Where the Gods reside

“Yatr Naryasto Poojyantay,
  Ramantay Tatr Devta"

- Manu-Smriti*                   

Translated from the Sanskrit the statement means,

Where the women are loved and honoured, the Gods are pleased to reside there. 

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Nowadays one regularly reads about incidents of mistreatment and disrespect of women and that can never be condoned. Exceptions however do not define the majority. 

Contrary to common belief, in India, as in most agrarian societies the Goddess, the provider of all things as mother nature has always been revered. The female has always been respected, loved and worshipped. Hindu and later Sikh tradition has always honoured women with the highest status of which women are rightly deserving.

Somewhere along the way, this valuable lesson which kept man and nature in harmony got disturbed. Influence of patriarchal religions, industrialisation, urbanisation etc. amongst other causes has taught man that nature and hence females are to be exploited for man's convenience and pleasure. Exploitation can never bring dignity and love. 
Our salvation and lasting joy can come only by loving and cherishing nature which is manifested in the female.

Culture is shaped by both tradition and historical influences, and provide many valuable lessons. 
Love, trust, respect, and worship can never be legislated, it can only be instilled and cultivated in the hearts of our children. This is not the responsibility of the government, media, priests, schools, or even civil society but only by elders and parents in our own homes.

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* The Manu-Smriti, also known as Manav Dharam Shastra, is the earliest work on Brahminical Dharma in Hinduism. Manu-Smriti is believed to be the word of Brahma, the Creator and it is classified as the most authoritative statement on Dharma .

The scripture consists of 2690 verses, divided into 12 chapters.  It is presumed that the actual human  author of this compilation used the eponym ‘Manu’, which has led the text to be associated by Hindus with the first human being and the first king in the Indian tradition.

Gods & Goddesses

Isn't it amazing how a simple question can send us on a very long journey?

My Iranian friend Ali once asked me , why do you Indians have so many Gods and Goddesses? Shyamoli another friend asked why does God have to be male?

Like many Indians, being continuously exposed to Western philosophy and Christian beliefs, I found the entire concept of Hinduism strange and inexplicable. So I set off on a journey to learn more about Hinduism.


First thing I learnt was, Hinduism cannot be appreciated easily through a Western mindset. It is difficult if not impossible for a person schooled in Western philosophy which is fundamentally the Greek philosophy and within the thought and belief framework of Abrahaminical religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Here God is seen as man like sitting on a throne directing affairs of the world. Greek Gods are seen as super human beings that live for ever. This is quite different from Indian approach and philosophy.

Hinduism is not even a religion it is  highly evolved abstract thought, scientific, and an advanced way of life, which has repeatedly passed the test of time. 

Educated in an Anglo Indian school, we were taught that God made man in His own image.  The truth is that, Man has made God in his own image.

A visit to any Hindu temple more than 2500 years old will reveal no statues or paintings of God & Goddesses. Depiction of Gods & Goddesses as is commonly observed by us in Hindu temples was taken up by Hindu priests only after followers of Lord Buddha started placing His statues in Buddhist temples.

The Goddess in Hindu scripture is not the female version of God favoured by feminists, nor is God the all powerful judgmental external agency described in the Bible who sets down codes of conduct and determines what is right and wrong. God is not even the deified hero of Greek mythology which shapes Western thinking and hence modern discourse. Goddesses and Gods have very particular meanings in the Hindu understanding of the universe.

Hindu thought starts with an observation; the human ability to imagine, that enables us to position ourselves outside nature. We alone of all living creatures can refuse to submit to nature's laws. The human mind is potentially God while nature is always Goddess. 

Thus Hindu Gods stem from the trinity of the three fundamental forms of the human mind.  Brahma is the mind that is indulgent and dominating and a God that will not be worshipped. For Brahma, nature is the Goddess Saraswati, source of wisdom awaiting his enlightenment. Shiva is the mind indifferent to others point of view, the hermit is considered the destroyer. For Shiva, nature is the alluring Goddess Shakti awaiting his engagement. For the mind that cares for others point of view is the preserver Vishnu. For Vishnu, nature is the playful Goddess Lakshmi, source of enrichment and abundance. 

Each one of is a God, and everything in nature is a Goddess. That is why nature is worshipped in millions of ways, the water, the trees, the land, the air, the mountains, the animals and the creatures and the flowers and vegetation. All worship from the mind is possible only if there is love and respect for nature and for existence. 

