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Henotheistic aspects of Hinduism

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Henotheism is a predominant aspect of Hinduism. Furthermore, Hindu practices range from monism, pantheism to panentheism, aptly termed as monistic theism and even open henotheism by some scholars. Hinduism has often been confused to be polytheistic because one leading denomination, Smartism, which follows the Advaita philosophy of absolute monism, and includes worship of all kinds of personal forms of God. Absolute monists see one unity with all personal forms of God as different aspects of one Supreme Being, like a single beam of light separated into colors by a prism. Thus Smartas consider all personal forms of God as equal including Devi, Vishnu, Siva, Ganesh and Skanda but generally limit the recognized forms to be six. Other denominations of Hinduism, don't adhere to the Smarta viewpoint, but are quite unlike Western perceptions of monotheism. Additionally, like Judeo-Christian traditions which believe in angels, Hindus also believe in less powerful entities, such as devas.[1] Contemporary Hinduism can be categorized into four major sects: Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. Vaishnavism, Shaivism, and Shaktism worship Vishnu, Shiva, and Devi - the Divine Mother, as the Supreme Being respectively, considering all Hindu deities as aspects of the Supreme Being. Other minor sects such as Ganapatya and Saura focus on Ganesha and Surya as the Supreme. However all these are simply aspects of God, as described in Rig Veda 1.164.46,
Indra eka mitra varu amaghnim huratho divya yama sa supar o gharutm n, m tari v nam hu

sad vipr bahudh vadantyaghni

"They call him Indra, Mitra, Varu a, Agni, and he is heavenly nobly-winged Garutm n. To what is One, sages give many a title they call it Agni, Yama, M tari van."(trans. Griffith)

The Brahma Samhita 5.45 declares, Lord Vishnu is milk; Lord Shiva is yogurt. Other aspects of God are expansions or aspects of Vishnu or Shiva which is detailed in various Puranas. Vaishnavites, like other Hindus, have tolerance for other beliefs because Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu, said so in the Gita. Krishna says: "Whatever deity or form a devotee worships, I make his or her faith steady. However, their wishes are only granted by Me alone." (Gita 7:21-22) Another quote in the Gita states: "O Arjuna, even those devotees who worship other lesser deities (e.g., devas, for example) with faith, they also worship Me, but in an improper way because I am the Supreme Being. I alone am the enjoyer of all sacrificial services (Seva, Yajna) and Lord of the universe." (Gita 9:23).

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1 Krishna-centered henotheism 2 Smarta view 3 Swaminarayan view 4 Perspective of a Muslim theologian 5 Notes 6 References 7 See also

[edit] Krishna-centered henotheism

Main articles: Krishnaism and Svayam Bhagavan

Krishna-centered theology refers to Krishna with the title Svayam Bhagavan, meaning 'Lord Himself' and it is used exclusively to designate Krishna as the Supreme Lord.[2]. Certain other traditions of Hinduism consider Krishna to be the source of all incarnations,[3] and the source of Vishnu himself or to be the same as Narayana.[4][5][6] The term is seldom used to refer to other forms of Krishna and/or Vishnu within the context of certain religious texts such as the Bhagavata Purana. Though Krishna is recognized as Svayam Bhagavan by many,[7] he is also perceived and understood from an eclectic assortment of perspectives and viewpoints.[8] When Krishna is recognized to be Svayam Bhagavan, it can be understood that this is the belief of Gaudiya Vaishnavism,[9] the Vallabha Sampradaya,[10] and the Nimbarka Sampradaya, where Krishna is accepted to be the source of all other avatars, and the source of Vishnu himself. This belief is drawn primarily from the famous statement of the Bhagavatam[11](1.3.28):[12] All of the descents and incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord r K a is the original Personality of Godhead. Vaishnavism is one of the earliest implicit manifestations of monotheism in the traditions of Vedas. Svayam bhagavan is a Sanskrit term for the original deity of the Supreme God worshiped across many traditions of the Vaisnavism as the source of all, the monotheistic absolute Deity.[4][5] [13] Within Hinduism, Krishna is worshiped from a variety of perspectives.[8] However it must be noted that the Svayam bhagavan concept refers to the Supreme Being of the Orthodox Gaudiya Vaishnavism,[9] the Vallabha Sampradaya and the Nimbarka Sampradaya, where Krishna is worshiped as the source of all other avatars (including Vishnu).[14] [15] [16] A distinguishing feature of the Vaisnava teachings is that God, Krishna or Vishnu,[5] is a real person and His variegated creation is also real.[5][17]

