2601:600:8080:7110:49CE:7716:381C:378A: robot: Create/update articles in Category:Hindu gods.

2023-01-22T03:01:19Z

robot: Create/update articles in Category:Hindu gods.

105.154.11.215 at 21:11, 13 January 2022

2022-01-13T21:11:48Z

New page

{{short description|Hinduism's triple deity of supreme divinity}}
{{About|the Hindu gods|the films|Trimurti (1995 film)|and|Trimurti (1974 film)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2014}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Hindu
| image = Trimurti1940s.jpg
| caption = Lord [[Shiva]] (left), Lord [[Vishnu]] (middle), and Lord [[Brahma]] (right),
| name = Trimurti
| god_of = Supreme Beings of Universe and Existence<br>The Gods of Creation, Preservation and Destruction
| affiliation = {{ubl|[[Brahma]] (creator)|[[Vishnu]] (preserver)|[[Shiva]] (destroyer)}}
| abode = {{ubl|[[Satyalok]] (abode of Brahma)|[[Vaikunth]] (abode of Vishnu)|[[Kailash]]( abode of Shiva)}}
| weapon = {{ubl|[[Brahmastra]] and [[Kamandal]] (Brahma)|[[Sudarshana Chakra|Sudarshan]] and [[Narayanastra]] (Vishnu)|[[Trishula|Trishul]] (Shiv)}}
| mantra = Om Tridevaya Namah
| consort = [[Tridevi]] specifically:
{{ubl|[[Saraswati]] (Brahma's consort)|[[Lakshmi]] (Vishnu's consort)|[[Parvati]] (Shiva's consort)}}
| mount = {{ubl|[[Hans (bird)|Hans]] (mount of Brahma)|[[Garuda]] (mount of Vishnu)|[[Nandi (bull)|Nandi]] (mount of Shiva)}}
}}
{{Infobox Hindu term
| title= Trimurti
| as= ত্ৰিমূৰ্তি ({{transl|as|Trimūrti}})
| bn= ত্রিমূর্তি
({{transl|bn|Trimūrti}})
| en= Three forms or Trinity
| gu= {{lang|gu|ત્રિમૂર્તિ}} ({{transl|gu|Trimūrti}})
| hi= {{lang|hi|त्रिमूर्ति}} ({{transl|hi|Trimūrti}})
| jv= {{lang|jv|ꦠꦿꦶꦩꦸꦂꦠꦶ}} ({{transl|jv|Trimurti}})
| kn= ತ್ರಿಮೂರ್ತಿ ({{transl|kn|Trimūrti}})
| ml= ത്രിമൂർത്തികൾ ({{transl|ml|Trimūrttikaḷ}})
| mr= त्रिमूर्ती ({{transl|mr|Trimūrti}})
| ne= त्रिमूर्ति ({{transl|ne|Trimūrti}})
| or= ତ୍ରିମୂର୍ତ୍ତି ({{IAST|Trimūrtti}})
| pa= ਤ੍ਰੀਮੂਰਤੀ ({{transl|pa|trīmūratī}})
| sa= त्रिमूर्ति ({{IAST|Trimūrti}})
| ta= மும்மூர்த்தி ({{transl|ta|Mum'mūrtti}})
| te= త్రిమూర్తులు ({{transl|te|Trimūrtulu}})
}}
'''Trimūrti''' ({{IPAc-en|t|r|ɪ|ˈ|m|uːr|t|i}};<ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/trimurti "Trimurti"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129070403/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/trimurti |date=29 November 2014 }}. ''[[Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary]]''.</ref> [[Sanskrit]]: त्रिमूर्ति ''{{IAST|trimūrti}}'', "three forms" or "trinity") is the [[triple deity]] of [[Para Brahman|supreme divinity]] in [[Hinduism]],<ref>{{cite book |series=SUNY Series in Religious Studies |last=Grimes |first=John A. |title=Ganapati: Song of the Self |year=1995 |publisher=State University of New York Press |location=Albany |isbn=0-7914-2440-5 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Jansen |first=Eva Rudy|title=The Book of Hindu Imagery|year=2003 |publisher=Binkey Kok Publications BV|location=Havelte, Holland|isbn=90-74597-07-6 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Radhakrishnan |first=Sarvepalli (Editorial Chairman)|author-link=Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan |title=The Cultural Heritage of India |year=1956 |publisher=The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture |location=Calcutta }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Winternitz |first=Maurice |title=History of Indian Literature |year=1972 |publisher=Oriental Books Reprint Corporation |location=New Delhi }}</ref> in which the cosmic functions of [[creation ex nihilo|creation]], [[Conservation (ethic)|maintenance]], and [[End time#Hinduism|destruction]] are [[personified]] as a triad of deities, typically [[Brahma]] the creator, [[Vishnu]] the preserver, and [[Shiva]] the destroyer,<ref>For quotation defining the trimurti see Matchett, Freda. I real all the three deities are avatar of [[Shiva]]. The [[Brahma]] is "Swetamber"(one who wears white clothes), [[Vishnu|Maha Vishnu]] is "Pitamber" (one who wears yellow/red/orange clothes) and the [[Shiva]] is "Digamber/Vaagamber"(one who doesn't wears any cloth, only the skin of tiger). "The {{IAST|Purāṇas}}", in: Flood (2003), p. 139.</ref><ref>For the Trimurti system having [[Brahma]] as the creator, [[Vishnu]] as the maintainer or preserver, and [[Shiva]] as the destroyer. see Zimmer (1972) p. 124.</ref> though individual denominations may vary from that particular line-up. The legendary yogi [[Dattatreya]] is often treated as not only one of the 24 [[avatar]]s of Vishnu, but also of Shiva and Brahma as well in a single three-headed body.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Mhatre|first1=Sandeep|title=Datta Sampradaay and Their Vital Role|url=http://swamisamarthmath.com/en/dattasampraday.html|location=Swami Samarth temple|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304074548/http://swamisamarthmath.com/en/dattasampraday.html|archive-date=4 March 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The [[Om]] symbol of Hinduism is considered to have allusion to Trimurti, where A, U and M of the Om symbol are considered as creation, preservation and destruction.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Young_Scientist/rztlAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=om+trimurti+-wikipedia&pg=PA224&printsec=frontcover|title = Young Scientist: A Practical Journal for Amateurs|year = 1852|publisher = Industrial Publication Company.}}</ref> The '''[[Tridevi]]''' is the trinity of goddess consorts for the Trimūrti. <Ref>https://www.hindufaqs.com/tridevi-the-three-supreme-goddess-in-hinduism/</Ref>

