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Spiritual Mantra
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Hindu Trinity
(Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu & Lord Shiva) :-
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Lord Brahma is the first
member of the Brahmanical triad, Vishnu being the second and Shiva, the
third. Brahma is the god of creation and he is traditionally accepted as
the Creator of the entire universe.
An individual's subtle body is constituted of his mind and intellect,
that is, his entire thoughts. Man's subtle body is responsible for the
creation of his gross body and also the world that he experiences. The
thoughts of an individual determine the type of physical body he
possesses. The same thoughts are also responsible for the type of world
that the individual experiences around him. As the thoughts, so the
world. If a man possesses good thoughts he sees a good world. If his
thoughts are bad he sees a bad world. Yudhisthira, a virtuous man saw
virtue everywhere, while Duryodhana saw vice everywhere. When thoughts
are absent there is no world at all. In deep sleep there are no
thoughts, no world. |
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This phenomenon is true not only of the microcosm but of the macrocosm
as well. The cosmic subtle body is the aggregate of all subtle bodies of
all living beings. The cosmic subtle body called the Hiranyagarbha, is
said to be the creator of the entire universe. This creator is Brahma.
The manifested world of plurality has emerged from the unmanifest
Reality. To indicate this Brahma the creator is described as being born
from the navel of Vishnu as he is lying on the great serpent, Ananta in
the milky ocean.
One of the earliest iconographic descriptions of Brahma is that of the
four-faced god seated on a lotus. The Lord has in his four hands a
water-pot (kamandalu), a manuscript (Vedas), a sacrificial implement (sruva)
and a rosary (mala). He wears the hide of a black antelope and his
vehicle is a swan {hamsa).
The description of Brahma like those of other deities of Hinduism bears
a mystic symbolism. The lotus represents the Reality. Brahma sitting on
the lotus indicates that he is ever-rooted in the infinite Reality.
Reality is the foundation on which his personality rests. The four faces
of Brahma represent the four Vedas. They also symbolise the functioning
of the inner personality (antahkarana) which consists of thoughts. They
are the mind (manas), the intellect (buddhi), ego (ahamkara) and
conditioned-consciousness (chitta). They represent the four ways in
which thoughts function. They are the manifestations of the unmanifest
Consciousness.
The animal hide worn by Brahma stands for austerity. A seeker who
desires to realise his godhead must first go through spiritual
disciplines. Observing such austerities the seeker must carefully study
and reflect upon the scriptural truths which are suggested by the
manuscript (Vedas) held in one hand. Having acquired the knowledge of
scriptures he must work in the world without ego and egocentric desires,
that is engage in dedicated and sacrificial service for the welfare of
the world. This idea is suggested by the sacrificial implement held in
the second hand. When a man works in the world selflessly he drops his
desires. He is no longer extroverted, materialistic, sensual. His mind
is withdrawn from its preoccupations with the world of objects and
beings. Such a mind is said to be in uparati. A man who has reached the
state of uparati is in a spirit of renunciation.
That is indicated by Brahma holding the kamandalu in his hand. Kamandalu
is a water-pot used by a sanyasi-a man of renunciation. It is a symbol
of sanyasa or renunciation. The mind of such a man which is withdrawn
from the heat of passion of the world is available for deeper
concentration and meditation. The rosary (mala) in the fourth hand is
meant to be used for chanting and meditation. Meditation is the final
gateway to Realisation. Through deep and consistent meditation the mind
gets annihilated and the seeker attains godhood. A god-man maintains his
identity with his supreme Self while he is engaged in the world of
perceptions, emotions and thoughts. He retains the concept of unity in
diversity. He separates the pure unconditioned consciousness underlying
this conditioned world of names and forms. Brahma's association with a
swan is most appropriate in this context.
A swan is described in Hindu mysticism as possessing the unique faculty
of separating pure milk from a mixture of milk and water. It is reputed
to have the ability to draw the milk alone and leave the water behind.
Similarly does a man of Realization move about in the world recognizing
the one divinity in the pluralistic phenomena of the world.
Brahma is said to be the Lord of creation. The creator must necessarily
possess the knowledge to create. Without knowledge no creation is
possible. Hence Brahma is said to be wedded to the goddess of knowledge,
Saraswati. Life in this world is a manifestation of the three principles
of creation, sustenance and destruction. In fact these three are
interconnected. The apparent destruction is only an essential forerunner
to creation.
