A progressive evolution of ideas or mere difference in representation? - Part 1

Rik Veda is claimed to be polytheist by many scholars. In a way it is because there are hymns addressed to apparently various Gods. Most of the hymns are addressed to Indra and Agni, several to Mitra-Varuna, others to different divine entities like Tvasta, Pushana, Savitri, Soma, Ashwins, Rudra and so on. Since these entitles also represented a particular form of nature, many may think that the sages, being awed by the power of nature, composed hymns by ascribing to every natural phenomenon a divine power. The Western scholars also assert that Vedas to Mahbharata to Upanishads represent an evolution of spiritual thought, with Karmakanda of the Vedas with nature worship as the predominant goal is the first stage, Some prominent Puranas with myriads of forms and personal gods the second, Mahabharata with Vishnu as the Supreme Being and Gods relegated to secondary position is the third stage and almost in parallel with the Puranas. Upanishads are the final stage where theology is fully evolved and Advaita Vedanta was only developed by Sankara.

However nothing can be farther removed from truth. In actual practice, the sages of Rik Veda were not as polytheirst as Western scholars and their Indian counterparts claim to be. The Western scholars are predominantly influenced by Greek and Roman polytheism before the advent of Christianity and tend to see the progress of the world religious thought in the same light. It is suprising that some notable Indian scholars follow their footstep. However not so surprising if we consider the fact that several Indian intellectuals have a tendency to belittle and ridicule anything that is home grown. In actual practice the Rik Vedic sages have already discovered the Brahman or the Supreme Being. All the different entities to whom the hymns were addressed are to them nothing but various names and forms which stand for different attributes of that Brahman or Supreme Being. The sages did not worship the nature, but rather the treasures of the Supreme Being which manifest as the Natural phenomon, nature being part of the same Supreme Being. It is evident that during Rik Vedic period the profound thought of one grand unity pervading the universe is already in place as the Vedic seer says – Ekam Sat, Viprah vahudha vadanti – Truth is one, sages call it by various names. Western scholars and their Indian counterparts conveniently tend to forget or deliberately ignore as one off case the Devi Sukta composed by sage Vak, daughter of sage Ambhrin, who identifies herself with that Supreme Being in line with the Upanishadic philosophy of Aham Brahmasmi, and states that the various Vedic Gods like Indra, Agni, Mitra-Varuna, Aditya, Ashwins, Viswadeva, Pushana, Tvasta, Soma, Rudra, Vasu are her different forms. She is the universe and she is the lifeforce. Another famous sloka from Veda corroborates the same concept – ekam Sat, vipra vahudha vadanti. The Purusha Sukta talks about the Purusha with whom the Devas made a sacrifice to create the universe and the beings. The Nasadiya Suktha speaks of One who was there before all devas came into existence. There are many more such suktas which corroborate the theory that Rik Veda had developed the concept of a Supreme Impersonal Being, who is manifested as personal god to the less spiritually developed. It is however possible that the sages started with polytheism by worshipping the different gods and then finally arrived at the knowledge of unity and impersonal Brahman. 

However to ancient Indian culture Vedas was the greatest text, because they were Srutis, heard by the sages in deep meditation. If Vedas had developed the concept of polytheism with a class of Gods, the other scriptures would not dare to distort it. Any scripture that went against Vedas would never have been accepted. But in Ramayana and in Mahabharata we see that the Vedic Gods occupy insignificant and often minor positions. For instance Vishnu, the Supreme Being in Mahabharata is just one of the Adityas in Veda. In Valmiki Ramayana there is no concept of Moksha or liberation, but getting heaven is considered as the highest ideal. In Valmiki Ramayana there is no supreme God. Even Indra is depicted in black and white as the king of the gods. The concept of Moksha or liberation and God as a supreme being therefore came in Mahabharata before it appeared in aany other literature. Since Mahabharata and Purana ages almost coincide, the same tradition was carried forward in the Puranas. The Vedic gods became minor entities and one of the Adityas, i.e. Vishnu and one of the Rudras, viz. Sankar or Siva, were considered to be the supreme being and also one and the same entity. In Mahabharata we first find the emergence of Shakti, in Uma, the consort of Siva. Vedas worship goddess Ratri and Usha and perhaps Durga as well as Kali (as mentioned in a couple of major Upanishads), but the feminine aspects do not get the due importance. Once again, as Mahabharata or Purana cannot go against Vedas, we find an apparent conflict. Puranas is essentially a bhakti shastra which tried promoting devotion or bhakti by reaching out to the masses with various Gods and Goddesses representing various attributes of the Supreme Brahman. Puranas helped in developing further the concept of personal gods or ishta devas, by presenting a pantheon of Gods and Goddesses from where people could choose their own Ishta Deva or personal God as per their own tastes and preferences. Since Puranas were directed at ignorant masses as well as learned scholars, esoteric spiritual truths were often hidden in the form of simple stories which would appeal to even the peasants and working classes who otherwise had no access to Vedas and other scriptures. Eg. churning of ocean story is actually the churning of the ocean of mind through intense sadhana or spiritual discipline to get the nectar of immortality in the form of divine knowledge. The tussle between devas and asuras are that between the inherent divine and demoniac traits of the mankind as postulated in Gita and through the Puranic stories sages wanted to develop the moral lives of the masses.

The great and subtle ideas of spirituality in Upanishads and Vedas won’t be understood by common men. So for them a different treatise was needed. That was the beauty of the Puranas, it provided religious and spiritual food for all and sundry, to appease their hunger for spiritual growth and evolution. Puranas formed the backbone of spirituality of masses in India and not the Vedas because jnana or wisdom and karma or sacrifices were beyond the reach of the masses. Moreover since masses would not understand the subtle spiritual truths the Rishis took great care through special injunctions that Vedas were not meant for Shudras and others who would not understand them. So there is no evolution of knowledge, there was simply presentation of the same knowledge in a different, more gross form, which could be understood and appreciated by the masses.