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{{short description|Creator god in Hinduism}} | |||
{{About|the Hindu God of creation}} | |||
{{About|the Hindu creation god|the genderless metaphysical concept of Ultimate Reality in Hindu philosophy|Brahman}}{{For|Buddhist version of Brahma|Brahma (Buddhism)}} | |||
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{{other uses}}{{Use Indian English|date=March 2015}} | |||
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{{Infobox deity <!--Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Hindu mythology--> | |||
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{{Infobox deity<!--Misplaced Pages:WikiProject Hindu mythology--> | |||
| type = Hindu | | type = Hindu | ||
| |
| image = Brahma on hamsa.jpg | ||
| caption |
| caption = Painting depicting Brahma on a Hansa, c. 1700 CE | ||
| |
| name = Brahma | ||
| devanagari = ब्रह्मा | |||
| Tamil_Transliteration = | |||
| sanskrit_transliteration = Brahmā | |||
| Devanagari = ब्रह्मा | |||
| affiliation = ], ] | |||
| Marathi = ब्रह्मा | |||
| deity_of = Creator of the Universe <br> God of Creation, Knowledge and the ]s<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/brahma |title=Brahma, Brahmā, Brāhma: 66 definitions |publisher=Wisdomlib.org |date=6 June 2022 |access-date=5 August 2022 |archive-date=5 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220805095313/https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/brahma |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
| Sanskrit_Transliteration = Brahmā | |||
| |
| abode = ] | ||
| weapon = ], ] | |||
| Abode = ] | |||
| mantra = ॐ वेदात्मनाय विद्महे हिरण्यगर्भाय धीमही तन्नो ब्रह्मा प्रचोदयात्: <br /> ''{{IAST|] vedātmanāya vidmahe ] dhīmahī tan no brahmā pracodayāt}}'' | |||
| Mantra = Om Brang Brahmaneya Namaha | |||
ॐ ब्रह्मणे नम: <br /> ''{{IAST|Om Brahmane Namah}}'' | |||
| Consort = ] | |||
| symbol = ], ], '']'', '']'' | |||
| Mount = ] (]) | |||
| consort = ] | |||
| Planet = | |||
| mount = ] | |||
| festivals = ] | |||
| member_of = ] | |||
| other_names = Svayambhu, Virinchi, ] | |||
| children = ] including ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ]s, ], ], ], ], ], Sindura, ], ] | |||
}} | }} | ||
{{Hinduism}} | |||
'''Brahmā''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|b|r|ɑː|m|ə}}; {{IAST|Brahmā}}) is the ] god (]) of creation and one of the ], the others being ] and ]. According to the ], he is the father of ], and from Manu all human beings are descended. In the ] and the ], he is often referred to as the progenitor or great grandsire of all human beings. He is not to be confused with the Supreme Cosmic Spirit in Hindu ] philosophy known as ], which is genderless. Brahmā's wife is ]. Saraswati is also known by names such as Sāvitri and ], and has taken different forms throughout history. Brahmā is often identified with ], a ] deity. Being the husband of ] or Vaac Devi (the Goddess of Speech), Brahma is also known as "Vaagish," meaning "Lord of Speech and Sound." | |||
'''Brahma''' ({{langx|sa|ब्रह्मा}}, {{IAST3|Brahmā}}) is a ], referred to as "the Creator" within the ], the ] of ] that includes ] and ].<ref name=davidwhite29>{{cite book|first=David|last=White|author-link=David Gordon White|year=2006|title=Kiss of the Yogini|publisher=University of Chicago Press|isbn=978-0226894843|pages=4, 29}}</ref><ref name="gonda212">Jan Gonda (1969), {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200425200435/https://www.jstor.org/stable/40457085 |date=25 April 2020 }}, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212–226.</ref><ref name=":1">Jan Gonda (1969), {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200425200435/https://www.jstor.org/stable/40457085 |date=25 April 2020 }}, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 218–219.</ref> He is associated with creation, knowledge, and the '']''.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.12977|title=THE VAYU PURANA PART. 1|last=N.A|date=1960|publisher=MOTILAL BANARSIDASS PUBLISHERS PVT. LTD, DELHI|pages= (26.31)}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first1=Charles Russell|last1=Coulter|first2=Patricia|last2=Turner|title=Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VWxekbhM1yEC&pg=PT240|year=2013|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-135-96397-2|page=240}}, Quote: "Brahma, a creator god, received the basics of his mythological history from Purusha. During the Brahmanic period, the Hindu Trimurti was represented by Brahma with his attribute of creation, Shiva with his attribute of destruction and Vishnu with his attribute of preservation."</ref><ref name=bruce86>{{cite book|first=Bruce|last=Sullivan|year=1999|title=Seer of the Fifth Veda: Kr̥ṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa in the Mahābhārata|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=978-8120816763|pages=85–86}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=Barbara|last=Holdrege|year=2012|title=Veda and Torah: Transcending the Textuality of Scripture|publisher=State University of New York Press|isbn=978-1438406954|pages=88–89}}</ref> Brahma is prominently mentioned in ]. In some '']'', he created himself in a golden embryo known as the ]. | |||
==Etymology== | |||
In ] grammar, the noun stem ''brahman'' forms two distinct nouns; one is a neuter noun '']'', whose ] singular form is ''{{IAST|brahma}}'' {{lang|sa|ब्रह्म}}; this noun has a generalized and abstract meaning.<ref>{{cite book|title=India through the ages|last=Gopal|first=Madan|year= 1990| page= 79|editor=K.S. Gautam|publisher=Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India}}</ref> | |||
Brahma is the ] ].<ref name="david183">{{cite book |last=Leeming |first=David |title=Creation Myths of the World |year=2009 |isbn=978-1598841749 |edition=2nd |page=146 |author-link=David Adams Leeming}};<br />David Leeming (2005), The Oxford Companion to World Mythology, Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|978-0195156690}}, page 54, '''Quote:''' "Especially in the Vedanta Hindu Philosophy, Brahman is the Absolute. In the Upanishads, Brahman becomes the eternal first cause, present everywhere and nowhere, always and never. Brahman can be incarnated in Brahma, in Vishnu, in Shiva. To put it another way, everything that is, owes its existence to Brahman. In this sense, Hinduism is ultimately monotheistic or monistic, all gods being aspects of Brahman"; Also see pages 183-184, Quote: "Prajapati, himself the source of creator god Brahma – in a sense, a personification of Brahman (...) ], the connection between the transcendental absolute Brahman and the inner absolute ]."</ref> During the post-Vedic period, Brahma was a prominent deity and his sect existed; however, by the 7th century CE, he had lost his significance. He was also overshadowed by other major deities like ], ], ]<ref name = "Dalal1" /> and demoted to the role of a secondary creator, who was created by the major deities.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Achuthananda|first=Swami|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F9FqDwAAQBAJ&q=in+which+sect+Brahma+is+considered+supreme|title=The Ascent of Vishnu and the Fall of Brahma|date=27 August 2018|publisher=Relianz Communications Pty Ltd|isbn=978-0-9757883-3-2|language=en}}</ref><ref name="Stella Kramrisch 1994 pages 205-206">{{cite book|first=Stella|last=Kramrisch|author-link=Stella Kramrisch|year=1994|title=The Presence of Siva|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-0691019307|pages=205–206}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Pattanaik|first=Devdutt|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rjL3ogbdJNkC&q=devi+created+brahma+vishnu&pg=PA123|title=The Goddess in India:The Five Faces of the Eternal Feminine|date=September 2000|publisher=Inner Traditions / Bear & Co|isbn=978-0-89281-807-5|language=en}}</ref> | |||
Contrasted to the neuter noun is the masculine noun ''brahmán'', whose nominative singular form is ''{{IAST|brahmā}}'' {{lang|sa|ब्रह्मा}}. This noun is used to refer to a person, and as the proper name of a deity ''{{IAST|Brahmā}}'' it is the subject matter of the present article. | |||
Brahma is commonly depicted as a red ]ed man with four heads and hands. His four heads represent the four ] and are pointed to the four cardinal directions.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=Carrasco |first1=David |title=Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions |last2=Warmind |first2=Morten |last3=Hawley |first3=John Stratton |last4=Reynolds |first4=Frank |last5=Giarardot |first5=Norman |last6=Neusner |first6=Jacob |last7=Pelikan |first7=Jaroslav |last8=Campo |first8=Juan |last9=Penner |first9=Hans |collaboration=Authors |publisher=] |others=Edited by ] |year=1999 |isbn=9780877790440 |location=United States |pages=140 |language=en |author-link=David Carrasco |author-link4=Frank Reynolds (academic) |author-link6=Jacob Neusner |author-link7=Jaroslav Pelikan}}</ref> He is seated on a lotus and his '']'' (mount) is a '']'' (swan). According to the scriptures, Brahma and Sarasvati created their children from their minds and thus, they are referred to as '']''.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=87k0AwAAQBAJ&pg=PT936|title=The Religions of India: A Concise Guide to Nine Major Faiths|last=Dalal|first=Roshen|author-link=Roshen Dalal|date=18 April 2014|publisher=Penguin UK|isbn=9788184753967|language=en}}</ref><ref name="turner258">Charles Coulter and Patricia Turner (2000), Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities, Routledge, {{ISBN|978-0786403172}}, page 258, Quote: "When Brahma is acknowledged as the supreme god, it was said that Kama sprang from his heart."</ref> | |||
==Origin== | |||
According to Shri Madha Bhagawata Mahapurana, Brahmā was born through Vishnu's navel, Vishnu is the main source of whatsoever exists in the world; what is created is part of his own body. | |||
In contemporary Hinduism, Brahma does not enjoy popular worship and has substantially less importance than the other two members of the Trimurti. Brahma is revered in the ancient texts, yet rarely worshipped as a primary deity in India, owing to the absence of any significant sect dedicated to his reverence.<ref name=morris123>{{cite book|author-link1=Brian Morris (anthropologist)|first=Brian|last=Morris|year=2005|title=Religion and Anthropology: A Critical Introduction|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0521852418|page=123}}</ref> Few temples dedicated to him exist in India, the most famous being the ] in Rajasthan.<ref name=chakravarti15>{{cite book|first=SS|last=Charkravarti|year=2001|title=Hinduism, a Way of Life|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=978-8120808997|page=15}}</ref> Some Brahma temples are found outside India, such as at the ] in ], which in turn has found immense popularity within the ] community.<ref name=ellenlondon74>{{cite book|first=Ellen|last=London|year=2008|title=Thailand Condensed: 2,000 Years of History & Culture|publisher=Marshall Cavendish|isbn=978-9812615206|page=74}}</ref> | |||
