The Hindu triad, manifesting the cosmic functions of the Supreme Being, as represented by Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Brahma is the balance between the opposing principles of preservation and destruction, symbolized by Vishnu and Shiva respectively.
In Hinduism, the Trimurti (also called the Hindu trinity) is a concept that holds that God has three aspects, which are only different forms of the same one God. The three aspects of God, or "Parabrahman," or God's personae are as Brahma (the Source/Creator), Vishnu (the Preserver/Indwelling-life) and Shiva (the Transformer -Destroyer/Creator).
Though all the three trimurti's are males, the hidden symbolism emphasizing female energy is not difficult to understand. Similarly Vishnu's consort Lakshmi, is the Goddess of beauty and fortune making it possible for him to preserve the universe;
The Trimurti itself is conceived of as a deity and artistically represented as a three-faced human figure.
According to the Trimurti belief, these three personae of God are simply different aspects of the one and the same God.
Views of Trimurti within Hinduism
Trimurti is a strongly held tenet in the denomination of Smartism and Ayyavazhi, but not popularly accepted by other denominations of Hinduism, such as Vaishnavism. For example, the Dvaita school holds Vishnu alone to be the supreme God and Shiva as subordinate to Vishnu and interpret the Puranas differently. In Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Shiva is considered the best of devotee of Vishnu (vaisnavanam yatha sambhu) and also an aspect of Vishnu but not the same as Vishnu. Shiva is also viewed as subservient to lord Vishnu, although it is still understood that he is above the category of an ordinary jiva or living entity. For example, Prabhupada, founder of ISKCON commented that Śiva is not actually like a living entity, but he is not Vishnu and his position is somewhere between Vishnu and Brahmā, the living entity. Similarly, Lord Śiva holds almost all the powers of Lord Vishnu and he is also above the qualities of the living entity, but he is not exactly like Vishnu, just as yogurt, although transformed milk, is not exactly like milk.
However, other Vaishnavite followers, such as Swaminarayan, founder of the Hindu Swaminarayan sect, differ and hold that Vishnu and Shiva are different aspects of the same God.
Saivites, similarly hold a similar view with Vishnu. The holy masters for these five activities are Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Maheshwara, Sadashiva respectively.
Symbolizations
Swami Sivananda, in his book, All about Hinduism, noted that "Brahma represents the creative aspect; He preserves the world when He is associated with Sattva Guna, and He is called Vishnu.
A widely accepted belief is that it represents earth, water, and fire. Water is the sustainer of life and hence is the Preserver and is represented as Vishnu.
The Trimurti can also represent three individual forms on the different planes of consciousness. On the spiritual plane, the spiritual element is represented by Brahma, the mental/psychic element by Vishnu, and the physiological element by Shiva. On the mental/psychic plane, Brahma is the intuitive and creative thought, Vishnu is intelligence, and Shiva stands for emotions and feelings. The Sky as Brahma, the Sun as Vishnu and the Moon as Shiva form the earthly/physiological plane. Another representation by Adi Shankara, Shiva represents the Nirguna Brahman, Vishnu represents the Saguna Brahman and Brahma the Cosmic Mind.
Various phases of an individual’s life are said to be represented by the Trimurti. The second phase of adulthood and household (Grihastha Ashram) is represented by Vishnu.
In philosophical terms, Brahma is said to be associated with Divinity's Creative Ground of Being, Vishnu is said to be associated with Divinity's Emanated Idea (Logos, Wisdom, or Word), and Shiva is said to be associated with Divinity's Transformative Energy (Flame, Breath, or Spirit).
Evolution of Theology on the Hindu Trinity
The definite settlement of the caste system and the Brahmanical supremacy must probably be assigned to somewhere about the close of the Brahmanas period. In the same way as the abstract denomination of sacerdotalism, the neuter brahman, had come to express the divine essence, so the old designation of the individual priest, the masculine term brahma, was raised to denote the supreme personal deity which was to take the place and attributes of the Prajapati of the Brahmanas and Upanishads.
However the new dogma may have answered the purposes of speculative minds, it was not one in which the people generally were likely to have been much concerned;
In some cases even the worship of the indigenous population could hardly have remained without exercising some influence in modifying the belief of the Aryan race.
