Hinduism Crowning [] Motherland [] Crown of the Vedic Age [] New Sacrifice [] Search [] Atman [] Identity [] Karma [] Emancipation I. Introduction Hinduism, religion that originated in India and is still practiced by most of its inhabitants, as well as by those whose families have migrated from India to other parts of the world (chiefly East Africa, South Africa, Southeast Asia, the East Indies, and England). The word Hindu is derived from the Sanskrit word sindhu (ï¿½riverï¿½ï¿½more specifically, the Indus); the Persians in the 5th century BC called the Hindus by that name, identifying them as the people of the land of the Indus.

The Hindus define their community as ï¿½those who believe in the Vedasï¿½ (see Veda ) or ï¿½those who follow the way (dharma) of the four classes (varnas) and stages of life (ashramas).ï¿½ Hinduism is a major world religion, not merely by virtue of its many followers (estimated at more than 700 million) but also because of its profound influence on many other religions during its long, unbroken history, which dates from about 1500 BC . The corresponding influence of these various religions on Hinduism (it has an extraordinary tendency to absorb foreign elements) has greatly contributed to the religion's syncretismï¿½the wide variety of beliefs and practices that it encompasses. Moreover, the geographic, rather than ideological, basis of the religion (the fact that it comprises whatever all the people of India have believed and done) has given Hinduism the character of a social and doctrinal system that extends to every aspect of human life. II. Fundamental Principles The canon of Hinduism is basically defined by what people do rather than what they think.

Consequently, far more uniformity of behavior than of belief is found among Hindus, although very few practices or beliefs are shared by all. A few usages are observed by almost all Hindus: reverence for Brahmans and cows; abstention from meat (especially beef); and marriage within the caste (jati), in the hope of producing male heirs. Most Hindus chant the gayatri hymn to the sun at dawn, but little agreement exists as to what other prayers should be chanted. Most Hindus worship Shiva , Vishnu , or the Goddess (Devi), but they also worship hundreds of additional minor deities peculiar to a particular village or even to a particular family. Although Hindus believe and do many apparently contradictory thingsï¿½contradictory not merely from one Hindu to the next, but also within the daily religious life of a single Hinduï¿½each individual perceives an orderly pattern that gives form and meaning to his or her own life. No doctrinal or ecclesiastical hierarchy exists in Hinduism, but the intricate hierarchy of the social system (which is inseparable from the religion) gives each person a sense of place within the whole. A. Texts The ultimate canonical authority for all Hindus is the Vedas.

The oldest of the four Vedas is the Rig-Veda , which was composed in an ancient form of the Sanskrit language in northwest India. This text, probably composed between about 1500 and 1000 BC and consisting of 1028 hymns to a pantheon of gods, has been memorized syllable by syllable and preserved orally to the present day. The Rig-Veda was supplemented by two other Vedas, the Yajur-Veda (the textbook for sacrifice) and the Sama-Veda (the hymnal). A fourth book, the Atharva-Veda (a collection of magic spells), was probably added about 900 BC . At this time, too, the Brahmanasï¿½lengthy Sanskrit texts expounding priestly ritual and the myths behind itï¿½were composed. Between the 8th century BC and the 5th century BC , the Upanishads were composed; these are mystical-philosophical meditations on the meaning of existence and the nature of the universe.

The Vedas, including the Brahmanas and the Upanishads, are regarded as revealed canon (shruti,ï¿½what has been heard [from the gods]ï¿½), and no syllable can be changed. The actual content of this canon, however, is unknown to most Hindus. The practical compendium of Hinduism is contained in the Smriti, or ï¿½what is remembered,ï¿½ which is also orally preserved. No prohibition is made against improvising variations on, rewording, or challenging the Smriti. The Smriti includes the two great Sanskrit epics, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana ; the many Sanskrit Puranas , including 18 great Puranas and several dozen more subordinate Puranas; and the many Dharmashastras and Dharmasutras (textbooks on sacred law), of which the one attributed to the sage Manu is the most frequently cited. The two epics are built around central narratives. The Mahabharata tells of the war between the Pandava brothers, led by their cousin Krishna , and their cousins the Kauravas.

The Ramayana tells of the journey of Rama to recover his wife Sita after she is stolen by the demon Ravana. But these stories are embedded in a rich corpus of other tales and discourses on philosophy, law, geography, political science, and astronomy, so that the Mahabharata (about 200,000 lines long) constitutes a kind of encyclopedia or even a literature, and the Ramayana (more than 50,000 lines long) is comparable. Although it is therefore impossible to fix their dates, the main bodies of the Mahabharata and the Ramayana were probably composed between 400 BC and AD 400. Both, however, continued to grow even after they were translated into the vernacular languages of India (such as Tamil and Hindi) in the succeeding centuries. The Puranas were composed after the epics, and several of them develop themes found in the epics (for instance, the Bhagavata-Purana describes the childhood of Krishna, a topic not elaborated in the Mahabharata). The Puranas also include subsidiary myths, hymns of praise, philosophies, iconography, and rituals.