== Evolution ==
<gallery widths="200px" heights="200px">
Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva seated on lotuses with their consorts, ca1770.jpg|'''Left:''' [[Brahma]] and [[Saraswati]], '''Middle:''' [[Vishnu]] and [[Lakshmi]], '''Right:''' [[Shiva]] and [[Parvati]].
Halebid3.JPG|An art depiction of the Trimurti at the [[Hoysaleswara temple]] in [[Halebidu]]
Brahma Vishnu Mahesh.jpg|Trimurti, painting from Andhra Pradesh
</gallery>

The [[Puranas|Puranic period]] from the 4th to the 12th century CE saw the rise of post-[[Vedic period|Vedic]] religion and the evolution of what R. C. Majumdar calls "synthetic Hinduism".<ref>For dating of Puranic period as c. CE 300-1200 and quotation, see: Majumdar, R. C. "Evolution of Religio-Philosophic Culture in India", in: Radhakrishnan (CHI, 1956), volume 4, p. 47.</ref>

This period had no homogeneity, and included orthodox [[Vedic Brahmanism|Brahmanism]] in the form of remnants of older Vedic faith traditions, along with different sectarian religions, notably [[Shaivism]], [[Vaishnavism]], and [[Shaktism]] that were within the orthodox fold yet still formed distinct entities.<ref>For characterization as non-homogeneous and including multiple traditions, see: Majumdar, R. C. "Evolution of Religio-Philosophic Culture in India", in: Radhakrishnan (CHI, 1956), volume 4, p. 49.</ref> One of the important traits of this period is a spirit of harmony between orthodox and sectarian forms.<ref>For harmony between orthodox and sectarian groups, see: Majumdar, R. C. "Evolution of Religio-Philosophic Culture in India", in: Radhakrishnan (CHI, 1956), volume 4, p. 49.</ref> Regarding this spirit of reconciliation, [[R. C. Majumdar]] says that:

