Hindu God of Creation & Destruction

Brahma is the senior god in Hindu religion. He preexists all the other deities and the existence of the universe itself. When he became lonely and wanted company, he created the goddess Shatarupa. Whenever Brahma pursued Shatarupa, she would change her form into a different creature such as a bee or a cow, thus creating all the animals in existence. Other accounts of the creation story differ and instead claim that all aspects of existence come from the body of Brahma himself.

Of the principle Hindu gods, Hindus worship Brahma the least. This may be because his work is already done and there is no further reason to prat to him. However, according to a popular view the Hindu creation story demonstrates that Brahma is lustful and therefore unfit for worship. While there are thousands of temples dedicated to Shiva, there are only two in all of India dedicated to Brahma. Brahma also represents chaos and many stories depict the other Hindu gods fighting humans who received his blessings. However, some Hindus believe that Brahma convinced the Buddha to teach the Dharma to humanity.

Hindus worship Shiva as a god of contrasts and while he destroys he also creates. In fact, some Hindus believe that the creation of the Cosmos was his plan and only acted out by Brahma. Hindus believe the current universe must be destroyed in order to be rebuilt. Because of this, Shiva's role as a destroyer is also constructive. This extends to all things in the world, meaning that Hindus regard Shiva as the source of all good and evil.

Shiva is full of contradictory elements, and some Hindus even depict him as half-man, half-woman. Shiva is full of passion which leads to extremes in his behaviors. Sometimes he removes himself from the material world and abstains from pleasure, at other times he gives in to all desire. Shiva's wife Pavarti tempers his passion and gives him balance. Shiva is also the lord of dance, and some Hindus often use his movements as a metaphor for the rhythm of the universe.