Most of the Puranas are predominantly sectarian in nature; the great Puranas (and some subordinate Puranas) are dedicated to the worship of Shiva or Vishnu or the Goddess, and several subordinate Puranas are devoted to Ganesha or Skanda or the sun. In addition, they all contain a great deal of nonsectarian material, probably of earlier origin, such as the ï¿½five marks,ï¿½ or topics (panchalakshana), of the Puranas: the creation of the universe, the destruction and re-creation of the universe, the dynasties of the solar and lunar gods, the genealogy of the gods and holy sages, and the ages of the founding fathers of humankind (the Manus). B. Philosophy Incorporated in this rich literature is a complex cosmology. Hindus believe that the universe is a great, enclosed sphere, a cosmic egg, within which are numerous concentric heavens, hells, oceans, and continents, with India at the center.

They believe that time is both degenerativeï¿½going from the golden age, or Krita Yuga, through two intermediate periods of decreasing goodness, to the present age, or Kali Yugaï¿½and cyclic: At the end of each Kali Yuga, the universe is destroyed by fire and flood, and a new golden age begins. Human life, too, is cyclic: After death, the soul leaves the body and is reborn in the body of another person, animal, vegetable, or mineral. This condition of endless entanglement in activity and rebirth is called samsara (see Transmigration ). The precise quality of the new birth is determined by the accumulated merit and demerit that result from all the actions, or karma , that the soul has committed in its past life or lives. All Hindus believe that karma accrues in this way; they also believe, however, that it can be counteracted by expiations and rituals, by ï¿½working outï¿½ through punishment or reward, and by achieving release (moksha) from the entire process of samsara through the renunciation of all worldly desires.

Hindus may thus be divided into two groups: those who seek the sacred and profane rewards of this world (health, wealth, children, and a good rebirth), and those who seek release from the world. The principles of the first way of life were drawn from the Vedas and are represented today in temple Hinduism and in the religion of Brahmans and the caste system. The second way, which is prescribed in the Upanishads, is represented not only in the cults of renunciation (sannyasa) but also in the ideological ideals of most Hindus. T he worldly aspect of Hinduism originally had three Vedas, three classes of society (varnas), three stages of life (ashramas), and three ï¿½goals of a manï¿½ (purusharthas), the goals or needs of women being seldom discussed in the ancient texts. To the first three Vedas was added the Atharva-Veda.

The first three classes (Brahman, or priestly; Kshatriya, or warrior; and Vaisya, or general populace) were derived from the tripartite division of ancient Indo-European society, traces of which can be detected in certain social and religious institutions of ancient Greece and Rome. To the three classes were added the Shudras, or servants, after the Indo-Aryans settled into the Punjab and began to move down into the Ganges Valley. The three original ashramas were the chaste student (brahmachari), the householder (grihastha), and the forest-dweller (vanaprastha). They were said to owe three debts: study of the Vedas (owed to the sages); a son (to the ancestors); and sacrifice (to the gods). The three goals were artha (material success), dharma (righteous social behavior), and kama (sensual pleasures).

Shortly after the composition of the first Upanishads, during the rise of Buddhism (6th century BC ), a fourth ashrama and a corresponding fourth goal were added: the renouncer (sannyasi), whose goal is release (moksha) from the other stages, goals, and debts. Each of these two ways of being Hindu developed its own complementary metaphysical and social systems. The caste system and its supporting philosophy of svadharma (ï¿½one's own dharmaï¿½) developed within the worldly way. Svadharma comprises the beliefs that each person is born to perform a specific job, marry a specific person, eat certain food, and beget children to do likewise and that it is better to fulfill one's own dharma than that of anyone else (even if one's own is low or reprehensible, such as that of the Harijan caste, the Untouchables, whose mere presence was once considered polluting to other castes). The primary goal of the worldly Hindu is to produce and raise a son who will make offerings to the ancestors (the shraddha ceremony).

The second, renunciatory way of Hinduism, on the other hand, is based on the Upanishadic philosophy of the unity of the individual soul, or atman , with Brahman, the universal world soul, or godhead. The full realization of this is believed to be sufficient to release the worshiper from rebirth; in this view, nothing could be more detrimental to salvation than the birth of a child. Many of the goals and ideals of renunciatory Hinduism have been incorporated into worldly Hinduism, particularly the eternal dharma (sanatana dharma), an absolute and general ethical code that purports to transcend and embrace all subsidiary, relative, specific dharmas. The most important tenet of sanatana dharma for all Hindus is ahimsa, the absence of a desire to injure, which is used to justify vegetarianism (although it does not preclude physical violence toward animals or humans, or blood sacrifices in temples). In addition to sanatana dharma, numerous attempts have been made to reconcile the two Hinduisms. The Bhagavad-Gita describes three paths to religious realization.

To the path of works, or karma (here designating sacrificial and ritual acts), and the path of knowledge, or jnana (the Upanishadic meditation on the godhead), was added a mediating third path, the passionate devotion to God, or bhakti , a religious ideal that came to combine and transcend the other two paths. Bhakti in a general form can be traced in the epics and even in some of the Upanishads, but its fullest statement appears only after the Bhagavad-Gita. It gained momentum from the vernacular poems and songs to local deities, particularly those of the Alvars, Nayanars, and Virashaivas of southern India and the Bengali worshipers of Krishna (see below). In this way Hindus have been able to reconcile their Vedantic monism (see Vedanta ) with their Vedic polytheism: All the individual Hindu gods (who are said to be saguna,ï¿½with attributesï¿½) are subsumed under the godhead (nirguna,ï¿½without attributesï¿½), from which they all emanate.

