Why is Brahma not worshipped as a primary deity?

 Basically in spirituality, we do believe that God is omnipresent and within us. God is present in us as Tatva.

We have different forms of the Ultimate Power, which also represent different states within us. For example, when Shiva Tatva is active within us we are quite detached, peaceful, compassionate and stable. Bhairava Tatva is about fearless nature, then Shakti Tatva which keeps passionate and active. Similarly Vishnu Tatva which focus on purity, calmness etc. Then there is Indra Tatva which makes us ambitious, the ones who want luxurious life and are materialistic have Indra Tatva active within themselves.

So when it comes to Brahma Tatva, it is active in each and every individual by birth, Brahma is the creator of the material world, so we are automatically his manifestations, we are by default in the state of Brahma and so we don’t have to worship ourselves or our current version, we need upgrade, upliftment. Therefore we do not worship Brahma as primary deity, we worship the Param Tatva which is Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti etc. in order to become one with that Parbrahm Param Shakti, we are already one with Brahma being his design, but aim is to go above this layer of Maya which separates us from the Ultimate source. Brahma won’t grant moksha, only Shiva/Vishnu/Shakti can grant liberation.

So we are already the reflection of Brahma himself.

Now coming to the Puranic texts that exactly mention why Brahma is not worshipped, these events in Puranas are not random stories but they do highlight different aspects of life.

So once Brahma had an argument with Bhagwan Vishnu since he believed that he is Supreme, however Vishnu knew that Brahma had actually manifested from his navel. Later, Vedas too declared Bhagwan Shiva as the Ultimate. But Brahma refused to accept it, in order to bring a solution, Shiva asked Brahma and Vishnu to enter his body, he took the form of a pillar.. The one who would find the origin or end point of the pillar would be declared the winner. Vishnu took the form of boar and went downwards to find end point while Brahma took the form of a swan and went upwards to find origin.

While Vishnu accepted that the pillar is infinite, Brahma used his powers to make the Ketaki flower speak in favour of him, expecting that he is the winner and Vishnu has lost.

Then Shankar Bhagwan appears from the fire pillar, praising Vishnu Bhagwan for his honesty despite participating in the compition and declared that he will be worshipped everywhere. However, Shiva then cursed Brahma for lying about finding the origin point.

From the wrath of Shiva, from his the middle of his brows appeared a fierce deity, known as Bhairava who is none other than Shiva himself but because of maya he appears differently.

Kaal Bhairava chopped off Brahma’s fifth head which represented the ego, arrogance and other negative traits, by this he enlightened Brahma. However, this also meant that he won't worshipped as the primary deity, he can be worshipped along with Shiva, Vishnu etc. but not as primary deity.

After helping Brahma to overcome his ego (that act wasn't for punishing or humiliating), Shiva forgave Brahma on the request of Vishnu (who again is not different from Shiva.. Mahadev and Hari are one).

This was Lila (divine act) to teach us a lesson that we create our own illusions and because of that we have ego and other traits. Also, being truthful is important even if you lose, don't cheat, never do that to win.

Hence, we don't worship Brahma, with whom we already are one. However, it is not a sin if worship Brahma, it’s not like Shiva would get angry if we worship Brahma, but there won't be a requirement to adore the existing version of ourselves, Brahma represents the entire creation, but for upliftment, we worship the higher state of consciousness. However, Brahma being the creative aspect of the Ultimate, he is an integral part of Trinity, hence very significant in Sanatan Dharma. He is the first Brahmin, the best devotee form of God, the greatest when it comes to reciting Vedic mantras or glorifying the other primary forms of God.

Jai Brahma 🙏Jai Vishnu 🙏Jai Mahesh🙏

Why did Shiva cut Brahma's head?

 According to our Puranic texts, Brahma Dev had 5 heads out of which 4 would sing Vedic mantras and all the positive traits were associated with those 4 heads. But the 5th head was the head of ego, ignorance.

Because of that head of ego, Brahma challenged Bhagwan Vishnu stating that he is superior than him and Bhagwan Shiva. This led to a competition between Brahma and Vishnu, both of them had entered the body of Shiva who had taken the form of a pillar. The condition of victory was that the one who finds either the start or the end of the pillar would win. Vishnu after searching the end point, came out and accepted that the infinite cannot have an end. However, Brahma in order to win the competition lied that he had found out the starting point of the pillar. Shiva then cursed Brahma for lying, saying that Brahma would not be worshipped as the primary deity despite becoming the creator of the material world. But because of the fifth head which represented the ego & ignorance, the words of Brahma’s head came out of arrogance and he insulted Shiva. Blinded by the ego, Brahma forgot that Shiva is unborn and Brahma himself had emerged from Vishnu’s navel, despite being a manifestation of Vishnu.. because of maya (illusion), Brahma declares himself superior to Vishnu and Shiva.

