The Puranas and the gods
The are the stories behind most Hindu worship today: the gods, their families, the ages of the world and the pilgrimage places. They are also where the Hindu texts contradict each other most openly.
What they are
There are eighteen major , plus many smaller ones. Tradition says each Purana should cover five things: the creation of the world, its repeated re-creation, the families of gods and sages, the ages of the world, and the histories of the royal lines.
- -focused , such as the Purana and the , which tells the story of at length and is the main text of devotion.
- -focused , such as the Purana and the Linga Purana.
- (goddess) texts, such as the , which praise the Mother Goddess as the highest power.
Theme and framework
Disorder in the world and bondage to the cycle of .
Devotion () to a chosen god, with worship, pilgrimage and the god's .
Life with the god, or release from . Each tradition names its own god as supreme.
This is where the idea of the cycles of ages, ending with the dark age of , is spelled out. It is also where and personal devotion become the centre of Hindu life. Many Hindus find it closer to the 's teaching of than to the Vedic rituals.
The gods
Hindu texts speak about many gods, and the picture changes across the layers.
- In the the main gods are forces of nature and order, such as (storm and king of gods), (fire), (cosmic order) and (sun).
- In the later texts three gods stand out: the creator, the preserver and the destroyer and renewer. Many Hindus worship one of them above the others.
- Avatars. An is a god coming down to earth in a form. is said to have come many times, in ten classic forms. The best known are and .
- One or many? Many Hindus say the many gods are different faces of the one reality, . Others hold that one Lord, such as or , is supreme. There is no single Hindu answer.
Where they go wrong
It depends which one you readIn the , is born from a lotus in 's navel (). In the , and search for the end of 's pillar of light and cannot find it (). In the Goddess texts, the Mother is above all three. Each makes its own god supreme. They cannot all be true.
One God, and no rival"I am Yahweh, and there is no one else. Besides me, there is no God" ().
Not reliablyThe stories tell of gods who lie, lust, rage and deceive. seduces the wife of the sage (). desires the woman he himself created (). Many Hindus read these as symbols, but the stories still teach that the gods are like us.
Good all the way through"God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" (). Jesus is that goodness in a human life, without one sin ().
No one claims witnessesAges lasting millions of years, gods with many heads and arms, and the same story told differently in each Purana. They do not claim to report events anyone saw.
Done in the openPaul told a king that these things were not "done in a corner" (). God acted in history, before witnesses.
It is washed or chanted awayBathe in the , repeat a god's name, or go on pilgrimage, and sins are said to be removed. Nothing is said about justice: the wrong is simply cancelled.
It is paid for"Apart from shedding of blood there is no remission" (). Sin is not ignored. Jesus paid it Himself, so God is both just and the one who forgives ().
Avatars, such as and , are not like Jesus. The full comparison is in "The ".
What your friend may sayWhat Hindus often say
- "These are symbols and lessons, not history or rules." Many Hindus read the stories this way, and say that being good matters more than the details of a story.
Your strongest answerHow a Christian answers
Then ask, gently: if the stories are only symbols, how do you know which parts to keep and which to leave? Where does the standard of "good" come from? The Bible answers that the standard is not a story but a person. God Himself is good, and He showed it fully in Jesus, who never fell short.
What they ask, and what the Bible announces
The Puranas asks
Which god will you serve, and how will you win his favor? Each Purana gives a different god and a different answer.
The Bible announces
There is one God, and He came to serve you: "the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" ().
The gods of the come down to fight, to play and to be worshipped. Jesus came down to die. He "emptied himself, taking the form of a servant ... becoming obedient to the point of death, yes, the death of the cross" (). No god of the did that, and that is why every knee will bow to Him ().
Each Purana crowns a different god, the gods sin like people, and sin is washed away without justice. The Bible's one God is holy, and He pays for sin Himself.
Why the next step followsNext, the rest of the map: law books, philosophy and devotional poems.Law books, philosophy and devotional poems →The gods of the Puranas are like us. The God of the Bible is holy, and yet He came near. How does Jesus show you both God's holiness and His love?