Theology:

The word theology comes from two Greek words - theos, which means "god," and logos, which
means "words." The simplest definition of theology, then, is "god words" or words about god.
Whenever someone speaks of God or the characteristics of God, he or she is speaking
theologically and doing theology. Theology deals with questions about God.

According to John Hick, theology is the system of relgious belief. The task of theology is simply
to determine the significance and analyze the meaning of a particular religious belief. In the
theology of the Vedas we find an explanation from polytheism to non-dualism or monism. Vedic
deities or Vedic Gods, polytheism, monotheism and non-dualism or monism, all these concepts
are discussed in the theology of the Vedas.

A system of belief that has developed over many years cannot be reduced to a clear-cut doctrine
that allows for simple categorization and classification. The polytheistic nature of the hyms in
the vedas and samhitas is a noticeable feature. There are many gods that have been named and
worshipped. The theology that is expressed in the Vedic thought can be divided into three strata:
polytheism, monotheism, and monism.

The mantras of Vedas primarily discuss the characteristics and functions of the gods. Only
individuals who possess knowledge of the gods are said to be able to comprehend the Vedas.
Here, a sinner is someone who is ignorant of the nature of the gods. The Vedic mantras are all
composed in praise of the gods.

"Deva" is the Sanskrit word for God. The word "deva” is so very elusive in its nature and is used
to indicate many different things. Deva is one who gives to man. God is deva because He gives
the whole world. The learned man who imparts knowledge to fellow man is also a deva. The sun,
the moon and the sky are devas because they give light to all creation. Father and mother and
spiritual guides are also devas. Even a guest is a deva. In order to accommodate contemporary
ideas of God, we therefore interpret the word deva to mean "bright."

Even while the term "god" initially referred to the luminous or bright, it has now come to mean
anything luminous or bright, including the sun, sky, stars, dawn, day, etc. Also included in the
definition of "luminous" are entities that are made luminous by natural forces and are, therefore,
also gods, such as the sun (Surya), fire (Agni), and sky (Akasa). Since even the Vayu (air), Indra,
and others are luminary due to their individual karmas, they are also regarded as gods.

The gods are acknowledged by the Vedas as representations of various natural forces. Among
them, Indra, Agni, Vayu, and Varuna are the important ones. The Vedic Samhitas describe the
nature and functions of the gods. The description of the gods in the Vedic Samhitas, shows that
every intangible object of inert nature is the Main abode of the Gods. Each god is portrayed as
the ruler of several elements found in nature, including earth, water, fire, storms, wind, clouds,
rain, lightning, and clouds. Each God described in the Vedas is an external symbol of a natural
object, such as the God of fire, the God of water, the God of the sun, etc. To please these gods
and achieve their blessing, the Vedas created a variety of mantras.

It is evident from the above consideration, that nature worship was the earliest form of Vedic
religion. Every component or element of nature is acknowledged by the Vedas to be inhabited by
some gods. The thought of polytheism that we found in the Hinduism has its roots in Vedic
thoughts. The Vedic Samhitas are primarily written in worship of the all-powerful gods that are
behind the Natural forces. The reason of worship varies from individual to individual - The gods
have occasionally prayed for the destruction of their enemies and other times for their physical
well-being, sometimes people desire protection, while other times they hope for the blessing of a
long life etc. Agni, Vayu, Indra, Surya, Vishnu, Soma, Varuna, Pushan, Marut, Rudra, Savita,
Aditya, Ribhu, Yama Mitra, Ashwini, Usha, Aditi, Ratri, Prithivi, Saraswati, and others are some
of the most recognized Vedic deities. But it will be wrong to consider that Vedic conceptions of
God is limited to this world only. Because the Vedas envision several gods and goddesses in the
earth, the sky, and even beyond the sky, rather than restricting the concept of gods to this realm.
These deities are endowed with a variety of natural powers.