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Krishna worshiped in Vaisnava religion as the Supreme came into being as soon as all creatures came into existence. Brahma was the first Vaisnava. In Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Shiva Mahadeva is also a Vaisnava; in Shaivism, by contrast, Shiva is the supreme God. The ancient Prajapaties are all Vaisnavas. Narada who is the born child of Brahma, is a Vaisnava. Thus pure monotheistic Vaisnava religion began with the beginning of history.[17] In the recent times man arrived once again at the instinctive monotheism of the Aryans and Vaisnavas.[18] A different viewpoint, opposing this theological concept is the concept of Krishna as an avatara of Narayana or Vishnu. It should be however noted that although its is usual to speak of Vishnu as the source of the avataras, this is only one of the names of god of Vaishnavism, who is also known as Narayana, Vasudeva and Krishna and behind each of those names there is a divine figure with attributed supremacy in Vaishnavism.[19] The theological interpretation of svayam bhagav n differs with each tradition and the translated from the Sanskrit language, the term literary means "Bhagavan Himself" or "directly Bhagavan".[11] Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition often translates it within its perspective as primeval Lord or original Personality of Godhead, but also considers the terms such as Supreme Personality of Godhead and Supreme God as an equivalent to the term Svayam Bhagavan, and may also choose to apply these terms to Vishnu, Narayana and many of their associated avatars.[20][21] Others have translated it simply as "the Lord Himself".[22] Followers of Vishnu-centered sampradayas of Vaishnavism rarely address this term, but believe that it refers to their belief that Krishna is among the highest and fullest of all avatars[23] and is considered to be the "paripurna avatara", complete in all respects and the same as the original.[24] The prime supporters of the Krishna-centered theology, Gaudiya Vaishnavas and followers of the Vallabha Sampradaya Nimbarka Sampradaya, use the Gopala Tapani Upanishad,[25] Vedanta Sutras[11] and other Hindu scriptures such as the Bhagavata Purana and the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, among others, to support their view that Krishna is indeed the Svayam Bhagavan. This belief was summarized by the 16th century author Jiva Goswami in some of his works, such as Krishna-sandarbha.[11][26] While Krishna himself if mentioned in one of the earliest texts of Vedic literature - Rig-Veda.[27] In the sixth book of the Hindu epic Mah bh rata, the Bhishma Parva (better known as the Bhagavad Gita), Krishna offers numerous quotations that reaffirm the belief that he himself is the Svayam Bhagavan. Verse 7.7 of the Bhagavad Gita, is often used to support the opinion that Krishna himself is the Svayam Bhagavan, and that no impersonal form of Brahman supersedes his existence, as it is an common view that Bhagavad Gita was propounding Krishna-theism before first major proponents of monism of the Smarta school.[28]

[edit] Smarta view

The system prevalent in Hinduism is defined by the Smartha philosophy; this theory allows for the veneration of numerous deities, but on the understanding that all of them are but manifestation of the one divine power (a belief sometimes called soft polytheism). That ultimate divinity is termed Brahman or Atman, and is believed to have no specific form, name or attribute.[29] Only a Smartha, or follower of the Advaita philosophy, would have no problem worshiping every imaginable deity with equal veneration; as the view is that all names and forms of deities are merely manifestations of the same God. Other Hindu sects such as Vaishnavism and Shaivism conform more closely to a Western understanding of what a monotheistic faith is. For instance, a Vaishnavite considers Vishnu as being the one and only true God, an attitude that resonates with that of the Abrahamic religions. However, it is Advaita philosophy that defines the Smartha sect of mainstream Hinduism, and imparts to Indic spiritual and religious traditions their renowned liberalism.