Destruction and creation go hand in hand. They are like two sides of a
coin. For example, the destruction of morning is creation of noon and
the destruction of noon is creation of night. This chain of continuous
destruction and construction maintains the day. Similarly, the
destruction of childhood is the creation of youth and the destruction of
youth the creation of old age. In this process of birth and death the
individual is maintained. Hence the three gods of the Trinity viz.
Brahma, Vishnu and Siva representing creation, maintenance and
destruction, are essentially one and the same.
The above idea is well portrayed in Lord Dattatreya, in whose form the
three gods are combined. Dattatreya has the three faces of Brahma,
Vishnu and Siva to indicate that the three principles for which they
stand are inseparable. Lord Dattatreya is shown with four dogs following
him. The four dogs represent the four Vedas. A dog is one of the most
faithful animals in the world and it follows its master in all
environments and circumstances. So, too, the Vedas arc said to follow a
man-of-Realisation in the sense that all his actions, thoughts and
desires are in perfect accord with the principles enunciated in the
Vedic textbooks.
All creations arise out of vikshepa (thought disturbances). This
vikshepa-sakti is Lord Brahma-the total mind-intellect equipment. Man,
being essentially constituted of his mind and intellect, has already
invoked this vikshepasakti and realised Brahma. Hence the worship and
invocation of Brahma is practised by few.
Yet there are a few shrines dedicated to Brahma. He is worshipped and
invoked particularly by scientists and kings for generating more
creative ideas to serve the world of men and matter. The rulers invoke
the Lord in order to surrender their ego and produce plans and schemes
to serve the nation. Similarly, the research scholars invoke creative
inspiration and flashes of new thoughts revealing the secrets of nature.
Lord Brahma is not popularly worshipped in India. This is so, because
the idea of creation is repugnant to seeker of Truth since the creation
of thoughts has veiled the infinite Reality. The attempt of all
spiritual seekers is to destroy the existing thoughts and maintain the
state of single pointed thought until the Reality is revealed. Hence,
Siva (god of destruction) and Vishnu (god of maintenance) are worshipped
more than Brahma. In fact, there are very few temples of Brahma-one in
Rajasthan and another in Orissa -compared to innumerable shrines of Siva
and Vishnu existing all over India |
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LORD
VISHNU |
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Lord Vishnu, major god
of Hinduism and Indian mythology, popularly regarded as the
preserver of the universe. In the ancient body of literature called
the Veda, the sacred literature of the Aryan invaders, Vishnu ranks
with the numerous lesser gods and is usually associated with the
major Vedic god Indra in battles against demonic forces. In the
epics and Puranas-writings belonging to subsequent periods in the
development of Hinduism-Vishnu (especially in his incarnations)
becomes prominent. Some Puranic literature refers to him as the
eternal, all-pervading spirit and associates him with the primeval
waters believed to have been omnipresent before the creation of the
world. So regarded, Vishnu is depicted frequently in human form,
sleeping on the great serpent Shesha and floating on the waters.
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The concept of Lord Vishnu
as preserver is comparatively late. It is based chiefly on two beliefs:
humans may attain salvation by faithfully following predetermined paths
of duty, and good and evil powers (gods and demons) contend for dominion
over the world. Occasionally, the balance of power is upset in favor of
evil, and then Lord Vishnu is believed to descend to earth in a mortal
form (his avatar) to save humankind or the world. Ten such avatars
(descents or incarnations) are commonly recognized, of which Lord Rama
and Lord Krishna are the most important. Nine descents are thought to
have already occurred; the tenth and last is yet to come. Scholars
believe that Vishnu's role as preserver (or redeemer) arose from the
characteristic practice of assimilating local legendary heroes and gods
into the Hindu pantheon by attributing their deeds to one of the major
Hindu deities.
