The Vedas speak of 33 gods: 11 assigned
to the earth, 11 to the heavens and 11 to
the region in between. They address
Agni (fire), Sürya (sun) and U•as (dawn)
as devas; they also contains hymns to
Indra, described as powerful protector
of the ÄRYANpeople, who is exalted
above other gods as the one who creates
and delivers. There is also the statement
that ‘although Indra is one, he is called
by many names’.
In the Upani•ads the role of the
devasrecedes into the background: they
are not seen as important for reaching
the transcendental consciousness in
which ultimate fulfilment was seen.
Buddhists and Jains too devalued the
position of gods to merely innerworldly
agents, useless in the pursuit of nirväæa
or kaivalya.
During the GUPTArenaissance, and
with the rise of Puräæic Hinduism, some
gods emerged as major figures: Brahmä,
Vi•æu and Ÿiva (the TRIMÜRTI),
representing the cosmic forces of cre-
ation, sustenance and destruction. Not
only were these ïÿvaras(‘lords’) seen as
of the utmost importance for the exis-
tence of the universe and the protection
of their worshippers, they also were
seen as muktidätä, i.e. givers of
LIBERATION/salvation. Worship of gods
(PÜJÄ) became an integral part of Hindu
religion. With the construction of
genealogies of gods and the developing
belief in multiple bodily descents
(AVAfiÄRAS) the number of gods and
goddesses increased dramatically.
Along with the officially sanctioned
worship of a great variety of manifesta-
tions of Vi•æu, Ÿiva and Devï, at the vil-
lage level the worship of autochthonous
deities continued and was augmented
by the worship of local gods and god-
desses, often the spirits of departed
members of the village community who
had revealed some extraordinary powers.
Most Hindus choose one of the
deities as their i•fla devatä, their ‘wish-god’ or personal deity, who becomes the
focus of their piety and worship. The
fact that different people choose differ-
ent i•flasmakes for a unique kind of
polytheism: while remaining loyal to the
deity of their choice, most are convinced
that it is one of many manifestations of
the ultimate power (BRAHMAN) and that
ultimately there is only one Supreme
God, whose true nature is beyond
human powers to comprehend. Most
Hindus are worshippers of one God,
whom they consider creator, sustainer
and redeemer and to whom they
address their petitions and prayers.
They usually respect other gods, often
considering them a manifestation of
their own God. They will repeat
MANTRAS to a great many devatäs,
whom they believe to be the guiding and
presiding powers of natural and cultural
phenomena.Godävarï
Major river in South India, whose
banks contain many sacred places.Godse, Nathuram (1912–49)
Former member of the RÄÆTØÏYA
SVAYAMSEVAKSANGH, who assassinated
Mahatma GANDHIout of a conviction
that Gandhi had been too friendly
towards Muslims and was responsible
for the great suffering of millions of
Hindus after the partition of India in- He was apprehended on the spot,
tried, condemned to death and hanged.
Gokhale, Gopal Krishna
(1866–1915)
Important early Hindu reformer and
promoter of religious nationalism. At
the age of 19 he joined the Deccan
Education Society in Poona, taking a
vow of poverty for 20 years in order to
devote himself to educating his fellow
countrymen, at the Fergusson College,
established by the society. In 1905 he75 Gokhale, Gopal KrishnaEncyclo - Letter G 10/2/03 9:42 am Page 75