We Hindus Have 330 Million+ Gods, Seriously!

-- U d a y l a l P a i

“Do you really believe in 33 crore gods?

“Yes, I do. I suspect there could be more,” I said.
The question was from Abdul Saleem, a co-passenger in the Chennai-Ernakulam Express. He was
discussing about the concepts for Gods with his friend NateshIyer. They were college mates. I was
sharing the Coach.
“You are wrong Mr.Uday. You have mistaken the meaning of Sanskrit word ‘Koti’ as crore (=ten
million). It’s normal for a layman.” Natesh said.
“Koti means crores, right?” I asked him.
“Hahaha,” he laughed out aloud. “Koti has another meaning – ‘type’ and ‘family’.
Our puranas say that there are only 33 devas (8 Vasu, 11 Rudra, 12 Aditya, 1 Prajapati and 1
Shatkaar). We only have 33 gods in Hinduism that is mis-interpreted as 33 crores by ignorant people
like you” Natesh said.
“Mr.Natesh, there are three issues here. One – In Sanskrit Koti (Kodi) means crore. There are many
other meanings for that word, but, of course, not ‘type’ or ‘category’ or ‘family’ etc. I had the same
doubt so cross-checked with Sanskrit scholars.”
“And the second issue?” he asked.
“The 33 Vedic devas concept is not in Puranas, but it is mentioned in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
(Chapter 3 as a conversation between Śākalya and Sage Yājñavalkya). It says that there are 33 devas
in the celestial world, in terms of performance of yajnas. It doesn’t mention the word “koti” there.
When some apologetic Hindus saw the number 33 there, they might have mixed it up with a different
concept of 33 crore devas that mentioned in Puranas.
But Vedas also lists lot of other gods. Rig-Veda itself mentions about “3,339 devas have worshipped
Agni”. It also describes Vishnu as younger brother to Indra. If there are only 33 devas, what about
those inhabitants in Swargaloka? There are 14 Indras. His army, his sons, members of his court –
millions of devas are supposed to be there. Then there are lot of gods in Kailasam (Shiva’s abode),
Vaikuntam (Vishnu’s abode) etc. What about Vishnu’s 24 avatars? “
“What’s the third issue? “Abdul asked.

