By Gurushankar Swaminathan

What is Theism? In traditional sense, it is the belief in atleast one God. Monotheism is defined as the belief in only one god and polytheism is defined as belief in many gods. The abrahamic faiths like Islam follow monotheism where Allah is the supreme god and none except him. The faith follows a male centric god and there is no other name than Allah. The abrahamic faiths follow a particular rules and regulations, DO-s and DONT-s that the ‘believer’ has to follow without questioning. He cannot question those rules, the life of the prophet or the ultimate God. The abrahamic God is isolated from the nature and everything is GOD’s . Thus an element of attachment to a name and gender, obstruction to free thinking and free will can be seen in the Abrahamic faiths. Those who questioned the abrahamic faith were exiled, killed or termed as witches e.g Women in Europe, Salman Rushdie, Taslima Nasreen etc. Example, “Fight those who believe not in Allåh, nor in the Last Day, nor forbid that which Allåh and His Messenger have forbidden, nor follow the Religion of Truth, out of those who have been given the Book, until they pay the tax in acknowledgement of superiority and they are in a state of subjection” ( Quran 9.29)

Theism, in this specific sense, conceives of God as personal, present and active in the governance and organization of the world and the universe.

But did Indians ever used a word like theism and its conception as in the west? Are the so called gods Vishnu, Bhrama, Indra, agni etc isolated from the nature? Is there a male centric God? Is there any attachment to the name?

“Ekam sat vipra bahudha vadanti”

The very definition of the word theism has a lot of smearing of Abrahamic theology in it. The metaphysics based on Vedas and Upanishads are beyond any form of theism be it monotheism or polytheism, as they point to “reality” which cannot be described by terms like monotheism or polytheism. The Vedic discourse recognizes the “reality” both in its formless and manifest aspects. But today, the Vedic science and philosophy is demeaned, distorted and reduced by measuring it through an abrahamic framework. Therefore, let us try to lower the bar (of the Vedic discourse) to enter into a discussion in this regard.

Let us try to respond to a few of the cliched items that are used to criticize the Vedic knowledge. Here we are distinguishing scriptural aspects and the individual practices or beliefs:

Polytheism: While the modern day Hindu may, based on Puranas, look at the disintegrated aspects of REALITY, the truth is that there is an inherent realization that all these aspects roll into the REALITY. The most often used example to dig out polytheism in Hinduism is the story of 33 million Gods in Hinduism. From the scriptures, we find plethora of quotes that completely debase this myth.

Rig Veda 1/164/46: They call him Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni or the heavenly sunbird Garutmat. The seers call in many ways that which is One; they speak of Agni, Yama, Matarishvan.

Rig Veda 8/58/2: Only One is the Fire, enkindled in numerous ways; only One is the Sun, pervading this whole universe; only One is the Dawn, illuminating all things. In very truth, the One has become the whole world.

Atharvana Veda 13/4/12: He is the One, the Onefold, the only One.

Brihad Aranyaka Upanishad, 3/9/ 1 – 9, involves a conversation between Shakalya and Yajnavalka on the number of Gods, as follows :

1. Then Vidagdha Shakalya asked him: “How many Gods are there, Yajnavalkya?”

He replied according to the Nivid, quoting the number mentioned in the Nivid of the All-Gods: “Three hundred and three and three thousand and three.”

“Yes,” he said, “but how many Gods are there really, Yajnavalkya?”

“Thirty-three.”

“Yes,” he said, “but how many Gods are there really, Yajnavalkya?”

“Six.”

“Yes,” he said, “but how many Gods are there really, Yajnavalkya?”

“Three.”

“Yes,” he said, “but how many Gods are there really, Yajnavalkya?”

“Two.”

“Yes,” he said, “but how many Gods are there really, Yajnavalkya?”

“One and a half.”

“Yes,” he said, “but how many Gods are there really, Yajnavalkya?”

“One.”

“Yes,” he said, “but which are those three hundred and three and three thousand and three?”

2. Yajnavalkya replied: “These are but their powers; there are only thirty-three Gods.”

“Which are these thirty-three?”

“The eight Vasus, eleven Rudras, and twelve Adityas make thirty-one; thus with Indra and Prajapati there are thirty-three all told.”

3. “Which are the Vasus?”

“Fire, the earth, wind, space, the sun, the sky, the moon, and the stars–these are the Vasus. In them is stored all treasure; hence they are called Vasus.”

