Introduction

"Why is it that no one really worships Brahma, do you think?" Lakshmi asked, brushing her long, beautiful hair. The question was directed at the two other women, but she sent a pointed look Saraswati's way.

Saraswati thought for a moment before answering. Her reply was characteristic of her wisdom and tendency to think both widely and deeply about topics, caring more about the pondering than the conclusion.

"There is some of Brahma in all of us," she began. "More so than than your other two consorts, I'd venture. Brahma is ultimately the one who creates our reality, but it's more difficult to see, because we are all busy creating our own subjective experiences of that reality. In making up our own stories about the shadows on the wall, we fail to give credit to the puppetmaster who creates those shapes for us."

Now Durga chimed in. "But so what if that's the case?!" she cried. "The meaning we create for ourselves is meaning nonetheless, and our lives would be cold and hard without it."

The other two women hastily tried to comfort Durga, the most emotional of the trio by far.

"Even Brahma's stories show a lack of continuity across them," Lakshmi pointed out. "In fact, some of the stories of creation don't even include Brahma. Maybe this is reflective of the chaos in humanity's own thoughts?"

"Not chaos," Saraswati corrected. "Just different patterns."

"I do enjoy a good tale of creation," Durga said, calming down from her earlier outburst. "Maybe we can remind ourselves of our own significance and place in the universe by thinking about those stories more."

"There are some good ones," Lakshmi agreed. "Like the one about the beautiful, golden egg. I love imagining creation stemming from such a grand object."

"And I enjoy the energetic vibe I get from the image of the entire ocean churning," said Durga, reminding the other two of her connection to Shiva the destroyer.

"I myself find it hard to choose a favorite, but I do think Manu deserves some acknowledgement if we're thinking about how people came to be," Saraswati said.

The women kept chatting, and as their conversation continued long into the night, their favorite stories emerged.

Author's Note:

Learning some of the stories of creation led me almost immediately to the Trimurti, the trinity of gods that includes Brahma the Creator. I considered making them the narrators of my storybook, but I chose their women counterparts instead. This page introduces the Tridevi, the three goddesses who will lead us through several tales of creation. I really enjoy the style of having the Intro a story in and of itself, and I wanted to have multiple narrators because the creation stories are all so different and I want to highlight that. The dialogue I created to showcase the goddesses' personalities: Lakshimi is the materialistic component, representing health and fortune. Saraswati is the intellectual component, and Durga is the emotional component, the yearning for significance. I'm picking the creation stories that each will tell according to these characteristics as well. The image I chose reflects the three goddesses.

Bibliography:

India is Not Chaotic, Devdutt Pattanaik (TEDx)

Decoding the Hindu Trinity, Devdutt Pattanaik (Source)

Header Image: Tridevi: Lakshmi Durga Saraswati (Source)

Embedded Image: Tridevi of Saraswati, Lakshmi, Parvati (Source)