Brahma
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Brahma is the Hindu God of Creation, and one of the Hindu Trinity - Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. It must not be confused with the Supreme Cosmic Spirit of Hindu philosophy Brahman (the root of both words is the same). Brahmā is identified with the Vedic deity Prajapati.
Attributes
At the beginning of the process of creation, Brahmā created ten Prajapatis (used in another sense), 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. He 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.
Brahmā only occasionally interferes in the affairs of the gods, and even more rarely in mortal affairs. He did force Soma to give Tara back to her husband, Brihaspati. He is considered the father of Dharma and Atri. Brahmā lives in Brahmapura, a city located on Mt. Meru.
Brahmā is an agent of Brahman, the Supreme Being or Absolute of Hinduism.
Brahmā is usually depicted with four heads. The reason given is as follows. When Brahmā was creating the universe, he made a female deity known as Shatarupā (one with a hundred beautiful forms). Brahmā was immediately infatuated. Shatarupā moved in various directions to avoid the gaze of Brahmā. But wherever she went, Brahmā developed a head. Thus, Brahmā developed five heads, one on each side and one above the others. In order to control Brahmā, Shiva cut off the top head. Also, Shiva felt that Shatarupā was Brahmā's daughter/son, being created by him. Therefore, Shiva determined, it was wrong for Brahmā to become obsessed with her. He directed that there be no proper worship in India for the "unholy" Brahmā. Thus, only Vishnu and Shiva continue to be worshipped, while Brahmā is almost totally ignored. Ever since the incident, Brahmā has been reciting the four Vedas in his attempt at repentance. Another legend of the lack of worship of Brahmā is as follows: Once, harth 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, 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. There is another legend which relates Brahmā's not being worshipped to a curse by the great sage Brahmarishi Bhrigu. Once a great fire-sacrifice (yajna) was being organised on Earth with Bhrigu being the high priest. It was decided that the greatest among all Gods would be made the presiding deity. Bhrigu then set off to find the greatest among the Trinity. When he went to Brahmā, he was so immersed in the music played by Saraswati that he could hardly hear Bhrigu's calls. The enraged Bhrigu then cursed Brahmā that no person on Earth would ever invoke him or worship him again.
However, these are just tales in the puranas (hindu history books). In Valmiki's Ramayana, Brahma is shown to have instructed the sage to worship Rama incarnation of Vishnu or Shiva as recounted to in the story of the Ganges.
India today has but two temples dedicated to Brahmdev alone as opposed to the thousands of temples dedicated to the other deities in the Trinity namely Shiva and Vishnu. The more famous one being at Pushkar in Rajasthan state.
Creation
According to Puranas he is self-born (without mother) in the lotus which grows from the navel of Vishnu at the beginning of the universe. This explains his name Nabhija (born from the navel). Another legend says that Brahmā created himself by first creating water. In this 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 Brahm-anda or Universe. Being born in water, Brahmā is also called Kanja (born in water). Brahmā is said also to be the son of the Supreme Being, Brahman and his female energy, Maya. The beginning of the universe was the sound OM.
Appearance
Brahmā is traditionally depicted with four heads and four faces and four arms. Each head recites one of the four Vedas. He is usually depicted with a white beard, to match the near eternal nature of his existence. He is shown as having four arms, with none holding 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 - indicating the fact that Brahmā is the lord of sacrifices. Another of his hands holds a water-pot (sometimes 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 element of creation evolved. Brahmā also holds a string of rosary beads that he uses to keep track of the Universe's time. He also is shown holding the Vedas, and sometimes, a lotus flower.
Vehicle
His 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. The significance of this is that justice should be dispensed to all creatures, however entwined it might be in a situation. Also, this virtue indicates that one should learn to separate the good from the evil and then accept that which is valuable and discard that which is worthless or evil.
Consort
His consort is Saraswati, the goddess of learning.
Temples
Although Brahmā is prayed to in almost all Hindu religious rites, there are only three temples dedicated to him in India, the more prominent of which is at Pushkar, close to Ajmer. 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. There is one more temple for Brahma 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.
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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