Lord Brahma is regarded as the creator of the universe. He is not only the creator of the world but is also regarded as the father of Dharma which is the correct way of living one’s life. Lord Brahma is commonly represented with a long white beard with a golden skin. He has four heads and four mouths which represent the four Vedas. He has four arms, but he does not carry any weapon in his hands. Instead, he has a jug and a spoon, a prayer book which denotes the holy scriptures, a bead necklace like a rosary and a lotus.
Lord Brahma’s creation is a famous myth. It is believed that Brahma self-created himself within a golden egg. He then went on to create Gods, demons, man, and animals. In his process of creation, Brahma first created the demons from his thigh and when he realized it, he abandoned his body which became night. He then went on to create the Gods and Goddesses and abandoned that part of the body too which became the Day. This is the myth which explains why demons come out at night and Gods rule during the day. Another birth myth says that Lord Brahma was born inside a lotus flower which originated from Lord Vishnu’s navel. The first man created by Lord Brahma was Manu.
It is said that Lord Brahma initially had 5 heads. As he is known as the father of creation, after creating the world, he got proud of his achievement. He even got into an argument with Lord Vishnu that he was the most supreme God. When Lord Shiva came to the scene, he intervened and released a light and asked both Brahma and Vishnu to find it. While both the Gods were not able to trace the light, Vishnu told the truth to Shiva but Brahma lied and said that he found the light. The lie and the arrogance angered Lord Shiva who chopped one head off and cursed him that Lord Brahma will never be worshipped as a primary deity in all the worlds. There is one Brahma temple in Pushkar in Rajasthan.
Lord Brahma’s consort is Goddess Saraswati. It is believed that Brahma created his 10 sons and 1 daughter using the power of his mind. The 10 sons were called Prajapatis. He is also the creator of the Vedas which are the most powerful scriptures of philosophy, religion and spiritual way of life. It is believed that he received this infinite knowledge from Lord Vishnu who asked him to cascade it in the world. Another legend believes that his immense knowledge and wisdom was achieved after “tapasya” or meditation of 100 years.
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