Trimurti

Trimurti
The Trimurti of the three Hindu Gods: Brahmā, Vishnu, and Śiva (left to right).
The Hindu Trinity
Devanagari	त्रिमूर्ति
Affiliation	Deva
Consort	Tridevi

The Trimurti (English: ‘three forms’; Sanskrit: त्रिमूर्ति trimūrti) is a concept in Hinduism "in which the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction are personified by the forms of Brahmā the creator, Vishnu the maintainer or preserver, and Śhiva the destroyer or transformer,"^[1][2] These three deities have been called "the Hindu triad" ^[3] or the "Great Trinity,"^[4], often addressed as "Brahma-Vishnu-Maheshvar." Freda Matchett characterizes the Trimurti system as one of "several frameworks into which various divine figures can be fitted at different levels."^[5]

One type of depiction for the Trimurti shows three heads on one neck, and often even three faces on one head, each looking in a different direction.^[6]

Evolution of the concept

Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva seated on lotuses with their consorts: Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Paravati respectively. ca 1770.

The Puranic period (c. CE 300-1200) saw the rise of post-Vedic religion and the evolution of what R. C. Majumdar calls "synthetic Hinduism."^[7] This period had no homogeneity, and included orthodox Brahmanism in the form of remnants of older Vedic cults, along with different sectarian religions, notably Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and Shaktism that were within the orthodox fold yet still formed distinct entities.^[8] One of the important traits of this period is a spirit of harmony between orthodox and sectarian forms.^[9] Regarding this spirit of reconciliation, R. C. Majumdar says that:

Its most notable expression is to be found in the theological conception of the Trimūrti, i.e., the manifestation of the supreme God in three forms of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva.... But the attempt cannot be regarded as a great success, for Brahmā never gained an ascendancy comparable to that of Śiva or Viṣṇu, and the different sects often conceived the Trimūrti as really the three manifestations of their own sectarian god, whom they regarded as Brahman or Absolute.^[10]

Maurice Winternitz notes that there are very few places in Indian literature where the Trimurti is mentioned.^[11] The identification of Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma as one being is strongly emphasized in the Kūrma Purana, where in 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.^[12]

Historian A. L. Basham explains the background of the trimurti as follows, noting Western interest in the idea of trinity:

Early western students of Hinduism were impressed by the parallel between the Hindu trinity and that of Christianity. In fact the parallel is not very close, and the Hindu trinity, unlike the Holy Trinity of Christianity, never really "caught on". All Hindu trinitarianism tended to favor one god of the three; thus, from the context it is clear that Kālidāsa's hymn to the Trimūrti is really addressed to Brahmā, here looked on as the high god. The Trimūrti was in fact an artificial growth, and had little real influence.^[13]

The concept of trimurthi is also present in the Maitri Upanishad, where the three gods are explained as three of his supreme forms^[14]

Views within Hinduism

Vaishnavism

Vaishnavism generally does not accept the Trimurti concept. 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 puranas differently. He interprets that the Vaishnavite puranas as satvic and Shaivite puranas as tamasic and that only satvic puranas are considered to be authoritative.^[15]

Trimurti, Painting from Andhra Pradesh

However, other Vaishnavite followers, such as Swaminarayan, founder of the Hindu Swaminarayan sects (including BAPS), differ and hold that Vishnu and Shiva are different aspects of the same God.^[16] ; see also, verses 47, and 84 of Shikshapatri ^[17];^[18]

Saivism

Saivites hold a view similar to that of the Vaishnavites, except of course with Shiva predominating. Shiva performs four acts of creation, sustenance, reduction and blessing. Of these the latter three are nothing but the forms of the Supreme Shiva called Parasiva. Saivites believe that Lord Shiva is the Supreme, who assumes various critical roles and assumes appropriate names and forms, and also stands transcending all these. ^[19]

Smartism

An art depiction of the Trimurti in Hoysaleswara temple

Smartism is a denomination of Hinduism that places emphasis on a group of five deities rather than just a single deity.^[20] The "worship of the five forms" (pañcāyatana pūjā) system, which was popularized by the ninth-century philosopher Śankarācārya among orthodox Brahmins of the Smārta tradition, invokes the five deities Ganesha, Vishnu, Shiva, Devī, and Sūrya.^[21][22] This system was instituted by Śankarācārya primarily to unite the principal deities of the five major sects on an equal status.^[23] The monistic philosophy preached by 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.

See also

• Harihara
• Tridevi
• Trinity
• Triple deities
• Triplism

Notes

Part of a series on Hindu mythology

Sources Vedas · Puranas · Bhagavata Purana

Vedic mythology Rigveda · Samaveda · Yajurveda · Atharvaveda

Epics Ramayana · Mahabharata

Cosmology Hiranyagarbha · Swarga · Prthivi

Deities Trimurti · Brahma · Vishnu · Shiva · Saraswati · Lakshmi · Parvati · Ganesha · Murugan

People of the Epics Sapta Rishis · Bhrigu · Angira · Atri · Gautama · Kashyapa · Vashishta · Agastya · Pitrs · Bharata · Krishna · Kauravas · Pandavas · Rama · Sita · Lakshman · Hanuman

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References

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• Basham, A. L. (1954). The Wonder That Was India: A Survey of the Culture of the Indian Sub-Continent Before The Coming of the Muslims. New York: Grove Press, Inc.,. 
• Courtright, Paul B. (1985). Gaṇeśa: Lord of Obstacles, Lord of Beginnings. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN ISBN 0-19-505742-2. 
• Flood, Gavin (1996). An Introduction to Hinduism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-43878-0. 
• Flood, Gavin (Editor) (2003). The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing Ltd.. ISBN 1-4051-3251-5. 
• Grimes, John A. (1995). Ganapati: Song of the Self. SUNY Series in Religious Studies. Albany: State University of New York Press. ISBN 0-7914-2440-5. 
• Jansen, Eva Rudy (2003). The Book of Hindu Imagery. Havelte, Holland: Binkey Kok Publications BV. ISBN 90-74597-07-6.  Eighth printing; First published 1993.
• Radhakrishnan, Sarvepalli (Editorial Chairman) (1956). The Cultural Heritage of India. Calcutta: The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture.  Second edition, four volumes, revised and enlarged, 1956 (volume IV).
• Winternitz, Maurice (1972). History of Indian Literature. New Delhi: Oriental Books Reprint Corporation.  Second revised reprint edition. Two volumes. First published 1927 by the University of Calcutta.
• Zimmer, Heinrich (1972). Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-01778-6. 

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