PARAKUNNATH SREE VETTAKKORUMAKAN PAYYAN KSHETHRAM (TEMPLE), AROLI, KANNUR, KERALA: The Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva work together on the natural cosmic process of creation, preservation and destruction. Once Shiva carries out destruction, Brahma creates yet again, which gives rise to the cyclical process of the cosmos.

Sunday 15 January 2017

The Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva work together on the natural cosmic process of creation, preservation and destruction. Once Shiva carries out destruction, Brahma creates yet again, which gives rise to the cyclical process of the cosmos.

The process of creation of the universe is mentioned in great detail in the Puranas. Though each one talks about how the world was created, not all the descriptions necessarily tally with each other. According to one, the supreme, all-pervading Brahman created and preserved the entire universe. Brahman manifested itself into three distinct supreme powers, Brahma, Shri Vishnu and Lord Shiva. Brahma's mission, as Prajapati, is to create the universe, while Shri Vishnu is the Preserver and Protector of the same. Shiva is responsible for destruction in the universe, so that new beings can be created yet again from the natural process of destruction.

A huge body of water was created first, out of which arose a gigantic serpent, named Adishesha. Shri Vishnu took His resting position on the bed of snakes. Next came a beautiful, brilliant golden egg, into which Brahma entered and stayed there for a thousand years, while working on creating the universe. The egg then hatched and split into two parts, one becoming the heavens and the other becoming the earth. The upper part gave rise to the creation of the sun. Since the sun emerged first, it is referred to as the Aditya. The lower portion of the egg slowly developed into rivers, mountains and the other landscapes of the earth as we know it today.

According to the second version, Shri Vishnu was lying on the Adisesha, when suddenly a resonant sound of 'Aum', the Pranava Mantra (primordial sound), boomed across the atmosphere, causing Shri Vishnu to awake from his rest. Then, from His navel grew a beautiful, resplendent lotus, on which was seated Lord Brahma. On Shri Vishnu's command, Brahma got to the task of creating the world. He segregated the lotus into three parts, the heavens, the skies and the earth.

While Rig Veda also believes that it was the first Vaak (word), the Primordial Sound of 'Aum' that gave birth to the entire universe. From that word came the huge, monistic Golden Egg, the Golden Womb or the Hiranyagarbha. Lord Brahma is considered to be this Hiranyagarbha, as He created the world. Lord Vishnu descended Himself in order to protect and preserve this universe, while Lord Shiva, the god of destruction, took over the task of destroying several aspects of the world through the course of the different yugas (epochs). Thus, The Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva work together on the natural cosmic process of creation, preservation and destruction. Once Shiva carries out destruction, Brahma creates yet again, which gives rise to the cyclical process of the cosmos.