Brahma: Weapons & Symbols
ब्रह्माThe creator of the worlds. Also called Svayambhu, Prajapati, Pitamaha, Hiranyagarbha, Chaturmukha, Kamalasana, Vidhata, Vedanatha.
Brahma is the creator god of Hinduism and the first of the Trimurti. Four-faced and seated on a lotus that grows from Vishnu's navel, he gave the world its forms and the four Vedas, with Saraswati as his consort and the swan Hamsa as his mount. His most famous temple is at Pushkar.
Iconography and symbolism
Brahma is shown as a bearded elder with four faces, often red or golden in colour, seated on a lotus and dressed in white. His four hands hold the Vedas, a rosary (time), a water pot (the source of creation) and a ladle (sruva) for offerings into the sacred fire; or two hands are raised in blessing and refuge. His mount is the swan Hamsa, and Saraswati sits beside him.
HamsaहंसMountThe hamsa is the divine swan or goose that carries Brahma and Saraswati. Tradition says it can separate milk from water, so it stands for discernment…Meanings are given as tradition holds them, not as scripture.