4. “Which are the Rudras?”

“The ten breaths that are in man, and the atman is the eleventh. When they leave the mortal body, they cause men to weep. Because they cause men to weep, they are Rudras.”

5. “Which are the Adityas?”

“The twelve months of the year, these are the Adityas. They move onward, carrying along all that is; hence they are called Adityas.”

6. “Who is Indra? Who is Prajapati?”

“The thunder is Indra, the Sacrifice is Prajapati.”

“What is thunder?”

“Lightning.”

“What is sacrifice?”

“The victim.”

7. “Which are the six?”

“Fire, the earth, the wind, space, the sun, and the sky–these are the six, for these six are all.”

8. “Which are the three Gods?”

“The three Gods are the three worlds, for in them all those Gods exist.”

“Which are the two Gods?”

“Food and Life Breath.”

Which is the one and a half?”

“The one who blows.”

9. “About this God they say: as the one who blows [the air] is one only, why speak of one and a half? Because in him all this has developed, hence it is called one and a half.”

“Which is the one God?”

“Life Breath; he is Brahman, which they call ‘that’ .”

Mundaka Upanishad/3/1/8: Eye cannot see him, nor words reveal him; by the senses, austerity, or works he is not known.When the mind is cleansed by the grace of wisdom, he is seen by contemplation–the One without parts.

Brihad Aranyaka Upanishad/ 3/8/9: It is in truth that Imperishable, O Gargi, who is not seen but is the seer, who is not heard but is the hearer, who is not thought but is the thinker, who is not known but is the knower. There is no other seer but him, no other hearer but him, no other thinker but him, no other knower but him. And it is that Imperishable which is the warp and the woof of space.”

Thus, the Vedic scriptures recognize the unity of REALITY without any human intervention or intercession. Going by the playbook of West Asian theisms, the Vedic discourse is head and shoulders above the Abrahamic monotheism, for the reason mentioned above. In the context of Islam, where, oneness, among other things, points to not associating partners with God, there are tons of verses in Vedas (in addition to the above) that show what true oneness is. As mentioned above, Vedic scriptures do not attach a human or a quasi human aspect, while dealing with REALITY.

And this REALITY transcends gender, where, it is portrayed to be HIM, HER and THAT. Here are a few feminine instances of REALITY.

Rig Veda 10/125/7: At the world’s summit I bring forth the Father. My origin is in the Waters, in the ocean. Thence I am spread through all existing worlds and even touch the heaven with my forehead.

The above verse refers to Vac (the Word) in Devi Sukta and Vac is feminine in nature.

Rig Veda 1/113/19: Mother of Gods and brightness of the Godhead, token of sacrifice, shine forth on high. Rise up and look upon our prayers with favor. Bless us among people, Dawn ever desired.

The above verse refers to Usha a.k.a Aditi (the feminine principle of Brahma).

Rig Veda 10/72/4: Daksha was born of Aditi. Aditi was born of Daksha.

The above verse shows the unified nature of REALITY from a gender standpoint.

Idol Worship / Cow Worship / Phallus Worship: Why is cow such a revered animal in Hinduism? Parking aside the domestic uses of a cow, the mammal symbolizes Aditi of Vedas. The Mother cow that bestows all the good tidings to man and Aditi encompasses everything in her. She is the feminine principle of Prajapati. So this is the mapping that is in vogue today, where, cow is the symbol of Aditi of Vedas and Kamadenu of later day Puranas. The fact is that people do not worship cow (or idols for that matter) but the mammal is seen as a symbol of Aditi. Does anybody think that Hindus think that an idol or a mammal is God, per se? Had they thought so, the destruction of Somnath temple by the invading armies from the deserts would have meant the symbolic end of the religion.

Is Shiva Linga a phallus? Too much of Wendy Doniger can have this effect. Shiva linga personifies the Skambha (cosmic pillar of Vedas – Atharvana Veda 10/7). Skambha , in Vedas, symbolizes the REALITY that holds this cosmos together. Again, it is basic common sense that in a temple, ageing leads to idols and Lingas undergoing wear and tear. So an old Linga is repaired and restored. If Hindus worship the object per se (the non-living Linga), why would they renovate it. Can God be renovated?

