Brahma

Four-faced creator deity, expounder of the Vedas, grandsire of all beings

Children

• Kamadeva

Domains

• creation
• sacred knowledge

Powers

• Bring forth the worlds and living beings
• Grant near-irrevocable boons to ascetics
• Utter the four Vedas from his four mouths

Epithets

• स्वयम्भू sanskrit · Svayambhū · epithetThe self-born/self-existent creatorManusmṛti 1.5-1.9; Mahābhārata (primary)
• प्रजापति sanskrit · Prajāpati · stotraLord of creatures, lord of progenyṚgveda 10.121 (Hiraṇyagarbha/Prajāpati); Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa (primary)
• पितामह sanskrit · Pitāmaha · epithetThe Grandsire (of all beings)Mahābhārata, passim; Purāṇic cosmogony (primary)
• चतुर्मुख sanskrit · Caturmukha · epithetThe four-faced onePurāṇic iconography; Matsya Purāṇa (primary)
• हिरण्यगर्भ sanskrit · Hiraṇyagarbha · vedaThe Golden Embryo; the cosmic germ from which creation aroseṚgveda 10.121.1 (primary)
• विरिञ्च sanskrit · Viriñca · puranaThe creator; Brahmā the disposerPurāṇic and classical Sanskrit tradition (primary)
• कमलासन sanskrit · Kamalāsana · puranaThe lotus-seatedPurāṇic tradition (Brahmā on the lotus from Viṣṇu’s navel) (primary)

Relations

• ancestor of: KamadevaSelf-existent creator; mind-born father of Kamadeva (who already lists Brahma as parent). His consort-bond to Sarasvati is carried from her record.Kalika Purana 1 (Kamadeva springs from the mind/heart of Brahma) (primary)
• spouse: SarasvatiReciprocal of hindu_sarasvati.spouse — Goddess of knowledge and speech; consort of the creator Brahma.Matsya Purana 3-4 (Brahma and Savitri/Sarasvati); Saraswati as Brahma's consort of speech (primary)
• spiritual father of: MarīciThe passage calls Marichi one of Brahman's six spiritual sons; this is not biological generation.Mahabharata Adi Parva LXVI, Ganguli translation, opening spiritual-sons passage (primary)

Sources

• existence: Manusmriti 1 (primary); Vishnu Purana (primary)