According to the ]s, Brahmā is self-born in the ] flower. Another legend says that Brahmā was born in water, or from a seed that later became the golden egg, ]. From this golden egg, Brahmā, the creator was born. The remaining materials of this golden egg expanded into the Brahmānḍa or Universe. Being born from a lotus, Brahmā is also called as ''Kanjaja'' (born from a lotus). There is a story for Sharsa brahma hence the concept of multiple universe as every Brahmā creates his Bhramand (universe) for one Brahmā year. | |||
==Origin and meaning== | |||
], on the serpent ], as Brahmā emerges from a lotus risen from ]'s navel]] | |||
The origins of the term {{IAST|brahmā}} are uncertain, partly because several related words are found in the Vedic literature, such as '']'' for the 'Ultimate Reality' and ] for 'priest'. A distinction between the spiritual concept of ''brahman'' and the god Brahmā is that the former is a genderless abstract metaphysical concept in Hinduism,<ref>James Lochtefeld, Brahman, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. 1: A–M, Rosen Publishing. {{ISBN|978-0823931798}}, page 122</ref> while the latter is one of the many masculine gods in Hindu tradition.<ref>James Lochtefeld, Brahma, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. 1: A–M, Rosen Publishing. {{ISBN|978-0823931798}}, page 119</ref> The spiritual concept of ''brahman'' is quite old and some scholars suggest that the god Brahma may have emerged as a god and visible icon of the impersonal universal principle ''of brahman''.<ref name="brucesullivan">Bruce Sullivan (1999), Seer of the Fifth Veda, Motilal Banarsidass, {{ISBN|978-8120816763}}, pages 82-83</ref> The existence of a distinct god named ''Brahma'' is evidenced in late Vedic texts.<ref name="brucesullivan" /> | |||
Grammatically, the nominal stem ''Brahma-'' has two distinct forms: the ] noun ''bráhman'', whose ] is ''{{IAST|brahma}}'' ({{lang|sa|ब्रह्म}}); and the ] noun ''brahmán'', whose nominative singular form is ''{{IAST|brahmā}}'' ({{lang|sa|ब्रह्मा}}). The former, the neuter form, has a generalized and abstract meaning<ref>{{cite book|last=Gopal|first=Madan|url=https://archive.org/details/indiathroughages00mada|title=India through the ages|publisher=Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India|year=1990|editor=K.S. Gautam|page=}}</ref> while the latter, the masculine form, is used as the proper name of the deity Brahma. | |||
==Creations== | |||
{{multiple image | |||
| image1 = Brahma Musée Guimet 1197 1.jpg | |||
| width1 = 200 | |||
| alt1 = | |||
| caption1 = Head of ''Brahma'' in ] from the Phnom Bok in Bakheng style now in Guimet Museum in ]. | |||
}} | |||
However, Brahman was sometimes used as a synonym for Brahma's name during the time the ] was written.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Armstrong |first=Karen |title=A History of God: The 4000-year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam |publisher=] |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-679-42600-4 |location=New York |pages=85–86 |author-link=Karen Armstrong}}</ref> | |||
At the beginning of the process of creation, Brahmā creates the four Kumāras or the ]. However, they refused his order to procreate and instead devote themselves, to Vishnu and celibacy. | |||
==Literature and legends == | |||
He then proceeds to create from his mind ten sons or ]s (used in another{{Which|date=May 2013}} sense), who are believed to be the fathers of the human race. But since all these sons were born out of his mind rather than body, they are called ''Mānas Putras'' or mind-sons or spirits. The Manusmṛti and ] enumerate them as:{{citation needed|date=May 2013}} | |||
===Vedic literature=== | |||
], early 1st century CE. ].<ref>"The Bimaran Reliquary, a Gandharan work, which is now housed in the British Museum, London, is of great historical and iconographic significance. It shows Buddha in the centre, attended by Brahma to his right and Indra to the left." in {{cite book |last1=Banerjee |first1=Priyatosh |title=Central Asian art: new revelations from Xinjiang |date=2001 |publisher=Abha Prakashan |page=48 |isbn=9788185704241 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iazpAAAAMAAJ |language=en}}</ref><ref>"Standing Buddha in the arched compartment, flanked by figures of Brahma and Indra standing in similar compartments, detail of the side of Bimaran gold casket" in {{cite book |last1=Agrawala |first1=Prithvi Kumar |title=Early Indian Bronzes |date=1977 |publisher=Prithvi Prakashan |page=152 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kZUrAAAAMAAJ |language=en}}</ref>]] | |||
One of the earliest mentions of Brahma with Vishnu and Shiva is in the fifth ''Prapathaka'' (lesson) of the '']'', probably composed around the late 1st millennium BCE. Brahma is first discussed in verse 5,1, also called the ''Kutsayana Hymn'', and then expounded in verse 5,2.<ref name="hume51">{{citation|first=Robert Ernest|last=Hume|author-link=Robert Ernest Hume|title=The Thirteen Principal Upanishads |url=https://archive.org/stream/thirteenprincipa028442mbp#page/n443/mode/2up|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1921|pages=422–424}}</ref> | |||
In the pantheistic ''Kutsayana Hymn'',<ref name="hume51" /> the Upanishad asserts that one's Soul is Brahman, and this Ultimate Reality, Cosmic Universal or God is within each living being. It equates the ] (Soul, Self) within to be Brahma and various alternate manifestations of Brahman, as follows, "Thou art Brahma, thou art Vishnu, thou art Shiva, thou art ], ], ], ], thou art All."<ref name="hume51" /> | |||
Brahmā had ten sons and one daughter (Named Shatrupa- one who can take hundred forms) born from various parts of his body:{{citation needed|date=May 2013}} | |||
In verse (5,2), Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva are mapped into the theory of ], that is qualities, psyche and innate tendencies the text describes can be found in all living beings.<ref name="maxmuller51">], The Upanishads, Part 2, , Oxford University Press, pages 303-304</ref><ref>Jan Gonda (1968), The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Vol. 63, pages 215-219</ref> This chapter of the '']'' asserts that the universe emerged from darkness ('']''), first as passion characterized by innate quality ('']''), which then refined and differentiated into purity and goodness ('']'').<ref name="hume51" /><ref name="maxmuller51" /> Of these three qualities, ''rajas'' are then mapped to ''Brahma'', as follows:<ref>], Sixty Upanishads of the Veda, Volume 1, Motilal Banarsidass, {{ISBN|978-8120814684}}, pages 344-346</ref> | |||
# ] | |||
# ] | |||
# ] | |||
# ] | |||
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{{Blockquote|<poem> | |||
Within Vedic and Purāṇic scripture Brahmā is described as only occasionally interfering in the affairs of the other devas (gods), and even more rarely in mortal affairs. He did force ] to give ] back to her husband, ]. Among the offspring from his body are ] and Adharma, Krodha, Lobha, and others. | |||
Now then, that part of him which belongs to ''tamas'', that, O students of sacred knowledge (]), is this Shiva. | |||
That part of him which belongs to ''rajas'', that O students of sacred knowledge, is this '''Brahma'''. | |||
That part of him which belongs to ''sattva'', that O students of sacred knowledge, is this Vishnu. | |||
Verily, that One became threefold, became eightfold, elevenfold, twelvefold, into infinite fold. | |||
This Being (neuter) entered all beings, he became the overlord of all beings. | |||
That is the ] (Soul, Self) within and without – yea, within and without! | |||
</poem>|], 5.2|<ref name=hume51/><ref name=maxmuller51/>|source=]}} | |||
While the ''Maitrayaniya Upanishad'' maps Brahma with one of the elements of ''the guṇas'' theory of Hinduism, the text does not depict him as one of the trifunctional elements of the Hindu ''Trimurti'' idea found in later Puranic literature.<ref>GM Bailey (1979), {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220709145622/https://www.jstor.org/stable/3269716 |date=9 July 2022 }}, Numen, Vol. 26, Fasc. 2, pages 152-163</ref> | |||
==Attributes== | |||
===Post-Vedic, Epics and Puranas=== | |||
===Appearance=== | |||
{{multiple image | |||
] | |||
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| image1 = 12th century Chennakesava temple at Somanathapura, Karnataka, India Lord Brahma.jpg | |||
| width1 = 100 | |||
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| image2 = A sculpture of Brahma Hindu deity at Museum CSMVS Mumbai.jpg | |||
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| footer = Left: Brahma at the 12th century CE ]; Right: Brahma at a 6th century CE ] temple. | |||
}} | |||
During the post-Vedic period, Brahma was a prominent god and his sect existed during the 2nd century CE to 6th century CE. Early texts like the ] describe that there was nothing but an eternal ocean. From this, a golden egg called ], emerged. The egg broke open and Brahma, who had created himself within it, came into existence (gaining the name ]). Then, he created the universe, the earth, and other things. He also created people to populate and live on his creation.<ref name = "ACK" >{{Cite book|last=Srinivasan|first=Shalini|title=Stories of Creation|date=April 1971|publisher=Amar Chitra Katha private limited|isbn=8184826478}}</ref><ref name = "Fall" >{{Cite book|last=Achuthananda|first=Swami|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F9FqDwAAQBAJ&q=Brahma|title=The Ascent of Vishnu and the Fall of Brahma|date=27 August 2018|publisher=Relianz Communications Pty Ltd|isbn=978-0-9757883-3-2|language=en}}</ref><ref name = "Dalal1" >{{Cite book|last=Dalal|first=Roshen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DH0vmD8ghdMC&q=Brahma|title=Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide|date=2010|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=978-0-14-341421-6|language=en|pages=78–79}}</ref> | |||
