Q114. Who are the Demigods?

The demigods are very powerful living beings who are assigned the task of maintaining nature (wind, rain, plants, rivers, oceans, and clouds etc..). There are 33 types or categories of demigods in this universe, they are more powerful than us, but they are not God. They are like the vice presidents in a corporation. Many people think that there are millions of Gods in the religion of India, but this a mistake. In the Bhagavad-Gita, Lord Krishna is referred to as the Godhead, which means the head of all Gods. The word ‘God’ in the Vedic sense means someone who is in control, and not necessarily the supreme controller, the God. There are 33 types of gods (controllers), and one Godhead (supreme controller), Lord Krishna. Lord Brahma is the vice president of creation. It’s his job to create everything within the universe at the beginning of each cycle.

Lord Shiva is the vice president of destruction. It’s his job to destroy everything within this universe at the end of each cycle. Indra is the director of the heavenly planets. Durga is the director of material energy and so on. In this way the demigods perform various tasks in the universe. All the demigods report to Lord Krishna directly or indirectly. Just like in a corporation, everyone reports to the CEO, either directly or indirectly. (Reference in Vedic scripture on demigods: Brihadaranyaka Upanishad - Chapter 3)