Rajendra Singh Baisthakur
Hinduism believes in one God but Hindus worship many forms of God. Primordial energy is symbolized as Adi Sakti (in feminine form) as it is the source of the universe. Creation is symbolized in the form of Brahma, said to be the creator of all beings. The mother of all knowledge and creative arts, is symbolized as Saraswati, spouse of the creator. Vishnu, who manifested Himself on Earth many times including the avatars of Rama and Krishna, is the sustainer of the world. He is the Executive Head of all. His consort Lakshmi is considered goddess of prosperity which is essential for maintenance. Everything that is born has to die. The One who takes charge of this is Siva. He is the lord of destruction who makes room for further creation. His wife Parvati is also considered a symbol of Sakti. So the trio Brahma, Vishnu, Siva are symbols of creation, sustenance and destruction which have to happen in this world. Their consorts are symbols of knowledge, prosperity and energy respectively.
Indra is the Ruler/ Manager, assisting Vishnu in managing the worlds. He is assisted by eight gods like Fire, Rain, Wind etc. The elements are symbolized as Agni, Varuna and Vayu gods. (Obviously, the question of pollution does not arise). Earth is symbolized in feminine form as Bhu Devi as she carries the burden of all with patience. Every river is given a feminine name and is considered a goddess like Ganga, Narmada etc. Nine Planets are symbolized as men with their own names. Seven of them are the names we use as days of a week. Sunday is day of Sun god, Monday is day of Moon god and so on. The remaining two are Rahu and Ketu, in serpentine form, because of whom eclipses happen.
Veda, the source of all knowledge including spiritual science, is a hard nut to crack for all. So for the benefit of the common man so many symbols are created to make him follow the good and healthy practices for the well being of all. An alternate way is to make people believe in an inviolable divine law of a formless God. But even Adam and Eve could not follow the single law of God. Such is human weakness. Praying god Ganesha, the god of success, makes one confident while attempting to do something. This confidence may not be there in all otherwise. That makes clear the use of symbols of different gods to better our lives. A concrete form of God before our eyes influences us more to be righteous than an abstract idea of God or a dictate of a religion. After all, the aim of every religion is to make us live righteously and thereby happily.
