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{{short description|Hinduism's supreme triumvirate or triple deity of supreme divinity}}
[[File:UgrataraTemple2 (cropped).jpeg|thumb|[[Shiva]] (left), [[Vishnu]] (middle), and [[Brahma]] (right)]]
[[File:Halebid3.JPG|thumb|Trimurti [[relief]] at the [[Hoysaleswara temple]] in [[Halebidu]]]]
{{Hinduism}}
The '''Trimurti'''{{efn|({{IPAc-en|t|r|ɪ|ˈ|m|uːr|t|i}};<ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/trimurti "Trimurti"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129070403/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/trimurti |date=29 November 2014 }}. ''[[Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary]]''.</ref> {{langx|sa|त्रिमूर्ति|lit=three forms or trinity}}, {{IAST3|trimūrti}},)}} ([[Sanskrit phonology|/t̪ɾimʊɾt̪iː/]]) is the [[triple deity]] of [[Para Brahman|supreme divinity]] in [[Hinduism]],{{sfnp|Grimes|1995}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Jansen |first=Eva Rudy|title=The Book of Hindu Imagery|year=2003 |publisher=Binkey Kok Publications BV|location=Havelte, Holland|isbn=90-74597-07-6 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Radhakrishnan |first=Sarvepalli (Editorial Chairman)|author-link=Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan |title=The Cultural Heritage of India |year=1956 |publisher=The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture |location=Calcutta }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Winternitz |first=Maurice |title=History of Indian Literature |year=1972 |publisher=Oriental Books Reprint Corporation |location=New Delhi }}</ref> in which the cosmic functions of [[creation ex nihilo|creation]], [[Conservation (ethic)|preservation]], and [[Eschatology|destruction]] are [[personified]] as a triad of deities. Typically, the designations are that of [[Brahma]] the creator, [[Vishnu]] the preserver, and [[Shiva]] the destroyer.{{sfnp|Zimmer|1972|p=124}}{{efn|The [[Brahma]] is "Swetamber" (one who wears white clothes), [[Vishnu|Maha Vishnu]] is "Pitamber" (one who wears yellow/red/orange clothes) and the [[Shiva]] is "Digamber/Vaagamber" (one who doesn't wear any cloth, only the skin of tiger): "The {{IAST|Purāṇas}}" in {{harvp|Flood|2003|p=139}}.}}

The [[Om]] symbol of Hinduism is considered to have an allusion to Trimurti, where the A, U, and M phonemes of the word are considered to indicate creation, preservation and destruction, adding up to represent [[Brahman]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rztlAAAAIAAJ&dq=om+trimurti+-wikipedia&pg=PA224|title = Young Scientist: A Practical Journal for Amateurs|year = 1852|publisher = Industrial Publication Company.}}</ref> The [[Tridevi]] is the trinity of goddess consorts for the Trimurti.<ref>{{cite web|author=Bahubali |url=https://www.hindufaqs.com/tridevi-the-three-supreme-goddess-in-hinduism/ |title=Tridevi – the three supreme Goddess in Hinduism |publisher=Hindufaqs.com |date= 18 March 2023|access-date=2022-03-01}}</ref>

== Evolution ==
The [[Puranas|Puranic period]] from the 4th to the 12th century CE saw the rise of post-[[Vedic period|Vedic]] religion and the evolution of what [[R. C. Majumdar]] calls "synthetic Hinduism."<ref>For dating of Puranic period as c. CE 300–1200 and quotation, see: Majumdar, R. C. "Evolution of Religio-Philosophic Culture in India", in: Radhakrishnan (CHI, 1956), volume 4, p. 47.</ref>

Following is a well-known verse from the Vishnu Purana (1.2.66) that mentions Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva together in a single verse, highlighting their roles within the cosmic functions of creation, preservation, and destruction.

rūpāṇi trīṇi tatraiva mūrttibheda-vibhāgataḥ |<br>

ajāmyekāmśam ātmānaṁ śiva-rūpeṇa tishthati ||<br>

jagataḥ sthiti-samdhānaṁ samharanti yuge yuge |<br>

trayaṁ brahma-mahā-viṣṇu-māheśvara-iti smṛtam ||<br>

Translation: "In this way, the one supreme entity divides itself into three forms—Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh (Shiva)—taking on different aspects. It creates, preserves, and destroys the universe in various ages."

This period had no homogeneity, and included orthodox [[Vedic Brahmanism|Brahmanism]] in the form of remnants of older Vedic faith traditions, along with different sectarian religions, notably [[Shaivism]], [[Vaishnavism]], and [[Shaktism]] that were within the orthodox fold yet still formed distinct entities.<ref>For characterization as non-homogeneous and including multiple traditions, see: [[R._C._Majumdar|Majumdar]], R. C. "Evolution of Religio-Philosophic Culture in India", in: Radhakrishnan (CHI, 1956), volume 4, p. 49.</ref> One of the important traits of this period is a spirit of harmony between orthodox and sectarian forms.<ref>For harmony between orthodox and sectarian groups, see: [[R._C._Majumdar|Majumdar, R. C.]] "Evolution of Religio-Philosophic Culture in India", in: Radhakrishnan (CHI, 1956), volume 4, p. 49.</ref> 

