In my previous post, we have seen an introduction to Lord Brahma. In this post we will see why Lord Brahma is not workshipped in the earth. Various puranas indicate various reasons.
Though Brahmā is one of the three major Gods in Hinduism, few Hindus actually worship him. Today, India has very few temples dedicated to Brahmā, as opposed to thousands of temples dedicated to the other deities in the Trimurti, namely Vishnu and Shiva. Among the few that exist today,
- the most famous is the temple in Pushkar in Rajasthan. Others include
- one in the temple town of Kumbakonam, (Thanjavur District) in Tamil Nadu;
- in Kodumudi, Erode district, Tamil Nadu;
- Nerur village in Kudal taluka of Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra.
- Sri Brahmapureeswarar Temple is located at Thirupattur, near Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu,
Curse from Lord Shiva:
According to Shiva Purana, Lord Brahm and Vishu had a debate on who is superior. Both were not convinced on their argument and went to Lord Siva. Understanding the situation, Lord Siva became a huge Shiva linga and both Lord Brahma and Lord Vishu set out to find its beginning and end. Vishnu was appointed to seek the end and Brahma the beginning. Taking the form of a Varaha, Vishnu began digging downwards into the earth, while Brahma took the form of a swan and began flying upwards. However, both could not find their appointed destination. Vishnu, satisfied, came up to Shiva and told the truth that he cannot find the end of the Linga. Brahmā did not give up so easily. As He was going up, he saw a ketaki flower, dear to Shiva. His ego forced him to ask the flower to bear false witness about Brahmā's discovery of Shiva's beginning. When Brahmā told his tale, Shiva, the all-knowing, was angered by the former's ego. Shiva thus cursed him that no beings in the three worlds will worship him.
Curse from Bhrigu Rishi:
According to another legend, Brahmā is not worshiped because of a curse by the great sage Brahmarishi Bhrigu. The high priest Bhrigu was organising a great yajna on Earth. It was decided that the greatest among all Gods would be made the presiding deity. Bhrigu then set off to find the greatest among the Trimurti. When he went to Brahmā, the god was so immersed in the music played by Saraswati that he could hardly hear Bhrigu's calls. The enraged Bhrigu then cursed Brahmā that no person on Earth would ever invoke him or worship him again.
Why Brahma has four heads:
Another story in connection with Brahma's four heads is that when Brahmā was creating the Universe, He made a female deity known as Shatarupā Brahmā became immediately infatuated with Her. Shatarupā moved in various directions to avoid the gaze of Brahmā. But wherever She went, Brahmā developed a head. Thus, Brahmā developed five heads, one on each side and one above the others. In order to control Brahmā, Shiva cut off one of the heads. Also, Shiva felt that Shatarupā was Brahmā's daughter, having been created by Him. Therefore, Shiva determined it was wrong for Brahmā to become obsessed with Her. Shiva directed that there be no proper worship on earth for the "unholy" Brahmā. Thus, only Vishnu and Shiva continued to be worshiped, while Brahmā is almost totally ignored. Ever since this incident, Brahmā has been believed to be reciting the four Vedas in His attempt at repentance.
As we have seen about Lord Brahma in the next post, we will discuss about what are these 14 lokas are all about...
courtesy : Wikipedia
[ஸ்ரீ கிருஷ்ணார்ப்பணம் ]
Though Brahmā is one of the three major Gods in Hinduism, few Hindus actually worship him. Today, India has very few temples dedicated to Brahmā, as opposed to thousands of temples dedicated to the other deities in the Trimurti, namely Vishnu and Shiva. Among the few that exist today,
- the most famous is the temple in Pushkar in Rajasthan. Others include
- one in the temple town of Kumbakonam, (Thanjavur District) in Tamil Nadu;
- in Kodumudi, Erode district, Tamil Nadu;
- Nerur village in Kudal taluka of Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra.
- Sri Brahmapureeswarar Temple is located at Thirupattur, near Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu,
Curse from Lord Shiva:
According to Shiva Purana, Lord Brahm and Vishu had a debate on who is superior. Both were not convinced on their argument and went to Lord Siva. Understanding the situation, Lord Siva became a huge Shiva linga and both Lord Brahma and Lord Vishu set out to find its beginning and end. Vishnu was appointed to seek the end and Brahma the beginning. Taking the form of a Varaha, Vishnu began digging downwards into the earth, while Brahma took the form of a swan and began flying upwards. However, both could not find their appointed destination. Vishnu, satisfied, came up to Shiva and told the truth that he cannot find the end of the Linga. Brahmā did not give up so easily. As He was going up, he saw a ketaki flower, dear to Shiva. His ego forced him to ask the flower to bear false witness about Brahmā's discovery of Shiva's beginning. When Brahmā told his tale, Shiva, the all-knowing, was angered by the former's ego. Shiva thus cursed him that no beings in the three worlds will worship him.
Curse from Bhrigu Rishi:
According to another legend, Brahmā is not worshiped because of a curse by the great sage Brahmarishi Bhrigu. The high priest Bhrigu was organising a great yajna on Earth. It was decided that the greatest among all Gods would be made the presiding deity. Bhrigu then set off to find the greatest among the Trimurti. When he went to Brahmā, the god was so immersed in the music played by Saraswati that he could hardly hear Bhrigu's calls. The enraged Bhrigu then cursed Brahmā that no person on Earth would ever invoke him or worship him again.
Why Brahma has four heads:
Another story in connection with Brahma's four heads is that when Brahmā was creating the Universe, He made a female deity known as Shatarupā Brahmā became immediately infatuated with Her. Shatarupā moved in various directions to avoid the gaze of Brahmā. But wherever She went, Brahmā developed a head. Thus, Brahmā developed five heads, one on each side and one above the others. In order to control Brahmā, Shiva cut off one of the heads. Also, Shiva felt that Shatarupā was Brahmā's daughter, having been created by Him. Therefore, Shiva determined it was wrong for Brahmā to become obsessed with Her. Shiva directed that there be no proper worship on earth for the "unholy" Brahmā. Thus, only Vishnu and Shiva continued to be worshiped, while Brahmā is almost totally ignored. Ever since this incident, Brahmā has been believed to be reciting the four Vedas in His attempt at repentance.
Yet in most of the Siva & Vishnu temples, there is an image of Lord Brahma on the northern wall
and he is one of the important Parivara devata.
As we have seen about Lord Brahma in the next post, we will discuss about what are these 14 lokas are all about...
courtesy : Wikipedia
[ஸ்ரீ கிருஷ்ணார்ப்பணம் ]
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