Most of us know about avatars of Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. But very few of us know about incarnations of Lord Brahma. Recently I got curious and decided to research about different incarnations of Lord Brahma.
Based on my research and knowledge there are mainly 9 incarnations of Brahma, contrary to popular belief of 7 avatars of Brahma:
- Valmiki Avatar
- Kashyapa Avatar
- Shukra Avatar
- Brahaaspati Avatar
- Vyasa Avatar
- Khat Avatar
- Kalidasa Avatar
- Dattatreya Avatar
- Yajnavalkya Avatar
1. Valmiki Avatar
Vishnudharmottara Purana says that Valmiki was born in the Treta Yuga as a form of Brahma who composed Ramayana and that people desirious of earning knowledge should worship Valmiki.
An area in Chennai, Tiruvanmiyur is believed to derive its name from Sage Valmiki, Thiru-Valmiki-Oor. There is a temple for Valmiki located in this place, which is believed to be 1300 years old.
Lord Valmiki is also known as the first poet of the world. He has written three main texts: Ramayana, Yogavashistha, Akshara-Laksha.
Lord Valmiki is also known as the first poet of the world. He has written three main texts: Ramayana, Yogavashistha, Akshara-Laksha.
"Ramayana", originally written by lord Valmiki, consists of 24,000 shlokass and 7(kaṇḍas) including Uttar kanda.Ramayana is composed of about 480,002 words, being a quarter of the length of the full text of the Mahabharata or about four times the length of the Iliad.The Ramayana tells the story of Rama of the city of Ayodhya.
"Yogavashistha" was also written by lord Valmeki.In Yogaveshav, Lord Valmiki has given knowledge of salvation to "Bharadwaj" (grandson of bharma).
"Akshara-laksha" - The first that calls for the mention is the encyclopedic sastra which goes by the name of Akshara-laksha. The authorship of this science is attributed to lord Valmiki.
All kind (325 to be exact) of mathematics including modern geometry, algebra, trigonometry, physics or applied mathematics mineralogy, hydels; the method of measuring air heat and even electricity; geography etc.
2. Kashyapa Avatar
Kashyapa is a revered Vedic sage of Hinduism. He was one of the seven ancient sages (rishi) considered as Saptarishis in Rigveda, numerous Sanskrit texts and Indian mythologies. He is the most ancient rishi listed in the colophon verse in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.
Kashmir, the northern Himalayan region of the Indian subcontinent got its name from Kashyapa Rishi. The name Kashmir, states Christopher Snedden, may be a shortened form of "Kashyapa Mir" or the "lake of the sage Kashyapa", or alternatively derived from "Kashyapa Meru" or the sacred mountains of Kashyapa.
3. Shukra Avatar
Shukra is a Sanskrit word that means "lucid, clear, bright". In our context we are referring to Rishi Shukra who is considered one of avatars of Lord Brahma.
Shukra is the name of a son of Bhrigu, of the third Manu, one of the saptarishis. He was the guru of Daityas/Asuras, and is also referred to as Shukracharya or Asuracharya in various Hindu texts. He named the Velleeswarar Temple, Mangadu after the blessings of the Trimurti, to mark the end of a long period of blindness. In another account found in the Mahabharata, Shukra divided himself into two, one half becoming the knowledge source for the Devas (gods) and the other half being the knowledge source of the Asuras (demons). Shukra in the Puranic ideology is famed as one with the knowledge that raises the dead back to life, something that helps the violent evil return to life even after the gods and the forces of good destroy them; this knowledge is sought by the gods and is ultimately gained by them.
In the Mahabharata, Shukracharya is mentioned as one of the mentors of Bhishma, having taught him political science in his youth.
Shukra's mother was Kavyamata, whilst Shukra's wife was the goddess Jayanti, and their union produced Queen Devayani.
4.Brihaspati Avatar
Brihaspati is a Vedic era sage who counsels the gods. Brihaspati appears in the Rigveda (pre-1000 BC). He is described as a sage born from the first great light, the one who drove away darkness, is bright and pure, and carries a special bow whose string is Rta (ऋत) or "cosmic order" (basis of dharma). His knowledge and character is revered, and he is considered Guru (teacher) by all the Devas. In the Vedic literature and other ancient texts, sage Brihaspati is also called by other names such as Bramanaspati, Purohita, Angirasa (son of Angiraa) and Vyasa; he is sometimes identified with god Agni (fire). His wife is Tara (or goddess who personifies the stars in the sky). In the Mahabharata, the son of Brihaspati named Bharadvaja is the counsellor of the Pandavas.
