El Hinduism It is one of the oldest religions in the world, practiced by more than 1.100 million people in the Asian continent and other parts of the world. On India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Malaysia there are many who follow its precepts and worship the three main gods of Hinduism.
Unlike other religions, these gods are worshiped in daily life. More than abstract and distant beings, they are seen as figures that are part of everyday reality. There are numerous currents and schools within Hinduism.
Within the variegated Hindu pantheon, not all deities are in the same category. There are no less than thirty million gods, but not all are equally important and revered.
These are the three main gods of Hinduism: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. They form the Trimurti ("The three forms" in Sanskrit) and represent respectively the cycles of creation, conservation and destruction of the universe.
Brahma
According to the Hindu religious tradition, Brahma He is the creator god of the Universe. Everything that exists in the world is his doing. It symbolizes wisdom and intelligence.
Brahma has two wives: Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, and Savitri, who is the daughter of the sun god. He is also the father of Dharma (creator god of religion) and of Atri. In addition, he is the father of ten sons and a daughter from whom the different human races originated.
According to tradition, his residence is in brahmapura, a divine city located atop the Mount Meru, which on the other hand is considered the center of the world.
Representation of Brahma, the creator god of the Universe for Hinduism
La iconic representation of Brahma It is that of a red-skinned old man with four bearded heads. These white beards symbolize wisdom. Each of its four mouths is reciting one of the four Vedas or sacred texts. He also has four arms whose hands hold different objects:
- A container of water, the source of life.
- A string of beads (yapa mala) to count the age of the Universe.
- A text from the Vedas.
- A lotus flowerpadma).
Brahma appears in many sculptures and paintings on the back of a great swan named Jansa, a divine bird that allows you to travel the length and breadth of the Universe.
As a curiosity it should be noted that Brahma is also a very famous beer brand in India. Many people drink it without this being considered sacrilege.
Vishnu
If Brahma is the creator god, Hinduism considers Vishnu as the preserving god. He is the guardian of order, peace and love in the Universe. He is a powerful divinity full of goodness, capable of working the most unthinkable wonders and of being very belligerent and cruel with demons and evil beings.
According to tradition, Vishnu's home is in a place called vaikhunta, located high above the sky beyond the Himalayas. The Ganges, the great sacred river of India, rises from his feet. Vishnu is married to Lakshmi, the goddess of beauty and fortune.
The classic representation of Vishnu is that of a being of human appearance, blue leather with four arms. On his chest is a lock of white hair. Like Brahma, he also possesses four attributes that he holds in each of his four hands:
- A lotus flowerpadma).
- A conch shell (shanká) that was once sounded after a military victory.
- A golden mallet with which Vishnu crushes the heads of the demons.
- A very sharp metal ring (Sudarshana chakra) that he uses to slaughter demons.
Vishnu is often seen sitting on a large lotus flower and accompanied by Laksmi, lying on his lap.
Shiva
The third member of the Trimurti is Shiva, the destroyer god. While Vishnu represents the beginning of life, Shiva symbolizes the end. Its role is fundamental within Hinduism, where death is necessary first for the going to arise. That is why he should not be considered an evil god, quite the opposite.
Some of his nicknames are "the terrible" or "the giver of happiness." He is also the god of dance, so music and dance have great importance in the ceremonies and rituals around his figure.
Shiva's wife is the goddess P, with whom he had three children: Aiapa, Ghanesa and Kartikeia, God of War. Shiva's abode is located in the Mount kailash, currently in Chinese territory.
Giant Shiva statue in a Hindu temple
The classic image of Shiva is that of a blue-skinned yogi who is sometimes depicted sitting in a meditation position and other times as a dancer with one of his legs in the air. Around his neck a snake that symbolizes the vital energy.
You have three eyes, one of them located on the forehead. This third eye represents the spiritual plane, although according to other traditions the three eyes symbolize the three divisions of time: past, present and future.