Given the numerous manifestations and descriptions of the Vedic deities, it is generally accepted
that people in Vedic times were polytheists, or those who believed in multiple deities. Sharp-
witted individuals can quickly discern that neither monotheism nor polytheism existed at that
period, but rather a degree of awe and faith from which both conceptions come. This is due to the
fact that an examination of the religion and theology included in Vedic mantras reveals three
distinct levels of theological thought: polytheism, monotheism, and monism.
However, some scholars, particularly Max Muller, describe henotheism as a stage between
polytheism and monotheism. Henotheism is the worship of multiple gods as one or the
recognition of one god as the supreme god. The Vedic thought, particularly the Rig Vedic
thought, starts off with polytheism, transitions to monotheism, and finally concludes with
monism (advaita). The concept of monotheism creates a connection between polytheism and
non-dualism (monism/advaita).

The first stage of the theology of the Vedas describes the polytheism. he doctrine that there are
many gods in this world is called polytheism. According to this doctrine, God is not one and
unique, but many. According to polytheism, there are superhuman or spiritual beings with
powers that rule different divisions of the world. This means, there is a god behind the various
natural forces or objects. Each god controls and manages a natural division. Thus, when we
discuss the theism of the Vedas, we see that they acknowledge the existence of many gods. The
Vedas contain some Stutis and Suktas for all these gods. All of these gods have magical abilities
and are compassionate to people. All the gods are the guardians of truth and the guardians of
righteousness, that is, the guardians of worldly laws. These deities have helped to keep the world
intact. The gods Varuna, Indra, Agni, Surya, Soma, Mitra, Rudra, Ashwin, etc., and the
goddesses Usha, Ratri, Prithvi, Saraswati, etc. are the bearers of the various events of this world.
Some deities are shown in pairs in the Vedas, like Mitra-varana, Indr-agni, Dyaba-prithivi, etc.
In addition to asking them for worldly success, Vedic sages also ask them to annihilate injustice,
punish violators, and direct people toward the path of righteousness. Both the Samhita and the
Brahmanas mention offering sacrifices to the gods. Offering sacrifices to the gods is known as a
yajna. Through offerings, the sages call upon these gods. This demonstrates that the Vedic sages
were polytheists and that the Vedas held this view.

However, belief in polytheism lost its importance over time. Vedic sages try to find out the
ultimate or first cause of cosmic events rather than looking for their cause. They focus on the
concept of one God, who controls and rules the entire universe, rather than on the polytheism
recognized on the basis of observed events. According to Radhakrishnan, the desires of the
human heart cannot be satisfied in polytheism and they became curious as to which god is true. It
can be seen that although the Vedic sages praised various gods and goddesses, they also praised
god without a name(it is almost like another god) .It is difficult to determine which god is praised
in the hymn without any particular name. . It is seen that sometimes Agni is placed in the best
seat, sometimes Indra is described as the best. Again, the god Varun, who is the god of the sky,
the god of rain, is sometimes referred to as omnipresent and omnipotent. Thus, in the Vedas, in
different time, different deities are described as omnipotent, omnipresent, and insightful and
given the highest place. In the Vedic era, during worship, one of the many natural deities was
considered to be the best. When fire is worshipped, he is acknowledged to be the greatest; When
Indra is worshipped, he is acknowledged as greater and more powerful than other gods; When
Varun is worshipped, he is recognized as superior and more powerful than other gods. Unlike
polytheism, no god retains his separate essence. In this case, they either become insignificant or
become the supreme gods. The sages thus did not find the supreme power among the many gods
but sought the supreme god among the many gods. The scholar Max Muller has called this
Rigvedic thought 'Henotheism'. Maxmuller calls it Henotheism, because, according to him, the
Vedas acknowledge one deity as the supreme deity during worship. According to
Maxmuller,though in Vedas it is acknowledge that Indra, Agni and Varuna as identical with each
other, but to acknowledge Indra or Agni or Varuna as the only god for a while, forgetting about
other gods, is to uphold the concept of henotheism. According to this doctrine, each god becomes
the supreme god at some point. Some scholars regards this as 'opportunist Monotheism' This is
because henotheism means the worship of a particular god as the supreme god at a particular
time. The tendency to worship one god instead of other gods can be called opportunistic
monotheism. Dr. Radhakrishnan acknowledges that thought process is a natural consequence of
religious reasoning.