However, by the 7th century CE, Brahma lost his importance. Historians believe that some of the major reasons for Brahma's downfall were the rise of ] and ], their replacement of him with ] in the ], and the frequent attacks by ], ], ] who worship ] and all the other ].<ref name="Dalal1" /><ref name="Fall" />], Java ]|left]]Various Puranic legends mention various reasons for his decline in worship now. There are primarily two prominent versions of why Brahma lost his ground in worship popularly. The first version refers to the '']'', where Brahma and Vishnu argued about who was the greatest among them. While they debated, they saw a huge column of fire piercing through the sky which was Shiva as ]. They decided to locate the beginning and end of this column of fire which is Shiva. Vishnu assumed the form of a boar as ] and journeyed towards the earth and Brahma assumed the form of a swan as ] and journeyed towards the sky. Vishnu found about his defeat, revealing that he had been unable to locate the end, which was at the end of the universe and he got tired before he reached that so he was defeated in it there. However, Brahma had recruited the '']'' flower which fell from Shiva's head by his powers to end the debate here now, which was at the beginning of the universe with his beginning at there now and he got tired before he reached that so he was defeated in it there and this came to him and he took him as a false witness to support his lie that he had located the beginning. Shiva then took his true form and cut off one of Brahma's five heads for his dishonesty, proclaiming that he would no longer receive an active following to his worship and would get a low status of popularity. Pleased with Vishnu's honesty, he offered him a high status of popularity and an active following dedicated to his worship and took the ketaki flower as an ornament on his head then and fused that head into him then. The second version refers to the '']'', where Vishnu created Brahma and Shiva from his navel and forehead respectively, thus making Brahma along with Shiva both as inferior to Vishnu, who created them both as the supreme god above them in all aspects of power in this universe and after that, when the creation of the universe was completed, Brahma lost all of his importance after his role as creator of the universe ended and was removed from worship by everyone in the world, while Shiva was always worshipped as the destroyer of the universe after his role of the destruction of the universe was always happening and Vishnu was always worshipped as he was the preserver of the universe and his preserving role in the universe was always happening and he was the supreme god of this universe.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Eck |first=Diana L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2LgO6TJhFDwC&pg=PT146 |title=Banaras: CITY OF LIGHT |date=2013-06-05 |publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group |isbn=978-0-307-83295-5 |pages=146 |language=en |access-date=29 October 2023 |archive-date=2 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102104632/https://books.google.com/books?id=2LgO6TJhFDwC&pg=PT146 |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
He is clad in red clothes. Brahmā is traditionally depicted with four heads, four faces, and four arms. With each head, He continually recites one of the four ]. He is often depicted with a white beard (especially in North India), indicating the nearly eternal nature of his existence. Unlike most other ] gods, Brahmā holds no weapons. One of his hands holds a scepter. Another of his hands holds a book. Brahmā also holds a string of prayer beads called the 'akṣamālā' (literally "garland of eyes"), which He uses to keep track of the Universe's time. He is also shown holding the Vedas. | |||
The post-Vedic texts of Hinduism offer multiple theories of ], many involving Brahma. These include ''Sarga'' (primary creation of the universe) and ''Visarga'' (secondary creation), ideas related to the Indian thought that there are two levels of reality, one primary that is unchanging (]) and other secondary that is always changing (]), and that all observed reality of the latter is in an endlessly repeating cycle of existence, that cosmos and life we experience is continually created, evolved, dissolved and then re-created.<ref name=tpinchman125>Tracy Pintchman (1994), The Rise of the Goddess in the Hindu Tradition, State University of New York Press, {{ISBN|978-0791421123}}, pages 122-138</ref> The primary creator is extensively discussed in Vedic cosmogonies with '']'' or '']'' or '']'' among the terms used for the primary creator,<ref name=tpinchman125/><ref>Jan Gonda (1969), {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200425200435/https://www.jstor.org/stable/40457085 |date=25 April 2020 }}, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pages 213-214</ref> In contrast the Vedic and post-Vedic texts name different gods and goddesses as secondary creators (often Brahma in post-Vedic texts), and in some cases a different god or goddess is the secondary creator at the start of each cosmic cycle (''kalpa'', that is an aeon).<ref name="Stella Kramrisch 1994 pages 205-206"/><ref name=tpinchman125/> | |||
There are many other stories in the ] about the gradual decrease in Brahmā's importance. Followers of ] believe that ] cannot afford to lose the ] of Brahmā and ], without whom the ] would lack ], ] to ] mankind's woes. | |||
There is a story of a fifth head. This head came when Shatrupa started flying away from him upwards and the head came on top of the four heads - symbolizing lust and ego, the head was decapitated by Shiva returning Brahmā to his four head avatar which gave birth to the Vedas. The fifth head stayed with Shiva hence Shiva got the name Kampala. | |||
Brahma is a "secondary creator" as described in the '']'' and ], and among the most studied and described.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last1=Bryant|editor-first1=Edwin F.|title=Krishna : a sourcebook|date=2007|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-19-514891-6|page=7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Sutton|first1=Nicholas|title=Religious doctrines in the Mahābhārata|date=2000|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers|location=Delhi|isbn=81-208-1700-1|page=182|edition=1st}}</ref><ref>Asian Mythologies by Yves Bonnefoy & Wendy Doniger. Page 46</ref> Vishnu-focused Puranas describe that Brahma was born from a lotus emerging from the navel of the god ] and ] was born from a fire emerging from the forehead of the god ].<ref>{{cite book|author=S. M. Srinivasa Chari |title=Vaiṣṇavism: Its Philosophy, Theology, and Religious Discipline|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=evmiLInyxBMC |year=1994|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-1098-3 |page=147 }}</ref><ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011101951/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Brahma-Hindu-god |date=11 October 2016 }} Encyclopædia Britannica.</ref> In contrast, the ]-focused Puranas describe Brahma and ] to be born from Shiva's right and left sides of his waist; and in other ], ] and ] were born from Brahma's right and left sides of his waist or Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma creating each other cyclically in different aeons (]).<ref name="Stella Kramrisch 1994 pages 205-206"/><ref>{{cite book|author=Wendy Doniger O'Flaherty |title=Siva: The Erotic Ascetic |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dnfZ_MBErlQC |year=1981|publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-972793-3 |page=125 }}</ref> Yet others describe that the ] created Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva,<ref name=kinsley137>{{cite book|author=David Kinsley |title=Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition|url=https://archive.org/details/hindugoddessesvi0000kins |url-access=registration |year=1988|publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-90883-3 |pages= }}</ref> and these texts then state that Brahma is a secondary creator of the world working respectively on their behalf.<ref name=kinsley137/><ref>{{cite book|author=Stella Kramrisch|title=The Presence of Siva|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O5BanndcIgUC&pg=PA205|year=1992|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=0-691-01930-4 |pages=205–206 }}</ref> Brahma creates all the forms in the universe, but not the primordial universe itself.<ref name=bryant18>{{cite book|editor-last1=Bryant|editor-first1=Edwin F.|title=Krishna : a sourcebook|date=2007|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-19-514891-6|page=18}}</ref> Thus in most Puranic texts, Brahma's creative activity depends on the presence and power of a higher god or higher goddess.<ref name="Continuum">{{cite book|last1=Frazier|first1=Jessica|title=The Continuum companion to Hindu studies | date=2011|publisher=Continuum|location=London|isbn=978-0-8264-9966-0|page=72}}</ref> Further, the medieval era texts of these major theistic traditions of Hinduism assert that the ''saguna'' (representation with face and attributes)<ref>{{cite book|author=Arvind Sharma|title=Classical Hindu Thought: An Introduction|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gDmUToaeMJ0C |year=2000|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-564441-8|page=4}}</ref> Brahma is Vishnu,<ref>{{cite book |author1=Mark Juergensmeyer |author2=Wade Clark Roof |title=Encyclopedia of Global Religion |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WwJzAwAAQBAJ |year=2011 |publisher=SAGE Publications |isbn=978-1-4522-6656-5 |page=1335 |access-date=14 October 2016 |archive-date=11 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111060832/https://books.google.com/books?id=WwJzAwAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> Shiva,<ref>{{cite book |author=Stella Kramrisch |title=The Presence of Siva |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O5BanndcIgUC |year=1992 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=0-691-01930-4 |page=171 |access-date=14 October 2016 |archive-date=19 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231019092524/https://books.google.com/books?id=O5BanndcIgUC |url-status=live }}</ref> or Tridevi,<ref>{{cite book|author=David Kinsley |title=Hindu Goddesses: Visions of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Tradition |url=https://archive.org/details/hindugoddessesvi0000kins |url-access=registration |year=1988|publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-90883-3 |pages= }}</ref> respectively. | |||
===Symbols=== | |||
'''The Four Faces''' – The four ] (Rig, Sāma, Yajur and Atharva). | |||
In the post-Vedic Puranic literature,<ref name=pandeyp40>{{cite book|author=R. M. Matthijs Cornelissen|title=Foundations of Indian Psychology Volume 2: Practical Applications|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BkkgeKXyiOIC |year=2011|publisher=Pearson |isbn=978-81-317-3085-0 |page=40 }}</ref> Brahma creates but neither preserves nor destroys anything. He is envisioned in some Hindu texts to have emerged from the metaphysical ] along with Vishnu (preserver), Shiva (destroyer), all other deities, matter and other beings. In theistic schools of Hinduism where the deity Brahma is described as part of its cosmology, he is a mortal god like all deities and dissolves into the abstract immortal Brahman when the universe ends, and then a new cosmic cycle (kalpa) restarts and all of them are recreated.<ref name=pandeyp40/><ref name="Fowler2002p330">{{cite book|author=Jeaneane D. Fowler|title=Perspectives of Reality: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Hinduism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8dRZ4E-qgz8C|year=2002|publisher=Sussex Academic Press|isbn=978-1-898723-93-6|page=330}}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> | |||
'''The Four Hands''' – Brahmā's four arms represent the four cardinal directions: east, south, west, and north. | |||
The back right hand represents mind, the back left hand represents intellect, the front right hand is ego, and the front left hand is self-confidence. | |||
] and ], ], 10th century CE, ]]] | |||