Therefore, most Hindus are devoted (through bhakti) to gods whom they worship in rituals (through karma) and whom they understand (through jnana) as aspects of ultimate reality, the material reflection of which is all an illusion (maya) wrought by God in a spirit of play (lila). C. Gods Although all Hindus acknowledge the existence and importance of a number of gods and demigods, most individual worshipers are primarily devoted to a single god or goddess, of whom Shiva, Vishnu, and the Goddess are the most popular. Shiva embodies the apparently contradictory aspects of a god of ascetics and a god of the phallus.

He is the deity of renouncers, particularly of the many Shaiva sects that imitate him: Kapalikas, who carry skulls to reenact the myth in which Shiva beheaded his father, the incestuous Brahma, and was condemned to carry the skull until he found release in Benares; Pashupatas, worshipers of Shiva Pashupati, ï¿½Lord of Beastsï¿½; and Aghoris, ï¿½to whom nothing is horrible,ï¿½ yogis who eat ordure or flesh in order to demonstrate their complete indifference to pleasure or pain. Shiva is also the deity whose phallus (linga) is the central shrine of all Shaiva temples and the personal shrine of all Shaiva householders; his priapism is said to have resulted in his castration and the subsequent worship of his severed member. In addition, Shiva is said to have appeared on earth in various human, animal, and vegetable forms, establishing his many local shrines. To his worshipers, Vishnu is all-pervasive and supreme; he is the god from whose navel a lotus sprang, giving birth to the creator (Brahma).

Vishnu created the universe by separating heaven and earth, and he rescued it on a number of subsequent occasions. He is also worshiped in the form of a number of ï¿½descentsï¿½ï¿½avatars (see Avatar ), or, roughly, incarnations. Several of these are animals that recur in iconography: the fish, the tortoise, and the boar. Others are the dwarf (Vamana, who became a giant in order to trick the demon Bali out of the entire universe); the man-lion (Narasimha, who disemboweled the demon Hiranyakashipu); the Buddha (who became incarnate in order to teach a false doctrine to the pious demons); Rama-with-an-Axe (Parashurama, who beheaded his unchaste mother and destroyed the entire class of Kshatriyas to avenge his father); and Kalki (the rider on the white horse, who will come to destroy the universe at the end of the age of Kali).

Most popular by far are Rama (hero of the Ramayana) and Krishna (hero of the Mahabharata and the Bhagavata-Purana), both of whom are said to be avatars of Vishnu, although they were originally human heroes. Along with these two great male gods, several goddesses are the object of primary devotion. They are sometimes said to be various aspects of the Goddess, Devi. In some myths Devi is the prime mover, who commands the male gods to do the work of creation and destruction. As Durga, the Unapproachable, she kills the buffalo demon Mahisha in a great battle; as Kali, the Black, she dances in a mad frenzy on the corpses of those she has slain and eaten, adorned with the still-dripping skulls and severed hands of her victims. The Goddess is also worshiped by the Shaktas, devotees of Shakti, the female power. This sect arose in the medieval period along with the Tantrists, whose esoteric ceremonies involved a black mass in which such forbidden substances as meat, fish, and wine were eaten and forbidden sexual acts were performed ritually.

In many Tantric cults the Goddess is identified as Krishna's consort Radha. More peaceful manifestations of the Goddess are seen in wives of the great gods: Lakshmi, the meek, docile wife of Vishnu and a fertility goddess in her own right; and Parvati, the wife of Shiva and the daughter of the Himalayas. The great river goddess Ganga (the Ganges), also worshiped alone, is said to be a wife of Shiva; a goddess of music and literature, Sarasvati, associated with the Saraswati River, is the wife of Brahma. Many of the local goddesses of Indiaï¿½Manasha, the goddess of snakes, in Bengal, and Minakshi in Maduraiï¿½are married to Hindu gods, while others, such as Shitala, goddess of smallpox, are worshiped alone. These unmarried goddesses are feared for their untamed powers and angry, unpredictable outbursts. Many minor gods are assimilated into the central pantheon by being identified with the great gods or with their children and friends. Hanuman, the monkey god, appears in the Ramayana as the cunning assistant of Rama in the siege of Lanka.

Skanda, the general of the army of the gods, is the son of Shiva and Parvati, as is Ganesha, the elephant-headed god of scribes and merchants, the remover of obstacles, and the object of worship at the beginning of any important enterprise. D. Worship and Ritual The great and lesser Hindu gods are worshiped in a number of concentric circles of public and private devotion. Because of the social basis of Hinduism, the most fundamental ceremonies for every Hindu are those that involve the rites of passage (samskaras). These begin with birth and the first time the child eats solid food (rice). Later rites include the first haircutting (for a young boy) and the purification after the first menstruation (for a girl); marriage; and the blessings upon a pregnancy, to produce a male child and to ensure a successful delivery and the child's survival of the first six dangerous days after birth (the concern of Shashti, goddess of Six). Last are the funeral ceremonies (cremation and, if possible, the sprinkling of ashes in a holy river such as the Ganges) and the yearly offerings to dead ancestors.