Regarding this spirit of reconciliation, [[R. C. Majumdar]] says that:

<blockquote>Its most notable expression is to be found in the theological conception of the {{IAST|Trimūrti}}, in other words, the manifestation of the supreme God in three forms of {{IAST|Brahmā}}, {{IAST|Viṣṇu}}, and {{IAST|Śiva}} ... But the attempt cannot be regarded as a great success, for {{IAST|Brahmā}} never gained an ascendancy comparable to that of {{IAST|Śiva}} or {{IAST|Viṣṇu}}, and the different sects often conceived the {{IAST|Trimūrti}} as really the three manifestations of their own sectarian god, whom they regarded as [[Brahman]] or Absolute.<ref>For quotation see: see: Majumdar, R. C. "Evolution of Religio-Philosophic Culture in India", in: Radhakrishnan (CHI, 1956), volume 4, p. 49.</ref></blockquote>

The identification of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva as one being is strongly emphasized in the ''{{IAST|Kūrma}} Purāṇa''. In verse 1.6, [[Brahman]] is worshipped as Trimurti; verse 1.9 especially inculcates the unity of the three gods, and verse 1.26 relates to the same theme.<ref>For references to {{IAST|Kūrma}} Purana see: Winternitz, volume 1, p. 573, note 2.</ref> 

Noting Western interest in the idea of trinity, historian [[Arthur Llewellyn Basham|A. L. Basham]] explains the background of the Trimurti as follows:

<blockquote>There must be some doubt as to whether the Hindu tradition has ever recognized Brahma as the Supreme Deity in the way that Visnu and Siva have been conceived of and worshiped.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sutton |first1=Nicholas |title=Religious doctrines in the Mahābhārata |date=2000 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers |location=Delhi |isbn=81-208-1700-1 |page=182 |edition=1st}}</ref></blockquote>  The concept of Trimurti is also present in the ''[[Maitri Upanishad]]'', where the three gods are explained as three of his supreme forms.<ref>"Brahma, Rudra, and Vishnu are called the supreme forms of him. His portion of darkness is! Rudra. His portion of passion is Brahma. His portion of purity is Visnu"—''[[Maitri Upanishad]]'' [5.2]</ref>

== Views within Hinduism ==

The word ‘trimurti’ means ‘three forms’. In the trimurti, Brahma is the creator, Vishnu is the preserver and Shiva is the destroyer. <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z44bcj6/revision/3#:~:text=The%20word%20%27trimurti%27%20means%20%27,and%20Shiva%20is%20the%20destroyer | title=Hindu gods – the trimurti - Nature of God and existence in Hinduism - GCSE Religious Studies Revision - Eduqas }}</ref>

Remember the difference between Brahman (with an ‘n’), which refers to Ultimate Reality, and Brahma (with no ‘n’), which refers to the creator god.

=== Shaivism ===
[[File:Trimurti, Cave No. 1, Elephanta Caves - 1.jpg|thumb|Trimurti as [[Sadasiva]] at the [[Elephanta Caves]]]]
[[Shaivites]] hold that, according to [[Shaiva]] [[Āgama (Hinduism)|Agama]], Shiva performs five actions: creation, preservation, dissolution, grace, and illusion. Respectively, these first three actions are associated with Shiva as [[Sadyojata]] (akin to [[Brahma]]), [[Vamadeva]] (akin to [[Vishnu]]) and [[Bhairava|Aghora]] (akin to [[Rudra]]).  

Thus, Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra are not deities different from Shiva, but rather are forms of Shiva. As Brahma/Sadyojata, Shiva creates. As Vishnu/Vamadeva, Shiva preserves. As Rudra/Aghora, he dissolves. This stands in contrast to the idea that Shiva is the "God of destruction." Shiva is the supreme God and performs all actions, of which destruction is only but one. Ergo, the Trimurti is a form of Shiva Himself for Shaivas. 

Shaivites believe that Shiva is the Supreme, who assumes various critical roles and assumes appropriate names and forms, and also stands transcending all these.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shaivam.org/shpdestr.htm|title=Abode of God Shiva}}</ref> A prominent visual example of a Shaivism version of the Trimurti is the [[Elephanta Caves#Trimurti, Gangadhara and Ardhanarishvara|''Trimurti Sadashiva'' sculpture]] in the [[Elephanta Caves]] on [[Gharapuri Island]].

=== Vaishnavism ===
[[File:A statue inside the Angkor Wat in Cambodia; January 2020.jpg|260px|thumb|Statue of [[Vishnu]], the principal deity worshipped at [[Angkor Wat]], Cambodia]]
Despite the fact that the [[Vishnu Purana]] describes that [[Vishnu]] manifests as [[Brahma]] in order to create and as [[Rudra]] ([[Shiva]]) in order to destroy,{{sfnp|Flood|2003|p=[https://archive.org/details/introductiontohi0000floo/page/111 111]}} [[Vaishnavism]] generally does not acknowledge the Trimurti concept. Instead, they believe in the [[avataras]] of Vishnu like [[Narasimha]], [[Rama]], [[Krishna]], and so forth. 