'''The ]''' – Symbolize the substances used in the process of creation. | |||
In the '']'', Brahma is portrayed several times as the one who rises from the "]".<ref name=richard>Richard Anderson (1967), {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001035235/https://www.jstor.org/stable/1769398 |date=1 October 2018 }}, Comparative Literature, Vol. 19, No. 1, pages 28-35</ref> Brahma, states this Purana, emerges at the moment when time and universe are born, inside a lotus rooted in the navel of Vishnu, along with Shiva, who emerged inside a fire rooted in the forehead of the god Vishnu. This Purana states that both Brahma and Shiva are drowsy, err, are temporarily incompetent as they put together the universe.<ref name=richard/> They then become aware of their confusion and drowsiness, meditates as two ascetics, then realizes Vishnu in their bodies, see the beginning and end of the universe, and then their creative powers are revived. Brahma and Shiva, states the Bhagavata Purana, thereafter combine '']'' (nature, matter) and '']'' (spirit, soul) to create a dazzling variety of living creatures, and a tempest of causal nexus.<ref name=richard/> The Bhagavata Purana thus attributes the creation of ] to Brahma and Shiva,{{Citation needed|date=June 2020}} wherein they creates for the sake of creation, imbuing everything with both the good and the evil, the material and the spiritual, a beginning and an end.<ref>Richard Anderson (1967), {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001035235/https://www.jstor.org/stable/1769398 |date=1 October 2018 }}, Comparative Literature, Vol. 19, No. 1, page 31-33</ref> | |||
The Puranas describe Brahma as the god creating time.{{Citation needed|date=June 2020}} They correlate human time to Brahma's time, such as a ] being a large cosmic period, correlating to one day and one night in Brahma's existence.<ref name="Continuum"/>{{Citation needed|date=June 2020}} | |||
'''The Book''' – The book symbolizes knowledge. | |||
The stories about Brahma in various Puranas are diverse and inconsistent. In ], for example, the Tridevi are called the "mothers of the universe", and they are credited with creating Brahma, all the complete other gods including Vishnu, Shiva, the three worlds, the entire universe. They are the ones, states Skanda Purana, who combined the three ''Gunas'' - Sattva, Rajas, Tamas - into matter (''Prakrti'') to create the empirically observed world.<ref>Nicholas Gier (1998), The Yogi and the Goddess, International Journal of Hindu Studies, Vol. 1, No. 2, pages 279-280</ref> | |||
'''The Gold''' – Gold symbolizes activity; the golden face of Brahmā indicates that He is actively involved in the process of creating the Universe. | |||
The Vedic discussion of Brahma as a '']''-quality god expands in the Puranic and ] literature. However, these texts state that his wife ] has '']'' (quality of balance, harmony, goodness, purity, holistic, constructive, creative, positive, peaceful, virtuous), thus complementing Brahma's ''Rajas'' (quality of passion, activity, neither good nor bad and sometimes either, action qua action, individualizing, driven, dynamic) with her ''Sattva qualities''.<ref>H Woodward (1989), The Lakṣmaṇa Temple, Khajuraho and Its Meanings, Ars Orientalis, Vol. 19, pages 30-34</ref><ref>Alban Widgery (1930), The principles of Hindu Ethics, International Journal of Ethics, Vol. 40, No. 2, pages 234-237</ref><ref>] (2004), Yoga in modern India, Princeton University Press, page 55</ref> | |||
'''The Swan''' – The swan is the symbol of grace and discernment. Brahmā uses the swan as his vāhana, or his carrier or vehicle. | |||
====Sangam literature==== | |||
'''The Crown''' – Brahmā's crown indicates His supreme authority. | |||
The ] mentions all ] and ] in ]. Tamilians considered the ] as books of Hinduism and used it to perform ]s.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/purananuru-part-362 | title=Poem: Purananuru - Part 362 by George L. III Hart | access-date=9 October 2023 | archive-date=26 September 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230926135934/https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/purananuru-part-362 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/purananuru-part-15 | title=Poem: Purananuru - Part 15 by George L. III Hart | access-date=9 October 2023 | archive-date=30 September 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930223547/https://www.poetrynook.com/poem/purananuru-part-15 | url-status=live }}</ref> Several Tamil Hindu kings and queens have performed Vedic sacrifices and worshipped various gods and goddesses of ]. Several Sangam texts mention that Brahma as a creator god born from the navel of ] along with ] as a destroyer god born from his forehead while he was the preserver god. As he is a direct biological ancestor of all royal families, the ] said that Brahma and Shiva as their direct biological ancestors and Vishnu as their creator and the creator of this entire ].<ref name="archive.org">{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/pattupattutentamilidyllschelliahj.v._108_Q/page/129/mode/2up | title=Pattupattu Ten Tamil Idylls Chelliah J. V. }}</ref> ] also has several mentions of Brahma as the creator god.<ref>{{cite book |translator=R Parthasarathy |title=The Cilappatikāram: The Tale of an Anklet (Iḷaṅkōvaṭikaḷ) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HWPg7EvPirgC |year=2004 |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=978-0-14-303196-3 |ref={{harvid|R Parthasarathy (Translator)|2004}} |pages=6–8 |access-date=9 October 2023 |archive-date=31 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331131007/https://books.google.com/books?id=HWPg7EvPirgC |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
'''The Lotus''' – The lotus symbolizes nature and the living essence of all things and beings in the Universe. | |||
==Iconography== | |||
'''The Beard''' – Brahmā's black or white beard denotes wisdom and the eternal process of creation. | |||
{{multiple image | |||
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| footer = Left: 19th century CE painting of four-headed Brahma as an aged man, holding lotus, manuscript (Vedas) and a ]; Right: 6th century CE statue of Brahma as a middle-aged man in ] holding a stylus, ladle, mala. | |||
}} | |||
Brahma is traditionally depicted with four faces and four arms.<ref name="kenmorgan">Kenneth Morgan (1996), The Religion of the Hindus, Motilal Banarsidass, {{ISBN|978-8120803879}}, page 74</ref> Each face of his points to a cardinal direction. His hands hold no weapons, rather symbols of knowledge and creation. In one hand, he holds the sacred texts of ], in the other hand, he holds a ''],'' symbolizing the time to create the universe, in the another hand, he holds a ''shruka,'' — a ] symbolizing the means to feed sacrificial fire, and in the even another hand, a '']'' – a utensil with water symbolizing the means from where all creation emits.<ref name="dalal2010p67">{{cite book|author=Roshen Dalal|title=The Religions of India: A Concise Guide to Nine Major Faiths|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pNmfdAKFpkQC&pg=PA67|year=2010|publisher=Penguin Books|isbn=978-0-14-341517-6|pages=66–67|access-date=10 October 2017|archive-date=31 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331130953/https://books.google.com/books?id=pNmfdAKFpkQC&pg=PA67#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author= Thomas E. Donaldson|title= Iconography of the Buddhist Sculpture of Orissa|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=DbxE8zOuRbUC&pg=PA99|year= 2001|publisher= Abhinav|isbn= 978-81-7017-406-6|page= 99|access-date= 10 October 2017|archive-date= 31 March 2024|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240331131027/https://books.google.com/books?id=DbxE8zOuRbUC&pg=PA99#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status= live}}</ref> His four mouths are credited with creating the four Vedas.<ref name="bruce86" /> He is often depicted with a white beard, implying his sage-like experience. He sits on lotus, dressed in white (or red and pink), with his vehicle (]) – ], a swan – nearby.<ref name="kenmorgan" /><ref>Philip Wilkinson and Neil Philip (2009), Mythology, Penguin, {{ISBN|978-0756642211}}, page 156</ref> | |||
===Vehicle=== | |||
],India]] | |||
] | |||
Chapter 51 of the '']'', an ancient design manual in Sanskrit for making ] and temples, states that a Brahma statue should be gold in color.<ref name="pkacharya50">PK Acharya, A summary of the Mānsāra, a treatise on architecture and cognate subjects, PhD Thesis awarded by Rijksuniversiteit te Leiden, published by BRILL, {{oclc|898773783}}, page 50</ref> The text recommends that the statue have four faces and four arms, have ''jata-mukuta-mandita'' (matted hair of an ascetic), and wear a ] (crown).<ref name="pkacharya50" /> Two of his hands should be in refuge granting and gift giving ], while he should be shown with ''kundika'' (water pot), ''akshamala'' (rosary), a small ''shruka'' and a large ''shruka'' (two ladles used in yajna ceremonies).<ref name="pkacharya50" /> The text details the different proportions of the ''murti'', describes the ornaments, and suggests that the idol wear ''chira'' (bark strip) as a lower garment, and either be alone or be accompanied with goddess ]. Brahma is associated largely with the Vedic culture of ] and knowledge. In some Vedic ], Brahma is summoned in the ritual to reside and supervise the ritual in the form of ]. | |||
Brahmā's vehicle or ''vāhana'' is the ], a swan or a goose. | |||
Brahma's wife is the goddess Sarasvati.<ref name="elizabeth204">Elizabeth Dowling and W George Scarlett (2005), Encyclopedia of Religious and Spiritual Development, SAGE Publications, {{ISBN|978-0761928836}} page 204</ref><ref>David Kinsley (1988), Hindu Goddesses: Vision of the Divine Feminine in the Hindu Religious Traditions, University of California Press, {{ISBN|0-520063392}}, pages 55-64</ref> She is the embodiment of his power, the instrument of creation and the energy that drives his actions. | |||
Brahma fails to measure the height of Shiva Linga- | |||
It is believed that once Lord Shiva stood in the form of a great Linga with deep roots into the womb of the mother earth and with the top far above the skies. Brahma and Vishnu threw each other a challenge that whoever finds the top or bottom of the Linga, will be considered as supreme. | |||
Accordingly Brahma took the form of a swan and flew into the sky. Vishnu took the form of a boar and began digging deep into the earth. They spent a lot of time but could not reach the top or bottom of the Linga. However to show that he was superior, Brahma told a lie that he had touched the top of the Linga. A flower called Ketaki stood as a witness to the statement of Lord Brahma. Listening to these words Shiva became very angry and cursed Brahma that he would never be worshiped by any human being. He cursed the false witness, the Ketaki flower also, saying that the flower will not be used in the worship of any God or Goddess or in any holy activity.That is why they say that there are not more than 14 or 15 temples of Brahma, where as there are lakhs of temples for Shiva or Vishnu | |||
