What is the Hindu Trinity?
What is the Hindu Trinity?
user
First I would like to thank you for your interest in Hinduism and the way Hinduism understands the world.  Hinduism is a diverse and complex tradition and I’ll explain a few simple facts about it, as this will help you answer many more questions about Hinduism and how it works.  In Hinduism, there are three levels of “reality” that are important:  Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva.  Brahmā is the God that creates the universe and Viṣṇu is the God that controls how things work, but they both take a back seat to Śiva.  Śiva is the Supreme God and creator of all of existence.  Viṣṇu and Brahmā both become more god-like as they focus on their tasks, but Śiva is the eternal, always-present God who is the creator of everything.  This relationship is also expressed in the human world.  Viṣṇu and Brahmā focus on human beings, but Śiva is the Supreme, all-powerful God that people relate to.
assistant
Can you tell me the names of the three Gods again?
user
Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva.  Brahmā is the God that creates the universe, Viṣṇu is the God that controls how things work, and Śiva is the Supreme God and creator of all of existence.
assistant
So, Siva is the most powerful God according to Hindu mythology?
user
That is one way to look at it, but it is also important to know that there are other Gods, including, especially, the Goddess.  Hinduism is so vast and so rich that it is possible to see many different things about the world and God and still be true to the traditions of Hinduism.
assistant
Do Hindus believe that there are three Gods (Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva) or perhaps the story is just a myth?
user