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23 “Mr.Natesh should explain the Tamil phrase, ‘MuppathuMukkodiDevargal’? Does it mean 33
types of gods? Most of the old texts and regional scriptures talk about 33 crore gods. ”
“But sir, Seriously, do you really believe in such non-sense? There is only one god. ”Abdul said.
“Yes, yes. in Hinduism also there is only one god – Brahmam. We call it in many names, that’s it.
”Natesh said.
“Brahmam is not god. It is the Ultimate Reality – it is all inclusive. There is nothing separate from
Brahmam. The God in question is a totally different concept.” I said, “God is not English translation
for any of these words- Devta, Deva, Ishwar, Bhagwan, Daivam etc. They are not one and the same.
The words ‘Ishvara’ and ‘Devata’ are often translated as “god” leading to a such common
misunderstanding. Diety could be a better word for deva.”
“Mr.Uday, there is only one god in this universe. He is infinite. He cannot be captured in images and
idols. Only pagan idiots will worship as images. ” Abdul said. I could see Natesh’s face changing
into red.
“I doubt whether God is he, she or it. If God is infinite, and cannot be captured in images or idols,
tell me Abdul, how can he be captured in mere words? The vocabulary is used only to describe that
is reachable. An image is worth more than thousand words. The definitions and description of God in
all religious books are, in a way, an attempt to image God. At least, Idol worshippers are sincere
enough not to say that idols are what God looks like!” I said.
I saw Abdul’s face becoming red. He said: “God is one. The God Almighty – praise be upon him –
has clearly declared: You will worship none but me that you will associate none with me, and that
none of you shall set up mortals as deities besides me. If you commit the foulest sin by worshipping
any other Gods (other than me) or associating partner with me, I shall throw you in hell fire as a
punishment for this sin. He creates and controls everything.”
“Is that statement from God? Fine. If there was only one God, how was it possible for man to find
many other Gods to worship? If the single God is so confident that there are no other Gods except
him, why is he showing envy to another God that is obvious in his own words? If he really knew that
there is no other God, wouldn’t he be confident that people will not find any another God to
worship? His own statement is contradictory – it clearly shows that he is always suspicious and
insecure that there may be other Gods and people may worship those Gods instead of him.
Otherwise, why is he warning like a Mafia don not to worship others? Why is he acting like a
narrow-minded autocrat who goes to the extent of enforcing strict law that if any one of his gang
tries to desert Him, he should immediately be put to death for apostasy? If there is only one powerful
god who creates and controls everything, doesn’t that also mean he creates bad things and causes bad
things to happen?”
“Those are non-sense questions. ”Abdul interrupted “But Abdul, he is asking very pertinent
questions. ”Natesh said.
“I have more questions on your god’s statement, Abdul. The word “One” itself is a selfish definition.
The word “One” exists here because there is a concept of ‘Many’. The irony is obvious here. When
you say that God is “One”, you restrict him to be materialistically a stand alone entity in the
Universe with the almighty capability. And if God is not material, either no mathematical finite can
be applied to him, or all sorts of counts apply.”
“But our concept of single God is the best and most scientific till date. ”Abdul repeated.
“When you say “my concept of God is correct” and “his concept is wrong”, it immediately frames an
arrogance, envy and ego that eventually results in hatred, anger, onslaughts and war. Hindus don’t
have the right to say: “Krishna is the only god. All other beliefs are bullshit” Similarly, you can only

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say: “Allah is my god. I believe in him” But you shouldn’t say “Allah is the only god, there are no
other gods”.
“You are misguiding. Even, Vedas approve the concept of single god. Isn’t it Natesh?” Abdul said.
This time Natesh didn’t reply. He looked confused.
“If you need approval from 7000 years old Vedas for what is stated in your some-1500 year old text,
then why don’t you follow Vedas itself?” I asked him. “I have been seeing people quote from Vedas
and ancient Hindu texts to justify sentences in their religious texts. There is absolutely nothing
common.
“All quotes they make are out-of-context.” I told.
“But there is only One God – isn’t it Natesh?” Abdul asked. No reply from Natesh. He was just
looking at me expecting my reply.
“I am sorry guys, but the concept or notion of a personal wholesale God, hiding behind the clouds of
secrecy, telling us irrational stories through few men whom he sends as messengers, demanding us to
worship him or punish us, does not make sense. I don’t think that God is as silly as an autocratic
emperor who wants others to respect him or fear him.” I told him, “I prefer to go with peaceful small
time retail gods. ”
“Why do you endorse such superstitious beliefs of 33 crore gods. There is only one God. ”Abdul
again said.
“All beliefs are superstitious, as long as it is NOT proven in an empirical and scientific method.
Single god and multiple gods – both are beliefs only. You cannot say I have only one percent
superstition and others have 95%, so I am better. You can’t measure superstitions like that. ” I told
him adding: “But fanatic single god beliefs are unacceptable for a civilized and cultured society, as
they always create separation, splits, conflicts and violence in this world. The fundamentalist one-
god-domination concept has led to terrorism, fanaticism, insecurity, fear and killing whereas flexible
multiple gods create tolerance and co-operation. That’s why our ancestors created so many gods.”
After a minute of thought Abdul said, “I understand – people can have many beliefs but tolerance to
each other’s belief is the key. I am very tolerant. ”
Then asked me: “Seriously sir, is there any rationale behind the Hindu concept of 33 crore gods?”
“Yes, there should be some science in it and you might know that too. Mr. Uday, I am sorry, I
mistook you for an ignorant layman.” Natesh enquired – “I am an ignorant layman. Little bit
knowledge doesn’t take me to your levels.”
“So don’t worry,” I smiled and said: ”Modern science cannot support any of our beliefs. But our
ancestors have mastered the natural science. They have realized the divine presence everywhere.
They have listed down 33 crore different forms of natural power or manifestations that is holding this
Universe.
(Incidentally, our ancestors have also listed around 8.4 million species, while science have just
reached the figure of 1.75 million and is predicting the figure to be between 8 to 10 million). ”
“Sir, what does your Puranas say about it?” Abdul asked.
“Puranas talk about various gods or devatas just to make a human being understand the vastness of
the concept of God. Otherwise it will be too abstract to understand for ordinary ignorant men like
me. The stories in puranas are metaphorical in nature. Natesh, let me tell you – the Sanskrit phrase
‘trayastrimsatikoti’ is also mentioned in Atharva Veda, Yajur Veda, and Satapatha-brahmana. And
here also ‘koti’ doesn’t mean type. It means ‘supreme’.
It lists supreme 33 devas for very specific purpose. But it acknowledges other gods. ”