The most notable of the latter is the pinda, a ball of rice and sesame seeds given by the eldest male child so that the ghost of his father may pass from limbo into rebirth. In daily ritual, a Hindu (generally the wife, who is thought to have more power to intercede with the gods) makes offerings (puja) of fruit or flowers before a small shrine in the house. She also makes offerings to local snakes or trees or obscure spirits (benevolent and malevolent) dwelling in her own garden or at crossroads or other magical places in the village. Many villages, and all sizable towns, have temples where priests perform ceremonies throughout the day: sunrise prayers and noises to awaken the god within the holy of holies (the garbagriha, or ï¿½womb-houseï¿½); bathing, clothing, and fanning the god; feeding the god and distributing the remains of the food (prasada) to worshipers. The temple is also a cultural center where songs are sung, holy texts read aloud (in Sanskrit and vernaculars), and sunset rituals performed; devout laity may be present at most of these ceremonies.

In many temples, particularly those sacred to goddesses (such as the Kalighat temple to Kali, in Kolkata), goats are sacrificed on special occasions. The sacrifice is often carried out by a special low-caste priest outside the bounds of the temple itself. Thousands of simple local temples exist; each may be nothing more than a small stone box enclosing a formless effigy swathed in cloth, or a slightly more imposing edifice with a small tank in which to bathe. In addition, India has many temples of great size as well as complex temple cities, some hewn out of caves (such as Elephanta and Ellora), some formed of great monolithic slabs (such as those at Mahabalipuram), and some built of imported and elaborately carved stone slabs (such as the temples at Khajuraho, Bhubaneshwar, Madurai, and Kanjeevaram). On special days, usually once a year, the image of the god is taken from its central shrine and paraded around the temple complex on a magnificently carved wooden chariot (ratha).

Many holy places or shrines (tirthas, literally ï¿½fordsï¿½), such as Rishikesh in the Himalayas or Benares on the Ganges, are the objects of pilgrimages from all over India; others are essentially local shrines. Certain shrines are most frequently visited at special yearly festivals. For example, Prayaga, where the Ganges and Yamuna rivers join at Allahabad, is always sacred, but it is crowded with pilgrims during the Kumbha Mela festival each January and overwhelmed by the millions who come to the special ceremony held every 12 years. In Bengal, the goddess Durga's visit to her family and return to her husband Shiva are celebrated every year at Durgapuja, when images of the goddess are created out of papier-mï¿½chï¿½, worshiped for ten days, and then cast into the Ganges in a dramatic midnight ceremony ringing with drums and glowing with candles.

Some festivals are celebrated throughout India: Diwali, the festival of lights in early winter; and Holi, the spring carnival, when members of all castes mingle and let down their hair, sprinkling one another with cascades of red powder and liquid, symbolic of the blood that was probably used in past centuries. III. History The basic beliefs and practices of Hinduism cannot be understood outside their historical context. Although the early texts and events are impossible to date with precision, the general chronological development is clear. A. Vedic Civilization About 2000 BC , a highly developed civilization flourished in the Indus Valley, around the sites of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro. By about 1500 BC , when the Indo-Aryan tribes invaded India, this civilization was in a serious decline. It is therefore impossible to know, on present evidence, whether or not the two civilizations had any significant contact. Many elements of Hinduism that were not present in Vedic civilization (such as worship of the phallus and of goddesses, bathing in temple tanks, and the postures of yoga) may have been derived from the Indus civilization, however. See Indus Valley Civilization .

By about 1500 BC , the Indo-Aryans had settled in the Punjab, bringing with them their predominantly male Indo-European pantheon of gods and a simple warrior ethic that was vigorous and worldly, yet also profoundly religious. Gods of the Vedic pantheon survive in later Hinduism, but no longer as objects of worship: Indra, king of the gods and god of the storm and of fertility; Agni, god of fire; and Soma, god of the sacred, intoxicating Soma plant and the drink made from it. By 900 BC the use of iron allowed the Indo-Aryans to move down into the lush Ganges Valley, where they developed a far more elaborate civilization and social system. By the 6th century BC , Buddhism had begun to make its mark on India and what was to be more than a millennium of fruitful interaction with Hinduism. B. Classical Hindu Civilization Lotus Flower, Hindu Sacred Flower, Lotus Flower Symbolism Click here to Play Video The Lotus Flower, Hindu God's Favorite Flower Both in worship and in portrayals of the divine, Hindus are infatuated with lotus flowers.