At the time of the original composition of the great epics two such deities, Shiva or Mahadeva (the great god) and Vishnu, seem to have been already admitted into the Brahmanical system, where they have ever since retained their place; As several synonyms are attributed to each of them, it is not improbable that in some of these we have to recognize special names under which the people in different localities worshipped these gods, or deities of a similar nature which, by the agency of popular poetry, or in some other way, came to be combined with them. the three deities, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, were to represent a triple impersonation of the divinity, as manifesting itself respectively in the creation, preservation and destruction of the universe.
It is worthy of note that when the Vedic triad of Soma, Agni and Vayu was still recognized, attempts are made to identify Shiva with Agni,- in one passage in the Mahabharata it is stated that the Brahmins said that Agni was Shiva.
Although such attempts at an identification of the two gods remained isolated, they would at least seem to point to the fact that, in adapting their speculations to the actual state of popular worship, the Brahmans kept the older triad distinctly in view, and by means of it endeavoured to bring their new structure into harmony with the ancient Vedic belief.
As regards Vishnu, this god occupies already a place in the Vedic mythology, though by no means one of such prominence as would entitle him to that degree of exaltation implied in his character as one of the three hypostases of the divinity. This belief is not universally held as there are many Vedic verses that utter the oppositive view, i.e., Vishnu's supremacy as a personal supreme God. Moreover, although in his general nature, as a benevolent, genial being, the Vedic god corresponds on the whole to the later Vishnu, the preserver of the world, the latter exhibits many important features for which we look in vain in his prototype, and which most likely resulted from sectarian worship or from an amalgamation with local deities. In one or two of them, such as his names Vasudeva and Vaikuntha, an attempt may again be traced to identify Vishnu with Indra, who, as we have seen, was one of the Vedic triad of gods. The characteristic feature of the elder Vishnu is his measuring the world with his three strides, which are explained as denoting either the three stations of the sun at the time of rising, culminating and setting, or the triple manifestation of the luminous element, as the fire on earth, the lightning in the atmosphere and the sun in the heavens. This three strides corresponds with the events that took place when Vishnu incarnated as Vamana.
The male nature of the triad was supposed to require to be supplemented by each of the three gods being associated with a female energy (Shakti). Similarly Vishnu's consort Sri or Lakshmi, is the Goddess of beauty, fortune making it possible for him to preserve the universe;
A compromise was thus effected between the esoteric doctrine of the metaphysical and some of the most prevalent forms of popular worship, resulting in what was henceforth to constitute the orthodox system of belief of the Brahmanical community.
The existence of the old gods is, therefore, likewise recognized, but recognized in a very different way from that of the triple "revelation" of divinity.
To them an intermediate sphere, the heaven of Indra (the svarloka or svarga), is assigned to which man may raise himself by fulfilling the holy ordinances;
Other uses
Trimurti can also refer to the trinity of Carnatic music, that is, Tyagaraja, Muttusvami Dikshitar and Syama Sastry.
External Link
The god Phra Trimurti (พระตรีมูรติ) in Thailand
| Śruti: | Vedas · Upanishads · Śrauta | |||
| Smriti: | Itihasa (Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita) · Puranas · Sutras · Agama (Tantra, Yantra) · Vedanta | |||
| Concepts: | Avatar · Atman · Brahman · Kosas · Dharma · Karma · Moksha · Maya · Ishta-deva · Murti · Reincarnation · Samsara · Tattva · Trimurti · Turiya · Gurus | |||
| Philosophy: | Schools · Early Hinduism · Samkhya · Nyaya · Vaisheshika · Yoga · Mimamsa · Vedanta · Tantra · Bhakti | |||
| Rituals: | Jyotish · Ayurveda · Aarti · Bhajans · Darshan · Diksha · Mantras · Puja · Satsang · Stotras · Wedding · Yajna | |||
| Gurus: | Shankara · Ramanuja · Madhvacharya · Ramakrishna · Sarada Devi · Vivekananda · Narayana Guru · Aurobindo · Ramana Maharshi · Sivananda · Chinmayananda · Sivaya Subramuniyaswami · Swaminarayan · Prabhupada · Lokenath · Sant Sri Asaramji Bapu | |||
| Denominations: | Vaishnavism · Shaivism · Shaktism · Smartism · Hindu reform movements | |||
| Deities: | List of Hindu deities · Hindu mythology | |||
| Yugas: | Satya Yuga · Treta Yuga · Dvapara Yuga · Kali Yuga | |||
| Castes: | Brahmin · Kshatriya · Vaishya · Shudra · Dalit · See also: Varnashrama dharma | v • d • e |
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