Who are Om and the Trinity (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva) ? - Hinduism / Vedic God’s Hierarchy

Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva / Mahesh. Who are they? What are they? What do they signify? There is certainly a hierarchy in the Hindu pantheon which is quite interesting. But more interesting is the process of understanding Supreme God, and who the Trinity are.

Here’s the Hierarchy (the ones who are Supreme and their forms)

1. Om / Param Brahm (Supreme One – without a second)

Param Brahm is also acknowledged as Om(Frequency of Creation) & Brahmaand(Universe / Entire Creation)

Its Attributes : No forms, no patterns, it is pure consciousness. It curves into itself to create all matter and energy. It is like waves of consciousness (cannot be imagined, can only be realized). Modern science is saying that every atom and every photon of light is basically created out of a conscious wave of nothingness / infinite possibilities) and they call this probably the primary source of everything. Imagining something like "infinite possibilities" is so weird; isn’t it?

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Okay let’s try to understand it this way. Consciousness runs through everything (all matter and all energies). It is not bound by time or space. Time and space are contained within it. It consciously changes its own frequencies(curves into itself) to form opposites in creation(light and dark, up and down, forward and backward, happening and not happening, ). Without these opposites, creation of any kind isn’t possible. We, in our daily lives, use these opposites every second and nano-second to make conscious and sub conscious decisions – lungs breathe in and out, cells create and die, heart pumps and pulls, to be active or inactive, to do or not do something, to say yes or no, to see or not see, to open or close, to attract or distract. This in physics is referred to as the theory that every action has and equal and opposite reaction, and without it no happening is possible. That is why Param Brahm / Om is also Karma(action – reaction theory)itself. Thus what is created will also destroy - Universe created will destroy, life will face death, you do good to others, others will do good to you. Every action will most definitely have an equal and opposite reaction. that is why nothing is constant in our lives.

To be able to realize God in this form is impossible for us guys. Those who do, achieve Moksha (salvation / freedom from being enveloped in form and energy as humans or other species)

Idol worship or rituals, etc of Param Brahm cannot be done, because it cannot be imagined in the first place. You can only close your eyes and pray. It has no specific gender, no specific form, not any specific energy(its not like light, heat, etc because energy has a flow and pattern). At the same time, because of such a nature, it can also be all of them (it is every gender, every form and every type of energy). It can form infinite forms and creatures. It is totally creative. Apart from that, it is the conscious force within every living being that takes decisions and thinks.
It is the force that goes against the brain fed rules, and reaches out to help, love and revolt.

2. The Trinity (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva)

Om/Supreme consciousness curves into itself to make finite possibilities out of infinite possibilities (as indicated earlier). For that to happen, any possibility, needs to have three attributes in time and space:  Start, Middle and End – also called creation, sustaining period and destruction.
The Trinity represents these three aspects of the spirit.

Without destruction, creation will have no meaning, creation will be ever growing (like cancer cells). Without a period of sustenance (i.e. if immediately after creation comes full destruction), there would be constant creation and constant destruction, nothing will sustain. There will be no concept of time / lifespan / period. There will be no concept of 'past-present-future', which in turn means that there will be no concept of life(as life is the amount of time anything sustains). Sustenance is necessary to make lifespan/timeline/life of anything possible (lifespan of the universe, planets, stars, life of animals, plants, life of bacteria, cells, atoms, life of humans, etc.). Time = Life.

 “Brahma - the creator”(not to be mistaken for Param Brahm or Brahmaand) is basically the creative phenomenon /force, "Shiva / Mahesh - the destroyer" is the destructive phenomenon /force. "Vishnu - the preserver", as a phenomenon, comes in the middle of Brahma and Shiva to sustain this creation. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are all phenomenon of the same consciousness in order to make lifespan / life possible in time and space. Every spec of matter and every photon of light gets created, sustains, then it destroys/transforms. It is the basis of anything and everything.

Note: When we say our bodies destroy, what really happens is, that it transforms/breaks down into other elements and then are used to form / create something else. Degradation / death is basically one form transforming to another. That is why Shiva – the destroyer is also seen as The Transformer.

Unlike Om / Supreme consciousness, these three can be imagined and can be realized in and around us, as the process of creation, sustenance, and destruction / transformation unfolds in the universe. All of these forces are conscious like Om and thus to be able to communicate to them through a medium, they have been given forms(the formless have been given forms)

Brahma’s four heads represent the four Vedas (the four categories of knowledge). It does not literally mean that actually the phenomenon called Brahma has four heads. But since human knowledge is contained in the brain, is communicated through the mouth, the head is a sign of knowledge. All these images have been codified in illustration, so that children and others could be explained the presence and attributes of divinity. This way they can understand the basic virtues and philosophical science behind the secrets of life. So Brahma has four heads(not in reality) to explain the scripted and identified knowledge of life given by the Creator.


