Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh, collectively known as Trimurti or Tridev, are the holy Hindu trinity. These are the three main Hindu gods who control the universe’s creation, sustenance, and destruction. They are the manifested form of Brahman, the Supreme Being. These three gods are considered to be the most powerful of all gods.
Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh:
Brahman is formless, but it manifests itself through Purusha and Prakriti. Prakriti is the manifested form of Brahman and further expresses herself in three forms, viz. Satvik, Rajasik, and Tamasik.
Satvik form – Lord Brahma.
Rajasik form – Lord Vishnu.
Tamasik form – Lord Shiva.
Brahma:
Lord Brahma is the creator of the universe. He is not worshipped individually because of a curse. He is worshipped in the form of the Trinity and is depicted mostly sitting on a lotus. Lord Brahma has four heads and four hands. Many of his characteristics resemble the Vedic god, Prajapati. He does not incarnate on Earth as do Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. He is the least popular of the three gods.
Vishnu:
Lord Vishnu is the protector of the universe. He is depicted as lying on the bed of a snake (Sheshnag) on the sea of milk with his wife Goddess Lakshmi pressing his legs. The followers of Vaishnavism believe that he is the Supreme God. As a protector of the universe, he incarnates on Earth whenever righteousness decreases and rids the Earth of evil forces. There are about 24 incarnations of Lord Vishnu among which 10 are the most popular known as Dashavatara.
Mahesh:
Mahesh is another name for Lord Shiva. He is considered the destroyer of the universe. He is also called the God of Gods (Mahadev). Lord Shiva is very popular and is worshipped mainly in the form of a Lingam. He spends most of his time in meditation. He has four hands and five heads. Lord Mahesh carries a moon on his forehead and a snake around his neck.
The Birth of Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh:
These three gods are believed to be self-manifested, but there are some conflicting stories about who appeared first. Shaivites believe that Lord Shiva appeared first and created Lord Vishnu, while Vaishnavites believe that Lord Vishnu created Lord Shiva.
The Birth of Brahma:
Most of the scriptures agree that Lord Brahma was born from the lotus stemming out of the navel of Lord Vishnu.
The Birth of Shiva:
The story of Lingodbhava narrates that Lord Shiva appeared out of a fiery column along with Goddess Shakti while Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma were arguing about who was the greatest between them.
Also Read: Birth of Shiva
The Birth of Vishnu:
Per the Shiva Purana, Lord Vishnu was born when Lord Shiva rubbed some nectar on his ankle.
Per the Vaishnava texts, Lord Vishnu is self-manifested and creates, sustains, and destroys the universe. He creates Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva, and Goddess Lakshmi.
Interesting Stories about Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh:
There are many stories related to these three gods, but here I am mentioning a few of them.
The Birth of Lord Dattatreya, the Combined Form of the Hindu Trinity:
Lord Dattatreya is a Hindu god with three heads. These three heads are that of Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Shiva. There are different versions of this story.
Once the wives of Trimurti, viz. Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess Parvati, and Goddess Saraswati were playing Chausar (a board game). After some time, they started arguing about who is the most chaste among them. Narada Muni heard them arguing and informed them that Sati Anasuya is more chaste than them. The goddess did not agree with him and asked their husbands to test the chastity of Anasuya.
Therefore, the Trimurti went to the hermitage of Anasuya in disguise of three Brahmin sages in the absence of Sage Atri. When Anasuya requested them to eat something, they demanded she serves the food to them without wearing any clothes; otherwise, they would not eat anything. In ancient times, it was considered a sin to let a guest go without having any food. But if Anasuya had to fulfill their wish, her chastity would have broken because she was a married woman.
Therefore, with the power of her chastity, she transformed the three sages into three infants. She then disrobed herself and breastfed them; thus, fulfilling their wish and still preserving her virtue.
When Narada informed the wives of Trimurti about the incident, they got worried and came to Atri’s hermitage. They requested Anasuya to transform them back into their original form. Sati Anasuya accepted their request. Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh were very impressed with the power of the chastity of Anasuya and asked her for anything she wished. She asked them to be born as her son. Therefore, she was blessed with a son who was a combined form of the trinity, Lord Dattatreya.