<blockquote>Its most notable expression is to be found in the theological conception of the {{IAST|Trimūrti}}, i.e., the manifestation of the supreme God in three forms of {{IAST|Brahmā}}, {{IAST|Viṣṇu}}, and {{IAST|Śiva}}... But the attempt cannot be regarded as a great success, for {{IAST|Brahmā}} never gained an ascendancy comparable to that of {{IAST|Śiva}} or {{IAST|Viṣṇu}}, and the different sects often conceived the {{IAST|Trimūrti}} as really the three manifestations of their own sectarian god, whom they regarded as [[Brahman]] or Absolute.<ref>For quotation see: see: Majumdar, R. C. "Evolution of Religio-Philosophic Culture in India", in: Radhakrishnan (CHI, 1956), volume 4, p. 49.</ref></blockquote>

The identification of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva as one being is strongly emphasized in the ''{{IAST|Kūrma}} Purāṇa'', wherein 1.6 [[Brahman]] is worshipped as Trimurti; 1.9 especially inculcates the unity of the three gods, and 1.26 relates to the same theme.<ref>For references to {{IAST|Kūrma}} Purana see: Winternitz, volume 1, p. 573, note 2.</ref> Noting Western interest in the idea of trinity, historian [[Arthur Llewellyn Basham|A. L. Basham]] explains the background of the Trimurti as follows:

<blockquote>There must be some doubt as to whether the Hindu tradition has ever recognized Brahma as the Supreme Deity in the way that Visnu and Siva have been conceived of and worshiped.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sutton |first1=Nicholas |title=Religious doctrines in the Mahābhārata |date=2000 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers |location=Delhi |isbn=81-208-1700-1 |pages=182 |edition=1st}}</ref></blockquote> The concept of Trimurti is also present in the ''[[Maitri Upanishad]]'', where the three gods are explained as three of his supreme forms.<ref>"Brahma, Rudra, and Vishnu are called the supreme forms of him. His portion of darkness is! Rudra. His portion of passion is Brahma. His portion of purity is Visnu"—''[[Maitri Upanishad]]'' [5.2]</ref>

== Trimurti temples ==
[[File:Candi Prambanan; candi Hindu terindah di Asia Tenggara.jpg|thumb|right|260px|The main three towers of the 9th century [[Prambanan]] Trimurti temple complex, the largest Hindu temple site in Indonesia.]]
Temples dedicated to various permutations of the Trimurti can be seen as early as the 6th century C.E., and there are still some temples today in which the Trimurti are actively worshiped.

* [[Baroli Temples#Trimurti temple|Baroli Trimurti Temple]]
* [[Elephanta Caves]]
* [[Mithrananthapuram Trimurti Temple]]
* [[Prambanan|Prambanan Trimurti Temple]]
* [[Western Chalukya architecture#Stellate plans|Savadi Trimurti Temple]]
* [[Thripaya Trimurti Temple]]
* [[Thirumoorthy hills]]

== Views within Hinduism ==

{{More citations needed|section|date=September 2021}}

In general it can be said that the trimurti has less of a role in the Hinduism of recent centuries than in ancient India.
=== Shaivism ===
[[Shaivites]] hold that, according to [[Shaiva]] [[Āgama (Hinduism)|Agama]], Shiva performs five actions - creation, preservation, dissolution, grace, and illusion. Respectively, these first three actions are associated with Shiva as [[Sadyojata]] (akin to [[Brahma]]), [[Vamadeva]] (akin to [[Vishnu]]) and [[Aghora]]{{dn|date=January 2022}} (akin to [[Rudra]]). Thus, Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra are not deities different from Shiva, but rather are forms of Shiva. As Brahma/Sadyojata, Shiva creates. As Vishnu/Vamadeva, Shiva preserves. As Rudra/Aghora, he dissolves. This stands in contrast to the idea that Shiva is the "God of destruction". Shiva is the supreme God and performs all actions, of which destruction is only but one. Ergo, the Trimurti is a form of Shiva Himself for Shaivas. Shaivites believe that Lord Shiva is the Supreme, who assumes various critical roles and assumes appropriate names and forms, and also stands transcending all these.
<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shaivam.org/shpdestr.htm}}</ref> A prominent visual example of a Shaivism version of the Trimurti is the [[Elephanta Caves#Trimurti.2C Gangadhara and Ardhanarishvara|''Trimurti Sadashiva'' sculpture]] in the [[Elephanta Caves]] on [[Gharapuri Island]].

