Sanatan, or Sanatana is a Sanskrit word, meaning of which in English is eternal, everlasting, or perpetual.

Dharm (or “Dharma”), a Sanskrit word, which implies “duty and righteousness”, but doesn’t have an equivalent single word in English, and often erroneously translated as Religion, which denotes to “belief in god”, hence they are not comparable.

Tri, a Sanskrit word in English means Three (English, like many other languages have many borrowed words).

Dev, a Sanskrit word in English means “divine”, hence Tridev means, three divines.

Trinity, an English word has phonetic similarity with Sanskrit word “Trimurti”, where Tri means Three and “Murti” means Shape in English.

Now since we have good understanding of words used in title of this article, let’s explore the ancient history and philosophy of Tridev, which originated in ancient Bharat, now referred as India, and spread to the world in different shape and form.

Tridev in Sanatan Dharma refers to three divine or cosmic forms – Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

  • Brahma is referred to as the creator in Sanatan (or Hindu) Dharma, the god who created this universe.
  • Vishnu is referred to as the caretaker of this universe, who also takes incarnation from time to time in different Yugas (the time cycle mentioned in Sanatan) to set the course right.
  • Shiva is referred to as destroyer, the one whose tandav, a form of fierce dance, destroys the devil (and the universe). His Nataraj form is referred to as the endless cycles of destructions and creation of cosmos.

Many people believe that these Tridev or three divines of Sanatan Dharma appeared in the physical form on planet earth, hence Sanatan Dharma (or Hindu Dharma) followers worship their “murti” or shape in physical form.

While the Ved, (or Vedas), the most ancient text in the world, refers to Brahman as “Nirguna” (without attributes) and “Nirakara” (formless) suggesting them as cosmic powers in philosophical way, various Puran (or Puranas) do describe the physical shapes and attributes of Tridev. Followers of Sanatan dharma worship their murtis in temples having shapes and features described in the Puranas.

This leads to the confusion, whether the three divine powers in Sanatan Dharma are cosmic or philosophical constructs, or did they appear on earth in physical form, having shapes described in the Puranas.

My proposition is that while the Vedas, the earliest ancient text provide philosophical description of the divine or cosmic powers, and separates them into three identities – the creator, the care taker and destroyer, puranas take a more practical approach to describe attributes of each power, giving it an imagery, so that it’s easy for wider audience can relate to the philosophical concept. The approach is very similar to how kids are taught in early school days using shapes, as correctly visualizing without seeing in front of eyes, is a tough ask.

Hence in reality, the forms of Tridev refers to the cyclic nature of cosmos, which creates, nourishes and destroys. Bringing it down to the human society, the concept of tridev is also applied to the human beings, wherein people who display the extraordinary characteristics are often portrayed to as the incarnation of these divine powers.

The simple philosophy behind the conceptualization of each of the Tridev can be described in simple terms:

  1. Brahma – The creator, which has four heads, means, the creator is supposed to look in all directions. He has depicted to have four vedas in four hands, which signifies that the creator must study the books of knowledge. His wife is referred to as Saraswati, who is considered as the goddess of knowledge, wisdom and learning. This signifies that the creator must always possess knowledge and be in the company of knowledgeable person.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, which is part of the Yajur Veda mentions a Sanskrit phrase “Aham Brahmasmi” (अहं ब्रह्मास्मि), which signifies ‘I am divine,’ or ‘I am sacred,’ thereby reflecting an understanding of one’s connection with a Higher Self. Hence, Brahma is not commonly worshipped in India and by Sanatani Hindus, and while nature is the best creator, human beings are encouraged to be that divine, and indulge in creation, having knowledge by their side.

  • Vishnu – The care taker, preserver and protector of the universe, Vishnu is portrayed as a god with a blue complexion and depicted with four arms. Each arm holds a divine object, like, a conch shell (shankha), a discus (chakra), a mace (gada), and a lotus flower (padma). He is depicted resting on the coiled serpent Shesha floating on the cosmic waters, along with his wife Goddess Lakshmi seated near his feet.

The shape and each article has its own significance, like conch shell signifies communication, discus and mace signify weapons for protection, lotus signifies spirituality and having him rested on serpent in cosmic water signifies cyclic and eternal nature of cosmos. Having Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, signifies the importance of materialistic nature of this world, but having her seated near feet symbolizes the humility and balance of spirituality and material desires.

In the ancient Indian history, the king of Ayodhya Shree Ram and the king of Dwarka Shree Krishna are described as the incarnation of Vishnu, as they displayed extraordinary qualities of taking care of the masses during their times.

  • Shiva – Though depicted as destroyer, Shiva is mostly portrayed as a calm person sitting in Yoga pose, with his eyes closed, and bearing a third-eye on his forehead, which symbolises higher consciousness as well as destruction of devils. Most commonly, he is worshipped in the form of Shiva Lingam, representing the cosmic egg of energy.

Shiva’s wife is Parvati, which manifests in the form of Durga or Shakti, symbolises the importance of both the masculine power and feminine power in the endless cosmic cycles.

It also symbolises that without Shakti, meaning of which in English is Power, the destruction of devils is not possible.

The importance of feminine power, along with masculine power, in all three aspects of cosmos and human life – creation, preservation and destruction, is so beautifully braided in the philosophy of Sanatan or Hindu Dharma.

In the next article, we will explore the history of tridev philosophy spreading to the world, specifically to the west Asia, via trade routes.