Are There 330 Million Gods in Hinduism?

Are There Too Many Hindu GOds?

That in Hinduism there are 330 million Gods is a misinformation created by non-Hindu (mostly western) scholars. Nothing could be more damning than such a misinterpretation to the religion. According to Hindu Puranas (Holy mythology), there are a category of extra-terrestrial beings called Devas, whose abode is Indra Lokha (or Deva loga or Swarga the Heaven). People who do extraordinary good deeds in this earth, after their death get a higher birth and they reach the Deva Lokha and live there as Devas, enjoying the fruits of their good deeds. The count of such Devas is normally referred to as 330 million.

The word Deva is also used to glorify Hindu Gods in poetic expression in hymns and perhaps this usage has been misinterpreted by ill-informed scholars to assume that all the 330 million Devas are Gods!

Devas are no doubt described as more evolved, more powerful and more enjoying beings; they have no physical body. Their existence is only in the form of subtler body (prana) and their enjoyment is again in the form of subtler pleasures only. In fact, according to Veda, Devas' dependence for happy well being is linked to the humans' sacrifice of food and other materials, conveyed through "Yagnya"- Fire Sacrifice.

Devas do not have eternal existence. Once they have completed enjoying the fruits of their past good deeds, they have to come back to this earth to take birth again.

Now that the confusion about Devas and Gods are cleared, the next question comes: In Hinduism, there are definitely multiple forms of God. How do you explain it?

It should be understood that Hinduism has multiple facets, multiple schools of philosophies and multiple sub-sects but all ultimately leading to one highest truth. Hinduism is not a religion of multiple Gods as some non-Hindus wrongly believe. Hinduism actually accepts worshiping and adoring various forms of the One God - called Brahman, Parabrahman or Paramatman. Hinduism recognizes the fact that different people have different tastes, temperaments and capacity of intake in the matter of religion. Hence it offers 'different strokes for different folks'.