==Epochs of Brahma== | |||
Brahma, despite being believed to be the creator, is considered mortal according to scriptures. The Age of Brahma, according to ], spans vast epochs of time. A ] is a day of Brahmā, and one day of Brahmā consists of a thousand cycles of four ]s, or ages: Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga and Kali Yuga. These four yugas, rotating a thousand times, comprise one day of Brahmā, and the same number comprise one night. Brahmā lives one hundred of such "years" and then dies. These "hundred years" total 311 trillion 40 billion (311,040,000,000,000) earth years. Brahma's lifespan is 311.04 trillion solar years, and humanity is in the 28th Kali Yuga of the 51st year of the current Brahma's life.<ref>{{cite book|last=Johnson|first=W.J.|title=A Dictionary of Hinduism|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2009|isbn=978-0-19-861025-0|page=165}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author-last=Gupta |author-first=S. V. |year=2010 |chapter=Ch. 1.2.4 Time Measurements |editor-last1=Hull |editor-first1=Robert |editor-last2=Osgood |editor-first2=Richard M. Jr. |editor-link2=Richard M. Osgood Jr. |editor-last3=Parisi |editor-first3=Jurgen |editor-last4=Warlimont |editor-first4=Hans |title=Units of Measurement: Past, Present and Future. International System of Units |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pHiKycrLmEQC&pg=PA7 |series=Springer Series in Materials Science: 122 |publisher=] |pages=6–8 |isbn=9783642007378 |quote=Paraphrased: Deva day equals solar year. Deva lifespan (36,000 solar years) equals 100 360-day years, each 12 months. Mahayuga equals 12,000 Deva (divine) years (4,320,000 solar years), and is divided into 10 charnas consisting of four Yugas: Satya Yuga (4 charnas of 1,728,000 solar years), Treta Yuga (3 charnas of 1,296,000 solar years), Dvapara Yuga (2 charnas of 864,000 solar years), and Kali Yuga (1 charna of 432,000 solar years). Manvantara equals 71 Mahayugas (306,720,000 solar years). Kalpa (day of Brahma) equals an Adi Sandhya, 14 Manvantaras, and 14 Sandhya Kalas, where 1st Manvantara preceded by Adi Sandhya and each Manvantara followed by Sandhya Kala, each Sandhya lasting same duration as Satya yuga (1,728,000 solar years), during which the entire earth is submerged in water. Day of Brahma equals 1,000 Mahayugas, the same length for a night of Brahma (Bhagavad-gita 8.17). Brahma lifespan (311.04 trillion solar years) equals 100 360-day years, each 12 months. Parardha is 50 Brahma years and we are in the 2nd half of his life. After 100 years of Brahma, the universe starts with a new Brahma. We are currently in the 28th Kali yuga of the first day of the 51st year of the second Parardha in the reign of the 7th (Vaivasvata) Manu. This is the 51st year of the present Brahma and so about 155 trillion years have elapsed. The current Kali Yuga (Iron Age) began at midnight on 17/18 February 3102 BC in the proleptic Julian calendar. |access-date=14 February 2024 |archive-date=31 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331131004/https://books.google.com/books?id=pHiKycrLmEQC&pg=PA7 |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
==Worship== | |||
Lord Brahma is reverentially addressed as Pitamaha (father of fathers) by Devas, Demons, and Humans. Since Brahma is also a Prajapati all these people used to visit him . According to the Upanishads the Lord used to teach the Vedas and the importance of virtue to these people. They all used to spend considerable time with Him to acquire knowledge of the Atman. He also taught three important virtues to his three types of students. Once He uttered a single syllable ‘da’ and asked them to grasp its meaning. The Gods interpreted the sound as the word as 'Datta' meaning to give away all pleasure seeking activities. The Humans interpreted the syllable as 'dayadhwam' which means ‘ to show mercy’ by leaving out their greedy and selfish activities. The Demons interpreted the sound as 'Damyata' meaning control or suppression of cruel attitudes and passions. This episode has been beautifully described by the poet T.S.Eliot in his Book 'The Waste Land', Part- V, named- ‘ What the Thunder Said’ | |||
Reference: WWW.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/brahma.ap/article by Jayaram.V | |||
Lord Brahma the God of Destiny or Fate: | |||
Lord Brahma is also called as Vidhi, DhAtA, and VidhAtA. Vidhi means the Ordainer. Vidhata means disposer,ordainer, Arranger,or Law-maker. He is also called as Twasta, Viswadeva. According to the Veda- Yo Vidhata cha Dhata cha- ( Vidhata is also called as Dhata). He is also called as Vedhasa- ( Vidhata Vedhasamapi). Vidhata means the governor of Nature’s Laws relating to the journey of the Soul. Lord Brahma is not only the creator as mentioned in the Purusha Sukta, but also the decider of the destiny or Fate of the beings that are going to be born . | |||
Brahma is the God who writes the fortunes of everybody based on the KARMA or deeds in the previous births. Fate, or luck or destiny ordained by Lord Brahma and written by him in a coded language on the forehead of every individual cannot be altered by anybody. Because one has to reap what one has sown. | |||
It is believed that Brahma examines the Karma of every being in his previous births and accordingly decides what should be the fate of the individual in the present birth. Brahma’s writings on the forehead can be understood only by great Yogis or Rishis when they look at the forehead of any person. That is why they look at the face of a person carefully before they bless a person with long life, good health, wealth and progeny etc. | |||
The Fate in reality is a product of the Karma of one’s previous lives. The unfinished Karma is carried forward to the next birth. Sanchita-Karma into which God Brahma looks carefully, Lord Brahma is the sum-total of the accumulated Karma of previous births. It is in one’s account and needs to be cleared at some stage in one’s spiritual journey. Prarabdha karma is that part of the Sanchita Karma which is posted to the present birth by Lord Brahma and hence it has to be cleared in this birth only. | |||
This concept has sometimes led to the philosophy of Fatalism and some scholars began to argue that since everything is pre-ordained why should we run here and there to alter our future. | |||
In the Upaishads Lord Brahma is also depicted as the immortal Lord of Heaven who receives the liberated souls at the end of their journey along the Northern path. | |||
Reference: WWW.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/brahma.ap. | |||
==Temples== | |||
]n statue of Brahmā inside the Brahmā shrine in ] ] temple, ], ]]] | |||
]) statue, ].]] | |||
===India=== | ===India=== | ||
] in ], ]]] | |||
Though almost all Hindu religious rites involve prayer to Brahmā, very few temples are dedicated to His worship. Among the most prominent is ] at ]. Once a year, on ], the full moon night of the Hindu lunar month of ] (October – November), a religious festival is held in Brahmā's honour. Thousands of pilgrims come to bathe in the holy ] adjacent to the temple.There is a temple in ] village in ] taluka of Rajasthan's ], which is known as ''Kheteshwar Brahmadham Tirtha''. | |||
Very few temples in India are primarily dedicated to Brahma and his worship.<ref name=morris123/> The most prominent Hindu temple for Brahma is the ].<ref name=chakravarti15/> Others include:<ref name=":1" /> | |||
* Shri Kheteshwar Brahmadham Teerth, ], ], ] | |||
Temples to Brahmā also exist in ] in ]. The Trimurti temple and the temple dedicated to Brahma accompanied by ], located outside ], in ], ], is also famous. Regular ]s are held for Brahmā at the temple in ], and during ], this temple comes to life with multi-varied festivities. | |||
* Adi Brahma Temple, ], ], ] | |||
* Brahma Karmali Temple, Nagargao, ], ] | |||
* Brahmaji Temple, ], ], ] | |||
* ], ], ] | |||
* ], ], ], ] | |||
* ], ], ] | |||
], ], ]]] | |||
In the temple town of ] in the ] District of ]; in ] in Tamil Nadu. There is also a shrine for Brahmā within the ] Temple in ]. | |||
There is a temple dedicated to Brahmā in the temple town of Sri ] near ] in ]. | |||
Brahma is also worshipped in temple complexes dedicated to the ]. Some of these are: ]<ref>History of Suchindram temples". The Hindu. 29 January 2002. Retrieved 24 May 2020.</ref>, ], ]<ref>Sri Ponmeri Shiva Temple". templesofindia.org. Retrieved 3 January 2024</ref>, ], ], ], ] | |||
7 feet height of Chatrumukha (Four Faces) BRAHMA temple at ] (], India). | |||
In the coastal state of ], a shrine belonging to the 5th century AD, in the small and remote village of ] in the ] Taluka in the northeast region of the state is found. | |||
In Kerala, there is also a shrine for Brahma in ] where according to legend, Lord Shiva beheaded Brahma.<ref>https://keralamythology.blogspot.com/2016/11/legend-of-kandiyoor-mahadeva-temple.html</ref> | |||
Famous ] of Brahmā exists at ], 52 km from the ] district of ] and in ] near ]. | |||
Chaturmukeshvara temple at the temple town of ] near ], ] has an image of Lord Shiva with four faces and has bas-relief carvings. At this temple, Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva are both worshipped. According to a legend, this is the place where Lord Brahma regained His ability to create after He pleaded forgiveness from Lord Shiva for getting rid of His Sisihathya sins.<ref>https://srikalahasthitemple.com/about-temple/</ref> | |||
Statues of Brahmā may be found in ], ]. | |||
There is a Chaturmukha Brahma temple in ], Andhra Pradesh, and a seven feet height of Chatrumukha (Four Faces) Brahma temple at ], ]. In the coastal state of ], a shrine belonging to the fifth century, in the small and remote village of ], ] Taluka in the northeast region of the state is found.<ref>https://www.goaholidayhomes.com/information/brahma-temple-at-carambolim.html</ref><ref>https://www.navhindtimes.in/2019/07/13/magazines/zest/the-rare-temple-of-sri-brahma-in-brahmakarmali/</ref><ref>https://brah.ma/devalayam/brahma-karmali-mandir</ref> | |||
===Asia=== | |||
The largest and most famous shrine to Brahmā may be found in Cambodia's ]. | |||
A famous icon of Brahma exists at ],<ref>https://www.harekrsna.com/sun/features/09-09/features1483.htm</ref> 52 km from the ] district of ] and in ] near ]. Temples exist in ], ] and ]. | |||
In ], ], the 9th century ] ] temple mainly is dedicated to Śiva, however Brahmā and Viṣṇu also venerated in separate large shrines inside the temple compound, a single large shrine dedicated to Brahmā on southern side of Śiva temple. There is a statue of Brahmā at the ] in ]. The golden dome of the ] also contains a statue of Phra Phrom (Thai representation of Brahmā). | |||
===Southeast and East Asia=== | |||
==Temples devoted to Brahmā== | |||
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Today, India has very few temples dedicated to Brahmā. | |||
