Trimurti
The Hindu triad of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, associated respectively with creation, preservation, and destruction or transformation.
Brahma: A Hindu deity associated with creation and one member of the Trimurti. He embodies the creative function assigned to the triad’s first member.
Hindu cosmology: Traditional Hindu accounts of the universe’s structure, cycles, and origins. The Trimurti’s functions make sense within cyclical accounts of cosmic existence.
Rigveda: The oldest collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns, composed in ancient India. Its hymns contain early forms of deities later associated with the Trimurti.
Tridevi: A Hindu triad of goddesses commonly identified as Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Parvati. This feminine triad parallels the Trimurti in some accounts and traditions.
Vishnu: A Hindu deity associated with preservation and protection of cosmic order. He represents preservation within the triad’s three cosmic functions.
Samsara: The cycle of birth, death, and rebirth in Indian religions. Cosmic creation and dissolution echo the recurring cycles found in Hindu thought.
Puranas: A genre of Hindu literature containing myths, genealogies, teachings, and accounts of the cosmos. Puranic narratives developed the deities and cosmic functions linked in the triad.
Henotheism: Worship of one deity as supreme without denying the existence of other deities. It helps explain how traditions can honor the triad while elevating one member above the others.
Shiva: A major Hindu deity associated with destruction, transformation, and renewal. His transforming and dissolving role completes the triad’s cycle.
Vaishnavism: A major Hindu tradition centered on Vishnu and his avatars. Vaishnava theology often gives Vishnu supremacy rather than equal status within a triad.