Culture | Trimúrti and Lingodbhavamurti [EDITING]

                                

   Dating from times prior to Gupta25, a “Holy Trinity” of Hinduism, the Trimúrti, or triple form, was created, through the images of the creator Brahmā, the preserver Viṣṇu and the destroyer Shiva.26

Brahma

First member of the Hindu trinity. Brahmā ė often associated with the Vedas, this association being based on Hindu ideas that argue that the universe goes through periodic cycles of appearance and dissolution, on a large scale. A.L.Basham tells us in his book “The Wonder That was India” the following:

According to this system the cosmos passes through cycles within cycles for all eternity. The basic cycle is the kalpa, a “day of Brahmā”, or 4,320 million earthly years. His night is of equal length. 360 such days and nights constitute a ‘year of Brahmā’ and his life is 100 such years long. The largest cycle is therefore 311,040,000 million years long, after which the whole universe returns to the ineffable world-spirit, until another creator god is evolved.27

 

   Usually represented as having four faces, symbolizing their ability in four distinct areas as illustrated in the four vedas28, the four yugas29, the four varnas30, the four directions and the four phases of life31. In addition to the four faces, it is very common to appear represented with four arms, holding a bowl, a bow, a sacred bead made of beads and a book. As a general rule, he appears as sitting or standing on a lotus throne, accompanied by Savitri32 and Sarasvati33, examples of loyalty, music and learning respectively.3435

Viṣṇu

    As previously mentioned Viṣṇu is one who preserves and protects the universe. Their role is to return to earth in times of chaos and restore the balance between good and evil. The records tell us that he has been reincarnated nine times, but Hindus believe he will be reincarnated one last time before the end of the world.

    Usually represented in two positions: standing, in an upright position with a lotus flower accompanied by Lakshmi36, or, reclining in serpent rolls accompanied again by Lakshmi massaging his feet, both surrounded by the ocean of milk. Viṣṇu's incarnations on land were: Matsya (fish); Kurma (turtle); Varaha (pig / wild boar); Narasimha (hybrid of lion and man), Vamana (hermit); Parasurama (hunter); Rama (warrior); Krishna (intelligent man); Buddha (the one who knows everything).3738

Shiva

    Venerated by Shivaists as the supreme god, often associated with the names of Shambhu “Benign”, Shankara “Beneficent”, Mahesha “Great Lord”, and Mahadeva “Great God”. Shiva can be represented in a variety of ways: in a peaceful temperament with his consort Parvati39 and son Skanda40, as the cosmic dancer Nataraja41, as a naked ascetic, a beggar, a Yogi42, a Dalit43 accompanied by a dog (Bhairava), and as the androgenic union of himself with his consort in a single body, half man and half woman (Ardhanarishvara), becoming both the great ascetic and the master of fertility.4445

Lingodbhavamurti

    A linga, often referred to as Shiva linga, is an abstract representation of the god Shiva in Shivaism. Usually represented within a disk-shaped platform and additionally found in Sanskrit texts with the meaning of "Proof" of God and the existence of God. 46

Among the historical iconography of the linga we find the term Lingodbhavamurti, a common icon of South India and which corresponds to the image of Shiva emerging from a burning linga. This icon recounts the dispute between Brahma and Viṣṇu, in which they challenge each other in the face of individual statements by creators of the universe. A large fiery pillar appears before both, with Shiva's face within the axis of the linga, affirming his supremacy. Representations of this myth are extremely rare in Southeast Asia and India, being predominantly confined to the temples of Tamil Nadu47 in the Pallava era48. 49

25Gupta Empire: Ancient Indian empire dating from the middle of the 3rd century AD to 543 AD having covered much of the Indian subcontinent and been considered by some historians to be a "Golden Age" of India. Source: ZHOU, Daguan, PETER, Harris. “A Record of Cambodia: the land and its people”, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Silkworm Books, 2007.

26 SHARMA, Arvind, BHARATI, Ray, “Classical Hindu Thought: An Introduction” em Essential writingsHermeneutics: studies in the history of religions, Oxford India paperbacks, Oxford University Press, pp. 72, (2000)27 A.L. Basham, “The wonder That Was India” em London: Sidgwick & Jackson, pp.310, (1988)

28Quatro obras, escritas em sânscrito védico que vieram a dar origem ao sânscrito clássico.

29 Os Hindus acreditam que o processo de criação movesse em ciclos e cada ciclo tem quatro grandes yugas, ou épocas,

temporais.

