The trinity of Gods- Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva- are the three main Gods in Hinduism. They originate from a feminine form of pure energy called Shakti.
Lord Brahma is the creator. Has four heads so he can see all 4 directions. He is usually depicted meditating on a lotus with his wife, Saraswathi, the Goddess of knowledge, sitting at his feet. In one of his hands he holds water to signify it's necessity in life. There are only two temples in the world for him, because he was cursed by Shiva for falling in love with his own creation- a beautiful woman.
Lord Vishnu is the protector. His weapon is the discus. He has had nine forms, or avatars, on Earth. All of them have been born and died, explaining that all forms on Earth which are born must die. When he takes his tenth avatar, the world will end. His wife is Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Lord Vishnu lives in an ocean of milk, and his bed is a five-headed snake.
Lord Shiva is the destroyer. He is covered in ash of the dead whose spirits he is protecting. He lives at one of the tallest areas in the Himalayas, Mt. Kailash. The Ganges flows from his head. Goddess Parvathi is his wife. Lord Shiva has a third eye which he opens only when he is angry, because it can kill anything which it touches. (Like the basalisk in Harry Potter). The trident is his weapon.
When women are married, their first and foremost responsibility is taking care of their children and husbands. But they cannot do that when their third eye is open because they will be in a state of bliss and look beyond their responsibilities, hence the bindi. Bindis activate and at the same time close the third eye for women. Similarly, men wear a stripe of ash across their foreheads. Once their children are gone however, they are supposed to enter into a state of meditativeness and bliss for the rest of their lives. Of course, hardly anyone does this these days, but that is how the ancient stories go.
No comments:
Post a Comment