Brahma is the controller of nature in the mode of passion; he is the engineer who creates the universe. Every universe has its Brahma, who appears as the first created being in it. Although Brahma is usually in the category of the jiva soul, he is designated an avatar (incarnation) of Krishna because he is especially empowered with Krishna’s own creative potency. Using the ingredients furnished by Krishna and following Krishna’s blueprints, Brahma constructs the material universe, and then he begets the offspring, called Prajapatis, whose descendants populate all the planets.

Vishnu, who controls nature in the mode of goodness and sustains the creation, is directly the Supreme Lord. In the spiritual kingdom of God, where everything is everlasting, the quality of goodness exists without either passion or ignorance. Therefore it is appropriate that Vishnu personally controls this quality even in the material world, where it becomes bracketed by ignorance and passion.

Shiva, the lord of the mode of ignorance, devastates the universe at the end by his wild, all-annihilating dance. Shiva is a personal expansion of Krishna, not a jiva. Yet, because he comes into intimate contact with the quality of ignorance and with matter (which is innately ignorant), you cannot receive the same spiritual restoration by worshiping him that you do by worshiping Krishna or Vishnu. Shiva is therefore given his own category, shiva-tattva. Learn all about the sacred trinity of yogic lore.

The Sri Brama-samhita is a collection of prayers by Brahma at the beginning of material creation after the Supreme Person Krishna gave Brahma a divine vision of the spiritual world. Brama, in his amazement, speaks volumes of divinely inspired praise before beginning his work of creation. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu acquired the Fifth Chapter of the Brama-Samhita from the Adi-Keshava temple in South India.