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God, Goddess,Goddesses,Deva=One and the same?

lotuzzdiabetes

New Member
Blessing & Peace be with you all.
So this is the main question that`s be making me feel like i`m going around in circles and makes me want to due to different answers.
Is there any scripture that says:
1.)God & Goddess & deva are all the same i.e goddess and deva are just God but in different form and not seperate entities/spirits?
2.)Shiva,ganesh,visnu etc are all one god but diffent aspect?

Some say or make it sound like that god is one but shiva,ganesh and the other gods/deities just help god with different jobs i guess like a job the manager owns the business but he/she has staff that helps him/her,and others say no it`s all one.

Thank you for any help.
 

sayak83

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
Blessing & Peace be with you all.
So this is the main question that`s be making me feel like i`m going around in circles and makes me want to due to different answers.
Is there any scripture that says:
1.)God & Goddess & deva are all the same i.e goddess and deva are just God but in different form and not seperate entities/spirits?
2.)Shiva,ganesh,visnu etc are all one god but diffent aspect?

Some say or make it sound like that god is one but shiva,ganesh and the other gods/deities just help god with different jobs i guess like a job the manager owns the business but he/she has staff that helps him/her,and others say no it`s all one.

Thank you for any help.
Brihadaranyaka_upanishad

Chapter IX—Yajnavalkya and Vidaghdha

1
Then Vidaghdha, the son of Sakala, asked him: "How many gods are there, Yajnavalkya?"
Yajnavalkya ascertained the number through the group of mantras known as the Nivid and said:
"As many as are mentioned in the Nivid of the Visve—devas—three hundred and three and three thousand and three."
"Very good," said Sakalya (the son of Sakala) and asked again:
"How many gods are there, Yajnavalkya?"
"Thirty—three."
"Very good," said Sakalya and asked again:
"How many gods are there, Yajnavalkya?"
"Six."
"Very good," said Sakalya and asked again:
"How many gods are there, Yajnavalkya?"
"Three."
"Very good," said Sakalya and asked again:
"How many gods are there, Yajnavalkya?"
"Two."
"Very good," said Sakalya and asked again:
"How many gods are there, Yajnavalkya?"
"One and a half."
"Very good," said Sakalya and asked again:
"How many gods are there, Yajnavalkya?"
"One."
"Very good," said Sakalya and asked:
"Which are those three hundred and three and those three thousand and three?"

2
Yajnavalkya said: "There are only thirty—three gods. These others are but manifestations of them."
"Which are these thirty—three?"
"The eight Vasus, the eleven Rudras and the twelve Adityas—these are thirty—one. And Indra and Prajapati make up the thirty—three."

3
"Which are the Vasus?" asked Sakalya.
"Fire, the earth, the air, the sky, the sun, heaven, the moon and the stars—these are the Vasus; for in them all this universe is placed (vasavah). Therefore they are called Vasus.

4
"Which are the Rudras?" asked Sakalya.
"The ten organs in the human body, with the mind as the eleventh. When they depart from this mortal body, they make one's relatives weep. Because they make them weep (rud), therefore they are called Rudras.

5
"Which are the Adityas?" asked Sakalya.
"There are twelve months in the year. These are the Adityas, because they move along carrying (adadanah) all this with them; therefore they are called Adityas."

6
"Which is Indra and which is Prajapati?" asked Sakalya.
"The thunderclap is Indra and the sacrifice is Prajapati."
"Which is the thunderclap?"
"The thunderbolt."
"Which is the sacrifice?"
"The animals."

7
"Which are the six gods?" asked Sakalya.
"Fire, the earth, the air, the sky, the sun and heaven; for these six comprise all those."

8
"Which are the three gods?" asked Sakalya.
"These three worlds, because all those gods are comprised in these three."
"Which are the two gods?"
"Matter and the vital breath (prana)."
"Which are the one and a half?"
"This air that blows."

9
Yajnavalkya said: "Concerning this some say: 'Since the air blows as one substance, how can it be one and a half (adhyardha)?' The answer is: It is one and a half because by its presence everything attains surpassing glory (adhyardhnot)."
"Which is the one God?"
"The vital breath (Hiranyagarbha); it is Brahman which is called That (Tyat)."
 

Sha'irullah

رسول الآلهة
I am not fond of scripture but more so theology and religious philosophy as this is the pinnacle of religious thought if you ask me. I personally do not believe they are one and the same and I am a hard polytheist I should add. I do believe some gods and goddesses are the same but not that all of them are. If anything I find that the unifying element with them is divinity and the attributes of it but not that they are all equal.

