Hinduism is one of the largest religions in the world, which is considered polytheistic because those who confess Hinduism do not worship only one god. Hinduism implies the cultivation of thousands of deities. Also, there is an idea that there are 33 million Gods of Hinduism. This belief is not proved because it comes from the word “Koti”, which can be interpreted differently, such as “million”, “crore”, or “supreme”.
Explanation:
Even though there are many gods in Hinduism, some of them are more important than others. Most popular Hindu gods are Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Kali. Each god has its own responsibilities and duties. Brahma is a primary deity who is believed to be the one who created the world.
Brahma has four faces that demonstrate the four Vedas, Hindu scriptures (see picture 1). Vishnu is in charge of saving the world in crisis time, such as wars or other troubles, while Shiva is responsible for changes that occur in society. Saraswati is the goddess of art and creation, knowledge and studying, Lakshmi symbolizes wealth and prosperity, and Kali represents violence and destruction.
Hinduists believe that all the gods and goddesses exist on Earth in various forms in order to perform their duties and functions. They may take forms of animals, fish, or even people.
For instance, one of the gods warned the ancient king Shraddhadeva about the flood that was going to happen by converting into a fish avatar, Matsya. This idea distinguishes Hinduism from all the other religions as Hindu gods exist not in heaven but on Earth, close to people.
Thus, the exact number of gods in Hinduism cannot be counted as there are thousands of them. However, it is known that Hindu set aside six major deities.