THE HINDU TRINITY OF BRAHMA, VISHNU AND SHANKAR

THE HINDU TRINITY OF BRAHMA, VISHNU AND SHANKAR
God Shiva, the Supreme Soul, is not subjected to birth and death, nor does He take birth through a mother, as do human beings. He is beyond the bondage of actions (karma) or physical experiences of the world (Abhokta). God says in Gita c9v11 “Fools, not knowing my supreme nature, think low of Me, the Lord of creation who have put on the human body. That is, they take me, who have appeared in human garb through my Yogamaya for the deliverance of the world, to be an ordinary mortal”. (Also See Gita c7v24-25; c8v9 &c10 v3).
Today, people are confused as God Shiva, the incorporeal bodiless One (Nirakaar), the point of light shown at the top of the picture, has been inadvertently or innocently omitted from the Hindu Trinity and only Brahma (creator), Vishnu (Sustainer) and Shankar (transformer) are shown.
God Shiva and His Three Divine Acts
1. The first divine act of God Shiva is to embody Himself by using the body of Brahma to impart the knowledge of the Shrimat Bhagavad Gita to destroy the five evil spirits-- lust, anger, greed, attachment and ego. These five evil spirits are known as Ravan, Satan or Shaitan. Deity Brahma is one aspect of God’s three divine acts and should not be confused with the word “Brahm” which is the sixth element of light that pervades Nirvana (Brahmlok), the supreme abode of God. Brahma is known as the “special son” of Heavenly God Father Shiva because he surrendered mind, body and wealth towards the establishment of the new world order of the Golden age. For this, Brahma is known as the master creator and called ‘Bhagirath’, the lucky chariot. The picture in the Gita of Arjuna in the chariot with God holding the reins of the five horses is the memorial of this auspicious event, hence the name the lucky chariot.
An important aspect of Brahma in Gita c9 v1 quote “ To you, who are devoid of the carping spirit, I shall now unfold the knowledge of Nirguna Brahma along with the knowledge of Sakara Brahma knowing which you will be freed from the evil of worldly existence”.
Sakara Brahma in the above verse is Prajapita Brahma in his earthly human form and role whereas Nirguna Brahma is his angelic (Aakar) role as Adi Dev Brahma in a subtle body of light residing in the angelic world. The Gita in c9v2 says that this knowledge of Brahma is a sovereign science, a sovereign secret, supremely holy, most excellent, directly enjoyable, attended with virtue, very easy to practise and imperishable.
The Spiritual Meaning of “Brahma Astra”
In ancient warfare, the Brahm Astra is a missile said to be set in motion by divine force. It is an unfailing weapon that hits and destroys its target. It was the Brahma Astra that was used by Ram to completely destroy (burn and cremate) Ravan when all other missiles could only make Ravan unconscious, giving Ravan a chance to get up and attack again. In the path of knowledge, the Brahma Astra is not a physical weapon, but it is the combined might of Gyan and Yoga of the Gita to destroy the vices and the evils of the world.
2. The second divine act is the role of Shankar as the form of perfection of soul-consciousness. This is the method to become the destroyer of the five evil spirits as well as the master of the five senses of sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. The role of deity Shankar is only one divine aspect of God Shiva. God Shiva is distinct and separate from that of deity Shankar, as He is separate and distinct from deity Brahma. Shankar is the memorial of Brahma’s perfect stage of renunciation and intense meditation, the reason Shankar is shown in meditative posture.
3. The third aspect is that of Vishnu, the Sustainer. When God Shiva re-establishes righteousness (dharma) of the Golden age through Brahma, Brahma then takes rebirth as the first prince of the Golden age known as Krishna. Krishna then gets married to the first princess of the Golden age named Radhey and this ceremony (Swayamvar) leads to their coronation as the first Emperor and Empress of the Golden age. Their names then become Lakshmi and Narayan who then represent the family path of the deity civilisation. Their role is to rule and give sustenance to humanity.
The combined form of Lakshmi and Narayan is known as Vishnu, the sustainer of the world. Vishnu is shown adorned with the Eternal World Drama Wheel (chakra) on the index finger of the upper right hand. The Mace (Gada) is held with the lower right hand that depicts both self-sovereignty (Swaraj) as well as world sovereignty with peace, prosperity and happiness. The Conch Shell represents the dissemination of Godly knowledge and the Lotus Flower represents complete purity in thoughts, words and actions.
The female aspect of Vishnu is Maha Lakshmi shown standing in a one-hundred petal white lotus flower giving material wealth as well as blessings.
In essence, therefore, Brahma, Vishnu and Shankar are subtle deities who assist God Shiva to transform the old iron-aged world into the golden-aged world of heaven during the auspicious Confluence age (Purushottam Sangamyuga), the last 100 years of the Iron Age (Kaliyuga).
References:
1. The World Eternal Drama, B.K. Jagdish C Hassija.
2. The Auspicious Real Gita, EN/B-058, Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University, Pandav Bhavan Library, Mt Abu, Rajasthan, India.