Do Hindus really have 33 Crore Gods?
aka The Labour of Language | Part IV in the Mythology Series
The “fact” that Hinduism has 330 million (or 33 Crore) Gods has found its way into many a drawing room banter, jokes, a BBC documentary title, and a scathing caricature by a French publication widely known for its cartoons (citations are not endorsements).
Assuming you have heard this too, I bet you have wondered about the incredibly high magnitude and its accompanying specificity. It is not a rounded 300 million, it is 330 million — they gave you the count but no one has the list.
The explanation is fairly simple — it is incorrect.
The Atharva Veda, the Yajur Veda and the Satapatha Brahman (a commentary on the Yajurveda by Yajnavalkya) mention the term ‘trayastrimsati koti’ in relation to the number of Gods which was interpreted by many scholars as,
trayastrimsati koti → thirty-three koti → thirty-three crore
It is an easy mistake to make. One meaning of the Sanskrit word Koti is indeed the number 1 Crore or 10 million. You might have read “Koti Koti Pranaam” which literally translates to “I bow to thee, a crore crore times”. Come to think of it, Koti Koti Pranaam is 10¹⁰ times more intense than Shat Shat Naman.
But I digress.
So they thought trayastrimsati koti meant 33 Crore. It was an amusing idea and was lapped up by everyone, especially the western world which then helped propagate this interpretation.
So what does it really mean?
The Sanskrit word Koti also means type or variety. If you have seen any shows on the epics or based on ancient times in general, you might have come across phrases like, “Ye pandit ucch koti ke vidvaan hain” (This sage is a top-class learned person) or “Ye balak ucch koti ka moorkh hai” (This child is a fool of the highest order).
Hence, trayastrimsati koti → thirty-three types.
Who are these thirty-three Gods, you may ask.
These are the Eight Vasus, twelve Adityas, eleven Rudras, and two Ashvins. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad [Section 9, Verse 3.9.2] enumerates these primary deities.
Eight Vasus (deities of material elements) — Dyauṣ “Sky”, Pṛthivī “Earth”, Vāyu “Wind”, Agni “Fire”, Nakṣatra “Stars”, Varuṇa “Water”, Sūrya “Sun”, Chandra “Moon”.
Twelve Adityas (personified deities) — Vishnu, Aryaman, Indra (Śakra), Tvāṣṭṛ, Varuṇa, Bhaga, Savitṛ, Vivasvat, Aṃśa, Mitra, Pūṣan, Dakṣa.
Eleven Rudras consist of five Gñana Indriyas (Sense organs) — Eye (Vision), Nose (Breath), Ear (Hearing), Tongue (Taste), Skin (Touch); Five Karma Indriyas (Motor organs) — Mouth (Mukha), Hands (Hatha), Legs (Prastra), Anus (Maladvara), Genital (Mutradvara) and the Ātmā (Self).
The Ashvins or the solar dieties associated with medicine, health and the sciences. The first part of this mythology series had an interesting anecdote involving them.
Thus, the much-memed myth of thirty-three crore Hindu Gods is a case of meaning lost in translation.
Deciphering the meaning and context of ancient scriptures is an onerous task, and it is easy for our biases to creep in. There are quite a few other instances in books across mythological traditions and religions — something to be careful of when so many are keen to take their word as Gospel.
That was all. Till the next post, may the thirty-three Gods, and all else, shower their blessings upon you.
Fin.
