FaithAlone.net

An Imperfect God in Hinduism

There are many, many creation narratives scattered throughout the Hindu scriptures. The one below is from the last of the Ten Principal Upanishads, and it is particularly interesting for reasons that should become apparent to those who have a conceptualization of God that comes from the Bible:

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad - Book 1, Chapter 4

1 In the beginning, this (universe) was but the self (Viraj) of a human form. He reflected and found nothing else but himself. He first uttered, "I am he". Therefore he was called Aham (I). Hence, to this day, when a person is addressed, he first says, "It is I," and then says the other name that he may have. Because he was first and before this whole (band of aspirants) burnt all evils, therefore he is called Purusha. He who knows thus indeed burns one who wants to be (Viraj) before him.

2 He was afraid. Therefore people (still) are afraid to be alone. He thought, "If there is nothing else but me, what am I afraid of?" From that alone his fear was gone, for what was there to fear? It is from a second entity that fear comes.

3 He was not at all happy. Therefore people (still) are not happy when alone. He desired a mate. He became as big as man and wife embracing each other. He parted this very body into two. From that came husband and wife. Therefore, said Yajnavalkya, this (body) is one-half of oneself, like one of the two halves of a split pea. Therefore this space is indeed filled by the wife. He was united with her. From that men were born.

Notice that God, in this narrative, was "afraid", and "not at all happy", when he was alone - two testimonies to its imperfection.

Considering the first point - that he was "afraid" - the narrative itself seemingly points out the absurdity of God being afraid when he is alone, and has him saying "If there is nothing else but me, what am I afraid of?". The narrative also, in direct contradiction to itself, points out, "It is from a second entity that fear comes".

Considering the second point - that he was "not at all happy" - the narrative says that this was rooted in him not having companionship, as the way God solves the problem is by splitting himself in two, into a husband and wife. Therefore, he was both unhappy and lonely, as the cause of the unhappiness was evidently loneliness, which was then solved by fellowshipping with himself, in different manifestations. Therefore, this God had to change forms in order to avoid sorrow.

Conclusion

The God presented in this creation myth is not the perfect, self-fulfilled God presented in the Bible. It is an imperfect God, because it was conceived in the minds of fallen men.