Brahma

A representation of the Hindu god Brahma

Brahma (meaning "swelling" or "expansion" in Sanskrit) is the Hindu God of Creation. He is the first member of the Trimurti (the Hindu Trinity acknowledging threes modes of God) alongside Vishnu and Shiva, and represents the creative aspect of Brahman, the Supreme Cosmic Spirit of Hindu philosophy. While these two terms derive from the same Sanskrit root brh (to grow great or strong), they should not be confused, as Brahman refers to the ineffable ground of all being, while Brahma is the diety which personifies its creative power. As creator of the world, He is considered the father of Dharma and Atri. Brahmā lives in Brahmapura, a city located on Mt. Meru.

Origin

There are numerous accounts of Brahma's origination throughout the Brahmanas and the Puranas. In the Sapatha Brahmana, Brahma is said to have come into being from the merger of the priesthood with fire, the element which had long been the focus of the Vedic rituals. This suggests that Brahma's historical origins are closely related to the sacrifice. In the Upanishads, Brahma gradually supplants Prajpati (or the "Lord of Creatures", the most commonly recognized creator God in the Vedas), as the initial creator. The Mundaka Upanishad explains that "Brahma arose as first among the gods, the maker of the universe, the protector of the world." (1.1.1).

According to Puranas Brahma is self-born (without mother) in the lotus which grows from the navel of Vishnu at the beginning of the universe. As a result, Brahma has been given the moniker Nabhija or "born from the navel." Another legend says that Brahmā created himself by first creating water. Into the water he deposited a seed that later became the golden egg. From this golden egg, Brahma the creator was born, as Hiranyagarbha. The remaining materials of this golden egg expanded into the Universe. Due the fact he was born in out of this primordial lake, Brahmā is also called Kanja, or "born in water."

Appearance

Brahmā is traditionally depicted with four heads and four faces and four arms. The explanation for the four heads is found in the mythologies of the Puranas. When Brahmā was creating the universe, he also made Shatarupā a female deity with a hundred beautiful forms. Brahmā was immediately infatuated with his creation, and Shatarupā, unsettled by Brahma's advances, moved in various directions to avoid his. Her attempts to avoid Brahma proved futile, as Brahmā developed a head in order to see her better wherever she went. Brahmā grew five heads, one facing in each of the four cardinal directions and one above the others. At this point, Shiva had also grown weary of Brahma's antics, finding it somewhat unsettling that Brahma had become so enamoured with Shatarupā who was equivalent to his own daughter. In order to control Brahmā's quasi-incestuous advances, Shiva cut off the top head. Ever since the incident, Brahmā has turned to the Vedic scriptures in his attempt at repentance. Thus, each head recites one of the four Vedas.

He is usually depicted with a white beard on each of his faces, which signifies the sheer duration of his existence since the beginning of time. Not one of his four arms bear a weapon, unlike most other Hindu Gods. One of his hands is shown holding a scepter in the form of a spoon, which is associated with the pouring of holy ghee or oil into a sacrificial pyre. This indicates Brahmā's status as the lord of sacrifices. Another hand holds a water-pot, which is alternately depicted as a coconut shell containing water. The significance of the water is that it is the initial, all-encompassing ether in which the first seeds of creation were sowed. Brahmā also holds a string of rosary beads that he uses to keep track of time. He may also be pictured holding a lotus flower.

Creations

At the beginning of the process of creation, Brahmā created ten Prajapatis (not to be confused with the deity of the same name), who are believed to be the fathers of the human race. The Manusmriti enumerates them as Marichi, Atri, Angirasa, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Vasishtha, Prachetas or Daksha, Bhrigu, and Narada. Brahman is also said to have created the seven great sages or the Saptarishi to help him create the universe. However since all these sons of his were born out of his mind rather than body, they are called Manas Putras or "mind-sons." This may also be why Brahma is commonly related to the mind and wisdom. Brahma is said to have a vast capacity for knowledge, and is responsible for all knowledge which has been bestowed upon human beings and Gods. In addition, Since Brahma is responsible for all creation, he is thereby also responsible for the creation of every God in the Hindu tradition, including those more powerful than himself. This has been regarded as his greatest contribution. Since creation, Brahmā has apparently drifted out of importance. He only occasionally interferes in the affairs of the other gods, and even more rarely in mortal affairs.