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“Sir, it appears like you really support the concept of 33 crore plus gods. How could you convince
yourself about it?” Natesh asked me.
“Our ancestors have simplified the process of selecting a man’s God from the long list of 330
million. They have identified three principal deities. They are Kula (or Gotra) Devata (Family
Deity), Grama Devata (Village Deity) and Ishta Devata (Favourite Deity). .”
“Can you explain that sir?” both asked together.
“For instance, my family or gotra devatha is MahalasaNarayani – that is Mohini Avatar of Vishnu
(Not mentioned in your 33 types). I belong to Vishwamitra- Ahamarshana-Kamsigotra (clan) that
supposed to be 1000s of years old.
So, when I pray to my Kula devatha – it is for the entire family, which would be spread to hundreds
of thousands now. They are all my family members, though I don’t know any of them. Then comes
Grama devatha – mine is Lord Narasimha. The entire village is dedicated to Narasimha and the
prayer is for the entire village and its inhabitants. God’s place is punyabhoomi. In today’s world, the
village concept is replaced with country. That’s why for real Hindus their country – India – is
‘Punyabhoomi’ (sacred land) but for others it is just a real estate.”
“And Ishta Devatha?”
“That we can choose from this 33 crore. So, for a Hindu, family, community and country were
important than his personal likes and dislikes. You will see this cultural aspect in everything related
to Sanatan Dharma – there was no selfish importance for individuals, even in marriages.”
“Amazing sir – we didn’t think this deep. ”Natesh said.
“I believe in Allah, I am a Muslim. But now onwards, I will also consider this as Punyabhoomi.”
Abdul said.
“You must. Our ancestors believed that the world population is approximately 100 crore (and it was
almost true then). The number 0.33 is the decimal representation of the ratio 1/3. They have
classified human basically into three ‘gunas’ (qualities) namely deva (divine) guna, asura (demonic)
guna and manushya (humane) guna. The ratio ⅓ refers to the deva guna in us. Thus 33 crores of
gods!”
“This is very convincing Sir. Salutes. Let there be billion gods then.” Natesh said.
“Yes – Let all humans in this planet be gods.” Abdul said.
I told them: “I don’t have any problems in praying to Allah, Jehovah, Yahweh, Elohim, Abba or
Krishna, Shiv, Vinayak, Vishnu, Durga – whoever. Because, our ancestors taught us, ‘Akashat
patitam toyam, yatha gachchhati sagaram, Sarva deva namaskaraha keshavam pratigachchati.'
आकाशात् पिततं तोयं यथा गछित सागरम् सवदे नमकारः के शवं ितगछित
( , व ।) (All the water fallen from
the sky goes to the sea, similarly salutations to all the gods reaches to Keshava). Kesava is not a
single Hindu god. The word represents cosmos. Let’s all co-exist. Let’s don’t be fanatic to any single
idea of god. Let there be billions of godly humans. Let noble thoughts come to us from every side.
Remember, our ancestors accepted even atheists as saints”

Five Responses to “We Hindus Have 330 Million+ Gods, Seriously!”