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A shrine of Brahma can be found in Cambodia's ]. One of the three largest temples in the 9th-century CE ] temples complex in Yogyakarta, central ] (Indonesia) is dedicated to Brahma, the other two to Shiva (largest of three) and Vishnu respectively.<ref>Trudy Ring et al (1996), International Dictionary of Historic Places: Asia and Oceania, Routledge, {{ISBN|978-1884964046}}, page 692</ref> The temple dedicated to Brahma is on the southern side of Shiva temple and Vishnu temple. | |||
=== Ancient temples === | |||
A statue of Brahma is present at the ] in ], ] and continues to be revered in modern times.<ref name="ellenlondon74" /> The golden dome of the ] houses a statue of ] (Thai representation of Brahma). An early 18th-century CE painting at Wat Yai Suwannaram in ] city of Thailand depicts Brahma.<ref>Chami Jotisalikorn et al (2002), Classic Thai: Design, Interiors, Architecture., Tuttle, {{ISBN|978-9625938493}}, pages 164-165</ref> | |||
* Brahma Temple at ], in ], Himachal Pradesh | |||
* Brahma Temple at ], District Barmer, Rajasthan | |||
* Brahma Temple at ] in Kollam district, Kerala | |||
* Brahma temple at village aleo shrishty narayan, in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh | |||
* Brahma temple at ] village srinidheeswarar in ],Tamil Nadu | |||
* ] , Rajasthan | |||
* ], ] , Kerala | |||
* ] in ] , Tamil Nadu | |||
* ] in ], Tamil Nadu | |||
* ], Thanjavur District, Tamil Nadu | |||
* ], Gujarat | |||
* The Brahma Temple near ]in the village of Brahma-Carambolim in the ] taluka, Goa | |||
* Brahma (accompanied by ]) Temple, near the ], ] , Kerala | |||
* ] in ], near Trichy, Tamil Nadu | |||
* ] at Brahmaavart (Bithoor), Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh) | |||
* [Bahma Temple) at village Chhinch, Tehsil Bagidoa, District Banswara, Rajasthan | |||
The name of the country ] is derived from Brahma. In medieval texts, it is referred to as ''Brahma-desa''.<ref>Arthur P. Phayre (2013), History of Burma, Routledge, {{ISBN|978-0415865920}}, pages 2-5</ref><ref>Gustaaf Houtman (1999), Mental Culture in Burmese Crisis Politics, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, {{ISBN|978-4872977486}}, page 352</ref> | |||
=== Recently Built temples === | |||
] is known in Chinese as ''Simianshen'' ({{lang|zh|四面神}}, "Four-Faced God"), ''Simianfo'' ({{lang|zh|四面佛}}, "Four-Faced Buddha") or ''Fantian'' ({{lang|zh|梵天}}), ''Tshangs pa'' (<big>ཚངས་པ</big>) in Tibetan, ''Phạm Thiên'' ({{lang|vi|梵天}}) in Vietnamese, '']'' ({{lang|ja|梵天}}) in Japanese,<ref name=buswelllopez141>{{cite book|author1=Robert E. Buswell Jr.|author2=Donald S. Lopez Jr.|title=The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DXN2AAAAQBAJ |year=2013|publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-1-4008-4805-8 |pages=141–142 }}</ref> and Beomcheon ({{lang|ko|범천,梵天}}) in Korean.<ref> | |||
* Chaturmukha Brahma temple in ], ] | |||
Korean Buddhist Sculpture: Art and Truth, Woo bang Kang</ref> In ], he is regarded as one of the '']'' ({{lang|zh|二十諸天}} ''Èrshí Zhūtiān'') or the '']'' ({{lang|zh|二十四諸天}} ''Èrshísì zhūtiān''), a group of protective ]s.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/275253538|title=A dictionary of Chinese Buddhist terms : with Sanskrit and English equivalents and a Sanskrit-Pali index|date=2004|publisher=RoutledgeCurzon|author1=Lewis Hodous|author2=William Edward Soothill|isbn=0-203-64186-8|location=London|oclc=275253538|access-date=10 May 2021|archive-date=31 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331131029/https://search.worldcat.org/title/275253538|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
* Chaturmukha (Four Faces) Brahma temple at ], ], | |||
] still have a high regard for Brahma (] and ]: ''Batara Brahma'' and ''Sanghyang Brahma''). In ] there is a special temple made for Brahma, side by side with Vishnu and Shiva, and in ] there is Andakasa Temple dedicated to Brahma.<ref>{{citation |url= https://baliexpress.jawapos.com/read/2017/08/24/9520/menyingkap-misteri-dewa-brahma-jarang-dipuja |title= Menyingkap Misteri Dewa Brahma Jarang Dipuja (Indonesian) |work= Baliexpress |access-date= 30 June 2021 |archive-date= 9 July 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210709181345/https://baliexpress.jawapos.com/read/2017/08/24/9520/menyingkap-misteri-dewa-brahma-jarang-dipuja |url-status= live }}</ref> | |||
:Brahma Kapaalam: Even though Brahma is shown typically as having four heads looking in four directions the legend holds it that in the beginning he had only one head and then developed five heads subsequently. | |||
In the past, although not as popular as Vishnu and Shiva, the name Brahma appeared on several occasions. In the legend that developed in ] about Ken Arok, for example, Brahma is believed to be the biological father of ]. It is said that Brahma was fascinated by the beauty of Ken Arok's mother, Ken Endok and made her a lover. From this relationship was born Ken Arok. | |||
==Satyaloka – abode of Brahmā== | |||
Satyaloka is by 120,000,000 ]s above Tapoloka. Thus the distance from the Sun to Satyaloka is 233,800,000 ]s, or 1,870,400,000 ]s. The ] planets begin 26,200,000 ]s (209,600,000 ]s) above Satyaloka. | |||
"In the Padma Purāṇam it has been definitely stated that on the four sides of the spiritual sky there are four different transcendental abodes occupied by ], Sankarṣaṇa, ] and ] respectively. So also in the material sky also they are similarly placed on all the four sides. The ] sphere which is covered with spiritual water is inhabited by Vāsudeva and this Vaikuṇṭha is known as Devavatipur. Above the ''Satyaloka'' there is ''Viṣṇuloka'' where Sankarṣaṇa resides. In the middle of the ] there is an island called Śvetadvipa which is resided in by Aniruddha lying on the bed of Ananta."(Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Chapter 5 )<ref>{{cite web|url=http://prabhupadabooks.com/?g=176590 |title=Srila Prabhupada's Original pre-1978 Books Online |publisher=PrabhupadaBooks.com |date= |accessdate=2012-08-02}}</ref> | |||
The name Brahma is also used as the name of a mountain in the Tengger mountain range, Mount Bromo. Mount Bromo is believed to be derived from the word Brahma and there was once a sect that believed that Brahmaloka - the universe where Brahma resides - was connected to Mount Bromo. To this day, Mount Bromo is still considered a sacred place for Javanese Hindus, making it the location for the annual Yadnya Kasada or Kasodo ceremony. People around Mount Bromo will celebrate the Kasodo festival every year by presenting offerings such as vegetables, chickens and money that are revealed to the Gods and poured into the crater of Mount Bromo as a sign of gratitude to the Almighty.<ref>https://authentic-indonesia.com/activities/the-bromo-volcano/</ref> | |||
==Duration of Brahmā's day== | |||
With regard to Brahmā's day and night, each consists of 14 of his hours or 4.32 billion human years. "Brahma has four heads" (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 12.8.2–5).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vedabase.net/sb/12/8/2-5/ |title=Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 12 Chapter 8 Verses 2-5 |publisher=Vedabase.net |date= |accessdate=2012-08-02}}</ref> | |||
In the ] version of ] (shadow puppet play), Brahma has a very different role from his initial role. When Hindu society began to disappear from ] and the era of ]'s ] began to emerge, Brahma's role as creator in the shadow puppet standard was given to a figure named Sang Hyang Wenang, while Brahma himself was renamed to Brama (fire) where he was a ruling god. Brama, the son of the figure of ] (Shiva). The figure of Brahma in Javanese wayang is fused and mixed with the figure of Agni.<ref>{{citation|url=https://gamabali.com/dewa-brahma/|title=Dewa Brahma|work=GamaBali|access-date=30 June 2021|archive-date=24 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624064010/http://gamabali.com/dewa-brahma/|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
==Brahmā sampradāya== | |||
{{Main|Brahma sampradaya}} | |||
Brahmā has his own ]. Brahmā appeared on a lotus flower which sprouted from the navel of Garbhodakṣāyi Viṣṇu. After meditation Brahmā created 14 planetary systems and many living beings came there in 8400000 kinds of material bodies according to their past desires. Brahmā received ] from ], and this Brahmā-sampradāya is transmitting knowledge from Vishnu Himself to Earth. As our Brahmā is devotee of ] just like other Brahmās in other material universes, we have this Brahmā sampradāya. | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
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* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
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==Notes |
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==References== | |||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
{{Sister project links|commonscat=|n=no|s=no|b=no|voy=no|v=no}} | |||
{{Commons category|Brahma}} | |||
* at ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' | |||
* | |||
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{{Hindu Culture and Epics}} | {{Hindu Culture and Epics}} | ||
{{Hindudharma}} | {{Hindudharma}} | ||
{{Caitanya sampradaya}} | {{Caitanya sampradaya}} | ||
{{Burmese nats}} | |||
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Latest revision as of 03:21, 8 January 2025
Creator god in Hinduism This article is about the Hindu creation god. For the genderless metaphysical concept of Ultimate Reality in Hindu philosophy, see Brahman.For Buddhist version of Brahma, see Brahma (Buddhism). For other uses, see Brahma (disambiguation).
Brahma | |
---|---|
Creator of the Universe God of Creation, Knowledge and the Vedas | |
Member of Trimurti | |
Painting depicting Brahma on a Hansa, c. 1700 CE | |
Other names | Svayambhu, Virinchi, Prajapati |
Devanagari | ब्रह्मा |
Sanskrit transliteration | Brahmā |
Affiliation | Trideva, Deva |
Abode | Satyaloka |
Mantra | ॐ वेदात्मनाय विद्महे हिरण्यगर्भाय धीमही तन्नो ब्रह्मा प्रचोदयात्: Oṃ vedātmanāya vidmahe hiraṇyagarbhāya dhīmahī tan no brahmā pracodayāt ॐ ब्रह्मणे नम: Om Brahmane Namah |
Weapon | Brahmastra, Brahmashirsha astra |
Symbol | Lotus, Vedas, Japamala, Kamandalu |
Mount | Hamsa |
Festivals | Kartik Purnima |
Genealogy | |
Consort | Sarasvati |
Children | Mind-born children including Agni, Angiras, Atri, Bhrigu, Chitragupta, Daksha, Himavan, Jambavan, Kamadeva, Kratu, Kumaras, Marichi, Narada, Pulaha, Pulastya, Shatarupa, Sindura, Svayambhuva Manu, Vashishtha |
Brahma (Sanskrit: ब्रह्मा, IAST: Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva. He is associated with creation, knowledge, and the Vedas. Brahma is prominently mentioned in creation legends. In some Puranas, he created himself in a golden embryo known as the Hiranyagarbha.
Brahma is the Vedic god Prajapati. During the post-Vedic period, Brahma was a prominent deity and his sect existed; however, by the 7th century CE, he had lost his significance. He was also overshadowed by other major deities like Vishnu, Shiva, Tridevi and demoted to the role of a secondary creator, who was created by the major deities.
