"God is One" but is Known in this World by Different Names

People as per their faith believe in different Gods. Like, someone has faith in "Lord Rama" & someone has faith in "Lord Krishna". To someone "Lord Shiva" is dear & to other "Lord Ganesha" is dear. Some have faith in Goddess "Durga / Kali" while someone has "Lord Hanumana" close to heart. Some have "Allah" dear to them while others have strong faith in "Jesus Christ".



In fact God is one only but is known in this world by different names due to faith of different persons in different manifestations of God. But in ,whatever, form you love God, He reciprocates you back in the same way. This has been confirmed by "Lord Krishna" in Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Four-Verse 11 also.

"ye yatha mam prapadyante
tams tathaiva bhajamy aham
mama vartmanuvartante
manushyah Arjuna sarvasah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Four verse 11)

"Sri Krishna says to Arjuna: Howsoever, men approach Me & surrender unto Me, even so do I seek them; for all men follow Me & My path in all respects.

So as per above said words of God, the only thing necessary in life is to have faith in God & it is immaterial in which form you seek him. If you have faith in Him & you Love Him, then it is for sure that God shall be with you always & shall reciprocate to the Love that you shower on Him.

Jai Sri Krishna

GOD is one in Hinduism

General belief is that there are numerous Gods in Hinduism which are not there in other religions. However, the fact is that though there are numerous Gods in Hinduism but all these Gods are manifestation of one Supreme God only which is explained in Bhagwat Gita Chapter Ten in detail.

In Bhagwat Gita Chapter Ten, Lord Krishna is saying that he is the source of all beings & gods. Not even that as per Lord Krishna, all these universes & creations spring from but a spark of His splendor only. As per Him, He is seated in hearts of all living entities. He Himself is Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva & Lord Brahma. He Himself is Sun, Moon, Wind & Fire. He Himself is Rama God too. He Himself is Lord of wealth - Kubera. He Himself is Spiritual word Om. He Himself is river Ganges. Among women He Himself is manifested as Goddess of fortune (Lakshmi), Goddess of wisdom (Saraswati) & other Goddesses of fame, memory, intelligence, steadfastness and patience. As per Lord Krishna His opulence is limitless.

Hindus likewise believe in only one God. They glorify and praise His thousands of qualities. For example when God is love, He is symbolically represented by Lord Krishna, God as virtue is represented by lord Rama, God as power is represented by Lord Hanuman, God as wisdom is represented by Goddess Saraswati etc. etc. So these different aspects of Gods represent spirituality, purity, power etc. of the Ultimate One who is endless truth and bliss.



Below are some verses from Bhagwat Gita which explain about various manifestations of One Supreme God.

"aham atma gudakesha
sarva-bhutasaya-sthitah
aham adis cha madhyam cha
bhutanam anta eva cha" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 20)

"Sri Krishna said: I am the Super Soul, O Arjuna, seated in the hearts of all living entities. I am the beginning, the middle and the end of all beings."

"adityanam aham vishnur
jyotisam ravir amsuman
maricir marutam asmi
nakshatranam aham sasi" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 21)

"Sri Krishna said: Of the Adityas I am Vishnu, of lights I am the radiant Sun, of the Maruts I am Marici, and among the stars I am the Moon."

"rudranam sankaras chasmi
vitteso yaksha-rakshasam
vasunam pavakas chasmi
meruh sikharinam aham" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 23)

"Sri Krishna said: Of all the Rudras I am Lord Shiva, of the Yakshas and Rakshasas I am the Lord of wealth [Kubera], of the Vasus I am fire [Agni], and of mountains I am Meru."

"pavanah pavatam asmi
ramah shastra-bhrtam aham
jhasanam makaras chasmi
srotasam asmi jahnavi" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 31)

"Sri Krishna said: Of purifiers I am the Wind, of the wielders of weapons I am Rama, of fishes I am the shark, and of flowing rivers I am the Ganges."

"aksharanam a-karo ’smi
dvandvah samasikasya cha
aham evakshayah kalo
dhataham vishvato-mukhah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 33)

"Sri Krishna said: Of letters I am the letter A, and among compound words I am the dual compound. I am also inexhaustible time, and of creators I am Brahma."

