Hindu Concept of God

Article written by DN Persaud, not dated, probably c1961

(You can scroll through the handwritten notes)
Hinduism teaches that there are two standpoints from which the divinity is viewed.

One is as the Absolute or Brahman and the other as Ishwara or God.

Ishwara is God in relation to the universe as viewed through the eyes of man, and Brahman is God as he is in Himself viewed independently . These are also spoken of as the Saguna or quality-full Brahman and Nirguna or quality-less Brahman.

The Nirguna or quality-less Brahman is beyond the reach of the senses, the mind and even the intellect of man. It can only be experienced by the Atman or Self.

“The eye does not go there, nor speech, nor mind. We do no know . We do not understand., how can we instruct one about it”

Kenopanisahd 1.1.3

The seers who have experienced this Brahman have tried to express their experience by comparing it with all that it is great and glorious in the universe that is perceptible by the senses, but find it impossible to do so, as it exceeds all these pitiful human comparisons.

They make the comparisons and then they say “Not this” “Not this?” for it is beyond all this. They exclaim

“Its hands and feet are everywhere, its eyes and heads are everywhere, its ears are everywhere. It stands encompassing all in the universe

Grasping without hands, hasting without feet, He sees without eyes and hears without ears. He knows whatever this is to be known, but of him, there is no one who knows. They call him the Primal, the Supreme Person”

Svetasvtara Upanishad

This Nirguna Brahma man finds difficult to worship as it is something beyond his imagination. So man conceives a personal God- Ishwara – for the purpose of worship and as a means of realising the Absolute or Nirguna Brahman.

Man's highest concept of things in the world is Personality, so God is conceived as a perfect or supreme Personality (Uttama Purusha).

On analysis this personality is found to include cognition, emotion and will and God is viewed as the Supreme knower, the great lover and the perfect will - Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

The seemingly different concepts of God are all related to one or the other of this trinity which is not three independent centres of consciousness but three sides of one complex personality.

This God can be worshipped and is worshipped in diverse ways according to the choice and spiritual level of the individual worshipper.