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Re: NEED INFO ABOUT HINDU GODS
>
> One of the biggest missconceptions about Hinduism is the "many gods"
> interpretation. Hinduism IS monothesistic in nature. The many gods
> that you hear about represent the different manifestations or
> aspects of the same God.
That is not exactly correct. In actuality, there are many 'gods' or
'devas' in the texts of the Hindus. But there is only one Supreme God,
who is everywhere identified as either Vishnu, Krishna, or Narayana. The
devas are supposed to be empowered administrators in charge of different
affairs in the material universe, much like angels in the Christian
religion. Sometimes these devas are worshipped, but only for material
benefits. They cannot give spiritual liberation, and hence they should
not be put on the same level as God.
> (It's interesting, the more I learn about Hinduism, the more I see
> instances where Christianity has "borrowed" from it - re-naming things
> here, bending interpretations there...)
>
That's true. I have noticed that Christian evangelists and other Western
scholars have a tendency to ignore the prominence of Vishnu in the Vedic
texts, thus making it seem that there is no one Supreme Lord in Vedanta.
Respectfully,
-- HKS
