Is God male or female?

The concept of God in Hinduism is complicated because for every conclusion you draw about the nature of God, you will find an exactly opposite one. By God we mean the highest, supreme Being. When we envision that Being, we typically envision a male God with a form because we are accustomed to worship images.

Most people do worship a male God in Hinduism. Yet, the popular practice or belief does not settle the issue. It is just one of the several examples of the complex and diverse nature of Hinduism and the variance between theory and practice which often leads to misunderstanding and incongruity about the faith.

The reality is that the gender of God is indeterminate because God is the sum of all. The reality of God contains in itself all the realities, potencies and possibilities. Secondly, although in Hinduism we take for granted the existence of God, even that conclusion is not final. The mystery or incomprehensibility of God is such that nothing can be said about him (or her) with certainty. In Hinduism there are two fundamental beliefs about God.

One school thinks that God is (astika) and the other believes that God is not (nastika). The truth is perhaps somewhere in between. God can neither be existent nor nonexistent. It must be both at the same time. It can be neither pure consciousness only nor pure energy only. It must be both and even more. It can neither be male nor female. Hence, the Hindu texts refers to that composite reality with the neutral expression, "That (tat)," or it.

As a mental concept, That is the sum of your beliefs and worldviews. That is both known and unknown. That fits into any form, shape or concept you envision. That neither opposes you nor asserts itself, for That is everything, which means it is also you. Therefore, it becomes whatever you want it to be. If you think it is non-existent, it will become non-existent for you to perpetuate your delusion and let you live with your belief or disbelief.

It is why the subject of God's existence or nonexistence cannot easily be resolved. To know it one has to go beyond the mind and senses and witness the truth within oneself in a subjective state. Common people cannot truly comprehend the truth of God because their perceptions are coloured by the impurities of egoism, delusion and attachments. We perceive truths according to or desires and expectations, a fact which even science acknowledges.