Brahma: The Hindu God who Createdthe World

Brahma statue in Thailand. Image from Flickr.

Brahma is the Hindu creator god. He is also known as the grandfather and as alater equivalent of Prajapati, the primeval first god. In early Hindu sources suchas the Mahabharata, Brahma is supreme in the triad of great Hindu gods, whichincludes Shiva and Vishnu.

Brahma, due to his elevated status, is less involved in picturesque myths wheregods take on human form and character, but is rather a generally abstract ormetaphysical ideal of a great god. In later Puranas (Hindu epics) Brahma is nolonger worshipped and other gods are assigned his myths, even if he alwaysmaintains his status as the creator god. Brahma's epithet is ekahamsa, the OneSwan. His vahanam (''vehicle'') is a peacock, swan or goose. He is still honoredtoday with an annual ceremony at the pilgrimage site of Pushkar in Rajasthan,India, and he remains a popular figure in Southeast Asia, especially in Thailandand Bali.

By Mark Cartwright, Ancient History Encyclopedia on 09.06.17 Word Count 980 Level MAX

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In the beginning, Brahma sprang from thecosmic golden egg and he then created good& evil and light & dark from his own person.He also created the four types: gods,demons, ancestors and men (the first beingManu). Brahma then made all livingcreatures upon the Earth (although in somemyths Brahma's son Daksa is responsible forthis). In the process of creating, perhaps ina moment of distraction, the demons wereborn from Brahma's thigh and so heabandoned his own body, which thenbecame Night. After Brahma created goodgods he abandoned his body once again,which then became Day, hence demons gainthe ascendancy at night and gods, the forcesof goodness, rule the day. Brahma thencreated ancestors and men, each time againabandoning his body so that they becameDusk and Dawn respectively. This process of creation repeats itself in every aeon.Brahma then appointed Shiva to rule over humanity although in later mythsBrahma becomes a servant of Shiva.

Brahma had several wives, the most important being a woman he created namedSarasvati who, after the Creation, bore Brahma the four Vedas (Holy books ofHinduism), all branches of knowledge, the 36 Raginis and 6 Ragas of music, ideassuch as Memory and Victory, yogas, religious acts, speech, Sanskrit, and thevarious units of measurement and time. Besides Daksa, Brahma had other notablesons including the Seven Sages (of whom Daksa was one), and the four famousPrajapatis (deities): Kardama, Pancasikha, Vodhu and Narada, the latter being themessenger between gods and men.

In the myths told in the Mahabharata, Brahma created women, the source of evilamong men:

"A wanton woman is a blazing fire ... she is the sharp edge of the razor; she ispoison, a serpent, and death all in one."

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The gods feared that men could become so powerful that they might challengetheir reign, therefore, they asked Brahma how best to prevent this. His responsewas to create wanton women who ''lusting for sensual pleasures, began to stirmen up. Then the lord of gods, the lord, created anger as the assistant of desire,and all creatures, falling into the power of desire and anger, began to be attachedto women.'' (Mahabharata in Hindu Myths, 36).

In another myth, Brahma's first female is also Death, the evil force which bringsbalance to the universe and which ensures there is no overcrowding of it. Thefigure of Death is picturesquely described in the Mahabharata as ''a dark woman,wearing red garments, with red eyes and red palms and soles, adorned withdivine ear-rings and ornaments'' and she is given the job of ''destroying allcreatures, imbeciles and scholars'' without exception (Mahabharata in HinduMyths, 40). Death wept and begged Brahma to be released from this terrible task,but Brahma remained unmoved and sent her on her way to perform her duty. Atfirst Death continued her protests by performing various extraordinary acts ofasceticism such as standing in water in complete silence for 8,000 years andstanding on one toe on the top of the Himalayan mountains for 8,000 millionyears, but Brahma would not be swayed. So Death, still sobbing, performed herduties bringing endless night to all things when their time came and her tears fellto the Earth and became diseases. Thus, through Death's work, the distinctionbetween mortals and gods was preserved forever.

Brahma is often represented in red with fourheads, symbolic of his creation of the fourVedas. Thus he is often called Caturanana/Caturmukha or ''four-faced'' and Astakarnaor ''eight-eared.'' Originally Brahma had fiveheads but when he lusted after his daughterSandhya an outraged Shiva cut off the headwhich had ogled the goddess (or burned itwith his central eye). Brahma is alsorepresented with four arms. One right handholds the brahma-tandram, an oval disk witha beaded rim, which is perhaps a sacrificialladle and used to mark men's foreheads withtheir destiny. The other right hand holds arosary made from rudraksha seeds. One lefthand holds a cleansing vase and he

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sometimes holds his bow Parivita or the Vedas. Brahma may also be depictedsitting on the sacred lotus flower, which sprang from Vishnu's navel, a sceneespecially common in Cham art.

