BrahmaFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Brahmā (/ˈbrɑːmə/; Brahmā) is the Hindu god (deva) of creation.[1] A mahākalpa, the large cosmic period, is one day and one night in Brahma's existence.[2]

According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Manu, and from Manu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, 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 wife is Saraswati. Saraswati is also known by names such as Sāvitri and Gayatri, and has taken different forms throughout history. Brahmā is often identified withPrajapati, a Vedic deity. Being the husband of Saraswati or Vaac Devi (the Goddess of Speech), Brahma is also known as "Vaagish," meaning "Lord of Speech and Sound".

Origin

According to Shri Maadha Bhagawata Mahapurana, Brahmā was born through Vishnu's navel,

Vishnu is the main source of whatsoever exists in the world; what is created is part of his own

body.

According to the Purāṇas, Brahmā is self-born in the lotus flower. Another legend says that

Brahmā was born in water, or from a seed that later became the golden egg,Hiranyagarbha.

From this golden egg, Brahmā, the creator was born. The remaining materials of this golden egg

expanded into the Brahmānḍa or Universe. Being born from a lotus, Brahmā is also called

as Kanjaja (born from a lotus). There is a story for Sharsa brahma hence the concept of multiple

universe as every Brahmā creates his Bhramand (universe) for one Brahmā year.

Vishnu with Lakshmi, on the serpent Ananta Shesha, as Brahmā emerges from a lotus risen fromViṣṇu's

navel

Creations

At the beginning of the process of creation, Brahmā creates the four Kumāras or the Caturṣaṇa.

However, they refused his order to procreate and instead devote themselves, to Vishnu and

celibacy.

He then proceeds to create from his mind ten sons or Prajāpatis (used in another[which?] sense),

who are believed to be the fathers of the human race. But since all these sons were born out of

his mind rather than body, they are called Mānas Putras or mind-sons or spirits. The Manusmṛti

and Bhāgavat Purāṇa enumerate them as:[citation needed]

Brahmā had ten sons and one daughter (Named Shatrupa- one who can take hundred forms)

born from various parts of his body:[citation needed]

1. Marichi

2. Atri

3. Angirasa

4. Pulaha

5. Pulasthya

6. Krathu

7. Vashista

8. Prachethasa

9. Bhrigu

10.Narada

Attributes

Appearance

A handcoloured engraving of Brahma.

He is clad in red clothes. Brahmā 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, Brahmā holds no weapons. One of his hands holds a scepter.

Another of his hands holds a book. Brahmā also holds a string of prayer beads called the

'akṣamālā' (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 Purāṇas about the gradual decrease in Brahmā's

importance. Followers of Hinduism believe that humanscannot afford to lose the blessings of

Brahmā and Sarasvati, without whom the populace would

lack creativity, knowledge to solve mankind's woes. There is a story of a fifth head. This head

came when Shatrupa started flying away from him upwards and the head came on top of the four

heads - symbolizing lust and ego, the head was decapitated by Shiva returning Brahmā to his

four head avatar which gave birth to the Vedas. The fifth head stayed with Shiva hence Shiva got

the name Kampala.

Symbols

The Four Faces – The four Vedas (Rig, Sāma, Yajur and Atharva).

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 Prayer beads – Symbolize 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 – 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.

Vehicle

Brahma,Meenakshi Amman Temple Tower, Tamil Nadu,India

swan Vehicle of Lord Bramma

Brahmā's vehicle or vāhana is the hansa, a swan or a goose.

Brahma fails to measure the height of Shiva Linga- It is believed that once Lord Shiva stood in

the form of a great Linga with deep roots into the womb of the mother earth and with the top far

above the skies. Brahma and Vishnu threw each other a challenge that whoever finds the top or

bottom of the Linga, will be considered as supreme. Accordingly Brahma took the form of a swan

and flew into the sky. Vishnu took the form of a boar and began digging deep into the earth. They

spent a lot of time but could not reach the top or bottom of the Linga. However to show that he

was superior, Brahma told a lie that he had touched the top of the Linga. A flower called Ketaki

stood as a witness to the statement of Lord Brahma. Listening to these words Shiva became very

angry and cursed Brahma that he would never be worshiped by any human being. He cursed the

false witness, the Ketaki flower also, saying that the flower will not be used in the worship of any