They also believe that Shiva and Brahma are both forms of Vishnu. For example, the [[Dvaita]] school holds Vishnu alone to be the Supreme God, with [[Shiva]] subordinate, and interprets the [[Puranas]] differently. For example, Vijayindra Tîrtha, a Dvaita scholar interprets the 18 [[purana]]s differently. He interprets the Vaishnavite puranas as [[satvic]] and Shaivite puranas as [[tamas (philosophy)|tamasic]] and that only satvic puranas are considered to be authoritative.<ref name="Sharma">{{cite book |last= Sharma |first= B. N. Krishnamurti |title= A history of the Dvaita school of Vedānta and its literature: from the earliest beginnings to our own times |access-date= 2010-01-15 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=FVtpFMPMulcC&q=sarabha&pg=PA412 |publisher= Motilal Banarsidass Publishers |page= 412 |year= 2000 |isbn= 81-208-1575-0 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191224120749/https://books.google.com/books?id=FVtpFMPMulcC&pg=PA412&dq=Varaha+sarabha&cd=11#v=onepage&q=sarabha&f=false |archive-date= 24 December 2019 |url-status= live }}</ref> 

The tradition of [[Sri Vaishnavism]] in the south holds that all major deities that are hailed in the Puranas are in fact forms of Vishnu, and that the scriptures are dedicated to him alone.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Introduction to Sri Vaishnava Philosophy |url=https://ramanuja.org/intro.html |access-date=2022-05-10 |website=ramanuja.org}}</ref>

=== Shaktism ===
The female-centric [[Shaktism|Shaktidharma]] denomination assigns the eminent roles of the three forms (''Trimurti'') of [[Adi Parashakti|Supreme Divinity]] not to masculine gods but instead to feminine goddesses: [[Mahasaraswati|Mahasarasvati (Creatrix)]], [[Mahalaxmi|Mahalaxmi (Preservatrix)]], and [[Mahakali|Mahakali (Destructrix)]]. This feminine version of the Trimurti is called [[Tridevi|''Tridevi'' ("three goddesses")]]. The masculine gods ([[Brahma]], [[Vishnu]], [[Shiva]]) are then relegated as auxiliary agents of the supreme feminine Tridevi.

=== Smartism ===
[[Smartism]] is a denomination of Hinduism that places emphasis on a group of five deities rather than just a single deity.{{sfnp|Flood|1996|p=17}} The "worship of the five forms" ({{IAST|[[pañcāyatana pūjā]]}}) system, which was popularized by the ninth-century philosopher [[Adi Shankara|{{IAST|Śankarācārya}}]] among orthodox Brahmins of the [[Smartism|Smārta]] tradition, invokes the five deities [[Shiva]], [[Vishnu]], [[Brahma]], [[Shakti]] and [[Surya]].{{sfnpm|1a1=Courtright|1y=1985|1p=163|2a1=Flood|2y=1996|2p=113}} [[Adi Shankara|{{IAST|Śankarācārya}}]] later added [[Kartikeya]] to these five, making six total. 

This reformed system was promoted by {{IAST|Śankarācārya}} primarily to unite the principal deities of the [[Shanmata|six major sects]] on an equal status.{{sfnp|Grimes|1995|p=162}} The [[monistic]] philosophy preached by {{IAST|Śankarācārya}} made it possible to choose one of these as a preferred principal deity and at the same time worship the other four deities as different forms of the same all-pervading [[Brahman]].

== See also ==
* [[Ahura#Younger Avesta|Ahuric triad]]
* [[Dattatreya]]
* [[Moirai]]
* [[Sanxing (deities)|Sanxing]]
* [[Three Pure Ones]]
* [[Trikaya]]
* [[Triple deities]]

== Footnotes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==

=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Works cited ===
* {{cite book |last=Courtright |first=Paul B. |title={{IAST|Gaṇeśa}}: Lord of Obstacles, Lord of Beginnings |year=1985 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |isbn=0-19-505742-2 }}
* {{cite book |last=Flood |first=Gavin |title=An Introduction to Hinduism |url=https://archive.org/details/introductiontohi0000floo |url-access=registration |year=1996 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn= 0-521-43878-0}}
* {{cite book |editor-last=Flood |editor-first=Gavin |title=The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism|year=2003 |publisher=Blackwell Publishing |location=Malden, MA|isbn=1-4051-3251-5 }}
* {{cite book |series=SUNY Series in Religious Studies |last=Grimes |first=John A. |title=Ganapati: Song of the Self |year=1995 |publisher=State University of New York Press |location=Albany |isbn=0-7914-2440-5 }}
* {{cite book |last=Zimmer |first=Heinrich |title=Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization |year=1972 |publisher=Princeton University Press |location=Princeton, New Jersey |isbn=0-691-01778-6 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/mythssymbolsinin00zimmrich }}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book|last=Basham|first=A. L.|title=The Wonder That Was India: A Survey of the Culture of the Indian Sub-Continent Before the Coming of the Muslims|publisher=Grove Press |location=New York|year=1954}}

== External links ==
* {{commons category-inline|Trimurti}}

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