A Bird’s Eye View on Veda – VII

Vedic Henotheism
The Cult of one in many
(Copy right protected by Dr. G.S. Tripathy)

In different ages there is a certain religious attitude where one comes across. As found in the Vedas this is the typical of the religion. And also it is the earliest and most characteristic expression of the spiritual idealism of the Aryan type of civilization. Hence the divinity is contemplated as the one in many and the many in one. Henotheism covers the part of this idea as coined by Max Muller. Resembling both monotheism and polytheism as religious cults, primarily, it has been defined as an attitude, when it describes the divinity as one, Henotheism resembles Monotheism. When it contemplates the divine as God or Goddess. It resembles polytheism with Gods and Goddesses. But both from monotheism and Polytheism, henotheism differs.

The deities of henotheism are not the same as the deities defined as in monotheism or in Polytheism. Though it contemplates many gods its specialty lies in that it asserts each as the supreme Being. There is a general devotional attitude towards the divine in henotheism and this attitude remains unchanged even though the deities addressed are changed.

Max Muller had his own idea on henotheism and Vedas go however further than this. In two ways they do so. In the first Place. One deity is identified with another by clear statements or different deities with one deity, for example Agni. Secondly, in the neuter gender as Ekam (the one) all deities are identified with one divine Entity – TAT SAT – that reality etc. In many names and forms, thus the Vedic theism is the worship of the one divinity. This may be called as Advaitist theism. This is distinguished from the general Advaitist -- philosophy which is known as Monism. This tries to prove the unity not of god only, but of all orders of reality.

Our attention is arrested here with two essential aspects of Vedic Advaitism.
For example, in the first place, let us talk of the subjective aspect.

In the philosophical sense this cult appears to be monotheistic if we consider the attitude of the worshipper. In a spiritual mood every Vedic prayer is born in which the mind responds to the vision of the divine which is a raying attitude of the worshipper. Though the contents of the vision vary, this attitude and this feeling remain constant. The point of unity is provided by this psychological factor.

The objective aspect follows in the second place

The cult would look like a simple polytheism if we were to ignore the subjective feeling and contemplate the multiplicity of forms. The Vedic cult would appear polytheistic except for the amorphous character of the deities in relation to the form if it is observed externally. To describe it as Polytheism it is usual for many orientalists. As a purely formal one, the description may not appear inaccurate. It is the spirit which is the chief point while it loses sight of the spirit and gives the cult its specialty.

Like polytheistic gods and goddesses, the Vedic deities do not combine in their character virtue or vice, goodness and evil in respect of spirit pertaining to one important difference between Vedic Advaita and Polytheism. They are all good and by the sage each represents the highest moral standard conceivable. In the Vedic deities not only in these no moral defects but there is no aesthetic defect either. All are noble and beautiful.

The secret of the identification of one deity with another is found here. The deities are many in forms, but they are one in spirit. If this spiritual approach, Vedic henotheism is an expression only.