The very name of the Hindu worship ritual, puja , can be translated as "flower act." The lotus is the foremost symbol of beauty, prosperity and fertility. According to Hinduism , within each human is the spirit of the sacred lotus. It represents eternity, purity, divinity, and is widely used as a symbol of life, fertility, ever-renewing youth. The lotus is used to describe feminine beauty, especially female eyes. One of the most common metaphysical analogies compares the lotus' perennial rise to faultless beauty from a miry environment to the evolution of consciousness, from instinctive impulses to spiritual liberation. In the Bhagavad Gita , a human is adjured to be like the lotus; they should work without attachment, dedicating their actions to God, untouched by sin like water on a lotus leaf, like a beautiful flower standing high above the mud and water. In the postures of hatha yoga , the lotus position, padmasana, is adopted by those striving to reach the highest level of consciousness, which itself is found in the thousand-petalled lotus chakra at the top of the head.

For Buddhists, the lotus flower symbolizes the most exalted state of human; head held high, pure and undefiled in the sun, feet rooted in the world of experience. There is a story that the lotus arose from the navel of God Vishnu , and at the center of the flower sat Brahma . Brahma (the Creator), Vishnu (the Protector) and Siva (the Merger) are associated with this plant. There are also accounts of the world born through a "Golden Lotus" and Padmakalpa, the Lotus Age in the Padmapurana (678 ce). "Hindu texts describe that water represents the procreative aspect of the Absolute, and the cosmic lotus, the generative." Trilok Chandra Majupuria of Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, explains in Religious and Useful Plants of Nepal and India (1989, M. Gupta, Lashkar, India): "The Taittiriya Brahmana describes how Prajapati, desiring to evolve the universe, which was then fluid, saw a lotus-leaf, pushkara parna, coming out of water.

It is described that when divine life-substance was about to put forth the universe, the cosmic waters grew a thousand-petalled lotus flower of pure gold, radiant like the sun. This was considered to be a doorway, or an opening of the mouth of the womb of the universe. Hindu texts describe that water represents the procreative aspect of the Absolute, and the cosmic lotus, the generative. Thus, lotus is the first product of the creative principle." The role of Lord Brahma was to re-create the universe after the great flood on this planet. In order to create the universe, He used the different parts of the lotus plant. Goddess Lakshmi , patron of wealth and good fortune, sits on a fully bloomed pink lotus as Her divine seat and holds a lotus in Her right hand. It is also mentioned in the Mahabharata that Lakshmi emerged from a lotus which grew from the forehead of Lord Vishnu, and a garland of 108 lotus seeds is today used for the worship of Lakshmi.

The Goddess of Power, Durga , was created by Lord Siva to fight demons and was adorned with a garland of lotus flowers by Varuna. Goddess of Wisdom, Saraswati is associated with the white Lotus. Virtually every God and Goddess of Hinduism; Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Parvati, Durga, Agni, Ganesha, Rama and Surya; are typically shown sitting on the lotus, often holding a lotus flower in their hand. The lotus which serves thus as the seat of the Deity, signifying their divinity and purity, is called padmasana or kamalasana. "Visualize within yourself a lotus, centered right within your heart." Hindu scriptures say that the Atman dwells in the lotus within the heart. Visualize within yourself a lotus, centered right within your heart. Try to mentally feel and see the heart as a lotus flower right within you. Within the center of the lotus, see a small light. Hindu scriptures state that the Atman within the heart looks like a brilliant light about the size of your thumb, just a small light.

This light is an emanation of your radiant being. It is dwelling right within. The Self God is deeper than that. The lotus is within the heart, and the Self God dwells deep within that lotus of light. Brahma: the Creator Amongst the Hindu Trinity Brahma: the Creator Amongst the Hindu Trinity [ This is the first in our series of three articles on the Hindu Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva . As we add the next in the series, we will send out a newsletter informing you of the same. To subscribe to our newsletter please become a member for free - click here . ] The Hindu Trinity Bhargo Devasya Dheemahi Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat The protector who is the basis of the whole universe and who is self existent and who is free from all pains and whose contact frees the soul from all troubles exists in different forms in this universe and sustains all. He is the creator and energizer of the whole universe, the giver of all happiness, worthy of acceptance, pure and purifier. That very God let us embrace, so that God may direct our mind and thoughts.

- Gayatri Mantra, a popular Hindu Mantra or Hymn Eka Mai Jugat ViyaeeTin Chele Parvan Ik Sansari Ik Bhandari Ik Lae Diban Jiv Tis Bhave Tivey Chalavey Jiv Hove Phurman Ohu Vekhe Ona Nadar Na Avey Bahuta Ehu Vidan The Supreme spirit manifested Maya Who conceived and delivered the Holy Triad The Creator, the Sustainer and the Destroyer Yet He ordains as pleases Him for the Triad to act Even they see Him not Who Sees All This remains the greatest wonder of all - Rajender Krishan The plethora of deistic traditions under the umbrella of the Hindu religion, are united through the concept of the Trimurti or trinity. One finds depictions of this concept in beautiful art works or religious texts and ritualistic verses in Hinduism . However, in practice it is more of a philosophical symbol which depicts the three aspects of the Supreme Being, all of which need to concur for the creation, preservation and eventual destruction of all that exists in the Universe.