The reverence for sage Brihaspati endured through the medieval period, and one of the many Dharmasastras was named after him. While the manuscripts of Brihaspati Smriti (Bṛhaspatismṛti) have not survived into the modern era, its verses were cited in other Indian texts. Scholars have made an effort to extract these cited verses, thus creating a modern reconstruction of Bṛhaspatismriti. Jolly and Aiyangar have gathered some 2,400 verses of the lost Brihaspatismriti text in this manner.
Brihaspati Smriti was likely a larger and more comprehensive text than Manusmriti, and the available evidence suggests that the discussion of the judicial process and jurisprudence in Brihaspati Smriti was often cited.
5. Vyasa Avatar
Vyasa also called Krishna Dvaipayana or Vedavyasa, legendary Indian sage who is traditionally credited with composing or compiling the Mahabharata, a collection of legendary and didactic poetry worked around a central heroic narrative. In India his birthday is celebrated as Guru Purnima, on Shukla Purnima day in the month of Ashadha (June–July).
According to legend, Vyasa was the son of the ascetic Parashara and the dasyu (aboriginal) princess Satyavati, adopted daughter of fisherman Dusharaj. He grew up in forests, living with hermits who taught him the Vedas. Thereafter he lived in the forests near the banks of the river Sarasvati, becoming a teacher and a priest, fathering a son and disciple, Shuka, and gathering a large group of disciples. Late in life, living in caves in the Himalayas, he is said to have divided the Vedas into the four traditional collections, composed Puranas, and, in a period of two and a half years, composed his great poetic work, the Mahabharata, supposedly dictating it to his scribe, Ganesha
6. Khat Avatar
Sage Khat was one of avatars of Brahma. I was not able to find much about him on internet.
7. Kalidasa Avatar
Again there are many theories around when he lived. One of them, and most probable one, is that he lived during rule of Chandragupta II, 4th to 5th century BC. Other myths put him in rule of Kumaradasa in Ceylon (Srilanka), or he was one of 9 gems of Vikramaditya of Ujjain.
According to folklore, once a scholarly princess decided to find a suitable groom by testing men in her kingdom for their intelligence. When no man could pass the test, the frustrated citizens decided to send Kalidasa, an unintelligent man, for an interview with the princess. Kalidasa fared poorly, and was greatly humiliated by the princess. Challenged by the princess, he visited a Kali temple, and was inspired to learn Sanskrit; he studied the Puranas and other ancient texts, and become a great poet. He then wrote three epics starting with the words of his insult: "अस्ति कश्चित् वाग्विशेश?" (S., asti kaschit vaagviśesha? is there anything particularly intelligent you can now say?, implying, have you attained any profound knowledge that should make me give you a special welcome?). From these three words he embraced, he wrote his three classic books. From “asti” = asti-uttarasyaam dishi, he produced the epic “Kumarasambhava”; from “Kaschit” = kashchit-kaantaa, he wrote the poem “Meghaduta” and from “Vagvisheshah”= vaagarthaaviva, he wrote the epic “Raghuvansha".
8. Dattatreya Avatar
Dattatreya is a syncretic deity, considered to be an avatar of Trimurti: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. He is also called Adi-Guru, first teacher, of the Adinath Sampradaya of the Nathas, the first "Lord of Yoga" with mastery of Tantra (techniques).
There are many different stories around his birth and parents. Most popular one is sage Atri was very old when young Anusuya married him and they sought the help of the trimurti gods for a child. As the trinity were pleased with them for having brought light and knowledge to the world, instantly granted the boon, which led Dattatreya to be born with characteristics of all three.
The young Dattatreya is famous in the Hindu texts as the one who started with nothing and without teachers, yet reached self-awareness by observing nature during his Sannyasi wanderings, and treating these natural observations as his twenty four teachers. This legend has been emblematic in the Hindu belief, particularly among artists and Yogis, that ideas, teachings and practices come from all sources, that self effort is a means to learning.
9. Yajnavalkya Avatar
Yahnavalkya was a Vedic sage who lived in the Videha kingdom of northern Bihar approximately between the 8th century BC and the 7th century BC..
Yajnavalkya is credited for coining Advaita (non-dual, monism), another important tradition within Hinduism. Texts attributed to him, include the Yajnavalkya Smriti, Yoga Yajnavalkya and some texts of the Vedanta school.
Yajnavalkya is considered one of the earliest philosophers in recorded history, after Aruni. Yajnavalkya proposes and debates metaphysical questions about the nature of existence and impermanence, and expounds the epistemic doctrine of neti neti ("not this, not this") to discover the universal Self and Ātman. His ideas for renunciation of worldly attachments have been important to Hindu sannyasa traditions.
Disclaimer: All my writings here are based on my research online. I didn't have access to actual texts. So my knowledge might be partial or potentially incorrect. I welcome anyone correcting me or completing my research. Feel free to comment or message me.
very good how can I post a article in this
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