30 Os quatro varnas correspondem às quatro classes sociais: Shudras (trabalhadores e artesãos); Vaishyas (Mercantes,

agricultores e empresários); Kshatriyas (Guerreiros, Policia e administradores); Brahmanas (Sacerdotes, professores e letrados).

31 Também intituladas de ashramas, fases da vida pelas quais um hindu passará idealmente, as fases são: brahmacari (Estudante); Grihastha (Domestica); Vanaprashta (Aquele que mora na floresta) e sannyasi (O mendigo denunciante).

32 Deusa da mitologia Hindu, filha da deusa do sol Savitri e mulher do deus criador Brahma. O termo Savitri é usado para designer um dos mantras mais importantes do Hinduísmo. Fonte: ZHOU, Daguan, PETER, Harris. “A Record of Cambodia: the land and its people”, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Silkworm Books, 2007.

33 Deusa Hindu da aprendizagem e das artes, especialmente da musica. Apareceu inicialmente como a personificação do rio sagrado Sarasvati e também identificada com Vac, a deusa da fala, é mais tarde nomeada a consorte, filha ou neta do deus Brahma. Considerada a deusa padroeira da arte, musica e escrita e como quem inventou a língua do sânscrito. Fonte: ZHOU, Daguan, PETER, Harris. “A Record of Cambodia: the land and its people”, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Silkworm Books, 2007.

34 Fonte: ZHOU, Daguan, PETER, Harris. “A Record of Cambodia: the land and its people”, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Silkworm Books, 2007.

35 SHARMA, Arvind, BHARATI, Ray, “Classical Hindu Thought: An Introduction” em Essential writings Hermeneutics: studies in the history of religions, Oxford India paperbacks, Oxford University Press, pp. 72, (2000)36 Consorte do deus Vishnu. Uma das deusas mais populares na mitologia Hindu sendo conhecida como a deusa da

riqueza e pureza. Fonte: BBC, “Vishnu” em Religions, (2014). Disponível em </ https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/hinduism/deities/vishnu.shtml

/> acedido em: 21 Novembro 2019

/> acedido em: 21 Novembro 2019

37 SHARMA, Arvind, BHARATI, Ray, “Classical Hindu Thought: An Introduction” em Essential writings Hermeneutics: studies in the history of religions, Oxford India paperbacks, Oxford University Press, pp. 72, (2000)

38 Fonte: ZHOU, Daguan, PETER, Harris. “A Record of Cambodia: the land and its people”, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Silkworm Books, 2007.

39 Parvati em sânscrito significa “Filha da montanha”, trata-se de uma deusa benevolente que de facto nasceu dos Himalaias, também chamada pelo nome de Uma. Fonte: ENCYCLOPEDIA, Britannica, The Editors, “Parvati” em encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica inc, (2015) Disponivel em:</https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shiva/> acedido em: 21 de Novembro de 2019

40 Também denominado Karttikeya, Kumara ou Subrahmanya, é o deus Hindu da guerra, filho primogénito de Shiva.41 Forma do dançarino cósmico Shiva, representado em metal ou pedra em muitos templos xivaístas, particularmente no Sul da India. Fonte: ENCYCLOPEDIA, Britannica, The Editors, “Skanda” em encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica inc, (2015) Disponível em: </ https://www.britannica.com/topic/Nataraja/> acedido em 21 Novembro 2019.

42 Aquele que pratica yoga, incluindo os sannyasin ou um praticante de meditação nas religiões indianas. Fonte: A. K. Banerjea, “Philosophy of Gorakhnath with Goraksha-Vacana-Sangraha”, pp. xxiii, 297-299, 331, (2014).

43 Outra forma de designer os “Shudras” no Sistema de castas Hindu, grupo formado por membros da sociedade considerados pelas escrituras bramânicas como “intocáveis” ou “impuros”.

44 SHARMA, Arvind, BHARATI, Ray, “Classical Hindu Thought: An Introduction” em Essential writings Hermeneutics: studies in the history of religions, Oxford India paperbacks, Oxford University Press, pp. 72, (2000)45 ENCYCLOPEDIA, Britannica, The Editors, “Shiva” em Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica Inc, (2015). Disponível em: </ https://www.britannica.com/topic/Shiva/> acedido em: 21 Novembro 2019

46 BONNEFOY, Yves, “Asian Mythologies”. University of Chicago Press. pp. 38–39 (1993).