[edit] Swaminarayan view

Swaminarayan, founder of the Hindu Swaminarayan sect, said in verse 115 of their scripture, Shikshapatri said, "Shree Krishna Bhagwan and Shree Krishna Bhagwan's incarnations alone are worthy of meditation. Similarly, Shree Krishna Bhagwan's images are worthy. And men or devas, even if they are devotees of Shree Krishna Bhagwan or brahmavettaa (knower of divinity), they are still not worthy of meditation - and thus one should not meditate upon them." The Brahma Samhita 5.45 declares, Lord Vishnu is milk; Lord Shiva is yogurt.[30] Followers of Swaminaryan are Vaishnavas, but differ from the viewpoint attested by Gaudiya Vaishnavas who emphasis Shiva as a subordinate demigod expansion of Krishna. For example, in verses 47, 84, 108, Swaminaryan states: [31]
And the oneness of Narayana and Shiva should be understood, as the Vedas have described both to be Brahmaroopa, or form of Brahman, i.e., Saguna Brahman, thus indicating that Vishnu and Shiva are different forms of the one and same God.

And that Ishvara is Shree Krishna Bhagawan (Shree Swaminarayan Bhagwan), who is supreme Parabrahm, Purushottam, our Ishta-deva (principal deity), worthy of worship, and the cause of all incarnations.

[edit] Perspective of a Muslim theologian

The first Muslim scholar of IndiaAl-Birunirejected the notion that Hindus were inherently polytheistic when he wrote:
The educated among the Hindus abhor anthropomorphisms of this kind, but the crowd and the members of the single sects use them most extensively.The Hindus believe with regard to God that he is one, eternal, without beginning and end, acting by free-will, almighty, all-

wise, living, giving life, ruling, preserving; one who in his sovereignty is unique, beyond all likeness and unlikeness, and that he does not resemble anything nor does anything resemble him.[32]

Edward Washburn Hopkins quotes Moses as a proof that admission that other gods exist, does not nullify notion of monotheism in the Bible. "Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among other gods?" However, Western understanding is tinted in assuming that the monism of Advaita philosophers is equivalent to monotheism as in Vaisnavism.[1]

Hinduism
Hinduism is commonly thought of as a religion, but this is an inaccuracy, it is a Way in which most of the people of India who are not Muslim live. Some say those belonging to sects such as Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, plus various schools including tantra and bhakti, do not belong to the Way of Hinduism. This also is partially inaccurate if one considers those sects as daughters or offshoots of Hinduism. Taken as a whole, Hinduism comprises some fifty percent of the earth's people. No definition or category defines Hinduism since it is said to be a combination of religious beliefs, rites, customs, and daily practices, many of which appear overtly secular but in most instances have religious origins and sanctions. Because of this Hinduism is the only one of the major beliefs that cannot be defined; therefore it is called the Way. Although Hinduism cannot be defined, it must be described, which is also a difficult task. Hinduism is primordial, it always was. Hinduism appears to have been present in all ages of time, whether fact or myth seems irrelevant. Historical figures blend into gods that have descended to earth. Semi-historical personages, shadowy and elusive, later appear in ancient epics. The reality between fact and imagination is completely obliterated. And, from this huge historical and imaginary transformation has come a work of unimagined beauty that not only can unite man with Supreme Divinity but also with his immortal Self. Some of the historical highlights of Hinduism have been pieced together. This was accomplished through the fusion of two major elements, one the "Dravidian" strata of prehistory, on archaic folk levels often of the most primitive, which were traced, some by informed guesses, back some five thousand years, before which all is immersed in primordial mists; and the second from the Vedic-Aryan overlays, around thirty-five hundred years in age. The information concerning the periods of the "Dravidian" layers, comes largely from excavations of cities in the Indus Valley. Here was discovered a civilization of unsuspected complexities and depths, highly structured and formalized, and religious in nature, centered on a