"mrityuh sarva-haras chaham
udbhavas cha bhavisyatam
kirtih srir vak cha narinam
smritir medha dhrtih ksama" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 34)

"Sri Krishna said: I am all-devouring death, and I am the generating principle of all that is yet to be. Among women I am fame, fortune, fine speech, memory, intelligence, steadfastness and patience."

"yac chapi sarva-bhutanam
bijam tad aham arjuna
na tad asti vina yat syan
maya bhutam characharam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 39)

"Sri Krishna said: Furthermore, O Arjuna, I am the generating seed of all existences. There is no being—moving or nonmoving—that can exist without Me."

"yad yad vibhutimat sattvam
srimad urjitam eva va
tat tad evavagaccha tvam
mama tejo-’msa-sambhavam" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 41)

"Sri Krishna said: Know that all opulent, beautiful and glorious creations spring from but a spark of My splendor."

"atha va bahunaitena
kim jnatena tavarjuna
vistabhyaham idam krtsnam
ekamsena sthito jagat" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 42)

"Sri Krishna said: But what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a single fragment of Myself I pervade and support this entire universe."

Jai Shri Krishna

River Worship - "Ganga Aarti"

The Ganga ( गंगा Gaṅgā) or Ganges River is a major river of the Indian subcontinent. It is associated with mythology, as well as, reality with the people of India. It is a very sacred river to all the Hindus. In Hinduism it is personified as a Goddess & it is an integral part of Hindu religion. It is believed by all the Hindus that bathing in the Ganges river, generally or on certain occasions causes the remission of sins and facilitates the attainment of salvation (Moksha). So Hindus travel from distant places to take a holy dip in it's waters. Hindus also immerse the ashes of their kin in the sacred waters of the Ganges. Such rituals normally take place at Haridwar, Varanasi (Kashi or Banaras) and Allahabad.

Recently I visited Varanasi which is also called Kashi or Banaras. Varanasi is situated on the bank of Ganges River in Uttar Pradesh state of India. It is considered to be the oldest city on earth. It is also called the city of "Lord Shiva". "Kashi Vishwnath temple" over here is a Shiva temple which is there in the city since time immemorial. For me visiting over here was really a spiritual experience. A spiritual aura pervades through whole of the city & a special peace comes to mind sitting on the banks of Ganges River. The greatest experience was participating in the "Evening Ganga Aarti" (Evening prayers to the Ganges River) at it's bank. It was not less than a cultural festival which happens daily on it's bank. Thousands of people (Indian, as well as, foreigners) take part in this "Evening Ganga Aarti" daily. The devotion of the people is unparalleled at that time of evening prayers. Here below are some pictures of the Ganges River & the ritual of Ganga Aarti, taken by me at Varanasi. Hope you would like it.

In Bhagwat Gita, Lord Krishna himself declares that among all the rivers, God himself is there as "River Ganga ( गंगा Gaṅgā)" on this earth. So River Ganga is a form of living Goddess only. Below verse of Bhagwat Gita explains that only.

"pavanah pavatam asmi
ramah shastra-bhrtam aham
jhasanam makaras chasmi
srotasam asmi jahnavi" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Ten verse 31)
"Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: Of all the purifiers I am the wind; of the wielders of weapons I am Rama; of fishes I am the shark; and of all the flowing rivers I am the River Ganges."

Howsoever you seek God, so does God approach you

People as per their faith believe in different Gods. Like, someone has faith in "Lord Rama" & someone has faith in "Lord Krishna". To someone "Lord Shiva" is dear & to other "Lord Ganesha" is dear. Some have faith in Goddess "Durga / Kali" while someone has "Lord Hanumana" close to heart. Some have "Allah" dear to them while others have strong faith in "Jesus Christ".

In fact God is one only but is known in this world by different names due to faith of different persons in different manifestations of God. But in ,whatever, form you love God, He reciprocates you back in the same way. This has been confirmed by "Lord Krishna" in Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Four-Verse 11 also.

"ye yatha mam prapadyante
tams tathaiva bhajamy aham
mama vartmanuvartante
manushyah Arjuna sarvasah" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Four verse 11)

"Sri Krishna says to Arjuna: Howsoever, men approach Me & surrender unto Me, even so do I seek them; for all men follow Me & My path in all respects.

So as per above said words of God, the only thing necessary in life is to have faith in God & it is immaterial in which form you seek him. If you have faith in Him & you Love Him, then it is for sure that God shall be with you always & shall reciprocate to the Love that you shower on Him.