One of the most frequently asked questions about Hinduism is “How many gods are there in Hinduism?” The most common answer to this question is that there are 330 million gods, but if you ask anyone to give their names, no one would be able to do so. Also, many Hindus do not agree with this number. Some say there is only one God, while some say there are 33 gods only. The reason behind this confusion is that the different scriptures give different numbers.

How Many Gods are there in Hinduism?

In this article, we will see what different scriptures say about the number of gods and goddesses in Hinduism.

Skanda Purana:

1. Per some verses, there are 330 million gods.

A. “If people bow down and worship this goddess with devotion, it is the same as though she has been worshipped along with thirty-three crores of goddesses” – (1.2.47.48).

B. “Then thirty-three crores of Devas emanating from the rays of the flames of Sambhu in the fiery form came forth” – (1.3a.6.7).

C. “The Devas were thirty-three crores in number; the Ganas were one crore and two hundred thousand; there were nine crores of Camundas and one crore Bhairavis” – (4.2.62.99).

D. “There are thirty-three crores of Devas stationed in heaven. All of them came there and celebrated that auspicious rite for him” – (6.1.142.26).

2. Per a verse, there are 60 crore goddesses. So including gods, the number goes more than that.

“If the people worship me after worshipping Kumāreśa along with sixty crores of the goddesses, etc., I will be the bestower of desired objects on them” – (1.2.47.39).

But the majority of times, the number 33 crore is mentioned, so we can say that 330 million gods and goddesses per the Skanda Purana.

Brahma Vaivarta Purana:

Per this Purana, there are about 3 crore Hindu gods.

О son, in the globe there live three crores of gods including Brahma, Visnu, and Siva.

– Prakriti Khanda 3.18

Brihandaranyaka Upanishad (3.9.1):

The same question was asked by Vidagdha to Sage Yajnavalkya, and he gave the following answer:

Then Vidagdha, the son of Sakala, asked him: “How many gods are there, Yajnavalkya?
Yajnavalkya said, “As many as are indicated in the Nivid of the Visvadevas – 300 and 3003.”

“Very well,” said Sakalya. “How many gods exactly are there, Yajnavalkya?”
“Thirty-three.”

“Very well,” said Sakalya. “How many gods exactly are there, Yajnavalkya?”
“Six.”

“Very well,” said Sakalya. “How many gods exactly are there, Yajnavalkya?”
“Three.”

“Very well,” said Sakalya. “How many gods exactly are there, Yajnavalkya?”
“Two.”

“Very well,” said Sakalya. “How many gods exactly are there, Yajnavalkya?”
“One-and-a-half.”

“Very well,” said Sakalya. “How many gods exactly are there, Yajnavalkya?”
“One.”

“Very good,” said Sakalya, and he asked: “Which are those 303 and those 3003?”
Yajnavalkya said: “There are only 33 gods. These others are but manifestations of them.”

 “Which are those thirty-threes?”

“The eight Vasus, the eleven Rudras, and the twelve Adityas–these are thirty-one, and Indra and Prajapati make up the thirty-three.’

Therefore, per the Brihandryaka Upanishad, there are a total of 3003 gods, but they are manifestations of 33 gods.

Names of 33 Gods Mentioned in Vedic Scriptures:

Adityas:

1. Vishnu.

2. Aryaman.

3. Indra.

4. Tvastr.

5. Varuna.

6. Bhaga.

7. Savitr.

8. Vivatsat.

9. Amsa.

10. Mitra.

11. Pusan.

12. Daks.

Vaasus:

1. Dyaus.

2. Prithvi.

3. Vaayu.

4. Agni.

5. Naksatra.

6. Antariksa.

7. Surya.

8. Chandra.

Rudras:

1. Ananda.

2. Vijnana.

3. Manas.

4. Prana.

5. Vac.

6. Isana.

7. Tatpurusa.

8. Aghora.

9. Vamadeva.

10. Sadyojat.

11. Atma.

2 Asvins.

Rigveda:

1. There are many verses in the Rigveda that say that there are 33 gods, but the actual number of gods mentioned is more than 33. See the list of gods in Rigveda.

