Hinduism: Monotheism With A Twist

Hinduism is the oldest of all the existing religions in the world; it has no single founder or a single holy book. Although Hinduism is essentially monotheistic, people of other faiths do not appreciate this fact. They mistakenly argue that Hinduism is all about polytheism. This article attempts to provide a basic understanding of Hindu monotheism, which will help in dispelling all related misconceptions.

• The sages and seers of ancient India unambiguously proclaimed that there is just a single ultimate reality called God/Paramatma. The numerous deities seen in Hinduism are nothing but different manifestations of the same Paramatma.

• Many human minds cannot concentrate on an entity that is formless during worship, and they need something tangible to focus on. The deities help in achieving this particular objective.

• All the deities are varied forms of one and only Paramatma. Every true Hindu is constantly aware of that truth even while worshiping the deity of their choice.

• Hindu monotheism speaks of a God who is all-encompassing. This ultimate reality is not vengeful towards people just because they follow a different religious path. Hinduism strongly declares that all forms and paths lead to the same supreme source.

• During the time of the invaders and colonialists, many inaccurate notions about Hinduism were propagated by them. These elements considered their races to be way superior to Hinduism and thus attacked the practices and traditions of Sanatana dharma.

These foreign invaders wrongly stated that only idolatry and paganism can be seen in Hinduism. The alien aggressors were ignorant of the fact that a Hindu never considers the idol as God. They are conscious of the fact that the idol is just a medium through which the prayers reach Paramatma.

• Hindu monotheism doesn’t refer to a God who brought the universe into existence from nothingness. As per Sanatana dharma, Paramatma pervades the entire universe and creation and sustains it. It is through this single source that all divine forms come, and therefore every such manifestation has to be respected.

• There are several monotheistic traditions within the umbrella of Hinduism, too. Here, we can take the examples of Vaishnavism and Shaivism. The adherents of Vaishnavism consider Lord Vishnu as their Bhagawan, and they confine themselves to this framework only. Here, a salient point needs to be added. The Vaishnavas also worship all the avatars of Vishnu where the Lord incarnated on Earth in human form.

In the same way, the followers of Shaivism revere Lord Shiva as their Paramatma. Just like the Vasihnavites, even Shaivites pray to all forms of Lord Shiva.

• Unleashing violence against people following a different faith is something that has never been seen in Hinduism. Religious bigotry is vehemently condemned by Sanatana dharma.

Based on all the above points, it is clear that Hinduism is monotheistic but with a difference. Respect for all deities and divine manifestations is an integral part of Hindu monotheism. This vividly throws light on the inclusive nature of Hinduism.