The Trimurti As Manifestations of Brahman: Addressing Incorrect Neo-Hindu Ideas, Part 1
Addressing the notion that Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Rudra / Shiva are all equally manifestations of Brahman
The Trimurti of creation are Brahmā (creator), Viṣṇu (sustainer), and Rudra / Shiva (destroyer). These three beings are understood to be responsible for the specific functions of creation, each playing their respective role to bring about creation, maintenance or dissolution of the universe.
This short article will address the idea that each of the deities charged with these three specific functions can equally be considered Brahman, or Godhead. This notion, which is commonplace in the market of ideas among the majority Neo-Hindu population, seems to be a given, making perfect sense. After all, if all three play such major roles in each phase of creation, then, surely, they should be viewed as constituting one being, or emanations of one being. And if we were not to interrogate the this idea any further, then it can be accepted with ease, as it is by many in both the East and West today. However, this is not true and an investigation into Śāstra - scripture - will help disabuse anyone of this incorrect idea.
At the heart of this issue is a central question: is Viṣṇu on par with Brahmā and Rudra, or is He greater than Brahmā and Rudra? The Puranas make reference to the power of Brahman to create, sustain/maintain, and to destroy. Ergo, Para-tattva, or that Supreme Being which is the ground of all creation, should have the threefold function of being the cause of origination (janma), sustenance (sthiti), and dissolution (pralaya). The Puranic texts speak of three Devas charged with each of these functions, Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Rudra respectively. Three questions arise, according to Srinivasa Chari:
(a) whether all the three deities together constitute the Ultimate Reality; (b) whether Viṣṇu included in the trinity is the same as the Supreme Being; (c) whether whether of the two, viz., Brahmā or Rudra is Supreme; (d) finally, whether there is a Supreme Being over and above these.
Before beginning to examine these questions from the point of view of the Vaishnava acharyas, let us quickly articulate the common approach to the Trimurti Godhead that is widespread among many Neo-Hindus, which can be summarized thus:
Hinduism believes in one God, and is consequently henotheistic, meaning it believes in the supremacy of one Supreme Being. This Supreme Being is formless and impersonal in its normal state. Although there is one Supreme Being (formless and impersonal in nature), there are multiple manifestations of the Supreme Being in different forms - and these forms are personal, having attributes and form. Brahman, being a term for the formless and impersonal Supreme Being, is worshiped by different names according to the manifestations (forms with attributes) of this Being. The three highest forms are Brahmā, the creator, Viṣṇu, the sustainer, and Shiva / Rudra, the destroyer. Ergo, Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Rudra are non-different from one another, being manifestations that embody the necessary attributes of the functions that they perform. They are also non-different from Brahman, which is to say they are the same as the Supreme Being that remains formless and attribute-less. Kṛṣṇa being the avatara (or an “incarnation” of the Supreme Being can be thought of as the creator, sustainer, and destroyer of material creation.
So the idea of a triune Godhead relies on an impersonal and formless Supreme Being. Already, we begin to see the Advaitan links and the accompanying problems it presents. For example, if the Supreme Being, or Brahman, is formless and attribute-less, choosing to take form for the purposes of fulfilling a specific function, why go to the bother? When we consider the personalist school, where Īśvara is first with form and attributes and His attribute-less, formless aspect is merely an energy (Brahma-Jyoti) of the personal Īśvara, we can understand that the stages of creation and the Devas charged with material functions (such as creation), are engaged in lila (or enjoyment) with the Supreme Being and are fulfilling their own internal desire to interact with the material energy (for example, there are an infinite number of atmans fulfilling the role of Brahmā in the act of creation, which is in fact the second phase of creation coming after an earlier stage, which will be described in detail later).
Even if we take the Advaita Vedanta of Ādi Śaṅkara at face value, stating that Nirguṇa Brahman (Nirguṇa Brahman refers to the formless aspect of Brahman, which is beyond all attributes, qualities, and characteristics) is the original state of Brahman, and Saguṇa Brahman (Saguṇa Brahman refers to the aspect of Brahman that has attributes and qualities and can be described in anthropomorphic terms) is a secondary aspect of Brahman, Ādi Śaṅkara himself left clues as to his devotion to Viṣṇu as Īśvara, repeatedly stating that Viṣṇu is the Para-devatā, or the Supreme Deity. The clue to Ādi Śaṅkara’s true mission lies herein.
Now that we have a fuller understanding of this notion, let us consider some of the arguments put forward by those who maintain the trimurti Godhead notion, examining the validity of each in turn.
Kṛṣṇa Himself states that He is Rudra in Chapter 10 verse 23 of the Bhagavad Gītā
This verse (10.23) reads thus:
Of all the Rudras I am Lord Śiva, of the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas I am the Lord of wealth [Kuvera], of the Vasus I am fire [Agni], and of mountains I am Meru.