Vehicle

Brahma's vehicle is the Swan. This divine bird is bestowed with a virtue called Neera-Ksheera Viveka or the ability to separate milk and water from a mixture of the two. In the Hindu tradition, this action represents the idea that justice should be dispensed to all creatures, no matter the complexity of the situation. Also, this ability to separate water and milk indicates that one should learn to similarly differentiate good from evil, accepting that which is valuable and discarding that which is worthless.

Consort

Hindu Gods are typically accompanied by a female companion, who embodies each and every aspect of their given God but in feminine form. Brahma's consort is Saraswati, the goddess of learning and arts such as music, literature and speech. Sarswati is implicated in another legend which provides an explanation for the virtual lack of worship given to Brahmā. This story tells of a great fire-sacrifice (yajna) which was about to take place on Earth with the great sage Brahmarishi [[Bhrigu] serving as the high priest. It was decided that the greatest among all Gods would be made the presiding deity, and Bhrigu set off in order to find the greatest among the Trinity. When he came to Brahmā, he was so immersed in the music played by Saraswati that he could hardly hear Bhrigu's calls. The enraged Bhrigu promptly cursed Brahmā, so that no person on Earth would provide invocations or worship to him ever again.

Worship

In addition to removing Brahma's fifth head, the Puranas explain that Shiva also decreed there be no proper worship in India for the "unholy" Brahmā. Yet another legend explains why this is so. Once, Vishnu and Brahmā approached Shiva and requested to find his beginning and end. Vishnu was appointed the end, and Brahma the beginning. Each took their journey, and neither could find their appointed destination. Vishnu, satisfied, came up to Shiva and bowed down to him as a swarupa of Brahman. Brahmā did not give up so easily. As he was going up, he saw a kaitha flower, a plant very dear to Shiva. His ego forced him to ask the flower to bear false witness of Brahmā's finding Shiva's beginning. When Brahmā told his tale, Shiva, the all-knowing, was angered by the former's ego. Shiva thus cursed him that no being in the three worlds will worship him. All in all, these legends are largely parallel with the patterns of worship given to the Brahma throughout history and contemporaneously. While Vishnu and Shiva continue to be worshipped by followers of their respective devotional traditions, Vaishnavism and Shaivism, Brahmā is almost totally ignored.

Although Brahmā is prayed to in almost all Hindu religious rites, India today has but two temples dedicated specifically to him in all of India, in contrast to the thousands of temples dedicated to the other deities in the Trimurti. The most famous temple to Brahma is located at Pushkar in Rajasthan state. Once a year, on the full moon night of the Hindu lunar month of Kartika (October - November), a religious festival is held in Brahmā's honour. Thousands of pilgrims come to bathe in the holy lake adjacent to the temple. There is also a famous murti of Brahmā at Mangalwedha, 52 km from Solapur district in Maharashtra and the biggest is in Agkor Vat in Kambodia. The other temple is located in the temple town of Kumbakonam, (Thanjavur District) Tamil Nadu. Regular pujas are held for Brahma and during Navrathris, this temple comes to life with colourful festivities.

Significance

Although Brahma was almost completely ignored in the bhakti movement and the subsequent development of devotional monotheism, he is still of some importance in scholarly circles. Brahma played an important role in the conceptualization of Brahman in relation to the many personalist gods such as Shiva and Vishnu. The Upanishads conceived of Brahman as ineffable, wholly transcendent entity which formed the ground of the universe and all spirit. This entity did not necessarily coexist with the popular forms of religion, which acknowledged the existence of anthropomorphic gods and goddesses. However, the two conceptions could nonetheless coexist, as the Taittiriya Upanishad explains, using Brahma as the exemplar: "Hail to Brahma! You are the visible Brahman. I shall speak of you, the perceptible Brahman." (I.1.1). This notion of Brahma as the Brahman who could be perceived no doubt influenced Vedantic interpretations, particularly that of Advaita Vedanta. Advaitans like Shankara differentiated between a lower form of Brahman which could be perceived (Saguna Brahman) and the supreme form of Brahman which could not (Nirguna Brahman). In order to formulate this distinctions, Shankara juxtaposed the perceivable god Brahma and the inperceivable Brahman, condemning Brahma as merely an illusion arising as a function of maya. Brahman, when combined with maya, creates Brahma, the God who can be perceived. Therefore, Brahma is a form of Brahman known by way of the illusory physical world.

External links

• Contemplation of Brahma - The creative power of the Infinite
• Lord Brahma - The first member of the Hindu Trinity
• Brahma - the Creator Amongst the Hindu Trinity
• Weekly podcast on Vedic Chanting and Vedic Mythology

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