Pranams, Namaste.

As a follow up to the "One God" thread, in which it was discussed how Hindus following sanAtana-dharma conceive of God with its conception of one Brahman and yet many deities, I would like to start a thread discussing how this subject is treated in the Puraanas. Readers are encouraged to read the arguments from the above thread to see how this subject is treated in shruti, and how people interpret those shrutis.

The question to be answered is this. Are all devas mentioned in our scriptures merely different forms of the same God, or are they all different entities? This is hardly a trivial question. If the former is true, then it should not matter to whom a Hindu directs his prayers and meditation in order to get liberation. If the latter is true, then we have to know who is the deity to worship to get liberation.

Unfortunately, this subject matter tends to stir up negative feelings among some who have deeply-entrenched, sectarian views on the subject. It is a fact that God-concepts among Hindus vary quite a bit, as do beliefs, practices, traditions, and other parts of the overall world-view. Hence, the goal of this posting is not to provide an understanding which will satisfy the sectarian preferences of all Hindus. Rather, this is an attempt to cut through the prevailing misconceptions and provide an evidence-based view of the subject for those who are not rooted in a particular conception of Hinduism. I request that we use this thread not to argue competing ideologies, but merely to review and reflect on the evidence that is presented.

Although some of the evidence presented will discuss the supremacy of a specific deity over other deities, it is not the intention of this thread to start a "Vishnu vs Shiva" debate. In fact, for the purposes of this analysis, I will also provide evidence showing that even pramaanas quoted by non-Vaishnavas also uphold the idea of a deva hierarchy, rather than the incorrectly-held, modern view that all deities are the same. It is my view that the idea of "all devas are same" is a modern corruption of sanAtana-dharma, and that ancient Hindus for the most part viewed the devas as different but distinct beings, with one deity among them being identified as the Supreme Brahman (Vishnu for Vaishnavas and Shiva for Shaivas). Hence, we will only concern ourselves for now only with the concept of deva-hierarchy vs deva-equality.

It is a fact that the Puraanas have been subject to sectarian interpolations over the years. This has rendered them inconsistent as a whole, and thus their authority depends on their not contradicting shruti. Thus, we are not going to establish that the Puraanas are consistent. We will only discuss the fact that the concept of deva-hierarchy is accepted as a given in most of the Puraana. The Puraanas are still an integral part of the Hindu tradition. Almost all of our stories and legends are derived from them. It is said that the Puraanas constitute the fifth Veda, and that they exist to teach people who are otherwise unqualified to study the Veda what the meaning of the Vedas is. Hence, we cannot simply dismiss them.

I will be posting translation excerpts mostly from online sources. Readers are encouraged to cross-examine the translations in any publication of their choosing. As you read each story, ask yourself whether it upholds the idea that the devas are same, or that they are different.