Hindu God at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

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One Supreme God is worshipped within Hinduism. The Supreme God is regarded as an entity that exists in and gives life to all things. He is believed to have created the universe and many other Gods or Devas, who serve as his helpers. Different aspects of the Supreme God are worshipped, depending on the Hindu tradition. Other Gods, helpers of the Supreme God, are also revered. In Vaishnavism, Narayanan (Vishnu) is considered the supreme God and is said to have produced Brahma and Shiva. Lord Shiva was worshipped in pre-historic India. The first concept of a supreme being comes from Hinduism. Pre-historic India attests that Shiva, which literally means "the supreme one," is the first supreme being. Another manifestation of Shiva is Mahadeva, which literally means "Lord of all goodness." Shiva is also known as Maheshvara, the great Lord, Mahadeva, the great God, Shambhu, Hara, Pinakadhrik, bearer of the axe, and Mrityunjaya, conqueror of death. He is the spouse of Shakti, the goddess. He is also represented by Mahakala and Bhairava, the terrible, as well as many other forms including Rudra. All Hindus worship one Supreme Being, though they use different names. This is because people with different languages and cultures in India have understood one God in their own distinct ways. Regional and family traditions can play a large role in influencing this choice. Through history, four principal Hindu denominations arose: Saivism, Shaktism, Vaishnavism, and Smartism. For Saivites, God is Siva. For Shaktas, Goddess Shakti is supreme. For Vaishnavites, Lord Vishnu is God. For Smartas – who see all Deities as reflections of the One God – the choice of Deity is left to the devotee. Later on, the Vedas were written, in which the three manifestations of God were scripted as "Brahma, Maha Vishnu, and Mahesh (Shiva)." The Vedas are a large body of texts originating in Ancient India. The texts are composed in Vedic Sanskrit and form the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature, and the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism. Most Hindus worship some form of a personal aspect of God in their daily devotional practices, although they believe in the more abstract concept of a Supreme God as well. They generally choose one concept of God and cultivate devotion to that chosen form while respecting the ideals of other people. The many different names given to the Supreme God in Hinduism encourage a multiplicity of paths rather than conformity to just one. The unique understanding in Hinduism is that God is not far away, living in a remote heaven, but is all-pervasive and energizes the entire universe. He is also inside each soul, waiting to be discovered. Knowing the one Supreme God in this intimate and experiential way is the goal of Hindu spirituality.