But a question arises here: can Vedic theism be recognized as henotheism? To admit that Vedic
religion is henotheism is to distort the true nature of Vedic theism. During worship, one deity is
given the position of supreme deity—this view of Maxmuller is unacceptable. Because in the
Vedas, there is no god acknowledged as the greatest. The god who is said to be supremely
powerful is also said to be subordinate to some other god. Varuna and Surya are acknowledged
to be subordinate to Indra, and on another occasion, Varuna and Ashwin were subordinate to
Vishnu. Therefore,scholar McDonnell says that henotheism is an appearance rather than reality'.
In opportunistic monotheism, even if a god is given the highest position, he cannot retain it. In
such a situation, the glory of the god is lost, and he becomes finite. However, despite these
shortcomings of henotheism, one of its most important contributions is that it paves the way for
monotheism. Henotheism merges into monotheism. Noting the unity and order in the activities of
nature, the Vedic sages were forced to think of all the gods as manifestations of the same
directional energy. Thus the second stage of Vedic religion, monotheism, developed.

There are so many gods that the question before the Vedic sages is, Which of these gods should
be worshiped as the best? Which deity is Paramadeva? Which god can be worshipped? Which
god is being sacrificed? and so on. Therefore, the Vedas ask, 'Kasmai devaya habisa vidhem’.
That is, to which god shall I offer sacrifice? Therefore, it can be seen that the human heart is not
satisfied with polytheism in the Vedas. Acknowledging God as many hampers its integrity.
According to Radhakrishnan, 'We cannot accept polytheism because religious consciousness is
against it'. But the Vedic sages sought unity among the gods in a different way. The concept of
monotheism in its general sense did not originate in ancient Vedic thought. They did not seek to
discover one supreme deity among the various deities, but the common force that is the director
of those deities. Therefore, a process arose in which one god was merged with another god, and
all the gods were merged into oneness.

As a result, it is evident that two gods are occasionally worshiped jointly in the Vedas. For
instance, Mitra and Varuna, Agni and Soma, and Indra and Marut are frequently praised
together. The Vedic sages quickly discovered that the gods they had previously believed to be
separate entities—gods like Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, Vayu, Yama, etc.—were actually one
supreme being known as "ekang sat bipra bahudha vadanti,". All the gods are different
manifestations of the same being. As a result, the Vedic sages identified an ultimate cause as the
origin of a number of natural events. This is what Vedic Monotheism is all about.

Monotheism holds that there is only one true God in existence. He is the Creator and Controller
of the world, but He is separate from the world. A beautiful example of Vedic monotheism is
found in the mantras of the Rig Veda (5/3/1). In this mantra, the Vedic sage says that Agni takes
the form of Varuna at birth,agni burns in sacrifice, and takes the form of Mitra, and all the gods
are centered around Agni. Again, it is mentioned in the Vedas that for the priests, Agni takes the
form of Indra. One of the most notable mantra that reflect monotheism is 'Ekang sat bipra
bahudha vidanti agning yamam matarishanam ahu.* (Rikveda, 5/121). That is, 'Although the
being is one, the scholars describe them in various ways, calling him Agni, Yama and Matrishan.
Another example of monotheism is found in the Atharva Veda (13-3-13). It says that Agni is
Varuna at night, Mitra in the morning, he travels in the atmosphere in the form of Savita and
shines in the sky in the form of Indra. This proves that there is indeed a god called Agni.
Therefore, it is clear that polytheism gave way to henotheism, then to monotheism, as the Vedas
evolved.

However, non-dualistic or monistic philosophy coexisted with Vedic monotheism. It is quite