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HINDU ICONOGRAPHY
story invented to bring him into contempt. He had another wife called Gayatri.
Both the Saivites and the Vaishnavites have tried to belittle his importance. He springs from the navel of Vishnu and sits on a lotus. Siva cuts off his fifth head as punishment for incest. These stories are indicative of the attitude of both these sects towards Brahma.
Till the Middle Ages, Brahma was important. After the coming of Islam, he lost his importance. Many stories were circulated about his personal character which may have led to a loss of faith in his respectability. The Puranas accuse him of falsely claiming to have traced the end of the Agnistambha, when he had not. Another story tells us how when his wife Savitri was delayed in coming for Yaksha's sacrifice, he took another wife promptly. Savitri, highly incensed, cursed him equally promptly !
Actually, Brahma enjoyed respectability many centuries after these stories became current.
Brahmä has four faces, four arms, matted hair. and the skin of a black antelope as garment. He sits in Padmasana in a chariot drawn by seven swans. One right hand holds rosary, another right hand holds kamandalu. He looks Saumya and Toshmya-happy and worthy of propitiation. His eyes are closed in meditation.
His four faces represent the four Vedas: the eastern-Rig Veda; southern-Yajur Veda; western-Sama Veda; and the northern-Atharva Veda.
His four arms represent the four directions.
The whole universe evolves out of water. Therefore Brahmă carries water in a kamandalu (vase). (FOR ICONOGRAPHICAL DETAILS, SEE TABLES ON
PAGES 24 and 25.) The rosary which he is counting represents Time.
The seven Lokas (worlds) are represented by seven swans.
The lotus arising out of the navel of Vishnu represents Mani----the Earth.