Courtesy Exotic India The Trimurti (literally indicating three forms or trinity), is the representation of the three projections of the Supreme Reality, each with a specific cosmic function. These manifestations are that of Brahma (serving the cosmic function of creation), Vishnu (serving the cosmic function of renewal and preservation), and Shiva (serving the cosmic function of dissolution or destruction that precedes re-creation) – the three popular Hindu gods . Our daily existence reflects these three cosmic functions as birth, life and death. A somewhat similar symbolization exists in the Christian trinity of God as the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. However the interpretation and philosophy behind the Christian and Hindu concepts of the trinity differ. The trinity is interpreted in various forms in Hindu philosophy. A widely accepted belief is that it represents earth, water, and fire. The earth, or Brahma, is seen as the originator of all life and hence is regarded as the Creator. Water is the sustainer of life and hence is the Preserver and is represented as Vishnu. Fire destructs life and hence is the Destroyer and is represented as Shiva.

Courtesy Exotic India The trinity also represents the three fundamental gunas or qualities, as described in the Bhagavad- Gita - the sacred Hindu philosophical text. These qualities are the quality of passion or desire (rajas – as represented by Brahma, because passion or desire results in procreation), the quality of mercy (satva – as represented by Vishnu, because mercy preserves life), and the quality of darkness and wrath (tamas – as represented by Shiva, because darkness equates with the annihilated state of the universe). The Trinity represents three individual forms on the different planes of Consciousness. On the Physical plane, the psychic element is represented by Brahma, the mental element by Vishnu, and the physical element by Shiva. On the mental plane, Brahma is the intuitive and creative thought, Vishnu is intelligence and Shiva stands for emotions and feelings. The Sky as Brahma, the Sun as Vishnu and the Moon as Shiva form the earthly plane. Various phases of an individual’s life are said to be represented by the Trinity. The first of these phases, that of celibacy and studentship, (Brahmacharya Ashram) – is represented by Brahma.

During this phase, knowledge is the individual’s constant companion. Knowledge of course is represented by Goddess Saraswati , who is said to be the consort of Brahma. The second phase of adulthood and household (Grihastha Ashram) is represented by Vishnu. During this phase, the individual fulfils all religious and family obligations by involving oneself in generating wealth, which one uses to sustain oneself and one’s family. During this phase wealth is the individual’s companion and is represented by Vishnu’s consort, Goddess Lakshmi. The third phase is that of old age (Vanaprastha Ashram) and is represented by Shiva. This phase marks the renunciation of one’s worldly life for a life void of material pleasures, dedicated to the pursuit of true knowledge. In ancient days, this typically marked the time when a householder, along with his wife, left their worldly belongings to spend their life in a forest, just like Lord Shiva leads a homeless life with only the essential belongings. UNITING WITH GOD Courtesy Exotic India The final phase (Sanayasa Ashram) the individual seeks to merge oneself with the Supreme power (Ishwara).

One completes the process of renunciation and he along with his wife lead a life completely untouched by any attachments. The only occupation becomes deep meditation, leading to the individual becoming Ishwara Himself, with his wife as Ishwara’s consort becoming the Universal Mother . The three phases of life, represented by the Trinity thus culminates into One underlining the fact that the three are in reality one and the same Ishwara. An interesting legend illustrates this concept beautifully. Once, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva were boasting about their great powers. All of a sudden, a young boy came forth, and asked Brahma as to what he creates. Brahma quickly replied with pride, “Everything”. When he asked Vishnu and Shiva as to what they sustain and destroy respectively, he got the same reply from both Gods – “Everything”. Showing Brahma a small straw, the young boy asked him if he could create a straw just like the one he was holding. However, even after a great deal of effort, Brahma was unable to do so. The child then turned upon Vishnu and asked him whether he could preserve the dissolving form of the straw but Vishnu looked on helplessly.

The child finally asked Shiva to destroy the small straw but despite Shiva’s best efforts, the straw still remained as it was. Then the boy turned again towards Brahma and asked him whether he was the child’s creator. Even after great thought Brahma could not remember having created this bright child. The child then suddenly vanished, and the three Gods then remembered that there always is the Supreme God behind their amazing powers. Each of the Gods in the Trinity has a consort and each God is inseparable from his female part, or Shakti (cosmic power or cosmic force). Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge is the consort of Brahma. Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, love , beauty and delight is Vishnu’s consort. Shiva has Parvati as his consort, the Goddess of power, destruction and transformation. Just as the Trinity, Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati are the three main goddesses in Hindu religion. The three Goddesses are often worshipped individually, as also as spouses of the Trinity Gods.

The Puranas say that the Trimurti (Trinity) originated from Adi Shakti – or the Supreme cosmic Energy – as symbolized by a female form – the universal Mother. The Trimurti was originally worshipped as a single deity, as a representation of the Brahman or the Supreme Being. However later, each God was separated from the single form and now the unified form is not worshipped anymore. Of the three Gods forming the Trimurti, Brahma is not worshipped except at a very few places while Vishnu and Shiva both have huge followings. Brahma, the Creator Hindu mythology addresses Brahma – the omniscient, the source of all that exists, the causation of all forms and events - by various names. He is the single syllable “Om” – the eka aksharam (single letter). As the self-born uncreated creator, he is Swayambhu. As the first manifestation of one’s existence he is Ahankara. As the embryo from which the universe originates, he is Hiranya Garbha (golden embryo), the ball of fire. As all creatures are his progeny, he is Prajapati (king of kings).

He is also Pitamaha (patriarch), Vidhi (ordinator), Lokesha (master of the universe) and Viswakarma (architect of the world). BRAHMA EMERGING ON A LOTUS SPRUNG OUT OF VISHNU'S NAVEL Courtesy Exotic India The Mahabharata gives a separate version of Brahma’s origin in which, Brahma arose from a lotus (Kamala) with thousand petals that grew out of Vishnu's navel (Nabhi). This legend explains his name Nabhija (navel born). According to the Puranas, Brahma is said to be the son of the Supreme Being and his female energy, Maya – the cosmic illusion which keeps all life under a veil of separation from the Supreme One. It is said that Brahma creates and recreates the universe time and again. One creation of his lasts one Brahma-day which is equivalent to a period of 4,320,000,000 human years in terms of the Hindu calendar. Each Brahma-day (Kalpa) comprises a thousand Mahayugas each of which comprises the four Yugas or Ages. 1.

KRITA (OR SATYA)-YUGA 432,000 x 4 = 1,728,000 years 432,000 x 3 = 1,296,000 years 432,000 x 2 = 864,000 years 432,000 x 1 = 432,000 years 4,320,000 years It is said that each Yuga's length decreases progressively in relation to increasing moral and physical decadence in each age. As a result, in Krita Yuga, virtue prevails while evil is unknown while in Kaliyuga, evil takes a strong grip. When Brahma goes to sleep at night after the end of his day, all of his creations get dissolved into the universe. The night again lasts for the same period as the day. The dissolution of the universe during the Brahma-night is called the Pralaya. When he awakes he again restores the whole creation for the next Kalpa.

Brahma is said to have a life of hundred Brahma-years, each year comprising 720 Kalpas (360 each Brahma-days and Brahma-nights). This process of creation and dissolution goes on till the hundred years of Brahma's life are completed. At the end of these hundred Brahma years, all that exists, including Brahma and all other Gods – the whole universe - dissolves into its constituent elements. At the beginning of the process of creation, Brahma created ten Prajapatis, 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. The depiction of Brahma in Hindu art and religious texts is replete with interesting legends and interpretations.

In addition to being the creator of the universe, Brahma delegates various duties to all creatures, and based on these he decides the incarnations to be bestowed on each creature. To be fully aware of the deeds of all creatures at all times is therefore indispensable and hence Lord Brahma is shown with four heads, to look in all four directions. The four heads of Brahma has earned him the name Chatur Mukha (the one with four heads). The heads represent the four Vedas – holy Hindu text (Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda). They also symbolize the four Yugas – epochs of time (Krita Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dwapara Yuga and Kali Yuga) as well as the four castes or Varnas (Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra). The four castes are believed to have originated from the various body parts of Brahma: the Brahmanas from his head, the Kshatriyas from his arms, the Vaishyas from his thighs, and the Shudras from his feet.

Even though Brahma is typically shown as having four heads looking in the four directions, legend holds it that at one time he had five heads, the fifth looking upwards. However originally he is said to have possessed just one head. At that time the cosmos did not exist and Brahma was self-contained and self-content. However he eventually started longing for company. At this time, he split himself to form a female form, called Satarupa (the one with a hundred beautiful forms). As he laid his gaze upon Satarupa, Brahma immediately felt attracted towards her. To avoid Brahma’s gaze, Satarupa tried to slip off in various directions but was unsuccessful as Brahma developed a head in each direction. Finding no other way, Satarupa start ascending upwards but then too, Brahma developed a head that looked upwards. Shiva noticed all that was happening. Since Satarupa originated out of Brahma, Shiva felt Satarupa was a daughter of Brahma and hence it was improper of Brahma to be obsessed with her. Shiva therefore cut off the head of Brahma that looked upwards so she could escape him.

As an additional punishment for this unholy behavior of Brahma, Shiva cast a curse on him and directed that there be no proper worship of Brahma. Ever since, only Vishnu and Shiva out of the three Gods comprising the Trinity are worshipped while Brahma is almost totally ignored. It is also said that since then Brahma has been trying to redeem himself of his sins by continuously reciting the four Vedas. According to Shiva Purana, the incestuous union of Brahma and Satarupa resulted in the birth of Swyambhu Manu, who eventually turned out to be the progenitor of Man. There exists another version of the cutting off of Brahma’s fifth head. According to the Puranas, Brahma and Vishnu once had an argument over who was the Supreme God. The Vedas however declared Shiva as the Supreme Being. Having discovered this, Brahma started speaking insultingly about Shiva. To teach Brahma a lesson, Shiva cut off the head which had spoken, and therefore Brahma was left with four heads. In spite of being one among the three gods forming the Trinity, worshipping of Brahma worship is not as widespread as worshipping of Shiva or Vishnu.

