What is the Hindu Trinity?
The Hindu trinity refers, informally, to the cosmological pantheon of Hinduism. This pantheon is comprised of Hinduism’s three principal deities, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. In Sanskrit, these three deities are referred to as the Trimurti, or ‘three forms.’ Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva each play an integral role in the running of the cosmos. Commonly accepted Hindu cosmology holds that in the time between cosmic cycles, Vishnu lays asleep in the cosmic ocean. This ocean is known as the Garbhodaka Ocean. Vishnu’s sleep is a cosmic slumber embodied by the goddess Yoganidra. His bed is the back of a great serpent deity known as a Naga. This Naga’s name is Sesa, which means the “remainder.” In other words, Vishnu sleeps on what remains after the end of the last cosmic cycle.