In order to destroy the negativity within Brahma, from the wrath of Shiva appeared a terrifying fierce form of Shiva which was called Kaal Bhairava.

Kaal Bhairava chopped off the 5th head of Brahma just by the nail of the small finger of his left arm. This was to enlighten Brahma, helping him to identify his real self. Brahma is the first and foremost Brahmin who gave all the knowledge. This act of Bhairava cutting the fifth head of Brahma was identified as Brahma hatya, it’s a sin though it was a divine act. Although Bhairava (Shiva) is Almighty, he doesn't need to do any penance for anything, but to give a message that the laws of nature are to be followed, Bhairava roams with Brahma’s skull around the world, that skull gets attached to his hand. He roams and asks the question to everyone but no one could answer, finally he goes to Vaikuntha. Vishnu being the purest, quickly identifies that it was only the leela of Shiva and he asks Bhairava to visit Kashi, the city created by Shiva himself which liberation to everyone. Finally after reaching Kashi, the skull of Brahma gets detached from Bhairava’s hand and falls in a place called Kapal mochan.

So here the message is that it's our ego which makes us blind. Bhairava removes that and makes us aware about the reality. Brahma lied because of ego and got his head chopped off, we as Jeevas are the reflection of Brahma, having both positive as well negative traits. Bhairava removes that negativity within us. Brahma’s skull represents the entire Universe because Brahma is the creator of the Universe, but even higher than the Universe is the destroyer Bhairava who is holding the Universe, Vishnu the operator understands it completely.

So when Shiva asks Bhairava (his own form just different for leela purpose) to roam with the skull, going everywhere, it was Vishnu who was able to give the answer that only Kashi can free him from the sin, it is because he was completely free from ego, he is Achyuta, the infallible since ego cannot touch him. Understanding the leela of Shiva, Vishnu gave the right answer which means that when we will be free from our ahankar, that is when we can see the reality as it is.

This was the Hari Har Leela, here Brahma became the medium in order to give us this message through the divine act.

ॐ नमः शिवाय 🙏 ॐ नमो नारायण 🙏

The Day Brahma Realized His Universe is Not the Only One

 Lord Brahma, the creator, one day visits Sri Krishna’s Palace in Dwarka. There are gatekeepers there who stopped Brahma and asked Sri Krishna whether he should enter or not. Sri Krishna told the gatekeepers Which Brahma came? The gatekeepers repeated the words to Brahma outside the palace. Lord Brahma was shocked !! I am the creator of the Universe, how dare Sri Krishna tell me which Brahma !! I am the Prajapati. He told the gatekeepers to tell Sri Krishna that the 4-headed Brahma came.

When they told that to Sri Krishna, he instructed them to tell Lord Brahma to enter. After entering, awe-struck, he replied to Sri Krishna - Why did you say that which Brahma came? I am the only one !!

Then, Sri Krishna said- Let’s see. Then the magic happens. Lord Brahma saw other Brahma’s are coming to the palace riding the swan. The number is so gigantic that he can’t count how many Brahma’s there are. Some of them had 10 heads, some had 100, some had 1000 heads, depending on the size of their universe. Compared to them, our Brahma’s Universe is very very small.

Then, Sri Krishna told our Brahma that you are not the only Brahma. There are countless Universes each has its own Brahma. Then, finally, the Arrogance of our Brahma broke. He sincerely apologized to Sri Krishna.

Thats how Brahma realized that our Universe is not the only one. It’s just one of the countless Universes.

LIFESPAN OF LORD BRAHMA

 Do you know Lord Brahma is not immortal? Yes, with time passed, he will eventually die. His age is 100 years. But, these 100 years are not the same as human 100 years; this is 100 divine years of Brahma. Let’s discuss today about Lord Brahma’s Life Cycle.

After being born from GARBHODAKASAYI VISHNU, Lord Brahma created his Universe. His age is 100 Divine years. 1 year of Brahma has 360 days. 1 Day of Brahma is called a KALPA. Each Kalpa has 14 Manvantaras. Each Manvantara has 71 Mahayugas. Each Mahayuga has 4 Yugas. Satya, Treta, Dwapara, and Kali Yuga. After this, Lord Brahma will die, and his universe will be consumed by the inhalation of MAHA VISHNU.

