MUSINGS ON HINDU GODS

Sitting in the topmost echelon of the Hindu gods are the triumvirate : Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
Brahma is the creator of the universe. Much like the eighteenth century God of deist Christianity,
he sets up all the natural laws, starts the fire with a big bang and retires, leaving his clockwork
creation to tick on along its predetermined route. He literally goes to sleep, having nothing further
to do with anything. However, mention is made of his sons, the twelve Adityas, each with a pre-
assigned set of functions. Certain texts also refer to his wife, Saraswati, the goddess of learning,
whom he must have created along with the universe and spent some time with, unless procreation
had been programmed as a sort of miraculous conception. Sometimes, though, his sleep is
disturbed by demons springing forth from various openings in his body and the hapless soul
makes frantic calls to Vishnu or Shiva to finish them off. For he is basically lazy, a creature of
peace, and leaves all arguments for the other two to settle.
The second figure of the triad is Vishnu, the preserver. Since everything down to the minutest
detail is pre-ordained and known to the triad, there are no surprises along the path, and Vishnu
routinely performs of his role of protector of the good and destroyer of the evil. Of course, the good
and the evil are clearly and severely distinguished, as in all acceptable religions. Vishnu is well-
known for his earthly incarnations (avatars), for which he assumes various forms to resolve deadly
crises that threaten the world from time to time. The number of avatars in the present universe is
ten, nine of whom (including the much-revered icons Rama and Krishna) have come and gone.
The last one is supposed to arrive when the darkest hour is at hand, the cup of evil brimmeth over
and Mother Earth can bear no more. That will be the Lord Kalki, galloping in on his mighty steed,
purging the world of all evil with slashes of his fiery sword. Since ‘evil’ includes religions other than
Hinduism, this will be a sort of ethnic cleansing too : the Final Solution. That would be ‘it’, a signal
for Shiva to start his bit.
The third member of the triad is Shiva, the destroyer, who steps in with vengeance when
demolition rather than reform is the need of the day. He performs the so-called tandava dance,
accompanied by terrible to experience, is nevertheless welcomed as a harbinger of good things
that are to emerge from the ashes of destruction.