Brahma (Sanskrit: ब्रह्मा, IAST: Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.[2][3][4] He is associated with creation, knowledge, and the Vedas.[5][6][7][8] Brahma is prominently mentioned in creation legends. In some Puranas, he created himself in a golden embryo known as the Hiranyagarbha.
Brahma is frequently identified with the Vedic god Prajapati.[9] During the post-Vedic period, Brahma was a prominent deity and his sect existed; however, by the 7th century, he had lost his significance. He was also overshadowed by other major deities like Vishnu, Shiva, and Mahadevi[10] and demoted to the role of a secondary creator, who was created by the major deities.[11][12][13]
Brahma is commonly depicted as a red or golden-complexioned bearded man with four heads and hands. His four heads represent the four Vedas and are pointed to the four cardinal directions.[14] He is seated on a lotus and his vahana (mount) is a hamsa (swan, goose or crane). According to the scriptures, Brahma created his children from his mind and thus, they are referred to as Manasaputra.[15][16]
In contemporary Hinduism, Brahma does not enjoy popular worship and has substantially less importance than the other two members of the Trimurti. Brahma is revered in the ancient texts, yet rarely worshipped as a primary deity in India, owing to the absence of any significant sect dedicated to his reverence.[17] Few temples dedicated to him exist in India, the most famous being the Brahma Temple, Pushkar in Rajasthan.[18] Some Brahma temples are found outside India, such as at the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, which in turn has found immense popularity within the Thai Buddhist community.[19]
^"Brahma, Brahmā, Brāhma: 66 definitions". Wisdomlib.org. 6 June 2022. Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
^White, David (2006). Kiss of the Yogini. University of Chicago Press. pp. 4, 29. ISBN 978-0226894843.
^Jan Gonda (1969), The Hindu Trinity Archived 25 April 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212–226.
^Jan Gonda (1969), The Hindu Trinity Archived 25 April 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 218–219.
^N.A (1960). THE VAYU PURANA PART. 1. MOTILAL BANARSIDASS PUBLISHERS PVT. LTD, DELHI. pp. 174 (26.31).
^Coulter, Charles Russell; Turner, Patricia (2013). Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities. Routledge. p. 240. ISBN 978-1-135-96397-2., Quote: "Brahma, a creator god, received the basics of his mythological history from Purusha. During the Brahmanic period, the Hindu Trimurti was represented by Brahma with his attribute of creation, Shiva with his attribute of destruction and Vishnu with his attribute of preservation."
^Sullivan, Bruce (1999). Seer of the Fifth Veda: Kr̥ṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa in the Mahābhārata. Motilal Banarsidass. pp. 85–86. ISBN 978-8120816763.
^Holdrege, Barbara (2012). Veda and Torah: Transcending the Textuality of Scripture. State University of New York Press. pp. 88–89. ISBN 978-1438406954.
^Leeming, David (2009). Creation Myths of the World (2nd ed.). p. 146. ISBN 978-1598841749.; David Leeming (2005), The Oxford Companion to World Mythology, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195156690, page 54, Quote: "Especially in the Vedanta Hindu Philosophy, Brahman is the Absolute. In the Upanishads, Brahman becomes the eternal first cause, present everywhere and nowhere, always and never. Brahman can be incarnated in Brahma, in Vishnu, in Shiva. To put it another way, everything that is, owes its existence to Brahman. In this sense, Hinduism is ultimately monotheistic or monistic, all gods being aspects of Brahman"; Also see pages 183-184, Quote: "Prajapati, himself the source of creator god Brahma – in a sense, a personification of Brahman (...) Moksha, the connection between the transcendental absolute Brahman and the inner absolute Atman."
^Cite error: The named reference Dalal1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Achuthananda, Swami (27 August 2018). The Ascent of Vishnu and the Fall of Brahma. Relianz Communications Pty Ltd. ISBN 978-0-9757883-3-2.
^Kramrisch, Stella (1994). The Presence of Siva. Princeton University Press. pp. 205–206. ISBN 978-0691019307.
^Pattanaik, Devdutt (September 2000). The Goddess in India:The Five Faces of the Eternal Feminine. Inner Traditions / Bear & Co. ISBN 978-0-89281-807-5.
^Carrasco, David; Warmind, Morten; Hawley, John Stratton; Reynolds, Frank; Giarardot, Norman; Neusner, Jacob; Pelikan, Jaroslav; Campo, Juan; Penner, Hans; et al. (Authors) (1999). Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions. Edited by Wendy Doniger. United States: Merriam-Webster. p. 140. ISBN 9780877790440.
^Dalal, Roshen (18 April 2014). The Religions of India: A Concise Guide to Nine Major Faiths. Penguin UK. ISBN 9788184753967.
