33 Crore of Hindu Gods?

Brahman One, Manifestation Many

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33 Crore of Hindu Gods? No, that is an absolute blunder by some Hindus and non-Hindus. But it is ok, still can be absorbed into the truth of Brahman. Hindus don't follow by the book. We don't exclusive our selves into a particular set of rules.

Brahman (Brahm)  is one in formless form. Brahman also exists in form. Forms are the manifestation of Brahman, which can be many. The concept of ekan anekan, clearly shows one Brahman can manifest into everything.

33 Supreme Deities were mistranslated into 330 million Gods.

The real term is ‘Trayastrinsat koti’, it refers to 33 types of Deities in Hinduism,  mentioned as below, 12 Adityas or Solar Devas including Indra, Surya, Mitra, and Varuna, 11 Rudras, the Manifestations of Lord Shiva, 8 Vasus or Elemental Devas such as Vayu, Agni, Antariksha and Dyaus, the Sky Deva and 2 Ashwini Kumaras. These 33 Devatas are supporting Brahman to sustain the universe. They are not GODS. Devatas also can be referred to angels as helping God in Abrahamic religion.

Koti in Sanskrit means type or supreme, important, etc. So there is only 33 type of devatas. They are explained in Shatapatha Brahman and many other scriptures very clearly.

"Yasya Trayastrinshad Devaa Ange Sarve Samaahitaa, Skamma Tam Bruhi Katamah Swideva Sah”. ~(Atharva Veda 10-7-13)

Translation- with God’s influence, this thirty-three (supporting Devata) sustains the world.

These are referring to  33 attributes of God, the important deities (devas), assisting God. For example, on Mahameru chakra, resides all of them.

Hindu Scriptures

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, chapter 3, the conversation between a sage named Yajnavalkya and  Sakalya on Brahmam which can be expounded to 33 primary manifestations and are called Devas/Gods.

Yajnavalkya says "The thirty-three gods are eight Vasus, eleven Rudras, twelve Adityas – they make thirty-one (ekatrimsat) – then Indra and Prajapati – these make thirty-three gods."

33 divinities are mentioned in the Yajur-veda, Atharva-veda, Satapatha-brahmana, and in several other Vedic and later texts.

Atharva Veda

Book 10, Hymn 7, Verse 13

“yasya trayastrimsad deva ange sarve samaahitah | skambham tam bruhi katamah svid eva sah ||”

In whose one limb all the Gods, three and thirty in number, are affixed, tell me of that Support, who may He be?

“Who out of many, tell me, is that Skambha He in whose body is contained all three-and-thirty Deities?”

Atharva Veda

Book 10, Hymn 7, Verse 22

“yatradityaas ca rudras ca vasavas ca samaahítah | bhutam ca yatra bhavyam ca sarve lokaah prátiṣṭhitāḥ skambháṃ táṃ brūhi katamáḥ svid evá sáḥ ||”

“Who out of many, tell me, is that Skambha In whom Ādityas dwell, in whom Rudras and Vasus are contained, In whom the future and the past and all the worlds are firmly set”.

In Brihadaranyaka Upanishad,

Chapter I, hymn 9, verse 1

Yajnavalkya said that there are three hundred and three and three thousand and three gods. When the question is repeated? He says, thirty-three. When the question is again repeated he says six. Finally, after several repetitions, he says ONE.

Another version.
I believe it is the ‘triyastrinsat’ misquoted into   ' 33 kothy, devas' (Sanskrit). Later were translated into Tamil it became 'mu pathy, mu kodhy, devargal' and become 33 kodhy devargal.  (33 kodhy is mistranslated into 33 crores) Through time and different scholars had changed the real meaning because of confusion on terms of Deva and God. And this became a mockery for non-Hindus.
So there are no such things as '33 crore Gods ' in Hinduism.

Even if it assumed as 33 crores, nothing wrong with it because Brahman can take any form or manifest in every being. And Hindus are not people of a particular book. Anyway, Brahman is one.

Brahm is one.

Lord Krishna explains this in the Bhagavad Gita,

I am the goal, the supporter, the Lord, the witness, the abode, the refuge, the friend, the origin, the dissolution, the foundation, the substratum, and the imperishable seed. (Chapter 9, Verse 18)

I am the origin or seed of all beings, O Arjuna. There is nothing, animate or inanimate, that can exist without Me. (Chapter 10, Verse 39)

O Arjuna, know Me to be the eternal seed of all creatures. (Chapter 7, Verse 10)

Brahman is one in Brahm (formless ), supreme light.  But can have many forms as He is omnipotent.

Om Namasivaya.

Sivasiddhi

Sivasiddhi Spiritual Foundation

2 June 2017

Reference

1. Sourced from Quora.

2. Sivaya Subramaniamswami, Dancing With Siva, Himalayan Academy.

3. Ralph TH Griffith, 1895 https://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/av/av10007.htm

4.Srimad Bhagavad Geeta,  Shree Geeta Ashram, Delhi Cantt. India