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Representation |
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Lord Vishnu is depicted as
dark blue or black (his avatars appear in other colors). Normally, he is
depicted with four arms: One hand holds a lotus; a second holds a conch;
a third holds a discus (which always returns by itself after being
thrown); and the fourth carries a mace. The petals of the lotus are
believed to symbolize the unfolding of creation; the conch is said to
symbolize that from which all existence originates; and the discus and
the mace reputedly were obtained by Lord Vishnu as rewards for defeating
the God Indra. Lord Vishnu is said to possess also a special sword
called Nadaka and a special bow called Sarnga. His wife is Goddess
Lakshmi (also known as Shri), goddess of beauty and fortune. He rides a
huge creature, half bird and half man, called Gandara. His home is in a
heaven called Vaikuntha (where the Ganges River is believed to flow from
its source at Vishnu's feet). The god has a thousand names, the
repetition of which is regarded as an act of devotion. |
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LORD SHIVA |
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Shiva is one of the gods
of the Trinity. He is said to be the god of destruction. The other
two gods are Brahma, the god of creation and Vishnu, the god of
maintenance. The three gods represent the three fundamental powers
of nature which are manifest in the world viz. creation, destruction
and maintenance. These powers exist perpetually. Creation is going
on all the time. So is destruction and maintenance. All three powers
are manifest at all times. They are inseparable. Creation and
destruction are like two sides of a coin. And maintenance is an
integral part of the processes of creation and destruction. For
example, morning dies to give birth to noon. Noon dies when night is
born. In this chain of birth and death the day is maintained. To
indicate that these three processes are one and the same the three
gods are combined in one form of Lord Dattatreya. Lord Dattatreya
has the faces of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Shiva is married to the
Goddess Uma. Uma represents frakriti which means perishable matter.
Shiva's marriage with Uma signifies that the power of destruction
has no meaning without its association with perishable matter.
Destruction manifests itself only when there is perishable matter.
Lord Shiva sits in a meditative pose against the white background of
the snow-capped Himalayas in Mount Kailas. |
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His posture symbolises perfect inner harmony and poise, experienced
by a man of Realisation. He is rooted in God- consciousness. He
revels in the bliss of the transcendental Reality. Nothing disturbs
him. The vicissitudes of nature, the challenges of life, the trials
and tribulations of the terrestrial world do not affect him at all.
He maintains perfect serenity, equanimity and tranquility in all
environments and circumstances.
The snow-white background symbolises the absolute purity of mind.
When the mind is disturbed, agitated, you do not see the divinity in
you. Recognising your divine self is like seeing a reflection in a
pool of water. When the water is dirty or disturbed you cannot see
your own reflection. Only when the water is clear and steady do you
recognize your reflection. Similarly, the divinity in you is lost in
a pool of thoughts. If the thoughts are dirty (tamasic) or agitated
(rajasic) you miss your divine Self. By spiritual practices you
ought to raise your personality from its tamasic and rajasic states
to the state, of sattwa. In the sattviic state when the mind is
absolutely pure and steady you recognise your supreme Self. That is
the state of Shiva in Kaila
On the auspicious occasion of MahaShivaratri, Shiva performs the
ecstatic dance of realisation. In the dance pose Shiva is known as
Nataraja. The dance symbolises the thrill of god-realisation. Beyond
the realms of the waking, dream and deep-sleep states of
consciousness. Beyond the ' experiences of the body and its
perceptions, the mind and its feelings, the intellect and its
thoughts lies the bliss of Godhood. Shiva reaches this state of
Godhood and dances with the intoxication of supreme bliss
Shiva is said to have a third eye known as gyana chakshu. Gyana
chakshu literally means eye of wisdom. The eye whose vision reaches
beyond that of the two mortal eyes. The idea of the third eye is not
to be taken literally to mean that a third fleshy organ exists in
Shiva. It only means that Shiva has a divine vision of Reality. Your
vision is confined merely to perceptions, emotions and thoughts but
when you transcend the limitations of your body, mind and intellect
you gain realisation of your inner Self. That is indicated by the
opening of the gyana chakshu
Shiva us also known as “Gangadhar”, Gangadhar literally means the
carrier of Ganga (River Ganges). Shiva is said to carry the Ganges
in his locks. Shiva is sometimes shown with his trident (“trishool”)
in his hand. The “trishool” is a three pronged weapon which
symbolizes the destruction of the ego with its three-fold desires of
the body, mind and intellect. Shiva with his weapon indicated his
victory over his ego and attainment of the state of perfection. |
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