Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Theism (Hinduism)

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Hinduism and Tribal Religions

Part of the book series: Encyclopedia of Indian Religions ((EIR))

  • 48 Accesses

Synonyms

Deities; God; Goddess; Gods

Definition

Hindu theism, or belief in a deity or deities, is a topic rivaling Hinduism itself in its complexity. In Hindu texts and traditions, a variety of stances can be found toward the question of the nature and existence of divinity. Regarding the number of deities, one finds answers ranging from zero to one, to infinity. Regarding the personhood of divinity, one finds both the view that divinity is impersonal (or that it transcends the categories of personal and impersonal) and that it is supremely personal. Regarding divine activity in the world, one finds the view that divinity is completely detached from worldly events and a view affirming a deep engagement of divinity with these same events. On each of these topics, there are in-between positions as well, with some Hindu sources affirming that divinity is both one and many, both personal and impersonal, and both detached from and engaged in the life of the world. Divinity is also seen as...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Saxena NB (2015) Absent mother god of the West: a Kālī lover’s journey into Christianity. Lexington Books, Lanham

    Google Scholar 

  2. Ṛg Veda 1.164.46 (2014) The Rigveda: the earliest religious poetry of India (trans: adapted from Jamison SW, Brereton JP). Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  3. Swami Shraddhananda (2016) Seeing god everywhere. In: Pravrajika Vrajaprana (ed). Advaita Ashrama, Mayawati

    Google Scholar 

  4. Bhagavad Gītā 6:30 (2008) Bhagavad Gita: a new translation (trans: Thompson G). North Point Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  5. Bhagavad Gītā 4:7 (2008) Bhagavad Gita: a new translation (trans: Thompson G). North Point Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Religion and Asian Studies, Elizabethtown College, Elizabethtown, PA, USA

    Jeffery D. Long

Authors
  1. Jeffery D. Long
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jeffery D. Long .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Anthropology, The University of North Texas Dept of Anthropology, Denton, Texas, USA

    Pankaj Jain

  2. The Graduate Theological Union , Berkeley, California, USA

    Rita Sherma

  3. Jamia Millia Islamia, Centre for the Study of Comparative Reli Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India

    Madhu Khanna

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Long, J.D. (2018). Theism (Hinduism). In: Jain, P., Sherma, R., Khanna, M. (eds) Hinduism and Tribal Religions. Encyclopedia of Indian Religions. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1036-5_649-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-1036-5_649-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-024-1036-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-024-1036-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Religion and PhilosophyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Humanities

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation