| Brahma | |
|---|---|
 Brahma carving at a temple in Halebidu |
|
| creation | |
| Devanagari | ब्रह्मा |
| Sanskrit Transliteration | Brahmā |
| Affiliation | Deva (Trimurti) |
| Abode | Satyaloka (Brahmaloka), not to be confused with Brahmaloka-sanatana - abode of Brahman (Vishnu) |
| Consort | Saraswati and Gayatri |
| Mount | Hamsa (Swan or goose) |
Brahma (Sanskrit: ब्रह्मा; IAST:Brahmā) is the Hindu god (deva) of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the Mahābhārata, 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 Vedānta philosophy known as Brahman, which is genderless. Brahmā's consort is Sāvitri and Gāyatri. Saraswati sits beside him, the goddess of learning. Brahmā is often identified with Prajapati, a Vedic deity.
According to Brahma Kumaris religion, divine father Brahma is actually name for Dada Lekhraj Kirpalani (1876 – January 18, 1969), true chariot of God Father Shiva Baba.
Contents |
[edit] Name
In Sanskrit grammar, the noun stem brahman forms two distinct nouns; one is a neuter noun bráhman, whose nominative singular form is brahma ब्रह्म; this noun has a generalized and abstract meaning.
Contrasted to the neuter noun is the masculine noun brahmán, whose nominative singular form is brahmā ब्रह्मा. This noun is used to refer to a person, and as the proper name of a deity Brahmā it is the subject matter of the present article.
Variations of the god's name include the following.
- Burmese: ဗြဟ္မာ (IPA: [bjəmà])
- Malay: Betara Berahma or Adi Berma
- Tamil: Piraman
- Thai: พระพรหม (Phra Phrom) or ธาดา (Thada, from Dhātā)
[edit] Attributes
At the beginning of the process of creation, Brahmā created eleven Prajapatis (used in another sense), who are believed to be the fathers of the human race. The Manusmriti enumerates them as Marici, Atri, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratuj, Vashishta, Pracetas or Daksha, Bhrigu, and Nārada.[1] 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 or spirits.
Within Vedic and Purānic 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 Soma to give Tara back to her husband, Brihaspati. He is considered the father of Dharma and Atri.
[edit] Creation
According to the Puranas, Brahma is self-born (without mother, but he loved her as he was born) in the lotus flower. Another legend says that Brahmā was born in water. 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 the female energy known as Prakrti or Maya.[citation needed]
The image depiction displaying the connection by lotus between Brahma and Vishnu can also be taken as a symbolism for the primordial fetus and primordial placenta. The placenta is generated upon conception, but only the fetus continues into the world afterward. Likewise, Brahma is involved in creation, but Vishnu continues thereafter.
[edit] Lack of Brahma worship in India
Although Brahmā is one of the three [3] major gods in Hinduism, few Hindus actually worship him. Today, India has very few temples dedicated to Brahmā, as opposed to the tens of thousands of temples dedicated to the other two deities in the Trimurti (Vishnu and Shiva) except for Brahma Kumaris religion where every center, now more than 8,500, keeps his picture behind the guddhi and so do 1,000,000 devotees. Among the few that exist today, the most famous is the temple in Pushkar in Rajasthan. Others include one in Thirunavaya in Kerala; one in the temple town of Kumbakonam, (Thanjavur District) in Tamil Nadu; another in Kodumudi, Erode district, Tamil Nadu; Nerur village in Kudal taluka of Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra ; one in Asotra village in Balotra taluka of Barmer district in Rajasthan known as Kheteshwara Brahmadham Tirtha; one in Brahmā-Karmali village in Sattari Taluka in Goa; one in Khedbrahma in Gujarat;two temples in Orissa namely Bindusagar and another in Niali Brahma Temple dating to medieval period; and one in the village of Khokhan in the Kullu Valley, 4 km from Bhuntar. Regular pujas are held for Lord Brahmā at the temple in Thirunavaya, and during Navaratri the temple comes to life with colourful festivities. Another temple for Lord Brahmā, Sri Brahmapureeswarar Temple is located at Thirupattur, near Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, South India. The idol of Lord Brahma is fully covered with turmeric everyday morning. This temple also has the Samadhi for Sage Patanjali and the nearby Kasi Vishwanathar Temple in the same temple complex has a Samadhi for Sage Vyakrapatha.
Various stories in Hindu mythology talk about curses that have supposedly prevented Brahmā from being worshiped on Earth. Interestingly, the Bhavishya Purana states that, certain 'daityas' or demons had begun to worship Brahma and therefore the 'devas' of heaven could not defeat them. In order to mislead the daityas from the worship of Brahma, Vishnu appeared on Earth, as Buddha and Mahavira. With various arguments he convinced the daityas to leave the worship of Brahma. Having left the worship of Brahma, the daityas lost power and were hence defeated. The Bhavishya Purana lays out that altogether, giving up the worship of Brahma, was unacceptable in Hindu religion. This is because Brahma signifies a personification of Brahman (God) or is a manifestation of Brahman (God).
According to a story in the Shiva Purana (dedicated to Lord Shiva), at the beginning of time in Cosmos, Vishnu and Brahmā approached a huge Shiva linga and set out to find its beginning and end. Vishnu was appointed to seek the end and Brahma the beginning. Taking the form of a boar, Vishnu began digging downwards into the earth, while Brahma took the form of a swan and began flying upwards. However, neither could find His 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 ketaki flower, dear to Shiva. His ego forced him to ask the flower to bear false witness about Brahmā's discovery of 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.[citation needed]
According to another legend, Brahmā is not worshiped because of a curse by the great sage Brahmarishi Bhrigu. The high priest Bhrigu was organising a great fire-sacrifice (yajna) on Earth. 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 Trimurti. When he went to Brahmā, the god 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.[citation needed]
In the Brahma Purana and Hindu cosmology, Brahmā is regarded as the creator but not necessarily as God. Rather, He is regarded as a creation of God / Brahman. The lifespan of Brahmā is 100 Brahmā years, equivalent to 311,040,000,000,000 solar years (311 trillion and 40 billion Earth years). At the end of His lifespan, there will be a gap of 100 Brahmā years, after which another Brahmā or creator will begin the process of creation anew. This cycle is thought to repeat without end.
[edit] Appearance
He is clad in red clothes. Brahma is traditionally depicted with four heads, four faces, and four arms. With each head, He continually recites one of the four Vedas. He is often depicted with a white beard (especially in North India), indicating the nearly eternal nature of his existence. Unlike most other Hindu gods, Brahma holds no weapons. One of his hands holds a scepter. Another of his hands holds a bow. Brahma also holds a string of prayer beads called the 'akshamālā' (literally "garland of eyes"), which He uses to keep track of the Universe's time. He is also shown holding the Vedas.
There are many other stories in the Purānas about the gradual decrease in Lord Brahmā's importance, such as in the Shiva Purana. A British viceroy and admirer of Hinduism[who?] reportedly remarked in philosophical reflection that India cannot afford to lose the blessings of Brahmā and Saraswati, without whom the populace would lack creativity, knowledge, and education.
[edit] Symbols
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.
The Rosary - Symbolizes the substances used in the process of creation.
The Book - The book symbolizes knowledge.
The Gold - Gold symbolizes activity; the golden face of Brahmā indicates that He is actively involved in the process of creating the Universe.
The Swan - The swan is the symbol of grace and discernment. Brahmā uses the swan as his vāhana, or his carrier or vehicle.
The Crown - Lord Brahmā's crown indicates His supreme authority.
The Lotus - The lotus symbolizes nature and the living essence of all things and beings in the Universe.
The Beard - Brahmā's black or white beard denotes wisdom and the eternal process of creation.
The Four Faces - The four Vedas (Rik, Sāma, Yajuh and Atharva). The Vedas Symbolises his four faces, heads and arms
[edit] Vehicle
Brahmā's vehicle or vahana is the hamsa.
[edit] Temples
Though almost all Hindu religious rites involve prayer to Brahmā, very few temples are dedicated to His worship. Among the most prominent is the Brahma temple at Pushkar. Once a year, on Kartik Poornima, the full moon night of the Hindu lunar month of Kartik (October - November), a religious festival is held in Brahmā's honour. Thousands of pilgrims come to bathe in the holy Pushkar Lake adjacent to the temple.
Temples to Brahmā also exist in Thirunavaya in Kerala, in the temple town of Kumbakonam in the Thanjavur District of Tamil Nadu in Kodumudi, Tamil Nadu in Asotra village in Balotra taluka of Rajasthan's Barmer district, known as Kheteshwar Brahmadham Tirtha, and in Goa,a shine belonging to 5th century AD, in the small, remote village of Carambolim in the Sattari Taluka in the northeast region of the state. Regular pujas are held for Lord Brahmā at the temple in Thirunavaya, and during Navrathris this temple comes to life with colourful festivities. There is also a shrine for Brahmā within the Brahmapureeswarar Temple in Thirupatur, near Trichy, and a famous murti of Brahmā exists at Mangalwedha, 52 km from the Solapur district of Maharashtra. Statues of Brahmā may be found in Khedbrahma, Gujarat, and in Sopara near Mumbai. There is a temple dedicated to Lord Brahmā in the temple town of Sri Kalahasti near Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. The largest and most famous shrine to Lord Brahmā may be found in Cambodia's Angkor Wat. There is a statue of Brahma at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok. The golden dome of the Government House of Thailand also contains a statue of Phra Phrom (Thai representation of Brahma).
[edit] In Carnatic music
Brahma is also the name of the 9th chakra (group) of Melakarta ragas in Carnatic music. The names of chakras are based on the numbers associated with each name. In this case, there are nine Brahmas and hence the ninth chakra is Brahma.[2][3]
[edit] Satyaloka - abode of Brahma
Satyaloka is by 120,000,000 yojanas above Tapoloka. Thus the distance from the Sun to Satyaloka is 233,800,000 yojanas, or 1,870,400,000 miles. The Vaikuṇṭha planets begin 26,200,000 yojanas (209,600,000 miles) above Satyaloka. "In the Padma Puranam it has been definitely stated that on the four sides of the spiritual sky there is four different transcendental abodes occupied by Vasudeva, Samkarshan, Pradyumna and Aniruddha respectively. So also in the material sky also they are similarly placed on all the four sides. The Vaikuṇṭha sphere which is covered with spiritual water is inhabited by Vasudeva and this Vaikuntha is known as Devavatipur. Above the Satyaloka there is Vishnuloka where Sankarshan resides. In the middle of the Ocean of Milk there is an island called Swetadwipa which is resided in by Aniruddha lying on the bed of Ananta."(Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Chapter 5 [Handwritten])[1]
[edit] Duration of day of Brahma
"Lord Brahmā's day, consisting of his 12 hours, lasts 4 billion 320 million years, and his night is of the same duration."(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 12.8.2-5) [2]
[edit] Brahma sampradaya
Brahma has his own sampradaya. Brahma appeared on lotus flower which sprout from navel of Garbhodakashayi Vishnu. After meditation Brahma created 14 planetary systems and many living beings came there in 8400000 kinds of material bodies according to their past desires. Brahma received Vedas from Vishnu, and this Brahma-sampradaya is transmitting knowledge from Vishnu Himself (Narayana, Krishna) to Earth. As our Brahma is devotee of Vishnu unlike some other Brahmas in other material universes, we have this Brahma sampradaya.
[edit] Brahma samhita
This section, and the foregoing, provide interesting insight into the way devotees of one of the Trimurti, in this case Vishnu, relegate another of the three to devotee status. Here, Vishnu is established as "supreme God," using a Vaisnavite-oriented scripture as evidence.
Brahma's prayers are recorded in Brahma-samhita. From this scripture we know that Brahma is devotee of Vishnu, and what is structure of both material and spiritual universes. According to Brahma's authority we can know that Krishna is the Supreme God. Brahma says: "īśvarah paramah krsnah, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahah anādir ādir govindah, sarva-kārana-kāranam" which means: Krishna who is known as Govinda is the Supreme God. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes. Brahma lets us know that Krishna expands Himself as Baladeva, as caturvyuha (Aniruddha, Pradyumna, Sankarsana, Vasudeva), as Narayana and then as another caturvyuha, from which (Sankarsana) comes Mahavishnu. So our Brahma is one of many Brahmas who is one of many material universes which appear from Mahavishnu's breathing out. Som Brahma samhita is important scripture of Brahma-sampradaya which lets us know about material and spiritual from Brahma, who is first lving being in this material world. Brahma created material planets in this material world on order of Vishu, and we can know that still Brahma is not topmost personality in this universe, as even he worships Vishnu. Brahma lives for his 100 years of Brahma, however even after Brahma has to leave his material body, Vishnu remains always in His eternal spiritual body also after dissolution of material universe. Even when all material universes become unmanifested and Mahavishnu breathes in Mahavishnu remains untouched by material nature. Brahma lets us know that supreme abode in spiritual world is Goloka Vrindavana, and that abode is always manifested even though material world is sometimes not manifested. So Brahma worships Krishna: "govindam adi-purusham tam aham bhajami" I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord. So Brahma says that Krishna Govinda is source of countless eternal spiritual universes and temporary (which means they are either manifested or unmanifested) material universes.
[edit] See also
- Brahma (Buddhism)
- Brahma sampradaya
- Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University
- Phra Phrom
- Creator deity
- Brahmapureeswarar
- Brahmastra
- Narada
- Hindu units of measurement
- Hindu cosmology
- Religious cosmology
- Brahma Samhita
- Garbhodakashayi Vishnu (Brahma is born on lotus sprout from His navel)
- Mahavishnu (when He breathes out material universes, brahmandas manifest with Brahma in each)
[edit] References
- ^ prajapati/Kumhar
- ^ South Indian Music Book III, by Prof. P Sambamoorthy, Published 1973, The Indian Music Publishing House
- ^ Ragas in Carnatic music by Dr. S. Bhagyalekshmy, Pub. 1990, CBH Publications
[edit] External links
- The Brahma-Samhita - Prayers of Lord Brahma at the start of creation (Brahmasamhita.com)
- Brahma's Prayers for Creative Energy from the Bhagavata Purana (vedabase.net)
- Lord Brahma Temple in India
- Brahma at the Open Directory Project
|
|||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||