The tenth adhyāya is called Vibhuti-yoga, and describes in greater detail the glory of the Supreme Lord. What is the purpose of such a description from Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa? The Lord's vibhuti generates devotion (Bhakti). This is demonstrated in the seventh Shloka:
One who is factually convinced of this opulence and mystic power of Mine engages in unalloyed devotional service; of this there is no doubt.
So, clearly, knowledge of these Vibhutis assists in the practice of Bhakti-yoga and meditation upon Paramātman.
With that established, let us go on. In verse two of the tenth adhyāya, Śrī Kṛṣṇa states:
Neither the hosts of the gods nor the great seers know My power. Indeed, I am the only source of the gods and of the great seers.
This is important for our purposes. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is not saying "I, Viṣṇu, along with Brahmā and Rudra, are the source of the gods." He is specifically saying that He is the source of the gods (Devas), which includes Brahmā and Rudra. Further, the next verse (10.3) states:
He who knows Me as the unborn, as the beginningless, as the Supreme Lord of all the worlds – he only, undeluded among men, is freed from all sins.
Well, we know from Śāstra that both Brahma and Rudra have beginnings, and that beginning is Viṣṇu. Let us go a little deeper and see what Śrī Rāmānujācarya comments on this verse in his Bhashya:
Even the lord of the cosmic egg (Brahmā) is of the same class as other beings in Samsara, because he too is a created being coming within the threefold classification of beings according to the three innate tendencies for growth - namely Karma-bhavana, Brahma-bhavana and Ubhaya-bhavana... The Shruti also says, 'He who creates Brahmā' (Sve. Upanishad, 6.18)"
Śrī Rāmānujācarya is quite clear in his commentary to BG 10.23. Brahmā is the same as other jivatmans (sentient beings having a subtle and/or gross body and being caught in Samsara). The “He who creates Brahmā” is a reference to the Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad and alludes to Nārāyaṇa, who is the creator of Brahmā. Thus, Lord Nārāyaṇa (Viṣṇu) is the “Me” referenced by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the third verse of the tenth chapter of the Gita.
In verse 10.5, Lord Kṛṣṇa announces the different qualities that arise from Him alone. This is important because it sets the tone for the series of Shlokas to come. Moving to verse 8, we see exactly this:
I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.
So we understand from Śrī Kṛṣṇa that He Himself is the source of all, everything emanates from Him. In response, Arjuna says "You are the Supreme Brahman" (10.12-13) - not "You, along with Rudra and Brahmā, constitute the Supreme Brahman".
Now we arrive at an important part of the Adhyaya where attention must be paid for the purposes of our inquiry. Arjuna in verse 16 pleads:
"You should tell Me without reserve Your divine manifestations whereby You abide pervading all these worlds".
The term vyāpya is used, meaning "pervading". This is key. Viṣṇu is all-pervading. It is a theological requirement for understanding the Supreme. And this is why, in terms of His expansion as Viṣṇu, He is the sustainer, as all creation relies on that which pervades it.
In response to this request by Arjuna, Kṛṣṇa starts with verse 20:
I am the Supersoul, O Arjuna, seated in the hearts of all living entities. I am the beginning, the middle and the end of all beings.
To understand this, let us quickly look at the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.7.15:
He who dwelling in all beings, is within all beings, whom all beings do not know, whose body all beings are, who controls all beings from within, is you Inner Controller, immortal Self.
Śrī Rāmānujācarya comments on this verse and 3.7.15 of Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad by saying:
The meaning is that I [Kṛṣṇa / Viṣṇu] am the cause of their origination, sustentation and dissolution. Thus, having explained that the Lord's immanence in all beings, which are His manifestations having Him, as their Self, is the ground for naming them in the manner of Samanadhikaranya or co-ordinate prediction with Him (i.e., predication that they are He Himself), Śrī Kṛṣṇa proceeds to present some specific or distinguished manifestations in the same style of co-ordinate predication. As the Lord abides as the Self in all, the final significance of all terms culminates in Him. Terms such as god, man, bird, tree, etc., though they signify the respective physical forms of those objects, they culminate through them in the selves in them as their final significance.
So, as Śrī Rāmānujācarya states, the following verses signify The supreme as the Inner Controller, or Antaryāmin, of all beings, including the Devas, including Rudra and Brahmā. If we fail to understand the context of 10.23, we must then also accept Lord Indra (10.22) as part of the Godhead, making at least four Devas. Then what of the Yakshas and other beings in verse 23?