If we expand our minds, (hence the word Brahman. 'Brah' for expand, and 'Man' for mind, in sanskrit) to understand, respect and be one with nature then we too shall be enlightened.

Most people merely exist, rarely using their minds. Intellectually weak or lazy minds  rather than expanding their minds, fill it very quickly with dogma and perceptions, which have been handed down to them by others, mainly their parents, teachers, priests or political leaders. 

Human beings are the only known creatures that possess imagination, and expand their 'Mann' or what we call mind. That is why man is called  'Mannas or Mannav', meaning the one with a mind. Man does not live in isolation but within nature,  however because of our imagination we tend to position ourselves outside of nature. 

We alone of all living creatures can refuse to submit to nature's laws. The human mind is potentially God while nature is always Goddess. 

Thus, in Hinduism, God is the male form which represents the mind, the world of thoughts. The Goddess or the female form represents nature, the world of things.

This also helps to explain the statements,

• God is within each one of us 
• God is everywhere and within everything. 

Concepts have been drawn from the writings of Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik.

330 Million Gods & Goddesses.

Topics such as politics and religion never fail to raise tensions, generating lots of heat and often very little light.  Maybe it is not the topics per se but how we deal with them.

Not long ago a potential customer living overseas came to visit us in India. He was aggressive about his religion as was apparent in his attire, manner and speech. Our guest never passed an opportunity to lecture me on the wonders of his faith.

'Athithi Devo Bhava'  is an ancient Indian tradition  meaning 'our guest is like God'. This gentleman was pushing his welcome to the maximum and it was all getting a bit tiring.  

Our work took us to several cities all across India and our guest got to see a bit of our great country. I tried to show him the kindness and spirituality of our people, the depth of our compassion and knowledge and the beauty of our land. What he chose to see was the squalor of our cities, the bazar like manner of our driving. He was particularly fascinated and confused by the existence of so many cultures, religions and also the  temples devoted to  so many different Gods and Goddesses.

Our guest can be forgiven for he had inherited a very successful business, He was very wealthy  and was also a prospective customer. This combination produces a heady mix which often breeds arrogance and blinds people.

During a tour, one of our flights was delayed for a while and as we waited in the airport lounge he asked me a question "Exactly how many Gods and Goddesses do you Hindus have?". 

I told him that we had 330 million of them.

"Incredible", he said "no wonder there is so much confusion in your country". Then he went on to deliver a long lecture on what was wrong with India and Indians. He eventually asked, "Why do you not believe in only one God like we all do? ".

Is it not puzzling that even though we grow up in age and like to believe we are all grown up and mature we very often behave rather childishly? 

We are always squabbling, arguing about silly things and trying to outdo each, boasting about what we possess. We are always comparing with others in silly ways. 'I am bigger and wealthier than you, my country, my family, are greater than yours' and of course we must not forget that to mention 'my religion is better than yours and my God is the only true one and greater than your God'.

Had this conversation taken place a decade ago I might have reacted with anger and entered into a fruitless debate. Now I was older and a bit wiser, thanks to the teachings of my Guru. I merely smiled.

I responded by asking him a question " Can you tell me with confidence that there is no violence, nor disagreement nor strife between the followers of these religions that believe in one God you so proudly speak off?"

He replied " of course there are differences, but this cannot be helped."

I informed him that even though there were 330 million Gods and Goddesses that are worshiped by a billion Hindus  across the world, there was no strife, nor hatred nor any disagreement between the followers on account of the Gods. They have existed in total harmony since time immemorial.

"There is only one God and he is known by countless names for He manifests Himself in countless forms", I explained

No conversation took place after that  until we arrived at our destination.  My customer was lost in thought. En route to our hotel we drove past a  temple lit up with lamps for the evening prayer and people were singing hymns joyously. My guest asked if we could stop for a while and enter the temple. We removed our shoes and washed our hands and went in. We sat there for a while enjoying that feeling of closeness with The Almighty. Then we took the 'prasad' and left for our hotel.

My customer looked at me and said sheepishly "I have behaved rather insensitively.  I did not realise that it is the same one God we all believe in, it is just His countless forms that you worship. I am very sorry for much of what I have uttered"

No business was transacted between us but we became friends.