Concept of Trimurti-Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva

Trimurti or the Hindu Trinity (triad of Gods), comprising Brahma, the Creator; Vishnu, the Preserver; and Shiva, the Destroyer, proceeded from the world-egg deposited by the supreme First Cause.

Brahma, the creator, is the senior most member of the trinity and the supreme eternal deity. Brahma is said to have grown in a lotus out of the navels of the sleeping Vishnu. The light and dark of the days are attributed to the activities of Brahma. In order to create the world and the human race, Brahma made a female form out of his own self. This female form was known as Gayatri. Brahma has four heads and the four Vedas (Hindu scripture) are said to have sprung from his heads.

Vishnu is a major god of the Hindu Pantheon. He is regarded as the preserver of the Universe and his consort is Lakshmi. Vishnu is portrayed as blue or black skinned and has four arms. He has a thousand names and their repetition is an act of devotion. In the ancient Vedas, the sacred literature of the Aryans, Vishnu is ranked among the lesser gods. With the development and growth of this literature Vishnu is raised to prominence and becomes the second god of the Trimurti. The concept of Vishnu as the preserver of the universe came much later in the history of Hinduism. It has its roots in two beliefs: men attain salvation by following predetermined paths of duty, and that powers of good and evil (gods and demons) are in contestation for domination over the world. When these powers are upset and the equilibrium disturbed, then Lord Vishnu descends to earth, in one of his Ten Incarnations (Dasavatar), to equalise the powers and bring back the equipoise. Of the ten Incarnations, Nine descents are said to have already occurred, the tenth is yet to come.