________________
11. TRIMURTHY
"The gods then all made a request to Brahma desiring to find out the strength and weakness of Siva and Vishnu. Brahma created enmity between the two. In this state of enmity a great and terrible fight ensued between Siva and Vishnu each of whom was eager to conquer the other. Siva's bow of dreadful power was then relaxed and the three-eyed Mahadeva was arrested by a muttering. ir. Seeing that the bow of Siva had been relaxed by the prowess of Vishnu, the gods and rishis esteemed Vishnu to be superior."
Thus Brahma managed to avenge the wrong done to him by Mahadeo.
Even this stratagem did not avail Brahma to maintain his position against Vishnu. Brahma lost his position so completely to Vishnu that Vishnu who at one time was at the command of Brahma became the creator of Brahma.
In his contest with Shiva for supremacy Brahma suffered equal defeat. Here again, the position became completely inverted. Instead of being created by Brahma, Shiva became the creator of Brahma. Brahma lost the power of giving salvation. The god who could give salvation was Shiva and Brahma became no more than a common devotee worshipping Shiva and his Linga in the hope of getting salvation. [Mahabharata quoted in Muir IV p. 192.]
He was reduced to the position of a servant of Shiva doing the work of charioteer [ Mahabharata quoted in Muir IV p. 199.] of Shiva.
Ultimately Brahma was knocked out of the field of worship on a charge of having committed adultery with his own daughter.
The charge is set out in the Bhagwat Purana in the following terms:
"We have heard, O Kshatriya, that Swayambhu (Brahma) had a passion for Vach, his slender and enchanting daughter, who had no passion for him. The Munis, his sons, headed by Marichi, seeing their father bent upon wickedness, admonished him with affection; 'This is such a thing as has not been done by those before you, nor will those after you do it, - that you, being the lord, should sexually approach your daughter, not restraining your passion.
This, 0 preceptor of the world, is not a laudable deed even in glorious personages, through limitation of whose actions men attain felicity. Glory to that divine being (Vishnu) who by his own lustre revealed this (universe) which abides in himself, he must maintain ' righteousness'. Seeing his sons, the Prajapatis, thus speaking before him the lord of the Prajapatis (Bramha) was ashamed, and abandoned his body. This dreadful body the regions received and it is known as foggy darkness."
244
