Editing Trimurti (section)

== Views within Hinduism ==

{{More citations needed|section|date=September 2021}}

In general, it can be said that the Trimurti has less of a role in the Hinduism of recent centuries than in ancient India.

=== Shaivism ===
[[File:Trimurti, Cave No. 1, Elephanta Caves - 1.jpg|thumb|Trimurti as [[Sadasiva]] at the [[Elephanta Caves]]]]
[[Shaivites]] hold that, according to [[Shaiva]] [[Āgama (Hinduism)|Agama]], Shiva performs five actions: creation, preservation, dissolution, grace, and illusion. Respectively, these first three actions are associated with Shiva as [[Sadyojata]] (akin to [[Brahma]]), [[Vamadeva]] (akin to [[Vishnu]]) and [[Bhairava|Aghora]] (akin to [[Rudra]]).  

Thus, Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra are not deities different from Shiva, but rather are forms of Shiva. As Brahma/Sadyojata, Shiva creates. As Vishnu/Vamadeva, Shiva preserves. As Rudra/Aghora, he dissolves. This stands in contrast to the idea that Shiva is the "God of destruction." Shiva is the supreme God and performs all actions, of which destruction is only but one. Ergo, the Trimurti is a form of Shiva Himself for Shaivas. 

Shaivites believe that Shiva is the Supreme, who assumes various critical roles and assumes appropriate names and forms, and also stands transcending all these.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shaivam.org/shpdestr.htm|title=Abode of God Shiva}}</ref> A prominent visual example of a Shaivism version of the Trimurti is the [[Elephanta Caves#Trimurti, Gangadhara and Ardhanarishvara|''Trimurti Sadashiva'' sculpture]] in the [[Elephanta Caves]] on [[Gharapuri Island]].

=== Vaishnavism ===
[[File:A statue inside the Angkor Wat in Cambodia; January 2020.jpg|260px|thumb|Statue of [[Vishnu]], the principal deity worshipped at [[Angkor Wat]], Cambodia]]
Despite the fact that the [[Vishnu Purana]] describes that [[Vishnu]] manifests as [[Brahma]] in order to create and as [[Rudra]] ([[Shiva]]) in order to destroy,{{sfnp|Flood|2003|p=[https://archive.org/details/introductiontohi0000floo/page/111 111]}} [[Vaishnavism]] generally does not acknowledge the Trimurti concept. Instead, they believe in the [[avataras]] of Vishnu like [[Narasimha]], [[Rama]], [[Krishna]], and so forth. 

They also believe that Shiva and Brahma are both forms of Vishnu. For example, the [[Dvaita]] school holds Vishnu alone to be the Supreme God, with [[Shiva]] subordinate, and interprets the [[Puranas]] differently. For example, Vijayindra Tîrtha, a Dvaita scholar interprets the 18 [[purana]]s differently. He interprets the Vaishnavite puranas as [[satvic]] and Shaivite puranas as [[tamas (philosophy)|tamasic]] and that only satvic puranas are considered to be authoritative.<ref name="Sharma">{{cite book |last= Sharma |first= B. N. Krishnamurti |title= A history of the Dvaita school of Vedānta and its literature: from the earliest beginnings to our own times |access-date= 2010-01-15 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=FVtpFMPMulcC&q=sarabha&pg=PA412 |publisher= Motilal Banarsidass Publishers |page= 412 |year= 2000 |isbn= 81-208-1575-0 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20191224120749/https://books.google.com/books?id=FVtpFMPMulcC&pg=PA412&dq=Varaha+sarabha&cd=11#v=onepage&q=sarabha&f=false |archive-date= 24 December 2019 |url-status= live }}</ref> 

The tradition of [[Sri Vaishnavism]] in the south holds that all major deities that are hailed in the Puranas are in fact forms of Vishnu, and that the scriptures are dedicated to him alone.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Introduction to Sri Vaishnava Philosophy |url=https://ramanuja.org/intro.html |access-date=2022-05-10 |website=ramanuja.org}}</ref>

=== Shaktism ===
The female-centric [[Shaktism|Shaktidharma]] denomination assigns the eminent roles of the three forms (''Trimurti'') of [[Adi Parashakti|Supreme Divinity]] not to masculine gods but instead to feminine goddesses: [[Mahasaraswati|Mahasarasvati (Creatrix)]], [[Mahalaxmi|Mahalaxmi (Preservatrix)]], and [[Mahakali|Mahakali (Destructrix)]]. This feminine version of the Trimurti is called [[Tridevi|''Tridevi'' ("three goddesses")]]. The masculine gods ([[Brahma]], [[Vishnu]], [[Shiva]]) are then relegated as auxiliary agents of the supreme feminine Tridevi.

=== Smartism ===
[[Smartism]] is a denomination of Hinduism that places emphasis on a group of five deities rather than just a single deity.{{sfnp|Flood|1996|p=17}} The "worship of the five forms" ({{IAST|[[pañcāyatana pūjā]]}}) system, which was popularized by the ninth-century philosopher [[Adi Shankara|{{IAST|Śankarācārya}}]] among orthodox Brahmins of the [[Smartism|Smārta]] tradition, invokes the five deities [[Shiva]], [[Vishnu]], [[Brahma]], [[Shakti]] and [[Surya]].{{sfnpm|1a1=Courtright|1y=1985|1p=163|2a1=Flood|2y=1996|2p=113}} [[Adi Shankara|{{IAST|Śankarācārya}}]] later added [[Kartikeya]] to these five, making six total. 

This reformed system was promoted by {{IAST|Śankarācārya}} primarily to unite the principal deities of the [[Shanmata|six major sects]] on an equal status.{{sfnp|Grimes|1995|p=162}} The [[monistic]] philosophy preached by {{IAST|Śankarācārya}} made it possible to choose one of these as a preferred principal deity and at the same time worship the other four deities as different forms of the same all-pervading [[Brahman]].