Polytheism vs. Pluralism: Dismantling the Colonial Misreading of Hindu Dharma

Hindu Dharma is often mischaracterized as polytheistic due to colonial and Abrahamic frameworks that fail to grasp its monistic core and philosophical complexity.

The 33-crore-gods trope reflects a reductive interpretation that ignores the unity of Brahman and the symbolic nature of Hindu deities.

Hinduism’s deities are not rival gods but diverse manifestations of one supreme reality, allowing for spiritual pluralism within a monistic metaphysical foundation.

Colonial missionaries and Orientalist scholars intentionally distorted Hindu theology to portray it as chaotic, primitive, and in need of Western “civilization” and conversion.

To correct these deep-rooted misrepresentations, Hindus must reclaim original concepts and terms—like Brahman, murti, and Dharma—and dismantle inherited colonial frameworks with philosophical clarity and Shatrubodh (awareness of ideological adversaries).