Have you ever noticed that Lord Brahma is never worshipped in Hinduism, nor is there any temple dedicated to him, despite being called 'The Creator' of the universe and part of the trimurti? Whereas Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva are the most worshipped deities of Hindus.
Why is it so? Let's understand the reason behind it.
Who Is Lord Brahma?
Lord Brahma is said to be the creator of the universe, who, according to Hindu mythology, emerged from Vishnu's navel. Brahma is often depicted with four heads, each representing the four Vedas: Rigveda, Samaveda, Yajurveda and Atharvaveda. He is a part of the 'trimurti', which includes Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva.
Lord Brahma doesn't play an active role in the preservation and destruction of the cosmos, unlike the other two. However, he believed in keeping the records of the individuals.
Lord Brahma is said to be the creator of the universe (Image: Facebook/thehinduheritage)
Why Is Lord Brahma Not Worshipped?
There are 4 reasons why Lord Brahma is not worshipped in Hinduism. They are:
Reason 1: The Curse Of Lord Shiva
According to the Shiv Purana, Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu fought over who was more powerful. To resolve this, Lord Shiva created a gigantic lingam made of fire that went up to the heavens and underneath the earth. Shiva told them whoever finds the end of the light will be considered most powerful.
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So, Lord Vishnu took the avtar of Varaha(wild boar) and Lord Brahma took the form of a swan and started their search. However, both failed to find, establishing that Lord Shiva is the most powerful. Unlike Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahna thought to trick Shiva by convincing the ketaki flower to tell Shiva that he had reached the uppermost end of the lingam. Upon his insistence, Ketaki told the same to Lord Shiva.
Lord Shiva caught the lie immediately and got furious with both Lord Brahma and the ketaki flower and cursed them. He cursed Brahma, saying he would never be worshipped, whereas Ketaki was cursed to be never used in any Hindu worship ritual.
Reason 2: Shatarupa And Brahma's Obsession
According to the Matsya Purana, when Lord Brahma created the universe, he also created a female deity named Shatrupa. She was so beautiful that even Lord Brahma could not help but be infatuated by her beauty. It is also said that he created multiple heads to gaze at her from all directions. Whereas Shatrupa did not have any interest, so she would always try to escape from his lustful gaze.
The matter became so serious that Lord Shiva had to intervene and cut his top head. He also explained to Lord Brahma that Shatrupa was, in fact, his daughter because he created her, so he can't be obsessed with her. Lord Shiva also told Lord Brahma that his behaviour was unholy and unacceptable, so he cursed him that he would never be worshipped.
Lord Brahma created multiple heads to gaze at Shatr from all directions (Image: Instagram/kingdashcalzado)
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Reason 3: Maharishi Brighu's Curse
According to Hindu mythology, once a mahayagya was about to happen, and sages were discussing who should be the Pradhanta, the master of the Yagaya. During this time, Maharishi Brighu thought to test the deity's worthiness.
When Maharishi Brighu reached Lord Brahma, he intentionally started disrespecting him. In response, Lord Brahma became angry and decided to punish him. However, Goddess Sarswati intervened and prevented him from punishing Brighu. Seeing this, Maharishi got angry and thought that Brahma was not worthy of being 'supreme' and cursed him that he would never be worshipped in Kaliyug.
Another version of the story says that Maharishi Brighu cursed Brahma because when he went to invite him for Yagna, he paid no attention to him and ignored him while absorbed in Goddess Sarswati's music.
Reason 4: Influence of Lord Buddha
According to the Bhavishya Purana, it is said that demons started worshipping Lord Brahma, because of which the devtas were not able to defeat them. To prevent this, it is said that Lord Vishnu took the form of Lord Buddha on Earth and convinced the demons to stop worshipping Lord Brahma.
Maharishi Brighu cursed Brahma because when he went to invite him for Yagna, he paid no attention to him (Image: Facebook/anandneelakantan)
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These are the reasons why it is believed that Lord Brahma is not worshipped. However, it doesn’t mean he has no importance; he is still the creator of the universe in Hindu cosmology.