The Universe is Created by Three Emanations of Brahman (Nirguṇa Brahman)
Responding to this statement requires an explanation of how the Purāṇa and Pāñcarātra texts operate together to provide a complete understanding. Bringing these two complimentary accounts together, Viśiṣṭādvaita proposes two types, or stages, of creation known as samaṣṭi-sṛṣṭi (creation of the aggregate universe) and vyaṣṭi-sṛṣṭi (creation of the universe of space time with its diversity). The first stage is caused by Brahman and involves the evolution of prakṛti through various stages up through the evolution of the five gross elements. After this, the second stage begins, which involves the admixing of the elements.
The Purāṇas provide a great level of detail of creation, referencing the cosmic egg (or Hiraṇyagarbha) from which the four-faced Brahmā originates for carrying out the rest of creation - which largely involves the creation of diversity from the preexisting prakṛti. For the dissolution of the universe, the Purāṇas reveal that Rudra takes responsibility. Between creation and dissolution, Viṣṇu is responsible for maintaining and protecting what has been created until the point of dissolution is reached.
Examining the Pāñcarātra texts, we see that the theory of emanation is presented, whereby three Vyūha manifestations of the Supreme Being - Saṃkarṣaṇa (sustainer), Pradyumna (destroyer), and Aniruddha (spiritual knowledge promulgator). The Vyūha manifestations are charged with these functions in first stage of creation and the Purāṇic deities are charged with these functions in the second stage of creation. It is important to remember here that although other deities (in the second stage) are charged with the functions of creation, sustenance, and dissolution of the material universe, Brahman is ultimately the controller and carries out these functions. Brahman is the primary cause, sustainer and destroyer of the universe. This is because Brahman is the metaphysical ground, of substrate, of the universe. As such, Brahman pervades all beings, both sentient and non-sentient and is, thus, immanent in materiality.1 This is essential to understand how the two stages of creation are linked.
To be clear, the first stage of creation (samaṣṭi-sṛṣṭi) in which prakṛti evolves, the controlling beings are the emanations of the Supreme Being, of which there are four (but the three we will focus on pertain to their functions of creation, sustenance and dissolution). In the second stage of creation (vyaṣṭi-sṛṣṭi), the controlling deities are jivatman (with the exception of Viṣṇu, who is an expansion of the Supreme Being directly). These two stages are connected in the following way: in the second stage, vyaṣṭi-sṛṣṭi, the Caturmukha-Brahmā is brought into existence after the Hiraṇyagarbha (Brahmāṇḍa - cosmic egg) is formed. Brahman is the form of Pradyumna enters into the body of Brahmā and causes the actual creation through him. In the same way, Vāsudeva in the form of Saṃkarṣaṇa enters into the body of Rudra through whom the process of devolution of the universe is performed (vyaṣṭi-pralaya). The task of preservation of the universe, however, is performed directly by Vāsudeva, or Brahman, in the form of Aniruddha (Lord Viṣṇu).
In the Purāṇic texts, particularly the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāṇa), there are multiple references to how Lord Brahmā meditates, undergoing severe tapasyā for millennia, in order to see and hear the Supreme Īśvara and learn how to go about creating the diversity of lifeforms. It is this meditative activity which allows Brahmā to have a vision of Paramātman, the Inner Soul that is the Supreme Being. In Brahmā’s case, this would be Pradyumna. Similarly, Rudra meditates upon Lord Vāsudeva.
The Upaniṣads maintain this two staged creation, and the Pāñcarātra texts, putting forward the first stage with the emanations of Brahman, maintain three-stages of creation that, when examined, correspond to the two-stages creation put forward in the Upaniṣads as already outlined. The Pāñcarātra texts are merely detailing the second of its three stages as the manifestation of the Hiraṇyagarbha (the aggregate of unmanifested souls), and is no different from the two Upaniṣadic stages, with the addition of highlighting the specific occurrence of the Hiraṇyagarbha. Ergo, there is no conflict between the Upaniṣads and the Pāñcarātra. In fact, the two together provide the complete understanding of the Supreme as both the underlying substratum for creation and the antaryamin, or Inner Controller, of all beings, including Brahmā and Rudra. Understanding the antaryamin concept is critical to understanding scriptural references regarding the relationship between Brahman and Brahmā and Rudra.
To round off this article, I wish to share a quote from Srila Prabhupada:
In the Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, by Sanātana Gosvāmī, it is said that anyone who puts the Supreme Lord and the demigods, including Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā, on the same level, at once becomes a pāṣaṇḍī, or atheist. We should never consider that the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu and the demigods are on an equal footing.
In the next part of this series I will demonstrate that the major arguments for the supremacy of Śiva do not stand up to scriptural evidence. If you wish to join the discussion, please join us on Telegram: https://t.me/modernkshatriya
