NARRATOR:
A thousand years ago, this figure of Brahma graced a temple in Central Java. Brahma is the creator god within the Hindu pantheon. The four faces of the god share one topknot—Brahma's distinguishing feature. The faces, representing the sacred knowledge of the four ancient Hindu Vedas, identify Brahma as the source of all knowledge necessary for the creation of the universe. The four arms, representing the four directions, stand for Brahma's omnipresence and omnipotence. Against his chest, he holds prayer beads, a special attribute symbolizing the eternal cycle of time.
Brahma grew out of the idea of Brahman, the all-pervading Divine Essence. Brahman has no earthly form, but is present in everything. It is the origin and support of the gods, who embody its various aspects. Ways to approach knowledge of Brahman are set forth in a series of meditations, in a section of the Vedas called the Upanishads.
Later, many legends were told about the birth of Brahma. One relates that Brahman, the formless god of the universe, created the waters of the earth and planted a seed from which a golden egg developed. It hatched in the form of Brahma. The rather abstract character of Brahma may be why he gradually moved into the background of Hindu belief. Today, only a few temples are still devoted to him.
Brahma
10th-11th century
Asia: Indonesia, Central Java
On View
Brahma, the four-headed Hindu god of creation, makes up part of the divine triad, which includes Vishnu (the preserver) and Shiva (the destroyer). Although Brahma is a major Hindu god, his image and worship is not as dominant as that of Vishnu and Shiva in either South or Southeast Asia.
Details
- Title: Brahma
- Date: 10th-11th century
- Medium: Andesite
- Dimensions: 18-1/2 x 11 x 7-1/4 in. (47 x 28 x 18.4 cm)
- Credit Line: Norton Simon Museum, Gift of Michele Wiener Caplan
- Accession Number: P.1998.1
- Copyright: © Norton Simon Museum
Object Information
The Art of Giving: Recent Acquisitions of the Norton Simon Museum
- Norton Simon Museum, 2002-08-02 to 2002-11-04
- Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 3: Art from Sri Lanka & Southeast Asia, 2004, no. 71 pp. 74, 86-87
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