How many Hindu gods ?

Do you really believe in 33 crore gods in Hinduism ?  where is the number of gods in Hinduism mentioned ?

In Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 3.9.2 , Rishi Sakalya (शाकल्य ) & Yagnavalkya (याज्ञवल्क्य) discussed about number of Gods. Yagnavalkya mentions number of gods as 33 , then he give details of them. 

Sakalya asked: ‘Who are those 33 gods?’ 

Yagnavalkya said: – अष्टौ वसवः, एकादश रुद्राः, द्वादशादित्याः, ते एकत्रिंशत्, इन्द्रश्चैव प्रजापतिश्च त्रयस्त्रिंशाविति ॥ २ ॥

‘The eight Vasus, the eleven Rudras and the twelve Adityas—these are thirty-one, and Indra and Prajapati make up the thirty-three.’

Classification of 33 Vedic gods

Vasus

कतमे वसव इति; अग्निश्च पृथिवी च वायुश्चान्तरिक्शं चादित्यश्च द्यौश्च चन्द्रमाश्च नक्शत्राणि चैते वसवः; एतेषु हीदं वसु सर्वं हितमिति तस्माद्वसव इति ॥

‘Which are the Vasus?’ ‘Fire, the earth, the air, the sky, the sun, heaven, the moon and the stars—these are the Vasus, for in these all this is placed; therefore they are called Vasus.’

Rudras

कतमे रुद्रा इति; दशेमे पुरुषे प्राणा आत्मैकादशः; ते यदास्माच्छरीरान्मर्त्यादुत्क्रामन्त्यथ रोदयन्ति; तद्यद्रोदयन्ति तस्माद्रुद्रा इति ॥

‘Which are the Rudras?’ ‘The ten organs in the human body, with the mind as the eleventh. When they depart from this mortal body, they make (one’s relatives) weep. Because they then make them weep, therefore they are called Rudras,’

Aditya

कतम आदित्या इति । द्वादश वै मासाः संवत्सरस्य, एत आदित्याः, एते हीदं सर्वमाददाना यन्ति; ते यदिदं सर्वमाददाना यन्ति तस्मादादित्या इति ॥

‘Which are the Ādityas?’ ‘The twelve months (are parts) of a year; these are the Ādityas, for they go taking all this with them. Because they go taking all this with them, there-fore they are called Ādityas.’

— कतम इन्द्रः, कतमः प्रजापतिरिति; स्तनयित्नुरेवेन्द्रः, यज्ञः प्रजापतिरिति; कतमः स्तनयित्नुरिति; अशनिरिति; कतमो यज्ञ इति; पशव इति ॥ 6 ॥‘Which is Indra, and which is Prajapati?’ ‘The cloud is Indra, and the sacrifice is Prajapati.’

Number of God mentioned in Ramayana

In Ramayana – Sunderkanada – Sarga 23 verse 10 , When Rakshasi were trying to persuade Mata Sita, they said :

येन देवास्त्रयस्त्रिंशद्देवराजश्च निर्जिताः।।5.23.10।।
तस्य त्वं राक्षसेन्द्रस्य भार्या भवितुमर्हसि।

“You should become wife of the Ravana (King of Rakshasa), who has defeated thirty three gods and Indra.”

त्रयस्त्रिंशत् = thirty three, देवाः gods,

देवराजश्च = and Indra also

In Ramayana – Balakanda – Sarga 40 verse 5, When Vishwamitra was explaining Rama about the story of Sagara and curse to his sixty thousand sons, he said :

पितामहवचश्श्रुत्वा त्रयस्त्रिंशदरिन्दम: ।
देवा: परमसंहृष्टा: पुनर्जग्मुर्यथागतम्।

“O Destroyer of enemies, On hearing the words of the Brahma, the thirty three gods, delighted returned the way they had come.

4 COMMENTS

  1. We were teched Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are the 3 main God in Hinduism, Then where they belong in these 33 Gods?

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