Guardian Angels in Hinduism

In Hinduism, guardian angels help people achieve closer union with everyone and everything in the universe. Hindus believe in a different concept of guardian angels than that found in other major religions like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Hindus sometimes worship guardian angels. While many world religions direct worship toward one main creator—God—and say that angels are God's servants who also worship God and shouldn't be worshiped by humans, Hinduism allows worship of many different types of gods, including those that act like guardian angels.

Hinduism’s divine beings or angels are spiritual in nature, yet often appear to people in material form looking like human beings. In art, Hindu divine beings are usually depicted as especially handsome or beautiful people.

Devas and the Atman

The Hindu guardian angel is more like a type of god that combines two different spiritual forces: the devas and the atman.

Devas are deities who help guard people, pray for people, and promote the spiritual growth of people and other living beings like animals and plants. Devas give the living things they watch over spiritual energy, which inspires and motivates the person, animal or plant being cared for to better understand the universe and become one with it. Devas literally mean "shining ones," and they are thought to inhabit the higher astral plane. 

The atman is a divine spark inside each person that acts as a higher self to direct people toward higher levels of consciousness. The atman, which represents the part of each person that lives forever despite changing through different reincarnations (like a soul in other religions), urges people to move toward enlightenment and understand the universe and becoming one with it in unity.

Gods, Planets, Gurus, and Ancestors

Major gods, minor gods, the planets, human gurus, and ancestors may all play a protective role, like that of a guardian angel, during times of crisis or stress, during illness, in the face of physical danger, or when going through challenges in school, your professional life, or in your relationships. Human gurus are Hindu spiritual teachers who have developed divinity inside them. Gurus are often viewed as soothsayers and guides through this life.

Planets, like Saturn, also known as Sani, can be called to protect believers. The planet may especially be called on for protection if it is in your horoscope.

Major gods like the Monkey God Hanuman or Krishna are popular as protectors during times of crisis.

Guardian Angel Meditation 

Hindus usually meditate when communicating with guardian angels, reflecting on their thoughts and sending them out into the universe rather than saying verbal prayers. Although, they do sometimes pray verbally to angelic beings.

Hindu believers also emphasize making sacrifices to major gods in order to obtain blessings from guardian angels. The Bhagavad Gita, Hinduism's main sacred text, refers to angelic beings as demigods or minor gods.

"By this sacrifice unto the Supreme Lord the demigods are propitiated; the demigods being propitiated will mutually propitiate you and you will obtain supreme blessings.”— Bhagavad Gita 3:11