What is Difference between Shiva and Vishnu?? Why there are so many Gods in Hindusim ?

Can anyone explain me difference between lord shiva and lord vishnu ?
Also please give brief on below point

Why we are praying so many gods ( Shiva , Vishnu , Ganesh , Laxmi ...etc ) while other Societies
are praying only one GOD

 

First of all answering your question of difference between Vishnu and Shiva, let me quote from Annamaacharya, the great Vaak-geya-kaaraka of Aandhra Pradesh, in one of his divya sankeertana “Enta maatramuna evvaru talichina ….” says:

How much ever one imagines that much only are You:

For Vaishnavas You are Vishnu
For Vedaantas You are Parabrahma
For Shaivas and other bhaktas You are Shiva
For Kaapaalikas You are Kaala-Bhairava
For Shaakteyaas You are Shakti
For people with alpa-buddhi You appear as alpam
For people who know Your Garima and have Ghana-buddhi You are a Ghana
For people who are Sharanaagati You are Venkateshvara.

One episode from Mahabharat ::

Once Shri Krishna, the avataar of Mahaavishnu, came to Upamanyu maharshi, when he was at Himaalayas. Shri Krishna said “Upamanyu muniindra! You are the greatest in the Shiva Bhaktas. I came here to do Tapas of Paramashiva to get santaanam. Please teach Me Shaiva-vidhi and vidhaanam”.

Upamanyu replied “O Shri Krishna! I know who You are. Shiva puuja is not new to You. Though You know it, to make everybody know, I will tell You …” Saying thus, Upamanyu told Shri Krishna how to do Shiva-aaraadhana.

There are thousands of such kind of Incidents in puranas, if I tell you them one by one memory of facebook will be scrapped.

This happened after the episode of Naarada, coming under Vishnu maaya, gives shaapam to Vishnu: (This is one of the reasons of Shri Raama avatar)
Naarada says “Svaami! Please forgive Me. I, coming under influence of Your maaya, got ahankaar and did Your ninda. Please tell Me what can save Me from this ghora-paapam”. Vishnu says:

“O Priya Naarada! You go and do paaraayana of Shankara Shatanaamams. Then You will get Shaanti. Shiva is whom I respect the most. Even by mistake dont forget this. One who doesnt have Shiva-anugraham cannot be My Bhakta. Believe this … Then My maaya wont affect you.”

Once Vyaasa Bhagavaan came under the influence of Shiva-maaya and started telling in his Pravachanams that Vishnu is greater than Shiva. Once Nandeeshvara also heard Vyaasa Bhagavaan saying this. Vishnu Murty then appeared before Veda Vyaasa and told Him “O Maharshi! Dont you know that I and Shiva are the same? Knowing this why are you telling like this in your pravachanams?” Veda Vyaasa then had great pashchaattaapam and asked Kshama from Nandeeshvara.

The phalam of Vishnu Pooja is Shiva Bhakti — the example is that of Arjuna. Arjuna ofcourse was the greatest Shri Krishna Bhakta. But it was Shiva who gave Arjuna moksham, when Arjuna was born as Bhakta Kannappa, in the great Kaalahastsi Kshetram.

Similarly the phalam of Shiva Pooja is Shri Raama Bhakti — the examples are stories of Kaaka Bhushundi and Valmiki Maharshi. Kaaka Bhushundi was a great Shiva Bhakta and hence Shiva grants him Raama Bhakti Saamraajyam. Valmiki did tapas for Shiva using the Panchaakshari mantram given to him by the great Saptarshis and as a result became the Aadi Kavi and wrote the great Raamaayanam.

 

Plz ref to links
http://www.thehinduforum.com/threads/what-is-difference-between-shiva-and-shankara.1103/
http://www.thehinduforum.com/threads/i-have-question-about-hindu-god-and-godesses.1100/#post-2071
http://www.thehinduforum.com/threads/another-question-from-the-hindu-forum.1104/

That means what you thinks of God, because of your devotion and love, God becomes what you think.
Shankaracharya of Advaita philosophy says there is nothing but God in this world. That means everything in this world is manifestion of the God’s power.

Rig Veda 1.164.46 tells the same truth:

Indram Mitram Varunamagnimahuratho divyaha sa suparano garutamaan |
Ekam sadvipro bahuda vandyatyagnim yamam maatarishwaanmaahuh ||

‘They (the men of wisdom) call him Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, and he is the heavenly, noble-winged Garutman. The God is one, but sages call it by many names; they call it Agni, Yama, Matarishvan (and so on).

Now question arises that if God is one what about quarrels about two god and one god is helping other??

One may now wonder why Puranas mention Shiva, Vishnu, Agni, Yama, Indra, etc as seperate Gods/demigods. This question has been answered by great prophets like Ramanujacharya and Madhwacharya as below:

Antaryami (residing in the heart or the source) of each demigods is one God, which the prophets called as Lord Vishnu. The prayers when addressed to gods it is addressed to “antaryami” of each devata which is Vishnu (or Narayana or Krishna). This is also emphaised in Srimad Bhagavatam. Everything in this world is a manifestation of the God. Dvaitha and Vishistadwaitha philosophies of Ramanujacharya and Madhwacharya infact gave clearer picture of Vedas.

Please refer this link::

http://www.thehinduforum.com/threads/who-is-god.1099/

http://www.thehinduforum.com/threads/howsoever-you-seek-god-so-does-god-approach-you.1105/

These are called as leelas of one God, so that normal Human Being can get teaching and morals from that story, cant you recycle your memory in go into childhood when your dadi nani told you a story about Hanuman, Vishnu, Shiva and give a moral line after that. The is the basic meaning.

 

Lord Vishnu is the preserver of life and Lord Shiva is the destroyer. Yes there are many different gods in Hinduism but they all are same just different forms are given by the people.