Vishnu is shown as the preserver dreaming in half sleep mode. His dreaming is the representation of the idea that this Supreme Consciousness is curving into itself delaying its own destruction (and thus creating time and lifespan). I don't think there is a better way to represent that other than Vishnu in a state of dreaming(which is neither activity/creation, nor inactivity/death) in half -sleep. Vishnu holds many items, and since they cannot fit in 2 human like hands, he has been given two more. These items are symbolic of intangible things like virtue, Dharma(righteousness),  ability to destroy and protect. If you want to know what each of these signify, you should research more.

Shiva is shown as the meditating ascetic. Why? Because he keeps reminding that in the end, everything destroys and becomes pure consciousness again, nothing is constant, so keep your mind away from materialism. He is also called Bholenath(the innocent lord), because inspite of being so powerful, he does not engage to plan or shape events like Vishnu(who plans and shapes events so that they can continue to happen, which makes our universe sustain).

Half Vishnu - Half Shiva, showing equal importance and harmony.

Why Vishnu = Shiva ?
Without sustenance, destruction has no meaning (as there would be no fear of destruction) and similarly without destruction, sustenance would be boring and without a purpose. That is why Shiva and Vishnu are bound together, in a particular form representation. They have total love, total understanding and total devoution for each other. This is very evident in many Avataars and many mythological stories(Ram & Hanuman, Shiva & Parashuram, etc).

Why isn't Brahma worshiped ?

Brahma, the creative force on the other hand isn't worshipped. Now why would the creator not be worshipped? The philosophy goes something like this. Brahma is surely respected as "Param Pitah"(First father), and is also invoked in rituals and chants, but is not utterly loved and not worshiped from heart. There are stories/mythology behind this, but the main philosophy as I have understood from these stories is like this :

Brahma is the creator of this illusion that we call as the universe. Before that all creation was Om(only consciousness). The stories say that, it is because of Brahma’s inquisitive nature, that he created the various life forms, in delusion. Brahma was the first delusion to separate from the collective consciousness, and started finding his purpose of being(the same way we do). He got egoistic that he is the first one to be and would create everything for the first time, until he was made to realize by Om that the place he was appearing / being is the cosmos(Om) which is timeless. This crashed his ego.
This phenomenon of Brahma, exists in all of us. The life forms that Brahma created, were pure consciousness before, in a state of bliss. Brahma necessitated them to take forms and created this illusion of being in a physical body. All these forms(plants, animals, insects, humans) fell into the competitive spirit(food, hunting, survival) and humans especially in the search for answers, finding God, finding peace, finding purpose of life, fighting over petty issues, etc. It created ego and self righteous pride. It took away the innocent, blissful state and gave birth to competition, suffering and fear, physical and emotional pain. The good thing that we were given is a chance to arise above this competitive spirit, and listen to our souls. That is why we can go against the call of the brain(survival spirit) and donate, sacrifice, share and feel joy in the joy of others. Only humans have the capability to realize that how they are connected to Om.
And so Brahma (inspite of being a necessary phenomenon in creation) is not worshiped.

Vishnu and Shiva, on the other hand, explain the state of grace, peace and tranquility, because they know the truth and need not create in order to search themselves. Brahma created the Vedas in form of explanations - do’s and don’ts, in phrases and explanations, in rituals and methods, but it is Vishnu and Shiva who transform into that very enlightening force and enter into our lives and steadily enlighten our souls. Thus it is said that, even if one has not read the Vedas(created by Brahma), true loving devotion in Vishnu(or any of his forms) or Shiva(or any of his forms) can provide equal or more bliss.

3. Below them fall the Avataars of the Trinity (manifestations at different periods in time to save and guide people) like Ram, Krishna, Hanuman, etc.
4. Below them are the Dev(Male angels) and Devis(Female Angels) also known as Demi Gods (they control various natural phenomenon like rain, sun, planets, wind, etc), the Rishis(seers and sages) and  Prajapatis(Great kings who gave shape to organised society).
5. Below them are other regular humans, animals and plants

IMPORTANT NOTE :  This hierarchy is in terms of enlightenment and knowledge. It does not give the right to disrespect or be cruel as nobody escapes the law Karma(in Om), not even the Avataars of Vishnu or Shiva.

Thank You
Saurabh Dey