitely big”. It defies all description. It is the basis for all existence, consciousness and joy- sat-chit-Ananda (existence-consciousness- bliss).
In one Vedic hymn, Indra with a body clad in golden armour, being very strong descends to earth, fights and overcomes his enemies to establish his own domain. Again, Varuna is also raised to the level of God (Atharva IV 16, 1-5.). Hiranyagarbha is perhaps the highest in conception with a concrete name (Rig-Veda 121, 1-2.).
The Purusha sookta describes God as, “with infinite heads, unnumbered eyes, and unnumbered feet and beyond all predicates….” It is clear from this that there is a total rejection of pantheism. God is seen as the ultimate energy in and beyond all creation and never identified with it.
From the concept of God as personal being, Vedic seers passed on to the final conception of an impersonal, remote Force. TAD EKAM. The naasadeeya hymn explains this concept beautifully.
Swami Vivekananda exclaims, “It is a grand explanation- one that has given the theme to all subsequent thought in India and one that will be the theme of the whole world of religions: EKAM SAT VIPRAH BAHUDHAA VADANTI…..”
It is true that we have many Gods in appearance only. In reality, we have only one God who is called by various names.- Indra, Varuna, Hiranyagarbha, Rama, Krishna, Shiva, Shakti …etc., Whichever of these is chosen for adoration, that one becomes God himself , in whom every thing exists including all other gods.
The question as to why there are elementary ideas of God as well as the most advanced in the hymns requires to be examined. This represents a graduated scale of Vedic conceptions for varied stages of religious attainment. Some may be beginners; some may even be seers and sages. Vedas cater to all according to their own needs. For some flying is taught, for some others walking has to be taught.
To those who are at a lower stage, polytheism is taught and for those at a higher stage monotheism is taught. To those who are at the top of the scale a notion of God so impersonal, devoid of any thing describable in human terms is given.
Thus there are contrasting spiritual levels of Vedic hymns and this shows the variety and flexibility. The central oneness is its remarkable capacity for adaptation.
Here are some Quotations from the vedas on the concept of God:-
1. anEjadEkam manasO javeeyO nainaddEvaa aapnuvan poorvamarshat. taddhaavatO anatyEti tishTittasminnapO maatarishvaa dadaati.-YAJURVEDA 40.4.
That force is ONLY ONE. That does not move. It is faster than the mind. No one catch it.
2. vishvatashchakrurata vishvatO mukhO……..dEva Ekaha.. Rigveda-10.18.3.
The one who occupies all space is ONE ONLY.
3.Ya Eka ittamushtuhikrshteenaam vicharshaNihi. patirjajnE vrashakratuhu. Rigveda 6.45.16.
Pray to the ONE AND ONLY God
4.indram mitram varuNamagni maahuraTodivyaha sa susharNO garutyaan. Ekam sadvipraa bahudaa vadantyagnim yamam maatarishvaanamaahuhu… RIGVEDA 1-164-46.
THAT IS ONE ONLY, but learned persons call it by different names
5. yo dEvaanam naamadhaa Eka Eva tam samprashnam bhuvanaa yantyanyaa. RIGVEDA 10.82.3.
THE ONLY ONE assumes different names
6. na dviteeyO na trIteeyashchaturTO naapyuchyatE. na panchmO na shashTaha saptamO naapyuchyatE. naashtamO na navamO dashamO naapyuchyatE……tamidam nigatam sahaha sa Esha Eka EkavridEka Eva. ATHARVA VEDA. 13.4.16-18-20.
There is no second God. No third, no forth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth. There is only One.
It has to be mentioned that there are references in Shukla Yajurveda which describes in detail various vedic sacrifices like DarshapoorNamaasa, AshvamEdha, Raajasooya, Soutraamani, VaajapEya as also some sOmayaagaas. Most of the Gods mentioned in Rigveda are mentioned here also. It should be observed that there are references mentioning RUDRA as more important, others like Ushas lost importance.
JaabaalOpanishat declares that SHATARUDREEYA is the most important portion of Yajurveda and those who chant it would achieve MOksha.
adhyaayam shatarudreeyam yajushaam saaramuttamam,
japEdaamaraNaadrudram sa yaati paramaam gatim
RudrahridayOpanishat explains the omnipresence of Rudra
Rudra is Brahma, Sarasvati, Vishnu, Lakshmi, Soorya etc., Rudra is Veda
One may observe that the Shivapuranas proclaim the importance of Vishnu and Vishnu Puranas do the same with Shiva. In the Mahabharatha, Bheeshma says:
kO hi shaktO bhavam jnaatum madvidhaha paramEshvaram,
RitE naarayanaat putra shankha chakra gadaadharaat
skaandapuraana says:
harirdvaabhyaam ravirdvaabhyaam dvaabhyaam chandi vinaayakow,
dvaabhyaam brahmaa samaakhyaataha shEshENa bhagavaan bhavaha
The Upanishats which describes the greatness of Shiva are shvEtaashvatara, Kaivalya, jaabaala, garbha, atharvashirassu, atharvashikhaa, brihajjaabaala, kaalaagnirudra, dakshinaamurthy, sharabha, akshamaalikaa, rudrahridaya, bhasma jaabaala, rudraaksha jaabaala, panch brahmajaabaali etc., -as mentioned in MuktikOpanishat.
It is relevant to now quote the words of Vishnu himself as he told Daksha prajaapati in srimad bhaagavata.
aham brahmaa cha sharvascha jagatah kaaranam param,
aatmEshvara upadrashtaa svayam drigavishEshaNaha
Thus, it may be observed that although there are references in different parts of the vedas mentioning the greatness of one or the other forms of God, the underlining principle is the existence of that one great force, which is called God which creates, sustains and destroys. These are the different names for that great force (shakti).
Sanatana Dhara 