 | Many Hindus worship a single aspect of the Divine - their chosen form - referred to as their Ishtadevata. For them this aspect of the Divine - this 'god' - serves as a representation of the All - the Absolute. [Click on the right to read more] |
According to many Indian teachers, the deities of Indian culture have several functions and, depending on the context, often have a totally different status and purpose to the concept of 'God' in the monotheistic religions.
Anthropologists of the 19th Century, influenced by Christian theology and a lack of understanding of Hindu spiritual culture, have given a false picture of the 'polytheistic' culture of the Hindus which still influences the modern understanding of Indian spirituality..
The intentional cultivation of a relationship to a 'deity' is not just a matter of faith, but actually a kind of 'spiritual technology',
In the context of such a 'technology' any of the deities' can be understood as being a representation of the Absolute Source.
The word that has been translated from the Sanskrit language as 'god' and which actually is the source of our word 'divine' in the modern Indo-european languages is 'deva', meaning one who is resplendent, magnificent, literally a "shining one".
Anthropologists of the 19th Century, influenced by Christian theology and a lack of understanding of Hindu spiritual culture, have given a false picture of the 'polytheistic' culture of the Hindus which still influences the modern understanding of Indian spirituality..
The intentional cultivation of a relationship to a 'deity' is not just a matter of faith, but actually a kind of 'spiritual technology',
In the context of such a 'technology' any of the deities' can be understood as being a representation of the Absolute Source.
The word that has been translated from the Sanskrit language as 'god' and which actually is the source of our word 'divine' in the modern Indo-european languages is 'deva', meaning one who is resplendent, magnificent, literally a "shining one".