Brahma

The Trimurti or Hindu triad of gods: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Brahma has four heads, carries the sacred Vedas, and holds beads and other objects used in worship. Vishnu holds a discus and a club to destroy evil, and a lotus to bless his followers. Shiva carries a trident, representing his three aspects as creator, preserver, and destroyer, and holds a snake, depicting his power over deadly animals.

In Hinduism, the creator god. Brahma combines with Vishnu, the preserver, and Shiva, the destroyer of evil, to make up the Trimurti, the three aspects of Brahman, the supreme being, acting in the world.

Although Brahma is the creator aspect, he is depicted in some stories as being born from a lotus flower growing from Vishnu's navel. Brahma is often shown as having four heads, facing the four directions. He carries the Vedas, and objects such as prayer beads, used in worship. He is seated in a lotus, and his vehicle is a swan. His consort is Saraswati, goddess of wisdom and the arts. Today, Brahma is less popular in worship than Shiva and Vishnu.