If God Is One, Why Are There So Many Gods?
One Humanity, Many Religions, Countless Forms of God
Why are there so many religions in the world, with each claiming that its understanding of God is the truth? If all human beings belong to the same species and there is only one God, why has humanity created so many religions—and so many sects and divisions within each religion? Hinduism presents an even more fascinating puzzle: it has countless Gods and Goddesses, although Sri Krishna explains in the Bhagavad Gita that the Divine is ultimately One, appearing in many forms. If Hindus accepted this truth literally, why would they not worship Sri Krishna alone? Religions arose during different periods of human history, but which was the first religion? How did the earliest human beings imagine or experience God, and what was the first form in which the Divine was worshipped? To understand why we have many Gods, we must first examine why humanity has so many religions.
One Man, Many Roles—Yet the Person Remains the Same
The picture shows the same man appearing in many different forms and roles. At one stage, he is a young man; later, he becomes a police commissioner dressed in uniform. At home, he is a loving husband standing beside his wife. On the tennis court, he appears as a sportsman in tennis attire. With his little daughter, he becomes a playful and affectionate father, while inside the temple, he is a humble devotee praying before God.
Finally, the same young man grows old, and time changes his face and body completely. He was also once a helpless baby, and one day he may exist without a physical body. Which, then, is his true form—the baby, the young man, the husband, the father, the police commissioner, the devotee or the old man? All these forms are true, yet none of them alone represents the whole person. In the same way, the one God may appear in different forms, names and roles at different times. The forms may change according to the need and purpose, but the Divine Reality behind them remains One.
Different Religions, One Divine Destination
The picture shows the same man following four different religions—as a Muslim praying in a mosque, a Hindu worshipping in a temple, a Christian praying in a church and a Buddhist meditating in a monastery. His clothing, rituals, sacred symbols and places of worship may change, but his prayers and basic human needs remain the same. Regardless of religion, people pray for peace, happiness, protection and prosperity. They seek good health, wealth and a long life, pray for the welfare of their families and ask God to protect and save them. The place and method of worship may differ, but every devotee looks upon God as the ultimate saviour.
Yet many people mistakenly believe that those who follow other religions are entirely different from them. The problem begins when someone declares, “Only my God is true; your God is not.” Such narrow thinking transforms faith into disagreement, division and conflict. Religions may differ in their names, teachings, rituals and methods of worship, but every sincere devotee is ultimately seeking the same Divine truth.
The Many Forms of One Man
The picture shows the complete journey of a single human being—from a newborn baby to a child, teenager, young man, office-goer, husband and father. As time passes, he retires, grows old, becomes weak and bent, and finally leaves his physical body. His face, body, clothing and responsibilities change at every stage, yet the person living through all these experiences remains the same. Which, then, is his real form—the baby, the teenager, the father or the old man? Every form was real at a particular time, but no form was permanent.
Now look at the picture once again. If you were shown only the newborn baby and the very old man, without seeing the stages in between, could you easily believe that they were the same person? It may be extremely difficult to imagine. Yet when you look back upon your own life and your photos at different stages of your life, you know with certainty that the baby, child, teenager and adult were all you. You did not become a different person at every stage; you merely appeared in different forms as time passed.
This helps us understand why it is difficult for the human mind to accept that many Gods may be different forms of the same One God. Just as one human being can appear in many forms throughout life, the Divine may also appear through different names and forms at different times, for different people and to fulfil different purposes. The forms may change, but the Supreme Reality within them remains the same.
The Truth Behind Hinduism’s 33 crore Gods
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