Is God Male and Female?

   It is common knowledge that we worship Gods and Goddesses in different forms. Idol worship is credited to pancharatra agama shastra where details of construction of temples, installation of idols, temple architecture, etc are described here. However,  these are not found in the Rk Veda or Yajurveda and samaveda, although the devata are praised in a number of suktas like devi sukta, Shree sukta, nadi sukta, saraswati sukta, bhu sukta etc. Devi devata are the 'powers that be' and there is no gender classification for these devata. The elemental gods are called 'deva', 'devi', or simply, 'devata', meaning, 'that which lifts up'. the syllable 'da' means 'to lift'. These devata are located at three relsms- bhu, bhuvaH, and svar. as follows:

  Pruthvi (bhu) devata- agni, pruthivi, soma, nadee, bruhaspati.
  Akasha (antriksha)-indra, marut, vayu, apaamnapaat,  rudra, vaata, parjanya, apaH.
  dyu-  dyouH, varuna,  mitra, surya, savitru, pushan, ashvin, ushas, ratri, adityaaH, vishnu.
   Rk Veda praises Rudra in eloquent terms, assaharaksha, sahasrapaat, and rudra is everywhere- inside us as well as outside us! Rudra is Bheshaja, dhanvantari raya.

 These are elements that are formed according to the mahat tattva of creation (srushti) as pancha mahabhuta. There are not the archavatara devata, gods as we worship them in our homes or temples.

 How many Gods are there? Whether God is male or female? 

The answer to these questions are very simple. We do not have the term Gods in Samskruta bhasha; we call deva, devi, devata in different forms. This solves the question of male or female.

  streerUpashchaiva puMrUpO bhagavAn na napuMsakaH | brahma napuMsaka vAcaka; chiti stree vAchaka; Ishvara puM (purusha) vAchaka.
How many devi devata are there is answered in the following verse:
God is one only and the wise call Him by different names. EkO devaH narayanah |vipraaH bahudha vadanti ||

  In Lakshmi Tantra, Devi Lakshmi says, I am the Sovereign- Rajarajeshvari.I manifest as Lakshmi, saraswati, durga and assume many forms. I am also sudarshana. All these forms of vasudeva, vishnu,sankarshana, pradyumna and aniruddha are my powers- shakti, jnyan, aishvarya, bala, virya and tejas. The twenty four names of devi's manifest forms are given in the Gayatree mantra.

Srividya gives many other names like dasha-mahavidyas, nityas, akarshinis, dik-dishas, etc. There are crores and crores of devi-devata, each according to our bhava.Bhavanopanishat gives a clear idea about all these. However, the three prior manifest forms are the 'pindi form', manifest as shalagrama in Vaishnodevi and, 'the One only' devi is 'Sharda' as 'pindi' (shalagrama) at the Sharda village in Jammu-Kashmir on the Line of Control of Pak-occupied side. These are the replica of Bhu, Shree, or Saraswati.

  We worship rivers, trees, animals, plants, and every single natural object as the manifest form of brahmn. Sarvam khaluvidam brahma. The worship of paduka, stones, objects used by saints, etc are not excluded!

  The Sun is our visible God. There are twelve positions for twelve months where different names are given as dvadasha adityas that include, vishnu, rudra, shiva etc. There are also the names for the twelve positions like Narayana, Madhava, Vasudeva, Govinda, Padmanabha, Janardana, Vamana, Trivikrama, Adhokshaja, nArasimha, Purushothama, Shree Krishna, and so on. Vishnu avatara is again there as avatara purusha in many animal forms, too.

  These are mind-blowing and anybody is bound to be confused and may even ridicule us! But, we know what we are doing! We know that the 'powers that be; are our mainstay and we invoke each god according to the powers invested by parabrahman in them. We do not go to Hanuman to get blessinsg for our marriage problems; so also, we run to Mahalakshmi temple to get blessings for wealth and Ganapthi temple for success. Ganapati has the prominent position for the powers to invoke gods lies with him. We cannot do anything without his blessings. Even the sages look to him for favor and blessings. Once, the sages were planning to take Vishnu in procession and did not invite Ganapati due to the face problem. The Chariot would not move an inch with all the best effort! Then one of the sages reminded that this problem is due to our neglect of Ganapati. Immediately they all went and begged pardon and invited him. Thus, Ganapati gets the first place in all our actions. Saraswati is worshiped not only for jnyan, but also for food; She is the giver of food, annapurneshvari. The list goes on and on. There are Vishnu in female forms like varahi, vaishnavi, etc.    

   As long as there is fear there are gods. As long as there is faith, there are gods, As long as we are helpless, we seek divine intervention. First, these Gods are outside of us. Gradually, with advancement in spiritual sadhana these gods become part of our self only and there will be nothing outside of us to worship or beg for favors!
  And, then there are different gods for different class of people and different families. There are family deities,village gods (grama devata), and regional gods (naada devata). People who were afraid of the dead used to worship the dead out of fear! This list of gods go on.

   These Gods are creation of man as a gratitude towards God for creating us! God creates man and man creates Gods. We have Gods made of wood (Sandalwood), Gold,Silver, Brass and five alloy metals, ivory, marble and shalagrama stones. etc. Besides, there are the photo of gods and goddesses for worship.
  Thus, people worship gods in different ways. However, the worship of gods in outward rituals is not of much spiritual gain since the attention of the worshiper is divertedagain and again during the worship according to the customs and traditions. Spiritual practice should be continuous, unbroken like taila dhaare, flow of oil from the can. At best this will infuse devotion, the first step towards the other-worldly pursuit of life, albeit, temporarily. People go around temples, offer prayers and again indulge in practices that are not expected of them!