M_Raghavan/ 27 Jun 2015 6:09pm # A fascinating conversation, one which tries to take two
tangential views of life and bring them to compromise.
Some corrections, however. Classic Tamil refer to “mupathumUvaramarargal”, 33 gods. Let us
remember that Tamil mythology wad less about sacrifice to deities and more about human behavior
in itsunderstanding of the Divine.

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Also note they are called amarargal – Immortals, not gods, to suggest there is Something Higher. In
my studies of Tamil culture, this Higher is seen as One Who is Kind and Selfless in caring for
humanity.
Thirumal and Murugan are the two concepts of God in Tamil who fit this description, and single
pointed devotion to them can be likened to monotheism, although they are miles apart in their
tolerance towards other faiths.
DH / 30 Jun 2015 10:55am #
Some thoughts –
1. Idol worship or words: Words to praise God almighty were taught by him to his messengers.
Whereas idols were created by humans themselves
2. God does not fear or envy other gods. He has given limited freedom to his humans to do good or
evil. If they chose to worship others than the one true God, then that is up to them. Just like they have
a choice to drink alcohol, smoke tobacco or do drugs.
3. God is the creator and master. If you obey him, you will reap rewards otherwise you will be
punished. It is your choice.
4. Single God societies have lived in peace in the past and there has been violence in societies that
worship multiple gods. Historical evidences are available to substantiate this.
5. Punyabhoomi should not be restricted to India alone – the whole world is a Punyabhoomi where
we do good deeds and get Punya.
6. We do not need to do things just because our ancestors did. There is no compulsion in religion.
Truth stands out clear from error.
May God guide you to the truth.
Ashok / 8 Sep 2015 1:36pm # @DH YES Single God societies live peacefully examples like the
crucifixionof Lord Jesus where His ideas among the single God society rejected Him. Catholic
hegemony, the rise of Islam, Spanish Portuguese Inquisition and Crusades later the genocide of red
Indians in America and aboriginals in Australia are the references in history for this. If you are not
aware of this check it.
dr.himani/ 4 Jan 2016 1:01pm # Ur thoughts n perceptions r worth appreciation,I liked almost ur all
spiritual article very much. Now time everyone across the globe turning towards vedas for all the
answers n unsolved mystery n scientific reasons,and I m keen to learn that ..:-)
(http://udaypai.in/siteon/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Ravi.jpg)“Do you really believe in 33 crore
(330 million) gods?”

330 Million Gods Again!

We were born and brought in a social milieus where very few, if not a couple of or so
only, heroes are contemplated to reign.
It seems that the traditional status and thinking are bound to change and the humanity
is witnessing virtuous upheaval. Widespread educational system, 'sudden' affluence of
the bottom 90 percent, awareness among the hitherto half-sleeping multitudes,
unprecedented rise in equity and equality, rights consciousness among the dormant
communities, unexpectedly cheap and quality communication, transportation system
available to the pauper to the billionaire almost equally, etc. are making each and
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every individual the owner of oneself. Each is the governor of the fate and course of
one's life. Gone are the days when when a leader's say were the final words of the
tribal villages, a country would be the property of any king or president to rule
lifelong. With development of science and technology perfectly reigning over the
crime control mechanisms of all countries of the world, health problems and the like,
the humanity is going to lead a fearless and ecstatic life. Again, with all 3Ds --dirty,
dangerous and difficult, monotonous and dry jobs taken over by machines, robots and
technologies, and other risks borne by one or the other measures, life is sure to become
recreation all round. These developments coupled with the unprecedented
Against the backdrop of what is mentioned above, it seems that the olden days of 330
million gods and equal number of the goddesses are making a happy comeback again!