God or Goddess or in any holy activity.That is why they say that there are not more than 14 or 15

temples of Brahma, where as there are lakhs of temples for Shiva or Vishnu

Lord Brahma is reverentially addressed as Pitamaha (father of fathers) by devas, demons, and

humans. Since Brahma is also a Prajapati all these people used to visit him . According to the

Upanishads the Lord used to teach the Vedas and the importance of virtue to these people. They

all used to spend considerable time with him to acquire knowledge of the Atman. He also taught

three important virtues to his three types of students. Once He uttered a single syllable ‘da’ and

asked them to grasp its meaning. The gods interpreted the sound as the word as 'datta' meaning

to give away all pleasure seeking activities. The humans interpreted the syllable as 'dayadhwam'

which means ‘to show mercy’ by leaving out their greedy and selfish activities. The demons

interpreted the sound as 'damyata' meaning control or suppression of cruel attitudes and

passions. This episode has been beautifully described by the poet T.S.Eliot in his poem The

Waste Land, part 5, "What the Thunder Said".[4]

Lord Brahma the God of Destiny or Fate: Lord Brahma is also called as Vidhi, DhAtA, and

VidhAtA. Vidhi means the Ordainer. Vidhata means disposer,ordainer, Arranger,or Law-maker.

He is also called as Twasta, Viswadeva. According to the Veda- Yo Vidhata cha Dhata cha-

( Vidhata is also called as Dhata). He is also called as Vedhasa- ( Vidhata Vedhasamapi).

Vidhata means the governor of Nature’s Laws relating to the journey of the Soul. Lord Brahma is

not only the creator as mentioned in the Purusha Sukta, but also the decider of the destiny or

Fate of the beings that are going to be born . Brahma is the God who writes the fortunes of

everybody based on the KARMA or deeds in the previous births. Fate, or luck or destiny

ordained by Lord Brahma and written by him in a coded language on the forehead of every

individual cannot be altered by anybody. Because one has to reap what one has sown. It is

believed that Brahma examines the Karma of every being in his previous births and accordingly

decides what should be the fate of the individual in the present birth. Brahma’s writings on the

forehead can be understood only by great Yogis or Rishis when they look at the forehead of any

person. That is why they look at the face of a person carefully before they bless a person with

long life, good health, wealth and progeny etc. The Fate in reality is a product of the Karma of

one’s previous lives. The unfinished Karma is carried forward to the next birth. Sanchita-Karma

into which God Brahma looks carefully, Lord Brahma is the sum-total of the accumulated Karma

of previous births. It is in one’s account and needs to be cleared at some stage in one’s spiritual

journey. Prarabdha karma is that part of the Sanchita Karma which is posted to the present birth

by Lord Brahma and hence it has to be cleared in this birth only. This concept has sometimes led

to the philosophy of Fatalism and some scholars began to argue that since everything is pre-

ordained why should we run here and there to alter our future. In the Upaishads Lord Brahma is

also depicted as the immortal Lord of Heaven who receives the liberated souls at the end of their

journey along the Northern path.

Gods and Goddesses of Ancient India

Kali

Kali is considered the goddess of time and change.

Kali is the Hindu goddess associated with eternal energy. The name Kali comes from kale, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali means "the black one". Since Shiva is called Kala - the eternal time, Kali, his consort, also means "the Time" or "Death" (as in time has come).

Although sometimes presented as dark and violent, her earliest incarnation as a figure of annihilation still has some influence. Various Shakta Hindu cosmologies, as well as Shakta Tantric beliefs, worship her as the ultimate reality or Brahman. She is also revered as Bhavatarini (literally "redeemer of the universe"). Comparatively recent devotional movements largely conceive Kali as a benevolent mother goddess.

Kali is represented as the consort of Lord Shiva, on whose body she is often seen standing. She is associated with many other Hindu goddesses like Durga, Bhadrakali, Sati, Rudrani, Parvati and Chamunda. She is the foremost among the Dasa Mahavidyas, ten fierce Tantric goddesses.

