Hindu religion recognizes several gods Devas) who are believed to be hallowed (glowing) entities. Hinduism also recognizes several Devataas, who are the presiding deities over the forces of nature. In Hinduism, we use the terms Deva and Devataa interchangeably – because they are all the same kind of powerful Saktis. All these gods (and Devataas) have names and forms. Since conceptually, every god has supernatural powers, man imagines a god as a superman. Thus, he limits his imagination to something, which is already known to him; he cannot go beyond what is known to him. Therefore, man imagines a god to have a human form only – some kind of superman in human form. If a mosquito were to imagine how its god looks like, naturally it would imagine its god as a super mosquito. Thus, all gods in the Hindu religion essentially look like human beings with a few exceptions (eg: Ganesa, having an elephant head, Subramanya, having a snake form, Hanuman, having a monkey head and a monkey tail and so forth).
All gods in the Hindu religion also have a god - who is superior to them. This superior God is called Isvara. Isvara has a form – and is called Saguna Brahman (which means Brahman with a form and attributes). Hinduism also recognizes Brahman without form and attributes (Niraakaara) - who is also known as Nirguna Brahman. The Saguna Brahman, Isvara, is known as the supreme God - while the Nirguna Brahman, Paramaatma, is known as the Supreme Reality (Sat or Truth).
Form always restricts or imposes a limitation. Gods with form are not all-pervasive (Not Omnipresent like Nirguna Brahman). Hence, all gods, who have a form, are not all-pervasive like Nirguna Brahman, who has no form. By virtue of being all-pervasive, Nirguna Brahman is also Omniscient. He knows everything that happens at every nook and cranny of this universe – because he is present everywhere. But Nirguna Brahman merely witnesses those happenings; he does not participate in any of those happenings.
Saguna Brahman is available for worship in a form and when he assumes a form, he is known as Isvara. What is the form of this Isvara? People worship Isvara in several forms such as Naaraayana, Vishnu, Vaasudeva, Venkatesvara, Narasimha, Raama, Krishna, Siva and so forth. We now know that Isvara goes by many names, but what is his Ruupa? In Hinduism, every Naama of a God has a specific Ruupa. Of course, Isvara, being omnipotent, can take any Ruupa, which the devotee likes. Arjuna wanted to see the lord as the Visvaruupa – and he appeared as Visvaruupa for him. Naarasimha, Rama and Krishna, etc, are not his normal forms – they are only his Avataras, which he assumes in every Yuga for “Dharma Samsthaapana, Dushta Sikshana and Sishta Rakshana”, (which means establishing Dharma, punishing the evil persons and protecting the righteous persons).
Braman (Nirguna or Saguna) is not Brahmaaji, (who is also known as Chaturmukha Brahma or Prajaapati or Hiranyagarbha), who is one of the Trinity (Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra) and who is supposed to create this world and its beings. Nirguna Brahman is the Atma, the Paramaatma. Aatma is Awareness – and Aatma (Awareness) has no Ruupa. Brahman is always associated with a Sakti (Power) and when associated with the Sakti, Nirguna Brahman is known as Isvara. By virtue of this Sakti (Iccha Sakti, Jnaana Sakti and Kriya Sakti), Isvara becomes Omnipotent. He is so powerful that he could create single handedly this amazingly complex and infinite universe, sustain it and even annihilate it at the appropriate time.
Hinduism also recognizes several forms of Saktis having Naamaas such as Lakshmi, Paarvati, Durga, Lalitaaa and so forth. All these Saktis have specific forms too. People worship these Saktis also.
Thus, Hindus have, in addition to several smaller gods, one Principal (superior) God, called Nirguna Brahman (Paramaatma) or Saguna Brahman (Isvara). Hinduism also recognizes several goddesses, who are all very, very powerful Saktis associated with several important gods like Vishnu and Siva and so forth.
The next thought is about “God’s Laws”
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