Brahman, Vishnu and Shiva are the highest gods of Hinduism. Three murities (three deities) of the hinduism.These gods do not form part of the early Vedic pantheon. They rose to prominence subsequently, during the eastern and southern expansion of the Vedic religion in the Indian subcontinent.
A brief description of the three deities is presented below.
Brahma:
Brahma is the creator god. He is originally known as Prajapati. He is the first born, father of the gods, humans and demons. He is also their teacher, who taught them about the nature of Self and the importance of virtue. He is also the revealer of the Vedas to the mankind.
He has several mind born sons. In the early Upanishads and Vedic hymns he is credited with incarnations and described as the Cosmic Person (Purusha) as well as Isvara, Hiranyagarbha and Viraj. In some verses, he is also described as Prakriti or Nature. Brahma enjoyed an exalted position in ancient times, when the original Kshatriyas ruled the land. With their decline, his popularity declined. He is presently worshipped only in a few temples, mostly located in the areas, adjoining or forming part of the ancient Sindhu Saraswathi region, where the Kshatriyas ruled in ancient times. His abode is called Brahmaloka.
Vishnu:
He is currently the most popular god of Hinduism. Vaishnavism is also currently the most popular and dominant sect of Hinduism, with several sub sects and independent teacher traditions. Devotees of Vishnu worship Him as the highest supreme Brahman.
In popular Hinduism he is considered the preserver responsible for the preservation and maintenance of creation. He goes by several names, such as Narayana, Adita, Padmanabha, Ananatasayana etc. He has also manifested upon earth as incarnations (avataras), manifestations (vyuhas), partial incarnations (amsavataras) and aspects such as Jagannatha, Panduranga, Ranganatha, Varadaraja, Venkateswara etc. India is dotted with numerous temples of Vishnu and His numerous aspects and incarnations. His abode is known as Vaikuntha.
Shiva:
In ancient times, Shiva was the most popular deity of Hinduism, worshipped in numerous form and diverse communities throughout the Indian subcontinent and even outside. While Saivism lost ground to Vaishnavism in the last century, it is still a very popular sect of Hinduism with dedicated followers.
As in case of Vaishnavism, Saivism has several sects and sub sects. Followers of Siva worship Him as the Supreme Brahman who is responsible for the creation, preservation, and destruction of the worlds, besides delusion and liberation of the beings. In popular Hinduism he is considered the destroyer. He goes by several names such as Rudra, Ardhanariswara, Mahadev, Mahesvara, Isvara etc. He has also several aspects, manifestations, emanations and attendant deities. His abode is called Kailās. He is worshipped in the temples and households in his anthromorphic form and in the form of Sivalinga. In Tantra, he is also worshipped in the form of symbols.
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