Brahma is first of the 3 principle deities called Trimurti- literally 3 deities, representing creation, sustenance& destruction of the universe. These 3 deities have been called the Hindu Triad or the Great Trinity.

He is attributed for the creation of universe and four Vedas; the oldest scriptures known in Hinduism that is written in Vedic Sanskrit. The four Vedas are the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda and the Atharvaveda. He is believed to have ‘self-created’ himself in a golden egg in the eternal ocean. He then made the universe, earth and people to populate it. The BhagvataPurana thus attributes creation to Brahma, wherein he creates for the sake of creation, imbuing everything with both good and evil, the material and the spiritual, a beginning and an end. In Vedicliterature, Brahman is referred to one’s soul or Atman; it is in post Vedic literature does he take the form of a deity.

Brahma is represented sitting on a lotus holding with a white beard, a head and hand in each cardinal direction. He holds no weapon, only tools and symbols of knowledge and creation. In one hand he holds the Vedas (knowledge), in the second a mala (time), in the third asruva (sacrifice) and the fourth a kamandalu (creation). The representations and qualities are closely related to that of Lord Vishwakarma. His vehicle is the Swan.

The goddess Saraswati is the active energy and power of Brahma, his consort, and she is the source behind his creation. As per PadmaPurana, Brahma married a Gurjar girl, Gayatri, to help with a yajna and she went on to become another fierce goddess. She also goes by the name Savitri, and some puranas mention her as an avatar of Saraswati.