Kali Yuga

Mayan Calendar Corroborates Hindu Prophecy About.com

In the "Brahma-Vaivarta Purana", Lord Krishna tells Ganga Devi that a Golden Age will come in the Kali Yuga - one of the four stages of development that the world goes through as part of the cycle of eras, as described in Hindu scriptures. Lord Krishna predicted that this Golden Age will start 5,000 years after the beginning of the Kali Yuga, and will last for 10,000 years.

Yuga in Hindu philosophy is the name of an 'epoch' or 'era' within a cycle of four ages. These are the Satya Yuga (or Krita Yuga), the Treta Yuga, the Dvapara Yuga and finally the Kali Yuga. According to Hindu cosmology, life in the universe is created, destroyed once every 4.1 to 8.2 billion years, which is one full day (day and night) for Brahma. The lifetime of a Brahma himself may be 311 trillion and 40 Billion years. The cycles are said to repeat like the seasons, waxing and waning within a greater time-cycle of the creation and destruction of the universe. Like Summer, Spring, Winter and Autumn, each yuga involves stages or gradual changes which the earth and the consciousness of mankind goes through as a

whole. A complete yuga cycle from a high Golden Age of enlightenment to a Dark Age and back again is said to be caused by the solar system's motion around a central sun.

Mayan Calendar (above) Matches the Hindu Calendar

It is interesting that this prediction of the emergence of a new world is prophesied to appear about the same time that the Mayans predicted it to come. The Mayan calendar began with the Fifth Great Cycle in 3114 BC and will end on December 21, 2012 AD. The Hindu Kali Yuga calendar began on 18 February 3102 B.C.

There is only a difference of 12 years between the Hindu's beginning of the Kali Yuga and the Mayan's beginning of the Fifth Great Cycle.

The Golden Age Could Begin in 2012

The ancient Hindus mainly used lunar calendars but also used solar calendars. If an average lunar year equals 354.36 days, then this would be about 5270 lunar years from the time when the Kali Yuga started until 21 Dec 2012. This is the same year that the Mayans predict rebirth of our planet. It is also about 5113 solar years of 365.24 days per year, and is day number 1,867,817 into the Kali Yuga. By either solar or lunar years, we are over 5,000 years into the Kali Yuga and it is time for Lord Krishna's prophecy to happen according to the ancient Hindu scriptures. Lord Krishna's Golden Age could easily begin in 2012!

Mayan Prophecy Matches Hindu Prophecy

It is amazing that both calendars began at about the same time over 5,000 years ago and both calendars predict a totally new world and/or golden age after about 5,000 years into their calendars! We are definitely on to something with these Mayan and Hindu 2012 predictions. Historically, this is an amazing fact since these two ancient cultures did not have any contact.

The end of Kali Yuga occurs "When flowers will be begot within flowers, and fruits within fruits, then will the Yuga come to an end. And the clouds will pour rain unseasonably when the end of the Yuga approaches."

Trimurti

In Hinduism, the Trimurti 'three forms' - is a concept in Hinduism "in which the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction are personified by the forms of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the maintainer or preserver, and Shiva (Kali) the destroyer or transformer." These three deities have been called "the Hindu triad" or the "Great Trinity". Of the three members of the Trimurti, the Bhagavata Purana, which espouses the Vaishnavite viewpoint, explains that the greatest benefit can be had from Vishnu.

Brahma

Brahma is the Hindu god (deva) of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. He is not to be confused with the Supreme Cosmic Spirit in Hindu Vedanta philosophy known as Brahman. Also, in Sanskrit Grammer, Brahman is Nominative Singular of generic word Brahman, as Aatma is Nominative Singular for Aatman. Brahaman and Aatman are same in Vedanta Philosphy, the Para-Aatma (Supersoul) and Jeeva Aatma (Individual Soul) are Brahman. His consort is Saraswati, the goddess of learning. Brahma is often identified with Prajapati, a Vedic deity.

According to the Puranas, Brahma is self-born (without mother) in the lotus flower which grew from the navel of Vishnu at the beginning of the universe. This explains his name Nabhija (born from the navel). Another legend says that Brahma was born in 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 Brahmanda or Universe.

Being born in water, Brahma is also called Kanja (born in water). Brahma is said also to be the son of the Supreme Being, Brahman and the female energy known as Prakrti or Maya.

At the beginning of the process of creation, Brahma created eleven 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.

............................................................................................................