Monotheism of Hinduism
Some well meaning people leave Hinduism to accept another so-called 'monotheistic' religion out of their dislike for 'many gods' of Hinduism. They do not realize that Hinduism does believe in one God. Let us try to understand why there appear to be many gods in Hinduism.
Hindu philosophy basically believes in one God called 'Parabrahma' even though people worship Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, other gods or goddesses or even some saints as the manifestations of 'Parabrahma' and as if they are the God. This is not so bad as it may appear. This can be explained by an analogy. It is not an exact comparison but helps us understand the concept. This is like learning simple mathematical processes and then applying them to solve more complex problems.
Most of us are patriotic enough to want to serve our country. We can do so in many different ways. One can be a businessman or an employee. An honest businessman is as good a patriot as others. Employees can be in private or government sectors. In government, one can be in defense or civilian branch and so on. In civilian service, there are administrative, legislative and judiciary branches to serve in. Thus, there are many different ways to serve our country. While doing so, we do not expect to receive instructions and compensation from the nation as a whole but from our direct superior who functions as the representative of the nation. Even while serving our employer, we are serving ourselves because our service benefits us too. Even though the country is a physical entity that exists as solid land, it is also a notional entity. For example, the staff members in an embassy serve their country even when located outside it.
Hinduism is similar to, if not exactly like, the above. There are many Sanskrit texts and verses making the concept clear that Parabrahma (the Supreme Being) is omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient etc. Being so, it is not a physical person. However, most individuals find it difficult to visualize such a being and need a simpler device to worship it. For their convenience, three major deities are conceived. They are called Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (who sustains everyone and everything) and Mahesh (also known as Shiva who controls destruction). These three are the large scale manifestations of Parabrahma and cover very wide range of God's functions. For some devotees, even such a large range is too much to visualize. For their help, there are other manifestations representing specific areas of God's functions. Since there are many different types of human personalities, there are a large number of gods.
It is not uncommon to have similar arrangements in other religions. Almost all other religions have several branches and sub-branches and types of worship places and practices so that individuals can pray God according to their understanding and ability. Just look at the yellow page telephone directory where the places of worship are grouped according to the divisions and subdivisions in a particular religion. The divisions and subdivisions exist not because the religion is weak but because we humans are unable to grasp the teachings of the religions in their entirety. We must therefore learn, accept and practice them in parts suitable to our temperament and capacity. If one has a question about a spiritual situation, the proper person to contact is the head of hisr local place of worship and not the global head of hisr religion. Such an action would not mean that the person contacted is god but nevertheless does fill in for God.
There is a very interesting story circulating on the internet among readers regardless of their religion concerning a very devoted theist person. During a major storm, hse (he or she) was likely to be drowned in flood waters. A vehicle came to take himr (him or her) to a safe location. Bur hse refused to go saying that God would save himr. A few hours later, the street was flooded. A boat came to hisr (his or her) rescue and offered to take himr to a safe place. Again hse refused. A few more hours later, hisr house was under water forcing himr to wait on the roof for God to save himr. A helicopter came but again the person preferred to wait for God to arrive. Then hse drowned and died. Upon reaching the heaven, hse asked God why Ge did not save himr. God replied, "I came to save you three times, but you did not accept my help." Even though this is a make believe story it provides an interesting lesson and raises a pertinent question. God does his job through people like us. It is therefore our responsibility to do godly acts. The question is, "Can a devotee expect God to identify Himself every time before helping or saving Gis devotees? If not, why cannot we pray God through godly manifestations?"