# How Many Gods Are in Hinduism? > Swami Paramananda distinguishes Brahman, the One without a second, from Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva, and says no one of those names fully represents the Whole. - Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/hinduism/hindu-gods - Religions: Hinduism - Denominations: none - Beliefs: none - Tags: hinduism, gods - Updated: 2026-10-09 - Author: [Paul Ambrose](https://apologetics.wiki/author/hi-its-paul) ([GitHub](https://github.com/hi-its-paul)) Hindu texts do not give one count of gods that every Hindu uses. In Swami Paramananda’s commentary on the Kena Upanishad, Brahman is “the Absolute, the One without a second,” and Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva are names that “no one of these can fully represent the Whole.” Christians confess one God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and that Jesus is God. ## Key points - [Paramananda](https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/3283/pg3283.txt) writes, “There is a Brahma, the first person of the Hindu Trinity; but Brahman is the Absolute, the One without a second.” - He names “Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver and Siva the Transformer” and says no one of them fully represents the Whole. - The [Kena Upanishad](https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/3283/pg3283.txt) in his translation says the wise who see the same Self in all beings become immortal. - [Edwin Arnold’s Bhagavad Gita](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2388/2388-h/2388-h.htm) has Krishna say he takes visible shape from age to age. - [Deuteronomy 6:4](/bible/deuteronomy/6/4) says the LORD our God is one LORD. - [What do Hindus believe?](/hinduism/what-do-hindus-believe) quotes the Gita passage. [The Trinity](/christianity/the-trinity) is the Christian confession. ## What Paramananda wrote The verse of the [Kena Upanishad](https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/3283/pg3283.txt) (Swami Paramananda) says: > The wise seeing the same Self in all beings, being liberated from this world, become immortal. Paramananda’s commentary beside the next section, which is his explanation and not the verse, says: > There is a Brahma, the first person of the Hindu Trinity; but Brahman is the Absolute, the One without a second, the essence of all. There are different names and forms which represent certain personal aspects of Divinity, such as Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver and Siva the Transformer; but no one of these can fully represent the Whole. A Rig Veda line about one reality with many names was not on a page this project could fetch, so it is not quoted. Counts such as “330 million” are not in the texts quoted here, so this page does not repeat them. ## What the Gita says [Edwin Arnold’s Bhagavad Gita](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2388/2388-h/2388-h.htm) has Krishna say: > When Righteousness Declines, O Bharata! when Wickedness Is strong, I rise, from age to age, and take Visible shape, and move a man with men [What do Hindus believe?](/hinduism/what-do-hindus-believe) quotes the longer passage. ## The Christian claim [Deuteronomy 6:4](/bible/deuteronomy/6/4) (King James Version) says: > Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: [Exodus 20:3](/bible/exodus/20/3) says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” [Isaiah 44:6](/bible/isaiah/44/6) says, “I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.” Christians confess that this one God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and that the Son became flesh once ([John 1:1](/bible/john/1/1), [John 1:14](/bible/john/1/14)). That is not three gods, and it is not one person taking the names of three offices. [The Trinity](/christianity/the-trinity) states it. Jesus is God. ## Frequently asked questions ### So how many gods does this page claim Hindus worship? It does not invent a number. Paramananda’s commentary distinguishes the Absolute, Brahman, from the named forms Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva, and says none of those names is the Whole. The Kena verse quoted above speaks of one Self in all beings. ### Is “the Hindu Trinity” the Christian Trinity? Paramananda uses the phrase “the Hindu Trinity” for Brahma as a person. He immediately says Brahman is the Absolute and that Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva cannot fully represent the Whole. The Christian confession is that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are the one God, and that the Son is Jesus. [The Trinity](/christianity/the-trinity) is that page. ### Does the Bible allow other gods? [Exodus 20:3](/bible/exodus/20/3) says there shall be no other gods before the LORD. [Isaiah 44:6](/bible/isaiah/44/6) says beside him there is no God. ## Passages quoted on this page ### Isaiah 44:6 King James Version. > Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. ### John 1:1 King James Version. > In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ### John 1:14 King James Version. > And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. ## Sources Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site. 1. [The Upanishads, translated by Swami Paramananda, Commentary introducing Kena Upanishad, Part Third](https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/3283/pg3283.txt) (The sentences about Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva are Paramananda’s commentary, not a verse of the Upanishad. Public domain. Project Gutenberg ebook 3283.) 2. [Bhagavad Gita, translated by Edwin Arnold, The Song Celestial, Krishna on his births](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2388/2388-h/2388-h.htm) 3. [Deuteronomy, 6:4](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/deuteronomy/6/4). King James Version 4. [Book of Exodus, 20:3](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/exodus/20/3). King James Version ## See also - [What Do Hindus Believe?](https://apologetics.wiki/hinduism/what-do-hindus-believe) — The Bhagavad Gita, in Edwin Arnold’s translation, has Krishna say he is unborn and that he takes visible shape from age to age. Christians confess one God, and that Jesus is God. ## History [View history on GitHub](https://github.com/Apologetics-Wiki/apologetics-wiki/commits/main/src/content/articles/hindu-gods.md)