Brahma is commonly depicted as a red complexioned man with four heads and hands. His four heads represent the four Vedas and are pointed to the four cardinal directions. He is seated on a lotus and his vahana (mount) is a hamsa (swan). According to the scriptures, Brahma and Sarasvati created their children from their minds and thus, they are referred to as Manasaputras.
In contemporary Hinduism, Brahma does not enjoy popular worship and has substantially less importance than the other two members of the Trimurti. Brahma is revered in the ancient texts, yet rarely worshipped as a primary deity in India, owing to the absence of any significant sect dedicated to his reverence. Few temples dedicated to him exist in India, the most famous being the Brahma Temple, Pushkar in Rajasthan. Some Brahma temples are found outside India, such as at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, which in turn has found immense popularity within the Thai Buddhist community.
Origin and meaning
The origins of the term brahmā are uncertain, partly because several related words are found in the Vedic literature, such as Brahman for the 'Ultimate Reality' and Brāhmaṇa for 'priest'. A distinction between the spiritual concept of brahman and the god Brahmā is that the former is a genderless abstract metaphysical concept in Hinduism, while the latter is one of the many masculine gods in Hindu tradition. The spiritual concept of brahman is quite old and some scholars suggest that the god Brahma may have emerged as a god and visible icon of the impersonal universal principle of brahman. The existence of a distinct god named Brahma is evidenced in late Vedic texts.
Grammatically, the nominal stem Brahma- has two distinct forms: the neuter noun bráhman, whose nominative singular form is brahma (ब्रह्म); and the masculine noun brahmán, whose nominative singular form is brahmā (ब्रह्मा). The former, the neuter form, has a generalized and abstract meaning while the latter, the masculine form, is used as the proper name of the deity Brahma.
However, Brahman was sometimes used as a synonym for Brahma's name during the time the Mahabharata was written.
Literature and legends
Vedic literature
One of the earliest mentions of Brahma with Vishnu and Shiva is in the fifth Prapathaka (lesson) of the Maitrayaniya Upanishad, probably composed around the late 1st millennium BCE. Brahma is first discussed in verse 5,1, also called the Kutsayana Hymn, and then expounded in verse 5,2.
In the pantheistic Kutsayana Hymn, the Upanishad asserts that one's Soul is Brahman, and this Ultimate Reality, Cosmic Universal or God is within each living being. It equates the atman (Soul, Self) within to be Brahma and various alternate manifestations of Brahman, as follows, "Thou art Brahma, thou art Vishnu, thou art Shiva, thou art Agni, Varuna, Vayu, Indra, thou art All."
In verse (5,2), Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva are mapped into the theory of Guṇas, that is qualities, psyche and innate tendencies the text describes can be found in all living beings. This chapter of the Maitrayaniya Upanishad asserts that the universe emerged from darkness (tamas), first as passion characterized by innate quality (rajas), which then refined and differentiated into purity and goodness (sattva). Of these three qualities, rajas are then mapped to Brahma, as follows:
Now then, that part of him which belongs to tamas, that, O students of sacred knowledge (Brahmacharins), is this Shiva.
— Maitrayaniya Upanishad, 5.2, , Maitrayaniya Upanishad
That part of him which belongs to rajas, that O students of sacred knowledge, is this Brahma.
That part of him which belongs to sattva, that O students of sacred knowledge, is this Vishnu.
Verily, that One became threefold, became eightfold, elevenfold, twelvefold, into infinite fold.
This Being (neuter) entered all beings, he became the overlord of all beings.
That is the Atman (Soul, Self) within and without – yea, within and without!
While the Maitrayaniya Upanishad maps Brahma with one of the elements of the guṇas theory of Hinduism, the text does not depict him as one of the trifunctional elements of the Hindu Trimurti idea found in later Puranic literature.
Post-Vedic, Epics and Puranas
Left: Brahma at the 12th century CE Chennakesava Temple, Somanathapura; Right: Brahma at a 6th century CE Aihole temple.During the post-Vedic period, Brahma was a prominent god and his sect existed during the 2nd century CE to 6th century CE. Early texts like the Brahmanda Purana describe that there was nothing but an eternal ocean. From this, a golden egg called Hiranyagarbha, emerged. The egg broke open and Brahma, who had created himself within it, came into existence (gaining the name Svayambhu). Then, he created the universe, the earth, and other things. He also created people to populate and live on his creation.
However, by the 7th century CE, Brahma lost his importance. Historians believe that some of the major reasons for Brahma's downfall were the rise of Shaivism and Vaishnavism, their replacement of him with Tridevi in the Smarta tradition, and the frequent attacks by Buddhists, Jains, Hindus who worship Indra and all the other Hindu gods.
Various Puranic legends mention various reasons for his decline in worship now. There are primarily two prominent versions of why Brahma lost his ground in worship popularly. The first version refers to the Shiva Purana, where Brahma and Vishnu argued about who was the greatest among them. While they debated, they saw a huge column of fire piercing through the sky which was Shiva as Lingodbhava. They decided to locate the beginning and end of this column of fire which is Shiva. Vishnu assumed the form of a boar as Varaha and journeyed towards the earth and Brahma assumed the form of a swan as Hamsa and journeyed towards the sky. Vishnu found about his defeat, revealing that he had been unable to locate the end, which was at the end of the universe and he got tired before he reached that so he was defeated in it there. However, Brahma had recruited the ketaki flower which fell from Shiva's head by his powers to end the debate here now, which was at the beginning of the universe with his beginning at there now and he got tired before he reached that so he was defeated in it there and this came to him and he took him as a false witness to support his lie that he had located the beginning. Shiva then took his true form and cut off one of Brahma's five heads for his dishonesty, proclaiming that he would no longer receive an active following to his worship and would get a low status of popularity. Pleased with Vishnu's honesty, he offered him a high status of popularity and an active following dedicated to his worship and took the ketaki flower as an ornament on his head then and fused that head into him then. The second version refers to the Vishnu Purana, where Vishnu created Brahma and Shiva from his navel and forehead respectively, thus making Brahma along with Shiva both as inferior to Vishnu, who created them both as the supreme god above them in all aspects of power in this universe and after that, when the creation of the universe was completed, Brahma lost all of his importance after his role as creator of the universe ended and was removed from worship by everyone in the world, while Shiva was always worshipped as the destroyer of the universe after his role of the destruction of the universe was always happening and Vishnu was always worshipped as he was the preserver of the universe and his preserving role in the universe was always happening and he was the supreme god of this universe.
The post-Vedic texts of Hinduism offer multiple theories of cosmogony, many involving Brahma. These include Sarga (primary creation of the universe) and Visarga (secondary creation), ideas related to the Indian thought that there are two levels of reality, one primary that is unchanging (metaphysical) and other secondary that is always changing (empirical), and that all observed reality of the latter is in an endlessly repeating cycle of existence, that cosmos and life we experience is continually created, evolved, dissolved and then re-created. The primary creator is extensively discussed in Vedic cosmogonies with Brahman or Purusha or Prakrti among the terms used for the primary creator, In contrast the Vedic and post-Vedic texts name different gods and goddesses as secondary creators (often Brahma in post-Vedic texts), and in some cases a different god or goddess is the secondary creator at the start of each cosmic cycle (kalpa, that is an aeon).
Brahma is a "secondary creator" as described in the Mahabharata and Puranas, and among the most studied and described. Vishnu-focused Puranas describe that Brahma was born from a lotus emerging from the navel of the god Vishnu and Shiva was born from a fire emerging from the forehead of the god Vishnu. In contrast, the Shiva-focused Puranas describe Brahma and Vishnu to be born from Shiva's right and left sides of his waist; and in other Puranas, Shiva and Vishnu were born from Brahma's right and left sides of his waist or Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma creating each other cyclically in different aeons (kalpas). Yet others describe that the Tridevi created Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, and these texts then state that Brahma is a secondary creator of the world working respectively on their behalf. Brahma creates all the forms in the universe, but not the primordial universe itself. Thus in most Puranic texts, Brahma's creative activity depends on the presence and power of a higher god or higher goddess. Further, the medieval era texts of these major theistic traditions of Hinduism assert that the saguna (representation with face and attributes) Brahma is Vishnu, Shiva, or Tridevi, respectively.
In the post-Vedic Puranic literature, Brahma creates but neither preserves nor destroys anything. He is envisioned in some Hindu texts to have emerged from the metaphysical Brahman along with Vishnu (preserver), Shiva (destroyer), all other deities, matter and other beings. In theistic schools of Hinduism where the deity Brahma is described as part of its cosmology, he is a mortal god like all deities and dissolves into the abstract immortal Brahman when the universe ends, and then a new cosmic cycle (kalpa) restarts and all of them are recreated.
In the Bhagavata Purana, Brahma is portrayed several times as the one who rises from the "Ocean of Causes". Brahma, states this Purana, emerges at the moment when time and universe are born, inside a lotus rooted in the navel of Vishnu, along with Shiva, who emerged inside a fire rooted in the forehead of the god Vishnu. This Purana states that both Brahma and Shiva are drowsy, err, are temporarily incompetent as they put together the universe. They then become aware of their confusion and drowsiness, meditates as two ascetics, then realizes Vishnu in their bodies, see the beginning and end of the universe, and then their creative powers are revived. Brahma and Shiva, states the Bhagavata Purana, thereafter combine Prakriti (nature, matter) and Purusha (spirit, soul) to create a dazzling variety of living creatures, and a tempest of causal nexus. The Bhagavata Purana thus attributes the creation of Maya to Brahma and Shiva, wherein they creates for the sake of creation, imbuing everything with both the good and the evil, the material and the spiritual, a beginning and an end.
The Puranas describe Brahma as the god creating time. They correlate human time to Brahma's time, such as a mahākalpa being a large cosmic period, correlating to one day and one night in Brahma's existence.
The stories about Brahma in various Puranas are diverse and inconsistent. In Skanda Purana, for example, the Tridevi are called the "mothers of the universe", and they are credited with creating Brahma, all the complete other gods including Vishnu, Shiva, the three worlds, the entire universe. They are the ones, states Skanda Purana, who combined the three Gunas - Sattva, Rajas, Tamas - into matter (Prakrti) to create the empirically observed world.
The Vedic discussion of Brahma as a Rajas-quality god expands in the Puranic and Tantric literature. However, these texts state that his wife Sarasvati has Sattva (quality of balance, harmony, goodness, purity, holistic, constructive, creative, positive, peaceful, virtuous), thus complementing Brahma's Rajas (quality of passion, activity, neither good nor bad and sometimes either, action qua action, individualizing, driven, dynamic) with her Sattva qualities.
