Date: January 19, 2026
How often have you heard “Hindus believe in 33 crore gods?” Sometimes this is said even in a tone of mockery implying that if Hindus can believe in 33 crore gods, they would believe in anything!
But this idea, so casually thrown around, is a gross misunderstanding of what is actually meant by crore. The Indian word for crore is Koti and the word itself has two connotations. One is, of course, the number “crore”, but the other and the actual sense in which it is used in this context is “category” or class. Even in common parlance, don’t we say things like “uccha koti”, “madhyam koti” and “nimna koti”? What is meant here is type/category or class.
The idea of 33 kotis of godsis actually rooted in our Vedic cosmology which says that there are 12 ADITYAS, 11 RUDRAS, 8 VASUS and 2 ASHWINS. These make up the “33 kotis” or categories of gods. Let us try to understand them one by one.
12 ADITYAS: They are what may be called the Solar deities. They are the 12 Cosmic forces or principles that sustain creation and protect the cosmic order. They are called the Adityas because they are the sons of Aditi, the Cosmic Mother. The 12 Adityas are: Varuna, Mitra, Aryaman, Bhaga, Dhata, Shakra, Amsha, Vivasvan, Pusha, Savita, Tvashta and Vaman. Since they are solar deities, they are also associated with the 12 months of the calendar and also the 12 Zodiac signs.
11 RUDRAS: They are supposed to be emanations of Rudra-Shiva and represent the principles of life force – its formation, destruction and dissolution. The 11 Rudras are: Hara, Bahurupa, Trayambaka, Aparajita, Vrisakapi, Shambhu, Kapardi, Raivata, Mrigavyadha, Sarva, Kapali. They also represent the different aspects of Pranic force and the mind in living beings.
8 VASUS: They represent the 8 building blocks of physical existence. The 8 Vasus are: the 5 elements of Space, Wind, Fire, Water and Earth, the sun, moon and all the stars. These are the constituents of the gross physical universe.
2 ASHWINS: They are the physicians of the gods. They represent the twin powers of healing and renewal. Ashwins means the “horse riders”. The horse imagery represents swift movement of prana and nerve forces and circulation which gives vitality.
So these are the 33 kotis or categories of cosmic deities. There is a deeper psycho-spiritual symbolism behind these cosmic forces as per the Vedic interpretation of Sri Aurobindo. But what is more commonly known is that Sri Krishna also speaks of the 33 categories of Cosmic forces or deities in the Bhagavad Gita when he reveals his awesome Universal form (Chapter 11, Verse 6). He tells Arjuna:
Pashyadityan vasun rudran ashvinau marutas tatha
Bahuny adrishta-purvani pashyashcharyani bharata
Behold the Adityas, the Vasus, the Rudras, the Ashwins and also the Maruts; behold many wonders never seen before, O Bharata.
In addition to the Adityas, Rudras, Vasus and the Ashvins there is also mention of the Maruts in this verse. The Maruts as interpreted by Sri Aurobindo are “thought forces” and expressions of Mental Energy. In effect, in this very meaningful and significant verse Sri Krishna is saying that all these Cosmic forces including the manifestations of thought energy are nothing but expressions of his own Universal Form.
I suggest that even if we take the other meaning of “koti” meaning crore, then also Hindus need not be defensive. In Sanatana Dharma the concept of Ishta Devata implies that an individual is free to choose and hence ‘see’ and adore and realize the Divine in a form that is endearing to him or her at the deepest level of awareness. In this sense, 100 crore Hindus can have 100 crore gods! Why stop at 33 crore?
Essentially, no form is adequate to express the Formless, Transcendent and Universal Divine. The formless can be expressed through multiple and ever-expanding number of forms, yet none of them (or even all of them together) would ever express the Complete Truth of the Divine. But a devotee’s heart can feel bliss adoring and contemplating on a specific, chosen form in which the Illimitable Divine appears to it.
