Trinity of Gods in Hinduism

Trinity of Gods in Hinduism
In Hinduism we come across three principal gods called the Hindu trinity. They are Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Siva. Lord Brahma is the creator, Lord Vishnu the preserver and Lord Siva the destroyer. They represent many things at many levels.
Goddess Saraswathi is the consort of Lord Brahma, Lakshmi and goddess earth of Lord Vishnu and Parvathi and Ganga of Lord Siva. Symbolically the three gods represent various things at various levels some of which are described below:
1. On the Physical plane, Brahma is the psychic element, Vishnu the mental element and Siva the physical element.
2. On the mental plane, Brahma is the intuitive and creative thought, Vishnu is buddhi or intelligence and Siva stands for emotions and feelings.
3. On the earthly plane, Brahma is the sky, Vishnu is the Sun and Siva is the moon.
4. In the life of an individual, they represent the three phases of life. Brahma represent the first phase, the phase of celibacy and studentship (brahmacharya) where knowledge or study is the main pursuit of the individual. Knowledge (goddess Saraswathi) is his constant companion during this phase.
Lord Vishnu represents the second phase, that is the phase of the householder and adulthood during which the individual fulfills his religious and family obligations, helps the poor and the needy and works for the preservation of his family and community. During this phase wealth (goddess Lakshmi) is his constant companion without which he cannot perform his responsibilities well.
Lord Siva represents the old age, or the third phase called Vanaprasthashrama (life of renunciation) during which he renounces his worldly life, goes to a forest and spends his life there along with his wife. Like Lord Siva he leads a homeless life with meager belongings and without any attachment in pursuit of true knowledge.
In the final phase called sanyasasrama dharma, he becomes Iswara himself ! During this phase he renounces life altogether and tries to attain liberation from this mortal world. He destroys all his previous attachments and desires and engages himself in deep meditation, leading the life of a true renunciate along with his wife who as his consort becomes the Universal Mother. Thus the three phases of life represented by the trinity ends in One representing the fact that in the they are one and the same Iswara.