So, the 4 yugas are classified as 4:3:2:1 on the basis of time. So, Kali Yuga will last 432,000 years. So, the Dwapara Yuga’s length is twice that of the Kali Yuga, which is 864,000 years. Same for Treta Yuga, its length is 1,296,000 years. And the length of the Satya Yuga is 1,728,000 years. So, the total length of 1 Mahayuga is 4,320,000 years or 4.32 million years. Now, imagine 1 Manvantara has 71 such Mahayugas, and 1 Kalpa has 14 Manvantaras. How gigantic the number is. So, if we do all the mathematical calculations, then the total time of Lord Brahma’s life is 311 trillion and 40 billion years. Yes, that number of years is equal to 100 divine years of our Brahma. And, also, this huge number is the difference between MAHA VISHNU’S EXHALATION & INHALATION. JUST IMAGINE!!!

So, this is a brief overview of the timeline of Lord Brahma. Our current best theory about the origin of the Universe is the Big Bang Theory, which states that the age of our Universe is 13.72 billion years. If you learn something new from this, please UPVOTE this post and don’t forget to follow my space MINDVERSE.

Keep learning.

Source - Srimad Bhagavatam

RARE BRAHMA TEMPLES

 Brahma,the creator God is not that widely worshipped like Vishnu or Shiva ,yet there are some temples dedicated to Brahma mainly in Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu..

Some of these temples include:

1)BRAHMAPUREESWARAR TEMPLE(TRICHY,TAMIL NADU)

This is a Dravida style temple in Tamil Nadu which is dedicated solely to Lord Brahma..

The story behind this temple is as follows..

Brahma,the Creator God had become very proud of himself and considered himself to be more important than Shiva as he was the creator.

Thus Shiva became very angry and his Kalbhairav form destroyed Brahma’s fifth head of arrogance.

Kalbhairav with Brahma

He was also cursed by Shiva that he would lose his power of creation.

To relieve himself from this curse,Brahma started out on a pilgrimage to shiva temples.

Being moved by Brahma’s prayers,on Devi Parvati’s appeal,Shiva gave him darshan under the Magizha tree and restored his powers.

Shiva also blessed that he would have a separate shrine for himself and this shrine was the Brahmapureeswarar temple.

Brahma’s idol inside the temple

The Garbagriha

2)PUSHKAR BRAHMA TEMPLE

The most famous Brahma temple is at Pushkar,Rajasthan.

It is made in north Indian nagara style and dates back to the 14th century.

The temple is governed by a sanyasi sect priesthood.

On Kartik Poornima,a festival dedicated to Brahma is held when large number of pilgrims visit the temple after bathing in the sacred lake nearby.

The Pushkar lake where people bathe on Karthik Poornima

Origin

According to Padma Purana,Brahma saw the demon Vajranabha trying to kill his children and harassing people.

He immediately slew the demon with his lotus flower.

In this process the petals of the lotus flower fell at 3 places creating 3 lakes-Jyestha puskar(Puskar lake only),Madhya Puskar and Kanishtha puskar..

Brahma then thought of performing a yajna near the Jyestha Puskar lake with his wife Savitri..

This led to the creation of the Ratnagiri and Suryagiri hills.

Ratnagiri hill

But Savitri was late for the yajna and so Brahma became angry..

Brahma thought of remarrying to carry on with the Yajna and so he married Gaitri who was a Gurjar milkmaid and was sanctified by passing her through the body of a cow.

When Savitri saw that Gaitri sat on her place,she became angry and cursed Brahma that he would not be worshipped ever and she also cursed Vishnu that he would suffer separation from his wife and cursed Indra that he would lose all wars..

Brahma and Gaitri in the yajna and Savitri seeing them from a distance…

But after the yajna,the curse of Savitri was diluted and according to the diluted curse,Brahma could only be worshipped in Puskar(though he has many temples beyond pushkar),Vishnu would take birth as Rama and be separated from Lakshmi(Sita) and Indra would not lose wars in heaven.

Thus Vishwamitra built the temple and it is believed that the temple was built during the times of Adi Shankaracharya and was latter built by Raja Jawat Raj of Ratlam..

Brahma inside the temple

front facade of the temple

3)ADI BRAHMA TEMPLE,KULLU VALLEY(HIMACHAL PRADESH)

This temple is present at the boundaries of the ancient kingdoms of Kullu and Mandi and people from both these kingdoms used to go there.

4)KUMBAKONAM BRAHMA TEMPLE

This is another temple in Tamil Nadu which is dedicated mainly to Vishnu and Brahma..

5)PRAMBANAN TEMPLE,INDONESIA

It is said that Brahma was cursed by Shiva and banished to south east asia..

Thus he is worshipped there ..

Brahma statue

It was built in the mid 9th century and these temples are dedicated to the trimurti-brahma,Vishnu and Mahesh.