=== Vaishnavism ===
[[File:A statue inside the Angkor Wat in Cambodia; January 2020.jpg|left|260px|thumb|Murti of [[Vishnu]], the main deity worshipped in [[Angkor Wat]], Cambodia.]]
Despite the fact that the [[Vishnu Purana]] describes that [[Vishnu]] manifests as [[Brahma]] in order to create and as [[Rudra]] ([[Shiva]]) in order to destroy,<ref>{{citation|author1=Flood, Gavin|author-link1=Gavin_Flood|title=An Introduction to Hinduism|date=13 July 1996|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=0-521-43878-0|page=[https://archive.org/details/introductiontohi0000floo/page/111 111]|url=https://archive.org/details/introductiontohi0000floo/page/111}}</ref> [[Vaishnavism]] generally does not acknowledge the Trimurti concept; instead, they believe in the [[avataras]] of Vishnu like [[Buddha]], [[Rama]], [[Krishna]], etc. They also believe that Shiva and Brahma both are forms of Vishnu. For example, the [[Dvaita]] school holds Vishnu alone to be the supreme God, with [[Shiva]] subordinate, and interprets the [[Puranas]] differently. For example, Vijayindra Tîrtha, a Dvaita scholar interprets the 18 [[purana]]s differently. He interprets the Vaishnavite puranas as [[satvic]] and Shaivite puranas as [[tamas (philosophy)|tamasic]] and that only satvic puranas are considered to be authoritative.<ref name= Sharma>{{cite book |last= Sharma |first= B. N. Krishnamurti |title= A history of the Dvaita school of Vedānta and its literature: from the earliest beginnings to our own times |access-date= 2010-01-15 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=FVtpFMPMulcC&q=sarabha&pg=PA412 |publisher= Motilal Banarsidass Publishers |page= 412 |year= 2000 |isbn= 81-208-1575-0 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191224120749/https://books.google.com/books?id=FVtpFMPMulcC&pg=PA412&dq=Varaha+sarabha&cd=11#v=onepage&q=sarabha&f=false |archive-date= 24 December 2019 |url-status= live }}</ref>
=== Shaktism ===
The Female-Centric [[Shaktism|Shaktidharma]] denomination assigns the eminent roles of the three forms (''Trimurti'') of [[Adi Parashakti|Supreme Divinity]] not to masculine gods but instead to feminine goddesses: [[Mahasaraswati|Mahasarasvati (Creatrix)]], [[Mahalaxmi|Mahalaxmi (Preservatrix)]], and [[Mahakali|Mahakali (Destructrix)]]. This feminine version of the Trimurti is called [[Tridevi|''Tridevi'' ("three goddesses")]]. The masculine gods ([[Brahma]], [[Vishnu]], [[Shiva]]) are then relegated as auxiliary agents of the supreme feminine Tridevi.
In Srimad Devi Bhagwat Purana's 1st book and 4th chapter. Devi addressed Trimurti as follows:

"I am Adi Parashakti. I am the owner of this universe. I am the Absolute Reality. I am dynamic in feminine form and static in masculine form. You have appeared to govern the universe through my energy. You are the masculine form of Absolute Reality, while I am the feminine form of that Reality. I am beyond form, beyond everything, and all the powers of God are contained within me. You must know that I am the Eternal limitless energy.

She then said: Brahma! You will be generator of the universe; the Goddess Sharada (Saraswati) is your consort, she will be recognized as the goddess of wisdom and the primeval sound. Lord Brahma, this goddess will be with you when you create the universe.

She continued: Lord Narayana (Vishnu)! You are formless, yet you take form. I assign you to be the preserver of the universe. You will take different incarnations in order to save this universe's inhabitants. Oh Narayana! You have created Lord Brahma, and Brahma will further create thirty three kinds of gods and goddesses. I am goddess Mahamaya, who has made you reappear from your mystic sleep. Your consort will be goddess Lakshmi. Lord Vishnu, this goddess will be with you when you rule/maintain the universe. When life evolves, you will take the form of Vishnu, the one who will perform the task of observing and preserving this universe.

