Why Brahma is not worshipped?

[vinay]

Why isn't Brahma worshipped, as Vishnu and Shiva are worshipped?

[Tarun]

Overpopulutation. Infersufficient Elbow-bhojan Rooom.

Specially in China & India = KRSNa's Land

There is at least one BrahmAji Mandir in MahArastra:

either Sholapur or Pandarpur, TukarAm's place.

[gHari]

Of course, the Madhva Sampradaya worships him as their guru.

[bhaktajoy]

When Lord Krishna is worshipped Brahma is automatically worshipped.

[bhaktashab]

Originally posted by bhaktajoy:

When Lord Krishna is worshipped Brahma is automatically worshipped.

When Lord Krishna is worshipped Brahma is automatically pleased.

 

 

[Gauracandra]

The following comes from a fairly recent Back To Godhead. I'll post more when I have some time:

 

When Sarasvati arived to find seated next to her husband another woman - Gayatri - she became angry and cursed him and some of the other devas present. But Gayatri adjusted the curses so that they would turn out favorably. For example, although Sarasvati had cursed Brahma that he would be worshipped only on the full-moon day of the month of Kartika, Gayatri declared that whoever worshipped Brahma would be blessed with wealth and a good family and would be reunited with Brahma.

[Tarun]

Sounds better than East Coast Chillin'.

 

[leyh]

In Southeast Asia,the Thai people and many Chinese worship the "Four-faced Buddha".I have seen many shrines dedicated to him.Could they actually be worshipping Lord Brahma?

[Avinash]

It is possible that they had heard that Brahma is four faced. They liked the idea and made four faced Buddha.

 

I find that the way Buddhism is practised at present is more similar to Hinduism than to original Buddhism. Idol worship was initially not a part of Buddhism but now many Buddhist temples with different kinds of idols are made and Buddhists worship there.

[Avinash]

Has anyone seen the temple of Brahma in Puskar?

[Gauracandra]

Avinash,

 

Thanks for the intro. I was just about to type up some stuff from the Jan/Feb 1998 Back To Godhead on Puskar. Here is the opening, with more to follow:

 

Once Lord Brahma, the empowered creator of the universe, desired to have a place on earth dedicated to him, so he threw three lotus petals toward the earth. When the petals landed, three holy lakes sprung up. Because the lakes had been created from the flower (puspa) thrown from Brahma’s hand (kara), the area became known as Puskara. The three lakes became known as Jyestha Puskara (“senior puskara”), Madhya Puskara (“middle puskara”) and Kanistha Puskara (“junior puskara”) or Budha (“old”) Puskara, as it is more commonly known today.

[atma]

 

In the main street in Las Vegas, in the side walk is a shrine to Lord Brahma. It is very pretty and they have incense burning and a place to kneel and pray to him.

[leyh]

Idol worship was initially not a part of Buddhism but now many Buddhist temples with different kinds of idols are made and Buddhists worship there.

Avinash:

 

Some Buddhists might probably objectif you say they engage in idol-worship.They will say that they are not "worshipping" the idol,but merely paying reverence to what the "idol" represents" --- the memory of Lord Buddha.

 

 

[gHari]

The arrogant British buffoons gave Hindus the word 'idol' to make fools of them.

 

American Heritage Dictionary:

i·dol (ºd“l) n. 1.a. An image used as an object of worship. b. A false god. 2. One that is adored, often blindly or excessively. 3. Something visible but without substance. [Middle English, from Old French idole, from Late Latin ºd½lum, from Greek eid½lon, phantom, idol, from eidos, form. See weid- below.

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[This message has been edited by gHari (edited 02-27-2002).]

[Avinash]

They will say that they are not "worshipping" the idol,but merely paying reverence to what the "idol" represents" --- the memory of Lord Buddha.

 

Agreed. But what I am trying to say is that even this much was not part of Buddhism initially.

 

[Gauracandra]

The glories of Puskara are mentioned in the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, the Padma Purana, and other scriptures. Srimad-Bhagavatam (12.12.61) states, “One who controls his mind, fasts at the holy places Puskara, Mathura, or Dvaraka, and studies this scripture will be freed from all fear.”

 

In the Mahabharata, while describing to Bhisma, the grandfather of the Pandavas, the glories of many tirthas, or holy places of pilgrimage, the sage Pulastya mentions Puskara Tirtha first. He says that Puskara is famous throughout the universe and that anyone who goes there becomes as exalted as Lord Brahma. Pulastya says, “One’s sins are cleansed by just thinking of Puskara.” Among various blessings obtained by bathing at Puskara: one may be elevated to the heavenly planets, even the planet of Lord Brahma.

