Particularly interesting for many readers will be the discussion about the nature of the divine in Hinduism. Are Hindus monotheistic or polytheistic? That’s not such an easy question to answer. Most Hindus will describe themselves as monotheists who worship various aspects of the divine rather than various divinities. Outsiders, though, will perceive Hindus’ worship activities as indistinguishable from traditional polytheistic faiths.
The key seems to be Hinduism’s refusal to ascribe even the characteristic of number to the divine. Western religions are used to not ascribing gender or form to their gods, but not ascribing a numerical quantity is quite foreign:
- “The belief that the divine is not only beyond gender and name, but also beyond number, has resulted in its manifestation in many shapes and forms: as human or animal, as trees, or as combinations of these beings. While the supreme being is beyond thought, most Hindus believe that she or he manifests him or herself periodically on earth in order to protect the good and destroy the evil.”
I find it interesting that even though Hindus will go so far as to ascribe no number to the divine, there seems to be no hesitation to ascribe human standards of good and evil to this divinity. Their supreme god may be beyond form, name, gender, or number, but it’s not beyond taking sides in disputes and it’s not “beyond good and evil.”
The Bottom Line
If you are already familiar with Hinduism, this book probably isn’t for you. The pictures and illustrations or nice, but no new academic ground is covered here that would justify adding to a collection that already contains books on the subject. If, however, you find yourself relatively unfamiliar with Hindu beliefs and traditions, this would be a good place to start learning more.
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