At Last she instructed: "Oh Lord Rudra Shiv, the Great God, you are the personification of time, which is above all. You will perform the task of destroying and regenerating this universe. When you are formless, time stands still. It is due to my power that you become dynamic and are capable of bringing about the destruction and regeneration of this universe. Mahakali is myself, my full form, whereas Laxmi and Saraswati are just my clones, my partial forms but due to meditation, you will surpass all my forms. It is then that I will incarnate from your left half in my manifested form. This form will be my truest manifested form. Lord Shiva, She will perform the task of destroying evil and will be your consort.<nowiki>''</nowiki>

=== Smartism ===
[[Smartism]] is a denomination of Hinduism that places emphasis on a group of five deities rather than just a single deity.<ref>Flood (1996), p. 17.</ref> The "worship of the five forms" ({{IAST|[[pañcāyatana pūjā]]}}) system, which was popularized by the ninth-century philosopher [[Adi Shankara|{{IAST|Śankarācārya}}]] among orthodox Brahmins of the [[Smartism|Smārta]] tradition, invokes the five deities [[Shiva]], [[Vishnu]], [[Brahma]], [[Shakti]] and [[Surya]].<ref>Dating for the pañcāyatana pūjā and its connection with Smārta Brahmins is from Courtright, p. 163.</ref><ref>For worship of the five forms as central to Smarta practice see: Flood (1996), p. 113.</ref> [[Adi Shankara|{{IAST|Śankarācārya}}]] later added [[Kartikeya]] to these five, making six total. This reformed system was promoted by {{IAST|Śankarācārya}} primarily to unite the principal deities of the [[Shanmata|six major sects]] on an equal status.<ref>Grimes, p. 162.</ref> The [[monistic]] philosophy preached by {{IAST|Śankarācārya}} made it possible to choose one of these as a preferred principal deity and at the same time worship the other four deities as different forms of the same all-pervading [[Brahman]].

=== Saura ===
The [[Saura (Hinduism)|Saura]] sect that worships [[Surya]] as the supreme personality of the [[Deity|godhead]] and [[saguna brahman]] does not accept the Trimurti as they believe Surya is God. Earlier forms of the Trimurti sometimes included Surya instead of Brahma, vishnu or shiva or as a fourth above the Trimurti, of whom the other three are manifestations; Surya is Brahma in the morning, Vishnu in the afternoon and Shiva in the evening. Surya was also a member of the original Vedic Trimurti, which included [[Varuna]] and [[Vayu]]. Some Sauras worship either Vishnu or Brahma or Shiva as manifestations of Surya, others worship the Trimurti as a manifestation of Surya, and others exclusively worship Surya alone.

== See also ==
* [[Dattatreya]]
*[[Moirai]]
* [[Om]]
* [[Tridevi]]
* [[Trikaya]]
* [[Trinity]]
* [[Triple deities]]

== Citations ==
{{Reflist}}

== General sources ==
* {{cite book|last=Basham|first=A. L.|title=The Wonder That Was India: A Survey of the Culture of the Indian Sub-Continent Before the Coming of the Muslims|publisher=Grove Press |location=New York|year=1954}}
* {{cite book |last=Courtright |first=Paul B. |title={{IAST|Gaṇeśa}}: Lord of Obstacles, Lord of Beginnings |year=1985 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |isbn=0-19-505742-2 }}
* {{cite book |last=Flood |first=Gavin |title=An Introduction to Hinduism |url=https://archive.org/details/introductiontohi0000floo |url-access=registration |year=1996 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn= 0-521-43878-0}}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Flood |editor-first=Gavin |title=The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism|year=2003 |publisher=Blackwell Publishing |location=Malden, MA|isbn=1-4051-3251-5 }}
* {{cite book |last=Zimmer |first=Heinrich |title=Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization |year=1972 |publisher=Princeton University Press |location=Princeton, New Jersey |isbn=0-691-01778-6 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/mythssymbolsinin00zimmrich }}

== External links ==
* {{commons category inline|Trimurti}}

{{HinduMythology}}
{{Hindudharma}}
{{Hinduism footer small}}

[[Category:Hindu gods]]
[[Category:Hindu philosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Names of God in Hinduism]]
[[Category:Shiva in art]]
[[Category:Triple gods]]

Trimurti - Revision history

2601:600:8080:7110:49CE:7716:381C:378A: robot: Create/update articles in Category:Hindu gods.

105.154.11.215 at 21:11, 13 January 2022