The Story of Lingodbhava:
At the end of the Kalpa (a period of 4.32 billion years), there was only a single vast sheet of water. Lord Brahma saw Lord Vishnu having a yogic sleep on the bed of Shesha (a serpent deity of Hindus). He woke him up with the blow of his hand and asked him who he was. Lord Vishnu told him that he was the creator, sustainer, and destroyer of the world. It infuriated him because he believed that he was the creator, sustainer, and destroyer of the world. Then they got into an argument about who was superior.
The argument turned into a furious fight, and then suddenly, a Jyotirlinga (a huge infinite pillar of light) appeared in front of them. It had thousands of clusters of flames and no beginning, middle, or end. It was the source of the universe. They forgot their fight and decided to test it. Lord Brahma assumed a form of a swan and went upwards. Lord Vishnu took a form of a wild boar and went downwards.
They both traveled for one thousand years but could not find the end of the lingam. Therefore, they returned to where they started. They bowed to the lingam and wondered what it was. Then a loud sound “Om” came out of the lingam, and the letters “अ” “ऊ,” and “म” (“a,” “u,” and “m”) appeared on the lingam. Above those letters, they saw Lord Shiva along with the goddess Uma. Lord Shiva told them that they both were born out of him, but they had forgotten about that.
Lord Vishnu accepted that he could not find the end of the column, but Lord Brahma lied that he found the end of the column. Therefore, Lord Shiva cursed him that he would not be worshiped henceforth.
Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu Cursed Lord Shiva:
Once Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu came to meet Lord Shiva for some emergency. The guard tried to stop them, but they pushed him aside and entered the room, where they saw Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati were in a compromised position. They should have returned at that moment, but the problem was very severe, so they decided to wait. Lord Shiva did not pay heed to them, and they continued to stand there for hours. They felt offended and cursed Lord Shiva that he would be remembered for his sexuality. Therefore, people started worshipping Lord Shiva in the form of a lingam and yoni.
Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, and AUM:
Om or Aum is a major symbol in Hinduism and represents Brahman, the Supreme God. It is the sound heard at the time of creation. It is also the primary mantra in Hinduism called the Beej mantra. Aum contains three syllables, viz. A, U, and M. Each syllable is represented by a god in the Hindu trinity. ‘A’ symbolizes creations, i.e., Lord Brahma, ‘U’ represents sustenance, i.e., Lord Vishnu, and ‘M’ destruction, i.e., Lord Shiva.
Trijuti Rudraksha:
A Trijuti Rudraksha is a rudraksha that is formed after the natural fusion of three rudraksha beads. These rudrakshas symbolize the Hindu trinity; Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh and are considered very sacred. It is believed that the energy of the Hindu trinity is included in this rudraksha, and the wearer is blessed by the three gods.
The Wives of Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh:
The wives of Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh are Goddess Saraswati, Goddess Lakshmi, and Goddess Parvati, respectively. Together, they are known as Tridevi (three goddesses). Goddess Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge and music. Goddess Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth, and Goddess Parvati is the goddess of power. They assist their husbands to run the universe smoothly.
Are Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh immortal?
Generally, it is believed that Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva are immortal, but Lord Brahma is not. But his lifespan is so big (311.04 trillion years) compared to the human lifespan that he is immortal for us.
What are Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh Personifications of?
Most of the Hindu gods and goddesses are personifications of natural forces, like Indra of thunderbolt, Agni of fire, etc. I think Lord Brahma is the personification of the universe (Brahmanda). As the universe takes birth and dies, he is also considered mortal like it.
Lord Vishnu might be the personification of matter. The word Vishnu means “one that pervades everywhere”. At the time of Maha-Pralaya, all the matter would be concentrated in one point, but it would not be destroyed. Therefore, he is considered immortal. It would remain in a latent state for billions of years. Therefore, Lord Vishnu is many times depicted as sleeping on a snake. The snake symbolizes time.
Lord Shiva might be the personification of the primitive black hole. There are many similarities between Lord Shiva and a black hole.
Also Read: Similarities Between Lord Shiva and a Black Hole