In Cambodian art, Brahma — known as Prah Prohm — is again represented withfour heads and often riding a sacred goose, the hamsa (a popular form ofdepiction in Javanese art, too), and so the god may in this guise be referred to asHansavahana. In Tibet, where Brahma is known as Tshangs-pa or White Brahma(Tshangs-pa dkar-po), he often rides a horse and carries a white bull and a sword.

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Quiz

1 The following evidence was gathered to support the idea that, in Hindu lore, women are sometimesseen as dangerous or evil.

1. "A wanton woman is a blazing fire ... she is the sharp edge of therazor; she is poison, a serpent, and death all in one."

2. The figure of Death is picturesquely described in the Mahabharataas ''a dark woman, wearing red garments, with red eyes and redpalms and soles, adorned with divine ear-rings and ornaments'' andshe is given the job of ''destroying all creatures, imbeciles andscholars'' without exception (Mahabharata in Hindu Myths, 40).

3. Originally Brahma had five heads but when he lusted after hisdaughter Sandhya an outraged Shiva cut off the head which hadogled the goddess (or burned it with his central eye).

What additional piece of evidence helps to create the MOST COMPLETE support for the the ideathat, in Hindu lore, women are sometimes seen as dangerous or evil?

(A) Death wept and begged Brahma to be released from this terrible task, butBrahma remained unmoved and sent her on her way to perform her duty.

(B) At first Death continued her protests by performing various extraordinary acts ofasceticism such as standing in water in complete silence for 8,000 years andstanding on one toe on the top of the Himalayan mountains for 8,000 millionyears, but Brahma would not be swayed.

(C) So Death, still sobbing, performed her duties bringing endless night to all thingswhen their time came and her tears fell to the Earth and became diseases.

(D) Thus, through Death's work, the distinction between mortals and gods waspreserved forever.

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2 Read the selection from the section "Brahma the Creator."

In the beginning, Brahma sprang from the cosmic golden egg and he thencreated good & evil and light & dark from his own person.

The word "sprang" has a powerful and energetic connotation. Which phrase or sentence BESTemphasizes that connotation?

(A) He also created the four types: gods, demons, ancestors and men (the firstbeing Manu).

(B) In the process of creating, perhaps in a moment of distraction, the demons wereborn from Brahma's thigh and so he abandoned his own body, which thenbecame Night.

(C) After Brahma created good gods he abandoned his body once again, whichthen became Day, hence demons gain the ascendancy at night and gods, theforces of goodness, rule the day.

(D) Brahma then appointed Shiva to rule over humanity although in later mythsBrahma becomes a servant of Shiva.

3 The author sometimes uses an analytical, scholarly tone in this article. Which selection from thearticle BEST reflects that tone?

(A) Brahma is the Hindu creator god. He is also known as the grandfather and as alater equivalent of Prajapati, the primeval first god.

(B) Brahma, due to his elevated status, is less involved in picturesque myths wheregods take on human form and character, but is rather a generally abstract ormetaphysical ideal of a great god.

(C) The gods feared that men could become so powerful that they might challengetheir reign, therefore, they asked Brahma how best to prevent this.

(D) The other right hand holds a rosary made from rudraksha seeds. One left handholds a cleansing vase and he sometimes holds his bow Parivita or the Vedas.

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4 Read the following paragraph from the section "Brahma in Art."

In Cambodian art, Brahma — known as Prah Prohm — is againrepresented with four heads and often riding a sacred goose, the hamsa(a popular form of depiction in Javanese art, too), and so the god may inthis guise be referred to as Hansavahana. In Tibet, where Brahma isknown as Tshangs-pa or White Brahma (Tshangs-pa dkar-po), he oftenrides a horse and carries a white bull and a sword.

Which of the following can be inferred from the selection above?

(A) Representations of Brahma vary with cultures, though there are overlappingfeatures.

(B) Brahma is the most popular Hindu god to represent through art.

(C) It is difficult to distinguish between different cultural representations of Brahma.

(D) Animals are always used in artistic representations of Brahma.

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