 

Some time after Brahma had empowered Puskara to grant these extraordinary blessings, some of the devas, or demigods, complained to him that he had made it too easy for people to attain the heavenly planets. They feared that people would neglect their religious duties and the earth would be plagued with irreligion and its consequences. Lord Brahma conceded and proclaimed that from that time on, the boon of elevation to heaven by bathing at Puskara would be granted only during the last five days of the month of Kartika (October-November). Today tens of thousands of people visit Puskara during that period, and a great festival takes place.

[vinay]

Brahma is the Lord of creation & is assisted in this process by his consort Saraswathi, who is the possessor of ultimate knowledge. Together, they thus introduce the soul into the cycle of life;

 

Brahma was born from the navel of Lord Vishnu at the end of one cycle to begin a fresh creation. He has four heads (originally five), representing the four vedas which are said to have sprung from his heads. His four heads are also said to represent the four yugas. He is bearded & his eyes are closed in meditation. He sits on a lotus & his vahana is the swan. In his four arms he holds the vedas, the kamandalam (water pot), suruva (sacrificial spoon) & a mala. He is a serene soul and is the provider of all sources of knowledge & wisdom.

 

There are no temples for Brahma (except the ones in Rajasthan & Orissa) as for Siva & Vishnu, for there has been no separate cult for Brahma as the Saiva or Vaishnava cult. According to mythology, he is supposed to have been cursed by Shiva (for his having uttered a lie & for his ego) that he would go without worship. Yet in all Siva & Vishnu temples, there is an image of Lord Brahma on the northern wall & he is one of the important Parivara devata (attendant deity).

 

 

[Gauracandra]

For this curse against Brahma by Siva, I would guess this only applies to our current Brahma in this universe. Thus in other cycles, or in other universes, some Brahmas are worshipped. This is just a guess.

[leyh]

Originally posted by gHari:

The arrogant British buffoons gave Hindus the word 'idol' to make fools of them.

 

American Heritage Dictionary:

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[This message has been edited by gHari (edited 02-27-2002).]

And eventually a "Hindu" Swami from Calcutta gave the British the Hare Krishna Mantra and deity worship.

 

 

[Avinash]

Will 'statue' be a better word than 'idol'?

[Bhaktavasya]

 

I would like to contribute to this discussion with a couple of verses from the Brahma Samhita, which may help shed light on why Brahma is not worshipped in a 'big way'. If everything is based on desire, or lack of it, then Brahma's meditations on Govinda,the primeval Lord, Goloka dhama and so on may have left him desireous of nothing but that vision; the desire to be worshipped would be absent as evidenced in each verse/prayer where Brahma begins with "I worship Govinda, the primeval lord" or "I adore the same Govinda, the primeval lord.." Anyway, here's a couple of prayers from the Brahma Samhita:

 

32. I worship Govinda, the primeval lord, whose transcndental form is full of bliss, truth, substantiality and the most dazzling splendour. Each of the limbs of that transcendental body possesses the fulfledged functions of all the organs, and eternally sees, maintains and manifests the infinite universes, both spiritual and mundane.

 

33. I worship Govinda, the primeval lord, who is inaccessible to the Vedas, but obtainable by pure unalloyed devotion of the soul, who is without a second, who is not subject to decay and is without beginning, whose form is endless who is the beginning and the eternal Purusha; yet He is a person possessing the beauty of blooming youth.

 

55. I adore the primeval lord Govinda, the meditators of whom, by meditating upon Him under the sway of wrath, amorous passion, natural friendly love, fear, parental affection, delusion, reverence and willing service, attain to bodily forms befitting the nature of their contemplation.

 

[leyh]

Originally posted by leyh:

And eventually a "Hindu" Swami from Calcutta gave the British the Hare Krishna Mantra and deity worship.

 

 

How is it that gHari is able to edit one of my posts?

 

 

[gHari]

I AM OMNIPOTENT! But still can't see the future.

[gHari]

Deity. Arcana. Form. These words will not raise the red flags that "idol" does. Westerners see golden calves when they hear this word, the forbidden idols of the Mallakites.

[Bhaktavasya]

 

Srila Prabhupad himself dissapproved of idol worship(as opposed to Deity worship). For example, at one time in Dallas the installed dieties of Jagannath, Balarama and Subhadra (I believe it was these deities and someone can correct me if I'm wrong,about which deities that is) were put in a closet because it was becoming to difficult to maintain Their worship (in the words of the purjaris). When Srila Prabhupada found out he was not at all pleased and declared "This is idol worship." The deities were then rescued from their banishment to the closet and placed back on the altar again to be worshipped.

Then there is the famous quote "One who considers the Deity to be made of stone is possessed of a hellish mentality." The Diety is sat-cit-ananda, pure Spirit, agreeing out of mercy to a seemingly material form to accept worship. Ideally, the bhakta who develops the vision to see the living God within the Deity can also see the same Divinity within the hearts of other living beings.