What are the most famous boons granted by Brahma that backfired?

 

Not even a single boon of Brahma was backfired. It should imply a backfire in the sense that the events that followed were contrary to what Brahma had anticipated. However, Brahma was fully aware of what the demons would do after receiving their boons.

Brahma knew asuras would cause trouble all around the universe and that's the reason why he puts a condition for their end. Asuras perform tremendous penance and austerities which cannot go unrewarded. They must receive the fruit of their work(Karma). That's why Brahma obliged to give whatever they want. But only for a limited period of time. Because unlimited power in the wrong hands for eternity would be chaotic. For beings who are righteous, Brahma could grant them even Immortality. As seen In Vibhishana’s case.

We can also see in Treta yuga,.when a Yaksha asked for a child from Brahma, he blessed him with a daughter, ie, Tataka, deeming a male to be far more destructive and violent than a female.

Once there was a formidable yaksha named Suketu, but he was childless, and he who had devout conduct performed a great ascesis. Gladdening at his ascesis, Rama, then the Forefather Brahma gave him a gemlike daughter who is renowned by the name of Tataka.

"Forefather Brahma also gave the strength of a thousand elephants to her, but he that highly remarkable Brahma did not give a son to that yaksha, anticipating male to be more hazardous. When that bright girl is growing up into a youthful beauty her father Suketu gave her to Jambha's son Sunda as wife.

In sat yuga, 2 asuras named Sunda and Upasunda asked Brahma for absolute power as well as Immortality. Brahma granted everything to them except for Immortality, claiming the sole purpose for their penance was to cause trouble to the universe, and set a condition for their death. So that they may dominate and torment others as long as the merit of their austerities lasted.

Then the brothers Sunda and Upasunda, both of great prowess, beholding the Grandsire, rose from their seats and waited with joined palms. And the brothers both said unto the God, 'O Grandsire, if thou hast been pleased with these our ascetic austerities, and art, O lord, propitious unto us, then let us have knowledge of all weapons and of all powers of illusion. Let us be endued with great strength, and let us be able to assume any form at will. And last of all, let us also be immortal.'

Hearing these words of theirs, Brahman said, 'Except the immortality you ask for, you shall be given all that you desire. Solicit you some form of death by which you may still be equal unto the immortals. And since you have undergone these severe ascetic austerities from desire of sovereignty alone I cannot confer on you the boon of immortality. You have performed your ascetic penances even for the subjugation of the three worlds. It is for this, O mighty Daityas, that I cannot grant you what you desire.'

Brahma cannot refuse their request outright. The asuras have undergone intense penance, subjecting themselves to self-inflicted torture, and must be rewarded, even if it means causing harm to others. However, this power is only granted for a limited time after which they are killed according to the given condition.

Had these asuras used their power for good, they could've ruled the universe for eternity irrespective of their condition for death. It is their deeds which brought their destruction.

When Hanuman saw Ravana, he believed that with his powers gained through austerities, Ravana could have been the protector of the universe including the gods, had he used them for righteousness.

Dazzled by his magnificence on seeing Råvana shining brightly, Hanumån thought in his mind as follows: (16)

What charm, what presence of mind, what courage, what splendour and what combination of all auspicious bodily marks are present in the king of ogres ! (17)

Had this mighty lord of ogres not been antagonistic to virtue, he would have proved to be a protector of the realm of gods including Indra, the ruler of gods. (18)

Due to his cruel and ruthless deeds, condemned by the world, all people including gods and demons remain actually afraid of him.

If enraged, he can really turn the world into one ocean.í Perceiving the glory of Råvana (the king of ogres), who was endowed with extraordinary might, the sagacious Hanumån brooded on such diverse thoughts.

How is Lord Brahma viewed in contemporary Hindu practice?

 "1. Lord Brahma holds a special place in contemporary Hindu practice as the symbol of creation. His role as the creator god is revered through prayers and religious texts, highlighting his significance in the cosmological framework of Hinduism."

"2. Despite his importance, there are limited temples dedicated exclusively to Lord Brahma. The Brahma Temple in Pushkar, Rajasthan, stands out as one of the few places where he is worshipped. Various myths and legends contribute to the lack of widespread worship of Brahma."

"3. Lord Brahma's philosophical influence is profound, with his role in the creation narrative being a key element in understanding Hindu philosophy. While he may not be as prominent in popular devotional practices, his presence in philosophical discussions remains strong."

"4. Although there are no major festivals solely dedicated to Lord Brahma, he is honored during specific ceremonies and rituals related to creation, knowledge, and the Vedas. His symbolic representation, including his attributes and consort Saraswati, signifies knowledge, learning, and the essence of the universe."

"5. Lord Brahma's influence extends to rituals and ceremonies, especially those related to education and the arts. Students and scholars often seek his blessings for wisdom and knowledge, highlighting his continued relevance in contemporary Hindu practices."

Will history repeat itself after Kali Yuga ends? Has everything that happened in Treta Yuga and Dwapara Yuga happened again (like Ramayan and Mahabharat)?

 Short answer is NO. To answer this question, one must be aware of what is meant by Manvantara and Kalpa along with Yuga.

What is meant by Manvantara and Kalpa?

There are 4 four yugas in 1 yuga cycle and the length of the four yugas is 43,200,00 years.

Satya Yuga equals 1,728,000 Human years

Treta Yuga equals 1,296,000 Human years

Dvapara Yuga equals 864,000 Human years

Kali Yuga equals 432,000 Human years

1 cycle of four Yugas is called as Mahayuga or Chaturyuga

71 Mahayugas is called as Manvantara

14 Manvantaras is called as Kalpa

1 Kalpa is equal to 12 hours in Satya Loka of Lord Brahma

2 Kalpas is equal to 1 full day (24 hours) of Lord Brahma

Bhagavata explains the duration of Yugas as follows:

catvāri trīṇi dve caikaṁ
kṛtādiṣu yathā-kramam
saṅkhyātāni sahasrāṇi
dvi-guṇāni śatāni ca

Translation

The duration of the Satya millennium equals 4,800 years of the years of the demigods; the duration of the Tretā millennium equals 3,600 years of the demigods; the duration of the Dvāpara millennium equals 2,400 years; and that of the Kali millennium is 1,200 years of the demigods.

Purport

As aforementioned, one year of the demigods is equal to 360 years of the human beings. The duration of the Satya-yuga is therefore 4,800 × 360, or 1,728,000 years. The duration of the Tretā-yuga is 3,600 × 360, or 1,296,000 years. The duration of the Dvāpara-yuga is 2,400 × 360, or 864,000 years. And the last, the Kali-yuga, is 1,200 × 360, or 432,000 years.

Ref: Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 3: The Status Quo CHAPTER ELEVEN

Lord Brahma has 360 days in a year. 100 years of Lord Brahma is called as Mahakalpa and on reaching 100 years, Lord Brahma gets Moksha(salvation). The entire three worlds (Devaloka,Bhuloka and Asuraloka) are destroyed by fire emanating from the mouth of Lord Vishnu's serpent Adisesha. This annihilation is overseen by Shiva who engages in his cosmic dance (Tandava) in order to direct all this destruction. Then Brahma is reborn marking the start of a new Mahakalpa and then the cycle begins again.

Now coming back to two questions:

Will history repeat itself after Kali Yuga ends?

Yes, the yuga cycle is endless and will keep repeating.

Will Ramayan and Mahabharat happen again?

There has been countless Treta Yuga and Dwapara Yuga before this current Kali Yuga. We are currently living in Shveta-Varaha Kalpa. Within this Brahma’s day, six manvantaras have already elapsed and this is the seventh manvantara named as Vaivasvata manvantara.

Ramayana happened in the 24th Treta Yuga of present Vaivasvata Manvantara. Here is what the Matysa Purana(oldest of all puranas) says while enumerating various incarnations of Lord Vishnu in the Vaivasvata Manvantara in chronological order:

In the 24th Treta Yuga, the seventh manifestation was that of Sri Ramchandra, as the son of Dasharatha, and with Vasishta as the priest, to kill Ravana.

Ref: Matsya Purana

Vayu Purana (70.48) says:

Tretayuge chaturvinshe ravanastapasah kshayat

Ramam Dasharathim prapya saganah kshayamiyavan

Which means that Ravana met Rama, the son of Dasaratha in a battle field during treta yuga of 24th mahayuga. Skanda Purana also confirms the same. Parashurama was born on 19th Treta Yuga not the same Treta Yuga which Lord Rama belongs.

Next avatar of Lord Vishnu which is Krishna took place in 28th Dvapara Yuga. This is when Mahabharata happened. Lord Vishnu doesn’t take incarnations on every Yuga. He himself told in Bhagavad Gita that:

yada yada hi dharmasya
glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya
tadatmanam srjamy aham

TRANSLATION

Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion—at that time I descend Myself.

Ref: Bhagavad Gita

The future incarnations of Lord Vishnu in the upcoming 7 manvantaras is given in Bhagavatam. All of them are partial incarnations. Nothing is known about incarnations of Lord Vishnu in future kalpas.

Image Courtesy: Google