Hinduism is a very ancient and traditional Indian religion dating back to sacred texts written between 900 and 400 BC The book, Upanishad, which literally means to sit under, reflects the most depths of Hinduism and reflects the earliest information found in the Vedic writings. From the outside, Hinduism is not only unique and different, but it can also be very confusing and complex. Individuals who are unfamiliar with polytheism or who have practiced monotheism may have difficulty understanding the relationships between each God and what he represents. It has been said that there are three hundred and thirty-three million Gods in the Hindu faith, which by definition would certainly make it a polytheistic religion. Those same individuals might be even more confused if they encountered a practitioner who tells them that there is truly only one God and that the other Gods are simply idols to help them focus their understanding of the religion. The religion can certainly be confusing to outsiders, but at its core Hinduism is very similar to most other organized religions. Digging into the complexities and intricate details of Hinduism is not the goal of this discussion, but rather highlighting the primary or popular gods worshiped in Hinduism. (Introduction to World Religions Patridge) As a new practitioner or in the early stages of learning, you may be taught to worship an idol. It could be an idol worshiped by his parents or even a God of something that is important to the practitioner. These idols are known as Murti and can come in many different forms. A Murti is a manifestation of the supreme God and can be presented by a three-dimensional statue, a two-dimensional painting or even just the word “Om”. It... in the center of the sheet... ten represented with four or more arms. Showing the God with multiple arms emphasizes the deity's immense power and ability to perform multiple acts at once. Expressing a deity in human form and with multiple arms also means reflecting superhuman power. (www.asia.si.edu/pujaonline/puja/why_multiple.html) As you can see, Hinduism is not only a very complex and difficult religion to follow, but it is also very misunderstood. To a monotheist or atheist it may seem silly or even fabulous. Due to the polytheistic views, there are also similarities to Greek and Egyptian mythology. Regardless of how you view Hinduism, the desire to be a good person, find your way to the afterlife, and accept all other religions in my mind is a great way to practice it. It is also very interesting to study the complexity of the different Gods and what each of them represents.