Brahma: The Hindu God who Createdthe World

Brahma statue in Thailand. Image from Flickr.

Brahma is the Hindu god of creation. Also known as the grandfather, he was the original

creator of the universe.

Due to his elevated rank, Brahma rarely appears in the picturesque myths in which gods take

on human form and character. Rather, he is generally presented more abstractly as the ideal

of a great god. Brahma is still honored today with an annual ceremony held in Rajasthan,

India. In addition, he remains a popular figure in Southeast Asia, especially in Thailand and

the Indonesian island of Bali.

Brahma the creator

In the beginning, Brahma sprang from the cosmic golden egg and he then created good and

evil and light and dark from his own person. He also created the four types: gods, demons,

ancestors and men, the first of whom was Manu. Brahma then made all the other living

creatures upon the earth.

By Ancient History Encyclopedia, adapted by Newsela staff on 09.06.17

Word Count 883

Level 1140L

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During the process of creating, perhaps in a moment of distraction, the demons were born

from Brahma's thigh and so he abandoned his own body, which then became Night. After

Brahma created good gods he abandoned his body once again, which then became Day. For

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this reason, demons rule at night and gods — the forces of goodness — rule the day. Brahma

then created ancestors and men, each time again abandoning his body so that they became

Dusk and Dawn respectively. Brahma then appointed the god Shiva to rule over humanity.

Brahma had several wives, the most important of whom was a woman he created named

Sarasvati. After the Creation, Sarasvati bore Brahma the four Vedas, or Holy books of

Hinduism, all branches of knowledge, music, ideas such as Memory and Victory, the various

types of yoga, religious acts, speech, the Sanskrit language, and the various units of

measurement and time. Brahma had many notable sons, including the Seven Sages and the

gods Kardama, Pancasikha, Vodhu and Narada. The last-named became the messenger

between gods and men.

Creates women and death

Over time the gods began to fear that men could become so powerful that they might

challenge their reign, and so they asked Brahma to help prevent this from happening. His

response, according to the ancient epic known as the Mahabharata, was to create women.

Lustful, wanton women full of sexual desire soon proved to be the source of evil among men.

"A wanton woman is a blazing fire," the Mahabharata declares. "She is the sharp edge of the

razor; she is poison, a serpent, and death all in one."

Wanton women, who were "lusting for sensual pleasures, began to stir men up. Then the lord

of gods, the lord, created anger as the assistant of desire, and all creatures, falling into the

power of desire and anger, began to be attached to women."

In another myth Brahma's first female is also Death, the evil force which brings balance to the

universe and which ensures there is no overcrowding of it. The figure of Death is picturesquely

described in the Mahabharata as "a dark woman, wearing red garments, with red eyes and

red palms and soles, adorned with divine ear-rings and ornaments." She is given the job of

"destroying all creatures, imbeciles and scholars" without exception. Death wept and begged

Brahma to be released from this terrible task. However, Brahma remained unmoved and sent

her on her way to perform her duty.

At first Death continued her protests. She stood in water in complete silence for 8,000 years

and then stood on one toe on the top of the Himalayan mountains for 8,000 million years. Yet,

Brahma would not be swayed. So Death, still sobbing, performed her duties by bringing

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endless night to all things when their time came. As she carried out her dreadful task, her tears

fell to the earth and became diseases. Thus, through Death's work the distinction between

mortals and gods was preserved forever.

Brahma in art

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Brahma is often represented in red with four heads, symbolic of his creation of the four Vedas.

Thus he is often called Caturanana (or sometimes Caturmukha) or "four-faced" and Astakarna

or "eight-eared." Originally Brahma had five heads but when he lusted after his daughter

Sandhya an outraged Shiva cut off the head which had ogled the goddess.

Brahma is also represented with four arms. One right hand holds the brahma-tandram, an oval

disk with a beaded rim that is perhaps a sacrificial ladle and is used to mark men's foreheads

with their destiny. The other right hand holds a rosary, or string of beads, made from

rudraksham seeds. One left hand holds a water vase for cleansing and Brahma

also sometimes holds his bow Parivita or the Vedas. Brahma may also be shown sitting on the

sacred lotus flower which sprang from Vishnu's navel, a scene especially common in Cham

art.

In Cambodian art and in art from the Indonesian island of Java, Brahma — known as Prah

Prohm — is again represented with four heads and is often shown riding a sacred goose, the

hamsa. In Tibet, where Brahma is known as Tshangs-pa or White Brahma (Tshangs-pa dkar-

po), he often rides a horse and carries a white bull and a sword.

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Quiz

1 Read the sentences from the introduction [paragraphs 1-2].

Due to his elevated rank, Brahma rarely appears in the picturesquemyths in which gods take on human form and character. Rather, he isgenerally presented more abstractly as the ideal of a great god.

The author uses the word "abstractly" to mean:

(A) carefully

(B) frequently

(C) indefinitely

(D) incorrectly

2 Read the following paragraph from the section "Brahma the creator."

During the process of creating, perhaps in a moment of distraction, thedemons were born from Brahma's thigh and so he abandoned his ownbody, which then became Night. After Brahma created good gods heabandoned his body once again, which then became Day. For thisreason, demons rule at night and gods — the forces of goodness —rule the day. Brahma then created ancestors and men, each timeagain abandoning his body so that they became Dusk and Dawnrespectively. Brahma then appointed the god Shiva to rule overhumanity.

Which idea is BEST supported by the above paragraph?

(A) Brahma's creation of Night might have been accidental.

(B) Brahma believed that the forces of goodness could overpower the forces of evil.

(C) Brahma's appointment of Shiva to rule over humanity was intended to destroy

it.

(D) Brahma abandoned his body each time he believed he had failed at creation.

3 According to the article, women were made to keep the gods in power. Which paragraph from the

section "Creates women and death" BEST supports the idea outlined above?

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4 Read the selection from the section "Creates women and death."

"A wanton woman is a blazing fire," the Mahabharata declares. "She isthe sharp edge of the razor; she is poison, a serpent, and death all inone."

Wanton women, who were "lusting for sensual pleasures, began to stirmen up. Then the lord of gods, the lord, created anger as the assistantof desire, and all creatures, falling into the power of desire and anger,began to be attached to women."

Which of the following phrases from the selection provides the MOST HELPFUL context clues as

to the meaning of the word "wanton"?

(A) sharp edge of the razor

(B) she is poison

(C) lusting for sensual pleasures

(D) created anger as the assistant of desire

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