About Hindu Gods and Goddesses: As we continue our exploration of Hindu dieties, we turn to Lord Brahma, the Creator God. This information is taken from www.wikipedia.org and www.rudraksha-ratna.com Please note that there is a wonderful mythology of Hindu Gods and Goddesses who symbolize every facet of human life and are often invoked in ceremony to share a great variety of blessings.
LORD BRAHMA: Brahma is the first god in the Hindu triumvirate. The triumvirate consists of three gods who are responsible for the creation, upkeep and destruction of the world. Within the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, Lord Brahma is the Creator, Lord Vishnu the Preserver, and Lord Shiva the Destroyer. Lord Brahma, the Creator God of the Trinity appears seated on a lotus (a symbol of glorious existence). He has four heads and hands. In each hand he holds a sacrificial tool, the Vedas (knowledge), a water pot and a rosary or mala respectively. Unlike most other Hindu Gods, none of his arms holds a weapon. The four faces of Brahma are said to represent the four Vedas (sacred texts). The lotus symbolizes reality, and his heads also represent four ways we perceive that reality, namely: the mind, the intellect, the ego and conditioned-consciousness.
I have often wondered why I see so many statues of Vishnu and Shiva and none of Bramha. A story in connection with Brahma’s four heads is that when Brahma was creating the universe, he made a female deity known as Shatarupa with a hundred beautiful forms. Brahma became immediately infatuated. Shatarupa moved in various directions to avoid the gaze of Brahma, but wherever she went, Brahma developed a head. Thus, Brahma developed five heads, one on each side and one above the others.
In order to control Brahma, Shiva cut off the top head. Also, Shiva felt that Shatarupa was Brahma’s daughter, having been created by him. Therefore, Shiva determined, it was wrong for Brahma to become obsessed with her. He directed that there be no proper worship in India for the “unholy” Brahma. Thus, only Vishnu and Shiva continue to be worshipped, while Brahma is almost totally ignored. India today has only three temples dedicated to Brahma alone as opposed to the thousands of temples dedicated to the other deities in the Trinity.
Ever since the incident, Brahma has been reciting the four Vedas in his attempt at repentance. Lord Brahma’s vehicle is a swan (hans) which is known for its judgment between good and bad. His consort is Goddess Saraswati, the Goddess of Learning. The daily alteration of light and dark is attributed to Brahma. Life in this world is a manifestation of the three principles of creation, sustenance and destruction. The apparent destruction is only an essential forerunner to creation.
Lord Brahma is invoked for to help us surrender the ego and better serve humanity. He can be invoked for creative inspiration and flashes of new thoughts to discover the secrets of nature. You can invoke Lord Brahma to bring good energy to whatever you choose to create. -yogalife.net
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