The Created and the Creation puzzle: There is a theological difference between the Abrahamic idea of the creator that resides in a separate realm far away from the Universe, who, after having created the cosmos, shows his immanence by sending down streams of messengers, from his place up in the sky. There is a clear DMZ between the creator and the creation. But the Vedic metaphysics offers a different conception, where, the REALITY, is both inside and outside the working of the cosmos and the DMZ dissolves. Here is an instance from the Upanishads.

Brihad Aranyaka Upanishad/3/7/3 – 22.

3. “He who dwells in the earth, yet is other than the earth, whom the earth does not know, whose body is the earth, who controls the earth from within–he is the atman within you, the Inner Controller, the immortal.

4.”He who dwells in the waters, yet is other than the waters, whom the waters do not know, whose body is the waters, who controls the waters from within–he is the atman within you, the Inner Controller, the immortal.

5.”He who dwells in the fire, yet is other than the fire, whom the fire does not know, whose body is the fire, who controls the fire from within–he is the atman within you, the Inner Controller, the immortal.

6″He who dwells in space, yet is other than space, whom space does not know, whose body is space, who controls space from within–he is the atman within you, the Inner Controller, the immortal.

7.”He who dwells in the wind, yet is other than the wind, whom the wind does not know, whose body is the wind, who controls the wind from within–he is the atman within you, the Inner Controller, the immortal.

8.”He who dwells in the sky, yet is other than the sky, whom the sky does not know, whose body is the sky, who controls the sky from within– he is the atman within you, the Inner Controller, the immortal.

9. “He who dwells in the sun, yet is other than the sun, whom the sun does not know, whose body is the sun, who controls the sun from within–he is the atman within you, the Inner Controller, the immortal.

10. “He who dwells in the regions of space, yet is other than the regions of space, whom the regions of space do not know, whose body is the regions of space, who controls the regions of space from within–he is the atman within you, the Inner Controller, the immortal.

11. “He who dwells in the moon and the stars, yet is other than the moon and the stars, whom the moon and the stars do not know, whose body is the moon and stars, who controls the moon and the stars from within–he is the atman within you, the Inner Controller, the immortal.

12. “He who dwells in the atmosphere, yet is other than the atmosphere, whom the atmosphere does not know, whose body is the atmosphere, who controls the atmosphere from within–he is the atman within you, the Inner Controller, the immortal.

13. “He who dwells in the darkness, yet is other than the darkness, whom the darkness does not know, whose body is the darkness, who controls the darkness from within–he is the atman within you, the Inner Controller, the immortal.

14. “He who dwells in the light, yet is other than the light, whom the light does not know, whose body is the light, who controls the light from within–he is the atman within you, the Inner Controller, the immortal.

“So far with reference to the divinities. Now with reference to beings.

15. “He who dwells in all beings, yet is other than all beings, whom all beings do not know, whose body is all beings, who controls all beings from within–he is the atman within you, the Inner Controller, the immortal.

“So far with reference to beings. Now with reference to the body.

16. “He who dwells in the life breath, yet is other than the life breath, whom the life breath does not know, whose body is the life breath, who controls the life breath from within–he is the atman within you, the Inner Controller, the immortal.

18. “He who dwells in the eye, yet is other than the eye, whom the eye does not know, whose body is the eye, who controls the eye from within–he is the atman within you, the Inner Controller, the immortal.

19. “He who dwells in the ear, yet is other than the ear, whom the ear does not know, whose body is the ear, who controls the ear from within–he is the atman within you, the Inner Controller, the immortal.

20. “He who dwells in the mind, yet is other than the mind, whom the mind does not know, whose body is the mind, who controls the mind from within–he is the atman within you, the Inner Controller, the immortal.

21. “He who dwells in the skin, yet is other than the skin, whom the skin does not know, whose body is the skin, who controls the skin from within–he is the atman within you, the Inner Controller, the immortal.

22. “He who dwells in the understanding, yet is other than the understanding, whom the understanding does not know, whose body is the understanding, who controls the understanding from within–he is the atman within you, the Inner Controller, the immortal.

The above verses show that the creator is the life force of living beings and the dynamism of the cosmos. This also shows the dual aspect of REALITY being manifested, yet, unmanifested, known, yet unknown and being inside yet being outside.

These are merely addressing some of the most common criticisms heaped against Hinduism to show how misplaced and abrahamic their understanding of Hinduism is and in fact, going by their own play book, specifically on monotheism, the Vedic discourse itself completely refutes them, for, Vedic metaphysics is not dependent on the need for believing in a human messenger to attain salvation.