^Charles Coulter and Patricia Turner (2000), Encyclopedia of Ancient Deities, Routledge, ISBN 978-0786403172, page 258, Quote: "When Brahma is acknowledged as the supreme god, it was said that Kama sprang from his heart."
^Morris, Brian (2005). Religion and Anthropology: A Critical Introduction. Cambridge University Press. p. 123. ISBN 978-0521852418.
^Charkravarti, SS (2001). Hinduism, a Way of Life. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 15. ISBN 978-8120808997.
^London, Ellen (2008). Thailand Condensed: 2,000 Years of History & Culture. Marshall Cavendish. p. 74. ISBN 978-9812615206.
Brahma (Sanskrit: ब्रह्मा, IAST: Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes...
The Brahma is an American breed of chicken. It was bred in the United States from birds imported from the Chinese port of Shanghai,: 78 and was the principal...
The Brahma Kumaris is a spiritual movement that originated in Hyderabad, Sindh, during the 1930s. The Brahma Kumaris (Sanskrit: ब्रह्माकुमारी, "Daughters...
Brahma is a Brazilian beer, originally made by the Companhia Cervejaria Brahma, which was founded in 1888. In 1914, Brahma produced their national Malzbier...
Brahma Temple may refer to: Brahma Temple (Grand Canyon), a summit in the Grand Canyon, USA Brahma Temple, Khajuraho, a temple in Madhya Pradesh, India...
Brahmamuhurta (Sanskrit: ब्रह्ममुहूर्त, lit. 'time of Brahma') is a 48-minute period (muhurta) that begins one hour and 36 minutes before sunrise, and...
The Brahma Sūtras (Sanskrit: ब्रह्मसूत्राणि), also known as the Vedanta Sūtra (Sanskrit: वेदान्त सूत्र), Shariraka Sūtra, and Bhikshu-sūtra, are a Sanskrit...
In Hinduism, the Brahma Sampradaya (IAST: Brahmā-sampradāya) is the disciplic succession (sampradaya) of gurus starting with Brahma. The term is most often...
personified as a triad of deities. Typically, the designations are that of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer. The Om symbol...
son of Dhajendra Brahma and Khwdwmsri Brahma. He breathed his last on 23 January 1968. He is credited with helping establish Brahma Dharma. His poems...
The Brahma Samhita (IAST: Brahma-saṁhitā) is a Sanskrit Pancharatra text, composed of verses of prayer believed to have been spoken by Brahma glorifying...
The Brahma Purana (Sanskrit: ब्रह्मपुराण or ब्राह्मपुराण; Brahma-Purana) is one of the eighteen major Puranas collections of Hindu texts in Sanskrit. It...
Brahma Dharma refer to Hindu denominations that revere Brahma as the supreme: Brahmo Samaj or Brahmoism a Bengali religious movement by Ram Mohan Roy...
Harishankar Brahma (born 19 April 1950) served as 19th Chief Election Commissioner of India. He is a retired I.A.S. officer of the 1975 batch of the Andhra...
Brahma Kumar may refer to A male follower of the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University. A male follower of the Adhyatmik Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya...
Prajnanam Brahma (Sanskrit: प्रज्ञानम् ब्रह्म, IAST: Prajñānam Brahma), a Mahāvākya, is found in Aitareya Upanishad of the Rigveda. The other Mahāvākyas...
(Bhagavata Purana 1.2.11) "Whoever realizes the Supreme Brahma attains to supreme felicity. That Supreme Brahma is Eternal Truth (satyam), Omniscient (jnanam)...
Brahma Sarovar is an ancient water pool and largest sarovar, sacred to Hinduism in old Kurukshetra city, in the state of Haryana in North India. Hinduism...
Upendranath Brahma (31 March 1956 – 1 May 1990) was an Indian Bodo social activist and the former president of All Bodo Students' Union. Brahma was born...
the flower and labeled Sassurea obvallata in binomial nomenclature and Brahma Kamal in the Devanagari script was issued by the Indian government in 1982...
Anando Brahma is a 2017 Indian Telugu-language comedy horror film written and directed by Mahi V. Raghav, starring Tapasee Pannu, Srinivas Reddy, Shakalaka...
Avtar Singh Brahma (1951 – 22 July 1988) was a Sikh Kharku and one of the main founding figures and the second leader of Khalistan Liberation Force founded...
consists of Brahma- the Creator, Vishnu- the Preserver, and Shiva- the Destroyer. Their feminine counterparts are Saraswati- the wife of Brahma, Lakshmi-...
The brahmavihārā (sublime attitudes, lit. "abodes of brahma") are a series of four Buddhist virtues and the meditation practices made to cultivate them...