parallel worship of a Great Mother and a yogi-like god who is equated with the Lord Shiva. Also identified were cults of water, trees, the sun, snakes, animals, and other aspects of nature. Another mysterious element, which was long lost and defying analysis and explanation, was found, that of a Sacred Unicorn, baffling, mysterious, male that had a important role in Indus life of which cannot even be surmised. The second major force promoting Hinduism was the invasion of the Vedic Aryans, nomadic warriors, who invaded India during the second millennium before Christ and settled in Punjab. The Aryans compiled the Vedas between 1000 BC and 500 BC, making them the oldest extant religious literature in the world and the oldest work of literature in an Indio-European language. The Vedas are divided into four books, the oldest of which is the Rig Veda. The books essentially serve as manuals for priests in the use of hymns, prayers, magical rites and spells, and meditational practices during Aryan sacrificial rituals. The Vedas recognized gods who were great supernatural forces of nature and the phenomena in which the powers manifested. The gods lacked the power to help human beings in their spiritual striving. Although the Vedic literature is Aryan, it contains various non-Aryan elements too, some from as far away as the South Pacific. The material describes a culture that is conquering fearless, mostly "white" military aristocratic, worshiping a pantheon of male gods, which overran and subjugated swarms of "primitive" savages. Since this is the only surviving literature, the picture is complete Aryan of the territory that they controlled. The picture that depicted the supremacy of the Aryan gods, Indra, Agni, Soma, Rudra, Vasyu, etc., and the dominance of the Aryan ritualism, which centered around the twin concepts of sacrifice that included both animals and humans, and of the sacrificial fire that had to be tended with exemplary detail and care, was superficial. The real picture was quite different when it was put in perspective. It was only after the discoveries from the excavations of the 1920s, when the Indus cities were laid bare, that the real composition of the aggregated culture was revealed. That revelation showed that even though the Aryan presence was strong the pre-Aryan cultural elements intermingled with it. The augmented culture occurred because the Aryans eventually imposed a semi-racist slavery upon the Dravidians, the Austro-Asiatic and Mongoloid people, virtually all who were darkskinned or yellow. However, even with such slavery, there was much intermingling that allowed pre-Aryan beliefs to be absorbed into the Aryan strata. Even though the conquered remained the workers, lower artisans, and drudges there were sexual liaisons and even marriages where darkskinned women taught their older beliefs to their children. Another way in which the races mixed was through the process of being "twice-born"; this was the adoption of non-Aryan leaders, chiefs, kings, and priests. Most teachings of Hinduism are embodied in the Vedas and other literature. Within this article there are links to some of these works as well as other aspects of Hinduism, other aspects may be found in this encyclopedia's Hinduism section. Contained in the articles of this section will be descriptions of the different aspects of the subject. Since previously stating that Hinduism cannot be defined this seems the most practical approach. Hinduism is presented because it has

developed many mystics and yoga techniques, and not to mention many occultists were interested in it. In summary, it can be said that the primary goal of the Hindu mystic is to escape selfhood. All individuals are bound in samsara, a bondage that is viewed as being characterized by misery and suffering. Samsara is determined by karma, the cause and effect of desire. Remaining in the bondage of samsara prevents one from knowing Brahman. The one way to obtain liberation from this cycle is to attain union with Brahman by being emptied of all sense of self-realization. From this short paragraph a connection between Hinduism and the occult can be readily recognized. One does not need be a mystic to recognize the benefits that can serve in individual, whether an occultist or not. Many persons interested in the occult sciences want to abandon the self at times, which alone would substantiate a relative interest in Hinduism. This would include the yoga and meditation practices which the Way of Hinduism has promoted. A.G.H.