Urban Monk: Exploring Karma, Consciousness, and the Divine

by Gadadhara Pandit Dasa

The Krishna tradition, however, stood apart from the rest of Hinduism because of its strict adherence to monotheism. Within Hinduism, there are millions of gods and most Hindus offer prayers and devotion to more than one. One of the most popular ones is Ganesh, the elephant god who removes obstacles in one’s life. Then there’s Laxmi, the goddess of wealth, and Sarasvati, the goddess who bestows knowledge upon the worshipper. Siva is one of the most prominent gods, and is always seen sitting in meditation with a cobra wrapped around his neck. He is considered by many to be the most powerful deity and people will pray to him for a whole variety of things such as protection, mystic powers, etc. Women pray to him for a good husband. The Krishna tradition, however, focuses all of its worship on Krishna and is therefore considered a monotheistic faith.