God in Hinduism

In Hinduism the concept of God is complex and depends on a particular tradition. In majority of traditions of Vaishnavism he is Vishnu, God, and the text identifies this being as Krishna, sometimes referred as svayam bhagavan. The term isvara - from the root is, to have extraordinary power. Some forms of traditional sankhya systems contrast purusha (devine, or souls) to prakriti (nature or energy), however term of sovereign God, ishvara is mentioned six times in the Atharva Veda, and is central to many traditions. .
==Ishvara==
The Sanskrit word for God with the root is referring to a being with extraordinary powers, that is used most commonly, is Ishvara, originally a title comparable to "Lord", from the roots , lit., powerful/lord/owner, + vara, lit., choicest/most excellent). Hindus believe that Ishvara is One. 
==Svayam Bhagavan==
Svayam bhagavan is a Sanskrit theological term that refers to the concept of absolute representation of the monotheistic God as Bhagavan himself within Hinduism.
It is most often used in Gaudiya Vaishnava Krishna-centered theology as referring to Krishna. The title Svayam Bhagavan is used exclusively to designate Krishna,(Gupta 2007, p.36 note 9). Certain other traditions of Hinduism consider him to be the source of all avataras, and the source of Vishnu himself, or to be the same as Narayana. As such, he is therefore regarded as Svayam Bhagavan.
The term is seldom used to refer to other forms of Krishna and/or Vishnu within the context of certain religious texts such as the Bhagavata Purana, and also within other sects of Vaishnavism.
When Krishna is recognized to be Svayam Bhagavan, it can be understood that this is the belief of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, the Vallabha Sampradaya,"Early Vaishnava worship focuses on three deities who become fused together, namely Vasudeva-Krishna, Krishna-Gopala and Narayana, who in turn all become identified with Vishnu. Put simply, Vasudeva-Krishna and Krishna-Gopala were worshiped by groups generally referred to as Bhagavatas, while Narayana was worshipped by the Pancaratra sect." and the Nimbarka Sampradaya, where Krishna is accepted to be the source of all other avatars, and the source of Vishnu himself. This belief is drawn primarily "from the famous statement of the Bhagavatam"(1.3.28). Essential Hinduism S. Rosen, 2006, Greenwood Publishing Group p.124 ISBN 0275990060
A different viewpoint, opposing this theological concept is the concept of Krishna as an avatara of Narayana or Vishnu. It should be however noted that although its is usual to speak of Vishnu as the source of the avataras, this is only one of the names of god of Vaishnavism, who is also known as Narayana, Vasudeva and Krishna and behind each of those names there is a divine figure with attributed supremacy in Vaishnavism.
The theological interpretation of differs with each tradition and the literal translation of the term has been understood in several distinct ways. Translated from the Sanskrit language, the term literary means "Bhagavan Himself" or "directly Bhagavan". Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition often translates it within its perspective as primeval Lord or original Personality of Godhead, but also considers the terms such as Supreme Personality of Godhead and Supreme God as an equivalent to the term Svayam bhagavan, and may also choose to apply these terms to Vishnu, Narayana and many of their associated avatars. "Krishna is the primeval Lord, the original Personality of Godhead, so He can expand Himself into unlimited forms with all potencies." page 161..."Bhakti, the highest path, was that of surrender to Lord Krishna, the way of pure devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead".
Earlier commentators such as Madhvacharya translated the term Svayam Bhagavan as "he who has bhagavatta"; meaning "he who has the quality of possessing all good qualities". page 132 Others have translated it simply as "the Lord Himself". p.109 Klaus Klostermaier translates it simply as "the Lord Himself" Followers of Vishnu-centered sampradayas of Vaishnavism rarely address this term, but believe that it refers to their belief that Krishna is among the highest and fullest of all avatars and is considered to be the "paripurna Avatara", complete in all respects and the same as the original.
 Parashara Maharishi, Vyasa's father had devoted the largest Amsa (part) in Vishnu Purana to the description of Sri Krishna Avatara the Paripoorna Avatara. And according to Lord Krishna's own (instructions) upadesha, "he who knows (the secrets of) His (Krishna's) Janma (birth) and Karma (actions) will not remain in samsara (punar janma naiti- maam eti) and attain Him after leaving the mortal coil." (BG 4.9). Parasara Maharishi ends up Amsa 5 with a phalashruti in an identical vein (Vishnu Purana .5.38.94) According to them Krishna is described in the Bhagavata Purana as the Purnavatara (or complete manifestation) of the Bhagavan, while other incarnations are called partial.
==Brahman==
The Vedantic school of Hindu philosophy also has a notion of a Supreme Cosmic Spirit called Brahman, pronounced as / /. 
==Characteristics of God==
The number six is invariably given, but the individual attributes listed vary. One set of attributes (and their common interpretations) are:
** Jñāna (Omniscience), defined as the power to know about all beings simultaneously;
** Aishvarya (Sovereignty, derived from the word Ishvara), which consists in unchallenged rule over all;
** Shakti (Energy), or power, which is the capacity to make the impossible possible;
** Bala (Strength), which is the capacity to support everything by will and without any fatigue;
** Vīrya (Vigor), or valour which indicates the power to retain immateriality as the supreme being in spite of being the material cause of mutable creations; and
** Tejas (Splendor), which expresses his self-sufficiency and the capacity to overpower everything by his spiritual effulgence; (cited from Bhakti Schools of Vedanta, by Swami Tapasyānanda.)
A second set of six characteristics are
** Jñāna (Omniscience),
** Vairagya (Detachment),
** Yashas (Fame),
** Aishvarya (Sovereignty, derived from the word Ishvara),
** Srī (Glory) and
** Dharma (Righteousness).
* Other important qualities attributed to God are Gambhīrya (grandeur), Audārya (generosity), and Kārunya (compassion).
The early Upanishads presented the conception of the Divine Teacher, guru on earth. Indeed, there is an understanding in some Hindu sects that if the devotee were presented with the guru and God, first he should pay respects to the guru since the guru had been instrumental in leading him to God. Hence many gurus have the epithet of Bhagwan, a term often confused with God.
:: Hari Bhakti Vilasa mantra ( 4.344)
:: Prathamam tu gurum pujya tatas caiva mamarcanam
:: Kuran siddhim avapnoti hy anyatha nisphalam bhavet
:: One does not directly worship one's God. One must begin by the worship of the Guru. Only by pleasing the Guru and gaining his mercy, can one offer anything to God. Thus, before worshiping God, one must always worship the Guru.
Chanted prayers, or mantras, are central to Hindu worship. Many mantras are from the sacred Vedas, and in Sanskrit.
== See also ==
*Brahman
*Para Brahman
*Krishna
*Svayam Bhagavan
*God
*Names of God
*Conceptions of God
==Notes==
==References==
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==External links==
*Sri Krishna - Differences in Realisation & Perception of the Supreme (stephen-knapp.com)
*The full text of the Bhagavata Purana (Srimad-Bhagavatam) (srimadbhagavatam.com)
*GRETIL etext: The transliterated Sanskrit text for the entire work - Bhagavata Purana (uni-goettingen.de)
*Srimad Bhagavatam - glories, subjects, dating, concordance to Vedanta-sutra
Category:Conceptions of God