Trimūrti
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Trimūrti is a Sanskrit word that means "three forms", and refers to a concept in Hinduism "in which the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction are personified by the forms of Brahmā the creator, Viṣṇu the maintainer or preserver, and Śiva the destroyer or transformer."[1][2] These three deities have been called "the Hindu triad"[3] or the "Great Trinity".[4]
Notes
- ↑ For quotation defining the trimurti see Matchett, Freda. "The Purāṇas", in: Flood (2003), p. 139.
- ↑ For the Trimurti system having Brahma as the creator, Vishnu as the maintainer or preserver, and Shiva as the transformer or destroyer see: Zimmer (1972) p. 124.
- ↑ For definition of trimurti as "the unified form" of Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva and use of the phrase "the Hindu triad" see: Apte, p. 485.
- ↑ For the term "Great Trinity" in relation to the Trimurti see: Jansen, p. 83.