Sangam literature
The Sangam literature mentions all Hindu gods and goddesses and Vedic practices in Tamilakam. Tamilians considered the Vedas as books of Hinduism and used it to perform Yajnas. Several Tamil Hindu kings and queens have performed Vedic sacrifices and worshipped various gods and goddesses of Hinduism. Several Sangam texts mention that Brahma as a creator god born from the navel of Vishnu along with Shiva as a destroyer god born from his forehead while he was the preserver god. As he is a direct biological ancestor of all royal families, the Cholas said that Brahma and Shiva as their direct biological ancestors and Vishnu as their creator and the creator of this entire universe. Cilappatikaram also has several mentions of Brahma as the creator god.
Iconography
Left: 19th century CE painting of four-headed Brahma as an aged man, holding lotus, manuscript (Vedas) and a ladle; Right: 6th century CE statue of Brahma as a middle-aged man in Badami cave temples holding a stylus, ladle, mala.Brahma is traditionally depicted with four faces and four arms. Each face of his points to a cardinal direction. His hands hold no weapons, rather symbols of knowledge and creation. In one hand, he holds the sacred texts of Vedas, in the other hand, he holds a mala, symbolizing the time to create the universe, in the another hand, he holds a shruka, — a ladle symbolizing the means to feed sacrificial fire, and in the even another hand, a kamandalu – a utensil with water symbolizing the means from where all creation emits. His four mouths are credited with creating the four Vedas. He is often depicted with a white beard, implying his sage-like experience. He sits on lotus, dressed in white (or red and pink), with his vehicle (vahana) – hamsa, a swan – nearby.
Chapter 51 of the Manasara, an ancient design manual in Sanskrit for making murtis and temples, states that a Brahma statue should be gold in color. The text recommends that the statue have four faces and four arms, have jata-mukuta-mandita (matted hair of an ascetic), and wear a diadem (crown). Two of his hands should be in refuge granting and gift giving mudra, while he should be shown with kundika (water pot), akshamala (rosary), a small shruka and a large shruka (two ladles used in yajna ceremonies). The text details the different proportions of the murti, describes the ornaments, and suggests that the idol wear chira (bark strip) as a lower garment, and either be alone or be accompanied with goddess Sarasvati. Brahma is associated largely with the Vedic culture of yajna and knowledge. In some Vedic yajna, Brahma is summoned in the ritual to reside and supervise the ritual in the form of Prajapati.
Brahma's wife is the goddess Sarasvati. She is the embodiment of his power, the instrument of creation and the energy that drives his actions.
Epochs of Brahma
Brahma, despite being believed to be the creator, is considered mortal according to scriptures. The Age of Brahma, according to Hindu cosmology, spans vast epochs of time. A kalpa is a day of Brahmā, and one day of Brahmā consists of a thousand cycles of four yugas, or ages: Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga and Kali Yuga. These four yugas, rotating a thousand times, comprise one day of Brahmā, and the same number comprise one night. Brahmā lives one hundred of such "years" and then dies. These "hundred years" total 311 trillion 40 billion (311,040,000,000,000) earth years. Brahma's lifespan is 311.04 trillion solar years, and humanity is in the 28th Kali Yuga of the 51st year of the current Brahma's life.
Worship
India
Very few temples in India are primarily dedicated to Brahma and his worship. The most prominent Hindu temple for Brahma is the Brahma Temple, Pushkar. Others include:
- Shri Kheteshwar Brahmadham Teerth, Asotra, Barmer, Rajasthan
- Adi Brahma Temple, Khokhan, Kullu, Himachal Pradesh
- Brahma Karmali Temple, Nagargao, Valpoi, Goa
- Brahmaji Temple, Chhinch, Banswara, Rajasthan
- Brahma Temple, Khedbrahma, Sabarkantha, Gujarat
- Brahma Kuti Temple, Bithoor, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh
- Kumbakonam Brahma Temple, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu
Brahma is also worshipped in temple complexes dedicated to the Trimurti. Some of these are: Thanumalayan Temple, Sri Purushothaman Temple, Ponmeri Shiva Temple, Thripaya Trimurti Temple, Mithrananthapuram Trimurti Temple, Kodumudi Magudeswarar Temple, Brahmapureeswarar Temple
In Kerala, there is also a shrine for Brahma in Kandiyoor Mahadeva Temple where according to legend, Lord Shiva beheaded Brahma.
Chaturmukeshvara temple at the temple town of Srikalahasti near Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh has an image of Lord Shiva with four faces and has bas-relief carvings. At this temple, Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva are both worshipped. According to a legend, this is the place where Lord Brahma regained His ability to create after He pleaded forgiveness from Lord Shiva for getting rid of His Sisihathya sins.
There is a Chaturmukha Brahma temple in Chebrolu, Andhra Pradesh, and a seven feet height of Chatrumukha (Four Faces) Brahma temple at Bangalore, Karnataka. In the coastal state of Goa, a shrine belonging to the fifth century, in the small and remote village of Carambolim, Sattari Taluka in the northeast region of the state is found.
A famous icon of Brahma exists at Mangalwedha, 52 km from the Solapur district of Maharashtra and in Sopara near Mumbai. Temples exist in Khokhan, Annamputhur and Hosur.
Southeast and East Asia
Left: The four-faced Brahma (Phra Phrom) statue, Erawan Shrine, ThailandCenter: 12th-century CE Brahma with missing book and water pot, Cambodia
Right: 9th-century CE Brahma Sculpture in Prambanan Java, Indonesia
A shrine of Brahma can be found in Cambodia's Angkor Wat. One of the three largest temples in the 9th-century CE Prambanan temples complex in Yogyakarta, central Java (Indonesia) is dedicated to Brahma, the other two to Shiva (largest of three) and Vishnu respectively. The temple dedicated to Brahma is on the southern side of Shiva temple and Vishnu temple.
A statue of Brahma is present at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, Thailand and continues to be revered in modern times. The golden dome of the Government House of Thailand houses a statue of Phra Phrom (Thai representation of Brahma). An early 18th-century CE painting at Wat Yai Suwannaram in Phetchaburi city of Thailand depicts Brahma.
The name of the country Burma is derived from Brahma. In medieval texts, it is referred to as Brahma-desa.
Brahma in Buddhism is known in Chinese as Simianshen (四面神, "Four-Faced God"), Simianfo (四面佛, "Four-Faced Buddha") or Fantian (梵天), Tshangs pa (ཚངས་པ) in Tibetan, Phạm Thiên (梵天) in Vietnamese, Bonten (梵天) in Japanese, and Beomcheon (범천,梵天) in Korean. In Chinese Buddhism, he is regarded as one of the Twenty Devas (二十諸天 Èrshí Zhūtiān) or the Twenty-Four Devas (二十四諸天 Èrshísì zhūtiān), a group of protective dharmapalas.
Hindus in Indonesia still have a high regard for Brahma (Indonesian and Javanese: Batara Brahma and Sanghyang Brahma). In Prambanan there is a special temple made for Brahma, side by side with Vishnu and Shiva, and in Bali there is Andakasa Temple dedicated to Brahma.
In the past, although not as popular as Vishnu and Shiva, the name Brahma appeared on several occasions. In the legend that developed in East Java about Ken Arok, for example, Brahma is believed to be the biological father of Ken Arok. It is said that Brahma was fascinated by the beauty of Ken Arok's mother, Ken Endok and made her a lover. From this relationship was born Ken Arok.
The name Brahma is also used as the name of a mountain in the Tengger mountain range, Mount Bromo. Mount Bromo is believed to be derived from the word Brahma and there was once a sect that believed that Brahmaloka - the universe where Brahma resides - was connected to Mount Bromo. To this day, Mount Bromo is still considered a sacred place for Javanese Hindus, making it the location for the annual Yadnya Kasada or Kasodo ceremony. People around Mount Bromo will celebrate the Kasodo festival every year by presenting offerings such as vegetables, chickens and money that are revealed to the Gods and poured into the crater of Mount Bromo as a sign of gratitude to the Almighty.
In the Javanese version of wayang (shadow puppet play), Brahma has a very different role from his initial role. When Hindu society began to disappear from Java and the era of Walisongo's wayang kulit began to emerge, Brahma's role as creator in the shadow puppet standard was given to a figure named Sang Hyang Wenang, while Brahma himself was renamed to Brama (fire) where he was a ruling god. Brama, the son of the figure of Batara Guru (Shiva). The figure of Brahma in Javanese wayang is fused and mixed with the figure of Agni.
See also
- Brahma (Buddhism)
- Brahma Samhita
- Brahmastra
- Brahma from Mirpur-Khas
- Brahmakumari
- Brahmani
- Demiurge
- Svetovid
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Paraphrased: Deva day equals solar year. Deva lifespan (36,000 solar years) equals 100 360-day years, each 12 months. Mahayuga equals 12,000 Deva (divine) years (4,320,000 solar years), and is divided into 10 charnas consisting of four Yugas: Satya Yuga (4 charnas of 1,728,000 solar years), Treta Yuga (3 charnas of 1,296,000 solar years), Dvapara Yuga (2 charnas of 864,000 solar years), and Kali Yuga (1 charna of 432,000 solar years). Manvantara equals 71 Mahayugas (306,720,000 solar years). Kalpa (day of Brahma) equals an Adi Sandhya, 14 Manvantaras, and 14 Sandhya Kalas, where 1st Manvantara preceded by Adi Sandhya and each Manvantara followed by Sandhya Kala, each Sandhya lasting same duration as Satya yuga (1,728,000 solar years), during which the entire earth is submerged in water. Day of Brahma equals 1,000 Mahayugas, the same length for a night of Brahma (Bhagavad-gita 8.17). Brahma lifespan (311.04 trillion solar years) equals 100 360-day years, each 12 months. Parardha is 50 Brahma years and we are in the 2nd half of his life. After 100 years of Brahma, the universe starts with a new Brahma. We are currently in the 28th Kali yuga of the first day of the 51st year of the second Parardha in the reign of the 7th (Vaivasvata) Manu. This is the 51st year of the present Brahma and so about 155 trillion years have elapsed. The current Kali Yuga (Iron Age) began at midnight on 17/18 February 3102 BC in the proleptic Julian calendar.
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External links
- Brahma at Encyclopædia Britannica
- Hinduism - Brahma And The Trimurti
- Hindu Brahma in Thai Literature - Maneepin Phromsuthirak
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