God takes many forms; it does not matter which form you believe in
God is one and will eternally be so. And He takes many forms and incarnates as decided by Him. We are aware of His incarnations as Lord Ramachandra and Lord Krishna. We, on the other hand, are many souls and take different bodies, as deserved. Lord Krishna has described in some detail what God is like in the Bhagavad-Geeta. This article is about some of His incarnations and forms taken by Him.
Before I take it up, let me address the need for taking up so many forms by Bhagavan, and why we must not differentiate between them. All of us are different packages with specific natures, desires, attachments, etc. Therefore, it is obvious that we will be attracted to different forms of God. For example, I am helplessly attracted to Lord Krishna. I have a photo of my beloved Lord hanging on the right side of my bed. I routinely look at Him, do ‘namaskar’, pray to Him for guidance and help, thank Him for His ‘kripa’, etc. On the other hand, my mother was a staunch devotee of Lord Ramachandra. She read ‘Sundar Kand’ of the Ramacharitra Manas routinely till the very end of her life. Lord Ramachandra’s photo dominated her ‘pooja-ghar’. My mother-in-law has taken Mother Durga as her sole shelter. Durgaji’s large photo hangs behind her bed, and there is an idol of her beloved mother on the right side of her bed.
God’s different incarnations represent some qualities, which stand out. For example, Lord Ramachandra has been famously called ‘Maryada Purushottama’, because He upheld ‘Maryada’ throughout His presence on the planet Earth. Lord Krishna, as His name suggests, attracts. The word ‘Krishna’ is made from ‘dhatu’ krish, which means what attracts. I am well and truly attracted to my Lord. Then, there is Lord Narsimha, who incarnated to punish Hiranyakashipu, who was torturing his devotee, Prahlad. God took the form of half man and half lion. The head was that of a lion and had a human torso. This ‘avatar’ is known to remove all evils against His devotees and protect them from all harm. I turn to Him when I am fearful and ‘tamoguna’ has become dominant in me. Is it not wonderful that we have so many forms of God to choose from? These multi-forms help us to worship God anywhere there is a temple of whatever form of God.
Describing some more forms of God, Lord Shiva comes to mind. The literal meaning of the word Shiva is auspicious. Mahadeva is part of the trinity composed of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. He was worshipped most famously by Lord Ramachandra in His incarnation in the ‘treta yuga’. And there is the world-famous ‘Kashi Vishwanath temple’, which is visited by millions every year including many foreigners. I had the good fortune of having His ‘darshan’ there many times. Lord Narayana is another form of God. In this form, the Lord has four arms carrying a lotus flower, a conch, a mace and a chakra.
Chanting the holy name Narayana is believed to reinforce the good and annihilate the bad. Mother Kali is another form of God. Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa was her very famous devotee. She is regarded as the ultimate manifestation of ‘shakti’ (cosmic energy). And we all know why Shakti is so crucial to exist well. I am blessed to have a magnificent Kali temple close to my residence. Lord Ganesh is worshipped by one and all. He is prominently known as the remover of obstacles. It is no wonder that all auspicious activities are begun with the chant of ‘Shri Ganeshaya Namah’. Hanumanji is especially known for His devotion to Lord Ramachandra in His incarnation. Hanumanji carried out many extremely difficult tasks for his beloved Lord. He is here with us on the earth to support/help us.
Lakshmiji, who is worshipped in homes all over, especially at the time of ‘Deepawali’, is God’s form of opulence. She brings prosperity, welfare and a good future. We should benefit from worshipping any of the multiple forms of God. They all add up, there is no loss of any kind.
(The writer is a spiritual teacher; views expressed are personal)