It is like the separation of a specific human like Einstein oppose to the collective notion of mankind or humankind. Indeed mankind is not a very wise creature but on the other hand Einstein is a wise creature. I hope this helps explain a bit.
 

dfnj

Well-Known Member
Blessing & Peace be with you all.
1.)God & Goddess & deva are all the same i.e goddess and deva are just God but in different form and not seperate entities/spirits?
2.)Shiva,ganesh,visnu etc are all one god but diffent aspect?

Not my religion but I think all God, gods, and goddess are reflections of the human spirit. We channel God, gods, and goddesses in our behaviors. It's a Jungian Archetype kind of thing.

Joseph Campbell's work on comparative religious studies is really good for attaining a deeper understanding of many religion. Google "joseph campbell power of myth" for into.
 

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
1.) God & Goddess & deva are all the same i.e goddess and deva are just God but in different form and not separate entities/spirits?
2.) Shiva, ganesh, visnu etc are all one god but different aspect?
In Hinduism, it is 'as you like it'.
- I am a strong atheist believing in existence of only one entity, Brahman, constituting all things in the universe, but that is not a God.
- Other believe in Brahman to be the Supreme Soul, but never interfering with the happenings of the world.
- Then there are people who believe there are two, Brahman and Shakti (the power of Brahman).
- Then there are those who believe that Gods are forms of this Brahman.
- Then there are those who believe that there are three, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
- Then there are those who believe that one of the three above is the Supreme God and the rest are his helpers.
- Then there are those who believe that Shakti/Durga is the creatrix and she has created all Gods.
Lastly, there are those who believe that definitely there are many Gods and Goddeses and each is different from the other.
And we all are happy to discuss our various beliefs and delight in them. :)
 
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Buddha Dharma

Dharma Practitioner
I'm a hard polytheist. I believe Indra, Vishnu, etc are distinct beings. Far as I can tell, Buddhism is historically polytheistic as well.
 
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Mindmaster

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Blessing & Peace be with you all.
So this is the main question that`s be making me feel like i`m going around in circles and makes me want to due to different answers.
Is there any scripture that says:
1.)God & Goddess & deva are all the same i.e goddess and deva are just God but in different form and not seperate entities/spirits?
2.)Shiva,ganesh,visnu etc are all one god but diffent aspect?

Some say or make it sound like that god is one but shiva,ganesh and the other gods/deities just help god with different jobs i guess like a job the manager owns the business but he/she has staff that helps him/her,and others say no it`s all one.

Thank you for any help.

The first thing to understand is that while many people call various things deity, they are not. The first condition of real deity is unconditional love, and no demand of worship through fear. (This fear mechanic is a projection of a false deity, in that the followers of the religion are implicitly requesting that you fear THEM through the extension of the same, and there is no place for malice and intimidation in what is really the divine.) I do agree with @sayak83's presentation of the Upanishads in that my direct experience sort of lines up with this, I've been preparing to do a reading but everything I've seen myself seems to back up the wisdom in those old texts. There is one source, but many manifestations... If anything, the refreshing part of reading a little Hindu philosophy is there is no demand of worship and questioning the source texts is encouraged, if not nearly mandated. :D Anyway, if you are interested in the mechanics of the divine, Hinduism has basically written it all down and shared it with everyone. :D I learned the other way through lots of personal experience, but there are many ways to the truth.
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
Blessing & Peace be with you all.
So this is the main question that`s be making me feel like i`m going around in circles and makes me want to due to different answers.
Is there any scripture that says:
1.)God & Goddess & deva are all the same i.e goddess and deva are just God but in different form and not seperate entities/spirits?
2.)Shiva,ganesh,visnu etc are all one god but diffent aspect?

Some say or make it sound like that god is one but shiva,ganesh and the other gods/deities just help god with different jobs i guess like a job the manager owns the business but he/she has staff that helps him/her,and others say no it`s all one.

Thank you for any help.
There are many views within Hinduism. Decide what you think it is.
 

Buddha Dharma

Dharma Practitioner
@sayak83 in Buddhism it tends to be thought that the Buddhas reflect ultimate reality more accurately than anything, but I think the Monistic view about the gods of later Indian philosophy wasn't present when Shakyamuni was here. Concerning the gods, they seem to have still been seen entirely in the Vedic context, so they translated into Buddhism like that.
 
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Buddha Dharma

Dharma Practitioner
What Hindus have come to think about the streams of merit the god mantras create in a person- Buddhists see Buddha mantras like that.
 

sayak83

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
@sayak83 in Buddhism it tends to be thought that the Buddhas reflect ultimate reality more accurately than anything, but I think the Monistic view about the gods of later Indian philosophy wasn't present when Shakyamuni was here. Concerning the gods, they seem to have still been seen entirely in the Vedic context, so they translated into Buddhism like that.
I understand that. I was just saying that monism is compatible with distinct persons existing in the ordinary level. You have read Milinda dialogues, correct?
 
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