Brahma is often identified with Prajapati, a Vedic deity. As per Hindu mythology, Brahma was born from a (kamala) lotus springing from Vishnu’s navel and created the world through his daughter Saraswati. According to Manu Smriti, the self- existent Lord manifested to dispel the darkness enveloping universe. He created the waters and deposited a seed that became a golden egg from which he was born as Brahma. He divided the egg into two parts to construct the heaven and earth, and created the ten Prajapatis, mind-born sons, who completed the work of creation. By a third account, the Lord separated himself into two parts, the male and the female after dividing the golden egg.
According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Manu, and from Manu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, he is often referred to as the orignator of all human beings. He is not to be confused with the Supreme Cosmic Spirit in Hindu Vedanta philosophy known as Brahman.
He is a four-faced, four-armed deity. He carries a rosary in one hand, a sacrificial tool (sruva) in the other hand, the Vedas (knowledge) and a water pot (kamandal) in other hands respectively.The four faces represent the sacred knowledge of the four Vedas (Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Atharva). Brahma’s black or white beard denotes wisdom and the eternal process of creation. His four arms represent the four cardinal directions- east, south, west, and north. The back right hand represents mind, the back left hand represents intellect, the front right hand is ego, and the front left hand is self-confidence. The lotus symbolizes nature and the living essence of all things and beings in the Universe.
Brahma is always depicted as having four heads. According to a story, Brahma was once in the midst of extended austerities in order to gain the throne of Indra, the king of gods, when Indra sent a celestial dancing girl, Tilottama, to distrub Brahma. Not wanting to move from his medative position, Brahma produced a face on this right side when Tillotama moved to his right side; when she appeared behind him, Brahma produced a head behind his head; he produced a face on his left, when she appeared on his left; wnd when she appeared above him, he produced a face above. When Lord Shiva saw this five-headed Brahma, he got furious at Brahma for his lust and pinched off his above looking head. Brahma was left with four faces.
Brahma’s divine consort is Saraswati, the Goddess of learning and knowledge. His mount is a Swan. Brahma carries no weapon. Although Brahma is the equal to Vishnu and Shiva, Lord Brahma is not popularly worshipped. In India, there are only two temples devoted to Brahma; one is near Ajmer, Rajisthan and other one is in Idar, on the border of Gujarat and Rajisthan
This is the logical reason why Lord Brahma is not worshiped:
- In Hinduism, Lord Brahma is the first god of the Trinity (Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh). He is the creator of the universe. But, he is not worshipped as Lord Vishnu and Shiva. There is only one temple dedicated to him, which is the Pushkar temple of Rajasthan. And many temples are dedicated to Vishnu and Shiva. There is no corner of India where there are no temples of Vishnu and Shiva.
- Even his consort goddess Saraswati is remembered and worshipped more than him. He is depicted as worried, tensed, old and alone.
- The entire universe is created by him, still, he is alone and secluded! Why so…? Why is he depicted old, worried and secluded? Why is the god of creation not worshipped? Why does he not get the respect and position in the Hindu pantheon, what he should get as a creator? Why is the originator of four Vedas ignored? Even knowers of the Vedas are worshipped and respected more than its originator, Lord Brahma.
- Brahm knowledge is considered the highest knowledge. All the penance, yoga, and meditation are performed for acquiring the Brahm knowledge. One side, people aspire to have Brahm-knowledge and another side, Lord Brahma is ignored. Why this contradicts?
- According to a Hindu mythological legend – Along with the creation of the universe, Lord Brahma created a female deity known as Shatarupa, one who can acquire a hundred forms. Brahma had only one head when he had started creating the universe. Later, due to this female deity, he got five heads.
- Shatarupa was so beautiful that Brahma became completely infatuated with her and stared at her wherever she went. This is not a divine quality to persuade his own creation like this. Shatarupa was embarrassed by this attention and intention and tried to escape his gaze, but in every direction that she moved, Brahma sprouted a new head until he had developed four.
- This frustrated her, and in order to escape herself from his gaze, the desperate Shatarupa jumped high in the sky. To continue his gaze, the fifth head was sprouted at the top of his other four heads.
- He showed his lordship on her. This unholy behavior and an extra attachment to the created things of Lord Brahma angered Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva admonished him and chopped his fifth head as a punishment for his unacceptable behavior of the creator towards his creation.
- Brahma was attached to the created things(temporary) by ignoring the soul(permanent). He became materialistic than spiritual. The resultant, Lord Shiva cursed Brahma not to be worshipped.
- And the second legend says – there was competition between Brahma and Vishnu to prove who is greater between them, and who should be worshipped first. In order to win this competition, Lord Brahma spoke a lie and tried to trick Lord Vishnu. On seeing this, lord shiva appeared and chopped his fifth head of Brahma and cursed him not be worshipped.
- These are the mythological reasons why Brahma is not worshipped. Now, Let us understand its logical reason. Whenever nature wants to manifest herself time to time, she chooses someone among us as an instrument. Nothing belongs to us whether it is created by us or by someone. Nothing can be created outside of nature. Therefore, every creation belongs to nature, not to someone. We are just a medium.
- You can create something, but its possession is not in your hand. Nature provides her shelter to everyone for a certain period of time. Showing unnecessary proprietary over it gives nothing but miseries, worries, tension, anxiety and suffering. That is what lord Brahma did after the creation of the universe and Shatarupa and started showing his possession over it. This is the quality of Jiva of low birth, not a person of a divine quality.
- Lord Brahma is highly attached to his creation. I have created this world, I am the owner of this world, everything belongs to me, everything should work according to me- this is the attitude of Lord Brahma. And when something does not work according to your thought, you become worried, stressed and tensed.
- No one wants to be controlled by anyone. Even your own offspring does not want to be an excessive control from you. Brahma tries to control everyone and everything, and hence, no one wants to be in the association with him. That is the reason of Lord Brahma being appeared stressed, worried, old and secluded.
- Another reason is – Lord Brahma is exhausted energy, Vishnu is active energy and Shiva is the passive energy. Lord Brahma`s work is done, he(the creation) is the past now. Vishnu(the maintainer) is the present and Shiva(the Destructor) is the future. People care for the present and the future, not the past. This psychology of people makes Lord Brahma to be ignored.
- We do not worship or respect to a person, we respect and worship the quality, behavior, post, position and power of a person.