Gods - History to myths to mystical

Recently some of the Hindutva scholars had a spat on Twitter (X) about the period of Sri Rama.  Someone said it is around 5000 years ago, others disagreed and it was going through the usual motions of a Twitter war.  

Unlike a Christian or a Muslim, the historicity of Hindu Gods do not matter to the theology of Hindus.  Hindu Dharma does not run the risk of losing its relevance if these Gods were not historical figures.  Because Hindu Dharma does not depend on the physical existence of the Gods, but depends on the values and wisdom of these Gods.  Their physical representation is a personification of their values.  Sri Rama represents honor, sacrifice, courage, duty and justice; Sri Krishna represents the wisdom for the worldly life stressing on the importance of duty. And the host of local deities represent the establishment of the supreme order - the Rta.

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We need to get a basic clear.  Gods are relevant mostly in a subconscious or mystical level.  Their physical representation invokes an emotion that is beyond the usual day-to-day emotions people go through.  The sense of devotion or surrender or wisdom that transcends time are not the same as in most human interactions.

Most humans lost touch with the part of the brain that deals with such emotions.  This is comparable to our inability to hear high frequencies as we age.  While the latter is physiological, the former is evolutionary.  People in regions less affected by modernity continue to have a connect with the mystical Gods.  (To me evolution is not a steady progression but is more like a wave that moves forward and backward, slows down or even stops for a while, but is directed towards the shore.)

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In a recent talk Sri Bhagawan said, "Gods were real historical figures.  Then they became mythical and then mystical." I think this needs an elaboration. 

In his statement Sri Bhagawan gave the examples of Sri Rama and Sri Krishna. Let me try to explain how they became mystical Gods.

Sri Rama did exist.  The core of Ramayana was real. Sri Rama gained the super-human status in the period after His time.  Myths were created around the power of his arrows and his warrior capabilities.   That was the creation of mythical Rama.  The myths were woven around the attributes of Sri Rama that were essential for the stability of society namely - honor, sacrifice, duty, courage and justice.  Over a period, these attributes formed an image of the Sri Rama in the collective sub-conscious.  That resulted in the mystical Sri Rama.  The mystical Sri Rama exists in the minds of the people to guide them.  That mystical Sri Rama is the one that is relatable and so the most powerful as far as His devotees are concerned.

Some heroes did not gain the status of a God, but remained as super human as their attributes were not contributing much for the stability or progress of the society.  So, their presence moved from history to mythology but stopped there.  An example is Arjuna.  Arjuna is not revered as a God, but Sri Krishna is.  Sri Krishna's attributes of wisdom and later limitless love were useful for society to stress on duty and  experiencing life with devotion.

Some Gods stop at being mythical and don't get to the stage of mystical Gods. Or their mystical existence is no longer useful for society. Examples are the ancient Roman, Greek or even Vedic Gods.  Indra doesn't get a mind-share even within the Vaideeka community. Maybe there was a time when He was a mystical God, but the times have changed that He has no place in humans' mind as He did not add value to the society that revered Him once. 

Gods like Shiva and Vishnu are well established in their mystical realm.  But their connection with a large population of humans undergoes a wave like motion - like the rise and fall of the Bhakti movement.

Karuppannasami, Dharmasastha and Mari Amman

These deities were no doubt historical figures, their super-human acts were honored and they got their Godly status.  They remained people's deities, remained local to a geography as a protecting force for the people there.  Their attributes were useful to ensure small communities don't disperse and disappear.

Abrahamic Gods

They were like just our Dharmasastha to keep a tab on their people.  The old Gods like Jehovah or Allah were mystical Gods that the tribes of Arabia could relate to.

Jesus had an encounter with the mystical God.  A mythical Jesus was created, his followers used the myth in setting up a well diversified corporate with a control over the states.  In the process, the evolution of Jesus into a mystical God is stalled.  Evangelists use the mystical God for their revenue stream.  

Mohammad had the mystical connect with Allah.  For his time and space, Mohammad used Allah to expand his tribe with its own rules and rewards. The focus was not on higher values for the individuals but simply expansion of the tribe - by hook (war, rapes etc) or crook (Taqqiya).  The average Muslim is focused on the expansion of the tribe and does not have the time to have a connect with the mystical Allah.