ONE GOD IN VEDAS ?

                                                       वेदों में एकेश्वरवाद की प्रतिष्ठा

             During the meeting  at the residence of Shri Hasmatrai Vakil at Tulsi Niwas-Bombay.

         A  question was posed by a sanskrit scholar regarding the many Gods in the Vedas to our Gurudev.

        Swamiji gave appropriate explanations a regarding the above topic .

We have read in many English books that in the Veda  people have  found the principle of one God  as against the multiple Gods theory believed earlier. 

A. Look Professor sahib, you read and  believe what  the foreign authors and scholars say but what the Veda itself have to say ,why don’t you read that?

1. Bhagwan,the Vedas Mention Agni,Indra,Marut and other Devtas.

A.Yes,certainly they are mentioned,but the Veda also says –

 एकं सदविप्रा बहुधा वदन्ति अग्निं यमं मातरिश्वानमाहुः।

ऋ.वे.-१–१६४–४६

EKAMSADVIPRA BAHUDA VADANTI AGNIM YAM MATARISVANMAHU— Rig Ved(1-164-46)

एकं सन्तं बहुधा कल्पयन्ति।

ऋ.वे.-१०–११४

EKAM SANT BAHUDA KALPAYANTI—(Rig Ved 10-114-5)

महद्देवानामसुरत्वमेकम्।

ऋ.वे.–३–५५—१

MAHADEVAANAMASURATAVAMEKAM—(Rig Ved  3-55-1)

Now let us see what Yajur Ved says-

तदेवाग्निस्तदादित्यस्तद्वायुस्तदु चन्द्रमाः।

तदेव शुक्रं तद् ब्रह्म ता आपः स प्रजापतिः॥

य.वे. ३२—१

TADEVAGNISTADADITYASTADVAYUSTADU CHANDRAMA

TADEVA SHUKRAM TAD BRAHM TA AAPAH  SAH  PRAJAPATIHI (Yajur Ved 32-1)

Atharva Ved also announces  the One God principle.

यस्य त्रयस्त्रिंशद्देवा अङ्गे गात्रा विभेदिरे ।

तान्वै त्रयस्त्रिंशद्देवानेके ब्रह्मविदो विदुः॥

अ.वे. १०—७—२७

YASYA TRAYSTRISHADEVA ANGE GAATRA VIBHEDIRE

TANVAYEE TRASTRISHADEVAHAANEKE BRAHM VIDO VIDHOO (Atharva Ved 10-7-27)

The Vedic literature very specifically elaborates the principle of ONE GOD.

Q.How?

 A.Maharishi Yaskacharya  (Nirukta 7-4)

‘महाभाग्याद् देवताया एक एव आत्मा बहुधा स्तुयते । एकस्येवात्मनोऽन्ये देवाः प्रत्यङ्गानि भवन्ति।‘

निरुक्त ७–४

The famous Maharishi Shaunakacharya also says the same.

एकैव वा महानात्मा देवता। स सूर्य इत्याचक्षते । स हि सर्वभूतात्मा ।

तदुक्तमृषिणा ‘सूर्य आत्मा जगतस्तस्थुषश्च’ इति ।

But the question is since all devtas like Agni, Indra, Som, Marut, Pusha are mentioned in the Vedas how can we then still make the claim of ONE GOD?

We have to understand that with an idea (yukti) .We use words like VANN- वन (Forest).It is a singular word but refers to MANY(a collective noun) .

When we say Vrikshah वृक्षः (trees) it is a plural word meaning the same. At that time we visualize trees like neem, babool, mango, shesham etc

.( वृक्षः Vriksh=1tree ,Vrikshah=many trees Let us take another word Rashtra is a collective noun  and Manushya is a singular noun.

 In the same way EKO DEVAH is the collective word (samashti).The main feature in the Vedas is this principle that there is only ONE GOD.

Q.But Max Mueller speaks about Henotheism!

(Wikepedia dictionary gives the meaning as-HENOTHEISM-

Devotion to a single God while accepting the existence of many Gods).

A.What does  that indicate?(asked Gurudev)

Q.It means that each Devta is to be given importance and considered supreme as and when we pray to them. When a Rishi prays to Agni the

Agni Devta is important, when he prays to  the Sun then Surya Devta becomes important.

A.That is O.K. there is no problem  in that but people with less intelligence do not understand this.Now for instance-

 We call the leader of the nation patriotic and when another one comes we say the same for him. There is no conflict in the statement here as

Patriotism is the most essential quality of a leader.

To be ‘adored’ is one important requirement for a devta. So if we adore one, two , three or many Devtas there should be no problem.

We have to understand that properly.

 The  Professor’s doubts were  removed after hearing these explanations.

31^st December 1974