In India, there are only two temples dedicated to Brahma, as against thousands dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu. One of these two temples is at Pushkar near Ajmer in Rajasthan. The other is at Khedabrahma in Kerala. It is believed that once Lord Shiva stood in the form of a great linga with no end under the ground or in the sky. Brahma and Vishnu threw each other a challenge of superiority in which one of the ends had to be reached. Brahma took the form of a swan and flew upwards while Vishnu turned into a boar and started digging into the ground. However, even after a lot of efforts, neither of the two found the end of the linga. However to exert his superiority, Brahma came back and lied to Vishnu about having found the top of the linga. Shiva flew into a rage as soon as Brahma uttered the lie and took his own form from the linga and cast a curse on Brahma and declared that he would never be worshipped. Further, since the Ketaki flower stood witness to Brahma’s blatant lie, Shiva cursed the flower as well and since then the Ketaki flower is not used in religious rituals.

Since Brahma is the creator of all life and hence our ancestor, and his existence has been for ages beyond our comprehension – since in a day of Brahma’s life eons pass, his appearance is made to match the near eternal nature of his existence by depiction of a white beard on all the four faces and eyes closed in meditation. Brahma is typically shown without any form of weapons. Since he is also called the lord of sacrifices, he 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. Some depictions of Brahma however do show him holding a bow, which is said to be the weapon of Brahma. Lord Brahma is depicted as holding a coconut shell bowl filled with water, in one of his hands. The significance of the water is that initial all encompassing ether in which the first element of creation evolved. In another hand of Brahmas are held the Vedas, which are considered to be the primeval text of creation – containing all the knowledge there was, is and will ever be.

It is said that even the Pralayas could not destroy the Vedas since Brahma himself took incarnations to save the Vedas during the deluges. The Vedas have neither origin nor end and reminds Brahma of his previous Kalpa. The indestructible nature of the Vedas signifies the fact that all except truth – the Supreme Consciousness - is destructible. A Rosary adorns another hand of Lord Brahma. The rosary signifies the importance of reminding oneself of the almighty, the Supreme God, by reciting His name through the mundane passage of each day in one’s life. Lord Brahma’s hand postures (mudras) are those of Abhaya (protector) and Varada (giver of boons). Both the postures have the palms facing outward, with the former being that of the fingers of the palm facing upwards while the latter has the fingers facing downward. Brahma resides in what is known as Brahmaloka. His abode is said to contain all the splendors of earth and of the heavens of the other gods. He is typically shown in one of the two forms of a standing or sitting position on a lotus or of a sitting position on a Hamsa (swan).

The lotus is known to grow in muck. The seat of Lord Brahma as the lotus signifies that one should try to attain freedom from the shackles of influences of one’s origin in passion and illusion. A divine white swan or goose is depicted as the vehicle of Brahma. 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. DANCE FORM Goddess Saraswati is Brahma's consort and feminine counterpart. She is the Goddess of wisdom and knowledge. Her name comprises two Sanksrit terms – Sara or essence and Swa or self, which indicates a connotation of the Essence of the Self. Literally, however, the word Saraswati means “the one which flows”. The Rigveda mentions Saraswati in the form of a divine river and hence gets associated with fertility and purification.

She has some other designations too – Sarada - the giver of essence; Vageshvari – the mistress of speech; Brahmi - the wife of Brahma; and Mahavidya – the supreme knowledge. Brahma’s creative force is represented by Saraswati, who is the master of the 64 arts. Being the Goddess of Knowledge, she is the worshipped deity of all those, seeking and dispensing knowledge of any form, viz. both teachers and students. She is depicted as an extremely fair, young and beautiful lady with four arms and as attired in a white sari and as sitting on a white lotus flower. A white swan is also shown as her accompanying divine vehicle. DIVINE VEENA Courtesy Exotic India She holds in her hands a stringed instrument – the divine Veena – since she is the master of the arts. In her right hands she holds a book made of palm leaves and a lotus, signifying the need of using knowledge with love and kindness for the good of all creation. On her left hand she wears a necklace of pearls, which symbolize meditation and the path leading to oneness with God – the state of Samadhi.

The two arms on the front represent her presence in the physical world while the arms on the back represent her presence in the spiritual world. Brahma along with Saraswati, represents the spirit of the Vedas, from which all knowledge originates. Various Hindu mythological legends tell tales of how Brahma’s lack of discretion in granting boons to even demons led to great damages to the Universe. At all these occasions Vishnu has had to appear and set right the bad situations precipitated by the powers bestowed upon the demons thanks to the boons of Brahma. This ungodly trait of Brahma contributes to his unpopularity in terms of a deity. Further the nature of his cosmic function of procreation leads naturally to thoughts of passion and the flesh which is attributed a somewhat less desired connotation than thoughts of the soul and God. Another extension of the his cosmic functionality being the cause of the lack of popularity is the fact that his active function ceases since he has already created the universe and now Vishnu and Shiva have active roles to play. As a result people tend to flock more to Vishnu and Shiva than to Brahma.

Brahma will, of course, exert his powers during the creation of a new universe after this one is destroyed and to that extent, his role as the master creator and the originator of all knowledge will always remain in the minds of all Hindus. [ This is the first in our series of three articles on the Hindu Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. As we add the next in the series, we will send out a newsletter informing you of the same. To subscribe to our newseletter please become a member for free - click here . ] This article was written by:

Question: Hindu god Brahma emerged from which part of the body of Vishnu?
Answer: The navel