Brahma

Brahma (Sanskrit, m., ब्रह्मा Brahmā ) is the name of the main gods in Hinduism. The other main gods are Vishnu ( preservation ) and Shiva ( destruction), with these two forms of Brahma the Trimurti. His wife is Sarasvati.

In the Trimurti Brahma, the very principle of creation represents the Knower of Brahman ( the Brahmins ) left him as the creator of the priesthood, be granted special veneration. This worship has greatly lost today against the other main currents of Hinduism ( Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism ) in importance. On representations of Brahma is usually seen with four faces and four arms and with the prayer rope and Vedas ( oldest Indian literature collection ). Its symbol and companion animal is the mystical goose that can fly him mentally quickly to any desired location in the universe. She is pictured at his most important temple in Pushkar India from the 14th century through the entrance gate.

In the public worship of Brahma was back over all other deities historically always, in mythology, however, he still plays an important role. Brahma is considered the founder of one of the four classical Vaishnava guru - lines, now known as the Brahma - Gaudiya Sampradaya, which was heavily influenced by Chaitanya.

Formation

The personal deity Brahmā has its existential origin in the idea of Brahman, a formless ( arūpa ), unqualified ( nirguna ) and unknowable ( acintya ) entity. The personification of this elusive power took place linguistically only by the shift of the accent and the resulting genus change in content was the desire for an omnipotent Creator God who had to have a clearly nameable awareness and a defined outer form, decisive. Since the Veda but nothing traditional about a deity by the name of Lord Brahma, this now had to be identified with existing and occupied by the Veda deities. For this, a previously nameless God offered with the title " Lord of Creatures " ( Prajapati ), which was henceforth assigned to Brahma. Further legitimacy experienced the newly created deity Brahmā by association with the already known idea of a golden and immortal embryo ( Hiranyagarbha ), which ruled both life and about death and was authorized to give orders to other deities. Furthermore, this deity was regarded as the creator of the earth and the sky. These personalized creator deity found in the Rigveda, especially under the name Prajapati Purusha and, in later times under the name of Bhagavan or Ishvara mention. In this history for the first time show approaches monotheistic thinking, which established itself as opposed to the monistic thinking from that time, as well as the emerging hierarchy of the gods, after which Brahma all other gods was superior.

Demarcation

In the literature different words reflected that are used partly in the same word form, but have nothing to do with the Brahma discussed here:

Brahman (Sanskrit, n, ब्रह्मन brahman " the soul of the world " ) is a central concept of Hindu philosophy, especially in the Vedanta and the Upanishads. The Brahman is identical with Atman, the inner core of man in his essence.

Brahmana (Sanskrit, n, ब्राह्म brāhmaṇa ) are ritual and sacrificial texts and part of the Vedas. The Brahmanas were created around 800 BC and describe sacrificial ceremonies, such as the Agnicayana (fire sacrifice).

Brahman (Sanskrit, m., ब्राह्मण brāhmaṇa " who knows the Brahman " ) are members of the supreme Hindu priest and scholar - caste and apply in the ancient scriptures as inviolable. Today, the Brahmins also exercise other professions.

Brahmavihara (Sanskrit ) is the title of a basic meditation in Buddhism, where it comes to the creation of four in Buddhism recognized as virtuous motivations. In the Mahayana, " the four immeasurable " ( Tib: tshad med pa bzhi ) is often the term used in the Theravada " the heavenly Verweilzustände ".