ALL GODS BY NAME AS VISHNU, SHIVA, GANESHA , SRI KRISHNA ETC. ARE ONE AND THE SAME PARABRAHMA .

During the early periods, man never thought of God. He was after his own security against all sorts of external threats. Once he achieved it, he started thinking about God.
He made God in his own image. As reproduction was one major item, he considered GOD in that form of LINGA and prakruthi i.e. NATURE as goddess. Hence in most countries the UNLIMATE used to be worshipped as LINGA SWAROOPI and Nature is worshipped as YONI. This , I have written many times but instead of understanding my view some Brahmin friends took sword against me. However, I am not perturbed or worried about such criticisms as this is my view. We . Hindis started calling this LINGA SWARUPI as SHIVA literally meaning AUSPICIOUS, KIND, GRACIOUS etc.

However, after the so called ARYANS TRIBES (literal meaning refined) came, they
thought that depicting GOD as linga swaroopi was not good and hence named him as VISHNU meaning “ All pervador “ and gave a formal form of man. They even changed the name of Lord Shiva as RUDRA, must be due to fear. Nevertheless , I feel these names are all to describe GOD. As Adi Sankara put it :

““shivAya vishnu-rUpAya shiva-rUpAya vishnave;shivasya hRdayaM vishnur vishnos ta hRdayaM shivaHyathA shivamayo vishnur evaM vishnumayaH shivaH; yathAntaraM na pashyAmi tathA me svastir AyuSaH”

“ BahvRca Parishishta”


शिवाय विष्नु-रूपाय शिव-रूपाय विष्णवे,
शिवस्य हृदयं विष्नुर् विष्णॊस् त हृदयं शिवः
यथा शिवमयॊ विष्नुर् ऎवं विष्नुमयः शिवः
यथान्तरं न पश्यामि तथा मे स्वस्तिर् आयुषः

ശിവായ വിഷ്ണുുരൂപായ ശിവരൂപായ വിഷ്ണവെ
ശിവായഹൃദയം വിഷ്ണുര്‍ വിഷ്ണോസ് ത ഹൃദയം ശിവഃ
യഥാ ശിവമയോ വിഷ്ണുര്‍ ഏവം വിഷ്ണുമയഃ ശിവഃ
യഥാന്തരം ന പശ്യാമി തഥാ മെ സ്വസ്തിര്‍ ആയുഷഃ

“Vishnu is the form of Shiva and Shiva is the form of Vishnu, Vishnu is Shiva's heart and Shiva is Vishnu's heart. Just as Vishnu is full of Shiva and Shiva is full of Vishnu, and I can thus see no difference between Them, let me similarly have a long life." Meaning as given by Sri. P.R.RAMACHANDER.

There is one passage praising ASWATHA VRUKSHA or BANYAN TREE. In this, it is said :-

“Moolatho Brahma roopaya, madhyatho Vishnu roopine,Agratha shiva roopaya Vruksha rajaya they nama. 1”“My salutations to the king of trees.Whose root is the form of Brahma,Middle is the form of Lord Vishnu,And top is the form of Lord Shiva” Sri. P.R. Ramachander

Moolam means ROOT, MIDDLE is TRUNK AGRA means TOP PORTION CONTAINING BRANCHES AND LEAVES.

These are all three forms of GOD to show the three actions (1) Creation (2) Conservation and (3) Destruction. All the three actions are required for the existence of the WORLD. Without creation one cannot conserve and without destruction one cannot create We Hindus believe in re-birth. As the great poet Kabir . the mendicant poet, said “when the cloth becomes dirty” it is to be changed. The ATMA will not perish but the form only perishes as per our belief. As Poonthanam the Baktha Kavi in his Great Work JNAANAPAANA “ അമരന്‍മാര്‍ മരങ്ങളായീതുന്നു, അജം ചത്തു ഗജമായ് പിറക്കുന്നു..............” , the AATHMA will take the shape of another as per our deeds. The ATHMA is imperishable.

Now again coming to GOD, as Adi Shankara said GOD IS OMNIPRESENT, OMNI POTENT AND OMICIENT. But is only a witness to all our deeds irrespective whether it is good or bad and is NIRGUNA BRAHMAM. To attain that God, as a prelude we may pray to our ISHTA DEVATHA or KULA DAIVAM or any deity. Although, GOD is AROOPI ,
As ordinary people , we cannot concentrate, and to get concentration we can keep IDOLS.

According to H.H. Ramanuja, God is SAGUNA. meaning “Indian the name Saguna means- virtuous.”. This does not seems to me as appropriate to define GOD since He might be virtuous to me but to some other person HE might not be virtuous. Hence in my humble opinion GOD HAS NO VIRTUES as Adi Shankara said. Readers, I request you to kindly note that these views are entirely mine and no body else need to follow it. . VIRTUE is a word which is very vague, since there is not only GOOD VIRTUES BUT BAD VIRTUES ALSO. To attain this Brahmam which is NIRGUNA our ATHMA has to toil so that we can get JEEVAN MUKTHI and attain NIRGUNA BRAHMA. However. HH. Ramanuja also believes in ONE GOD. He calls GOD as VISHNU.

Friends, I do not like to say , as there can be difference in faith. by what name we must call PARABRAHMA , but GOD is only ONE.