Lord Brahma, self-born,
Blooming forth from a holy lotus
Rooted in Vishnu’s navel.
Four faceted face,
Looking like a Keruv of Yahweh,
Each mouth composing a Veda.
A form of the formless Brahman,
The only true reality.
Bringing order and form
To the primordial elements,
Shaping all the senses know,
Sprung from the only thing worth knowing,
First third of the tripartite Trimūrti,
Creating as Vishnu preserves and
Shiva destroys and regenerates.
A brief shining image in a short dream
Nested in the mind of eternity.

9/2/17

Pronunciations and Notes:

Brahma = Brah-mah, from Sanskrit ब्रह्मा

Vishnu = Vish-noo, from Sanskrit विष्णु

Keruv = Kh-roov, from Hebrew כְּרוּב‎‎. From where we get the word Cherub. An order of Angels which are described in the book of Ezekiel as having a number of wing pairs, and four faces: that of a lion, an ox, a human, and an eagle. Their legs were straight, the soles of their feet like the hooves of a bull, gleaming like polished brass.

Yahweh = From the Hebrew יהוה. Hypothetical pronunciation of the name of God as given in the Hebrew Bible. Since, by tradition, the divine name is never pronounced in Judaism—being substituted with the word “adonai” (אדני, “my Lord”)–when reading the Bible aloud, nobody is 100% certain how it was originally pronounced.

Veda = Vay-da, from Sanskrit वेद The oldest scriptures in Hinduism.

Brahman = Brah-mahn. From Sanskrit ब्रह्मन्

Trimūrti = Tri-moor-te. From Sanskrit त्रिमूर्ति

Shiva = Shiv-ah. From Sanskrit शिव

Image is a painting by Ramanarayanadatta Sastri, which depicts Brahma emerging from a lotus risen from Vishnu’s navel while he rests on the serpent Shesha.