A. “O ye Eleven Gods whose home is heaven, O ye Eleven who make earth your dwelling, Ye who with might, Eleven, live in waters, accept this sacrifice, O Gods, with pleasure” – (1.139.11)

B. “Thus be ye lauded, ye destroyers of the foe, ye Three-and-Thirty Deities, The Gods of man, the Holy Ones” – (8.30.2).

C. “In thy mysterious place, O Pavamana Soma, are all the Gods, the Thrice-Eleven. Ten on the fleecy height, themselves, self-prompted, and seven fresh rivers brighten and adorn thee” – (9.92.41).

D. “Agni, the Gods who understand, give ear unto the worshipper: Lord of Red Steeds, who lovest song, bring thou those Three-and-Thirty Gods” – (1.45.2).

E. “The Thirty Gods and Three besides, whose seat hath been the sacred grass, From the time of old have found and gained” – (Book 8, Hymn XXVIII, Verse 1).

F. “Thus be ye lauded, ye destroyers of the foe, ye Three-and-Thirty Deities, The Gods of man, the Holy Ones” – (8.30.2).

2. But one verse mentions that there are more than 3339 gods.

“Three times a hundred Gods and thrice a thousand, and three times ten and nine have worshipped Agni. For him spread sacred grass, with oil bedewed him, and established him as Priest and Sacrificer” – (3.3.9).

Atharva Veda:

A. “The cattle clothed itself in sevenfold strength, those among them that are sleek and those that are poor. The thirty-three gods attend them mayest thou, (O cattle), guide us to the heavenly world!” – (Book 9, Part 1, Xii 3).

B. “Who out of many, tell me, is that Skambha He in whose body is contained all three-and-thirty Deities?” – (10.7.13).

Yajur Veda:

“Three and thirty he puts down; the gods are three and thirty; verily he wins the gods; verily also he piles up the fire with itself and with a body; he becomes with his body in yonder world, who knows thus” – (Book 5, Part 4, Verse 4.1).

Per Chandogya Upanishad (6.2.1), there is only one God:

“Ekam evadvitiyam” meaning “He is One only without a second.”

Meaning of the Word Koti:

The word Koti is a Sanskrit word and has different meanings. Two of them are “type” and “10 million”. The latter meaning is the popular one. Some scholars believe that the word Koti actually means “type”. Hence, there are 33 types of gods and not 33 crore gods.

Conclusion:

As we can see, there are contradictions among scriptures about the number of gods and goddesses in Hinduism. No Shruti scripture (Vedas) mentions that there are 330 million gods. These are the Puranas, which say so. The Puranas are a derivative work and are based on the Vedas. It is an attempt to explain dharma in the simple form to the masses. Most of the Vedic texts imply that there are 33 gods. The Rigveda is the most authoritative Hindu scripture. It also says that there are 33 gods except in one place. Therefore, we can say that there are 33 gods in Hinduism.

But the Vedas are in an encrypted form. Therefore, these 33 gods (or 33 types of gods) might have different meanings also.

The 18 major Puranas are also authoritative and sacred scriptures. Therefore, the things mentioned in them cannot be ignored. In fact, contemporary Hinduism is mainly based on the Puranas. The Skanda Purana is one of the major 18 Puranas and hence is authoritative. Hindus believe that gods live in heaven, and heaven has unlimited capacity. Therefore, these 330 million Hindu gods could be the divine beings living on that planet.

In practice, Hindus worship more than 33 gods but not 330 million gods. I am trying to collect the names of all the Hindu gods and goddesses. So far, I have collected the names of a few hundred, which is perhaps the biggest list on the Internet. To see that list, please visit: Hindu Gods and Goddesses

What is wrong if there are 330 million Hindu Gods and Goddesses?

Many non-Hindus are surprised to hear this number. It is mainly because, in the Abrahamic religions, there is only one God, but before the rise of Christianity and Islam, people used to worship many gods. The cultures like Egyptian, Sumerian, Greek, etc., have multiple gods. The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as being one God existing in three coequal.

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