Thirty Three Million Gods

[Guest guest]

hi Narasimhaye,

 

love your response here... thnx..

 

would you be so kind as to share the name of the section of the Vedas dealing with these 33 (million) gods and their powers, and modes of worshipping them so that we may find out ourselves how to honour them better and how to live in their favour?

 

 

for me, i suppose first and almost constantly is just living with a silent and everpresent blissful Knowledge of the oneness of everything. and occasionally, falling into to a position of naming it with reverence as formless-Supreme when concepts occur, as Brahman/AUM. then again spontaneously sometimes worship happens, veneration with devotion to the Absolute-with-form as Shiva... usually this seems to be enough. please advise why to deviate from Shiva worship towards devotion for " lower " devas with form if Shiva is everything...?

 

 

if this seems off-topic, i might add that i ask in context of 1 mukhi Rudraksha bead representing Shiva. does it thus transcend all other mukhis as does Shiva in aspect of Supreme-with-form transcend all realms and deities except Brahman?

 

 

 

cheers, and best wishes that you may happily continue your good works at RBSC,

taotiger.

 

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Thirty Three Million GodsThe four primary Vedas represent the accomplishment of a highly developed religious system and encourage satisfaction of material desires through worship of the demigods. They contain many directions for increasing one's power and position, or for reaching the heavens in one's future by properly performing particular sacrifices in worship to the devas (demigods), and so on.Some people ask why there seems to be so many gods within Hinduism or Vedic culture. Yet, if we properly analyze the situation, we will understand that there is but one Supreme Being who has many agents or demigods who assist in managing the creation and the natural forces within. And, like anyone else, if they are properly approached with prayer or worship, they may help facilitate the person by granting certain wishes that may be within the jurisdiction of that demigod. In some places in the Vedic literature it is explained that there are

33 Vedic gods, or even as many as thirty-three million. The 33 gods are calculated as being eight Vasus, eleven Rudras (forms of Shiva), twelve Adityas, along with Indra and Prajapati (Brahma). Then there are also other positions that are considered major or minor devas. According to the Vedas, the devas are not imaginary or mythological beings, but are agents of the Supreme Will to administer different aspects of the universal affairs. They also represent and control various powers of nature. Thus, they manifest in the physical, subtle or psychic levels of our existence both from within and without. In this way, a transcendentalist sees that behind every aspect of nature

is a personality.

etc...

[Guest guest]

Namaste Taotiger, not off topic at all. Always room for discussion

 

I didn't write that article so wouldn't be able to cite which parts

of the Vedas the passages were derived from. It was copied and

pasted from Rudra Centre website. Sounds an interesting read. Hence

its for friends and the wider community to make up their own minds.

 

Its said there's 33 gods and " as many as up to 33 million " . Must say

I don't know where all 33 million originate from, other than being

forms of the Absolute Shiva Himself. For Vaishnavites, its Vishnu.

For Shaktas, its origins are from Maa..

 

Frankly and literally its not possible to embrace all 33 million

gods, their powers and modes for worshipping them or how to live in

their favor. Its better to live in/with bhakti for one Supreme God

and you therefore have all 33 million in that case. Its not possible

to do puja for all 33 million even if there are written prescribed

rituals. To get Darshan of one may even take millions of births.

This means till eternity we will find ourselves chasing Maya if we

persist with the worship of 33 million gods. I suspect the term " 33

million gods " in the article is a figure of speech.

 

You are thus very wise to " almost constantly living with a silent

and everpresent blissful Knowledge of the oneness of everything,

occasionally falling into to a position of naming it with reverence as

formless-Supreme when concepts occur, as Brahman/AUM, and

spontaneously sometimes worship happens, veneration with devotion to

the Absolute-with-form as Shiva... usually this seems to be enough. "

 

I've quoted you above and would like to say " Yes indeed, it is

enough " . The Bliss of Oneness is like something that transcends time

and matter.

 

" Lower devas " or minor deities are still deities. Many Indians still

worship them unless they have attained a higher level of spiritual

understanding not to deviate from the Supreme God. For example there

are innumerable cults, clans and sects in India, some worship snakes,

etc.

 

Regarding your question about " One Mukhi and whether it can transcend

all other mukhis as does Shiva in aspect of Supreme-with-form

transcend all realms and deities except Brahman " , its a matter of how

you worship it. Yes it can transcend all realms and deities except

Brahman when your worship is inclined that way, without disruption

and with disciplined focus and devotion. Say if I devote myself to

Shree Yantra in the same unflinching manner come hell or highwater, I

would eventually gain the Darshan of Devi in and within Her many

Forms and The Supreme Mother and then I become an upasaka. Its the

same with the worship of Maa Kali for another example.

 

Hope all this makes sense.....

 

Aum Namah Shivaya

 

 

 

, taotigeradmin

<taotigeradmin wrote:

>

> hi Narasimhaye,

>

> love your response here... thnx..

>

> would you be so kind as to share the name of the section of the

Vedas

> dealing with these 33 (million) gods and their powers, and modes of

> worshipping them so that we may find out ourselves how to honour

them

> better and how to live in their favour?

>

> for me, i suppose first and almost constantly is just living with a

silent

> and everpresent blissful Knowledge of the oneness of everything.

and

> occasionally, falling into to a position of naming it with

reverence as

> formless-Supreme when concepts occur, as Brahman/AUM. then

> again spontaneously sometimes worship happens, veneration with

devotion to

> the Absolute-with-form as Shiva... usually this seems to be

enough. please

> advise why to deviate from Shiva worship towards devotion

for " lower " devas

> with form if Shiva is everything...?

>

> if this seems off-topic, i might add that i ask in context of 1

mukhi

> Rudraksha bead representing Shiva. does it thus transcend all

other mukhis

> as does Shiva in aspect of Supreme-with-form transcend all realms

and

> deities except Brahman?

>

>

> cheers, and best wishes that you may happily continue your good

works at

> RBSC,

> taotiger.

>