Trimurti

Overview

Trimurti translates as three forms. It is an iconographic representation of God in Hinduism which depicts divinity as a threefaced figure. These three faces represent Gods roles of creation, preservation and destruction which are associated with Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Sustainer and Shiva the Destroyer.Devdutt Pattanaik discusses the three personas and their different modalities in this episode. The trio are assisted in their duties by their consorts, Saraswati, Laxmi and Parvati respectively. The specific gods of the Trimurti each have their own origins in Hindu mythology but the single iconographic representation finds its source in the Vedas. It is only after the arrival of the Puranas that Trimurti becomes a standard doctrine.