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In sculpture,Vishnu often has four hands,each holding a symbol of his power.Two hands are not enough to rid the world of evil.In one hand he holds a conch shell which,just like Shiva's,symbolizes his power.In another hand,he wields a razor-sharp disk,a weapon that symbolizes the way intelligence can destroy all evil(the disk is called a chakra).In another hand,Vishnu holds a lotus,a flower that grows in water.Lotuses are rooted in mud but they blossom above the water.Vishnu's lotus is a symbol of his creative force and lordship over the universe.In his fourth hand,Vishnu holds a club or mace,which is a symbol of his power and knowledge.
Shiva and Vishnu are sometimes shown together with Brahma in art.Brahma,who should not be confused with Brahman,the Ultimate Supreme Being,is the oldest of the three major Hindu deities.Although all three deities are mentioned in the Vedas,Shiva and Vishnu didn't become really popular until later.In the Ramayana,Brahma himself says that“Of the Trinity,I am the Creator,Shiva is the Destroyer,and Vishnu is the Protector.”
Brahma rides a swan or goose to symbolize purity,detachment,and divine knowledge.Brahma represents the balance between forces that destroy and fragment the universe and those that create and unite.He is usually shown with four heads,facing north,south,east,and west,so that he can see everything(at one point he actually had a fifth head,but that was cut off by Shiva during a fight).His heads also represent the four Vedas and the four groups that people are divided into(called varnas).He is often shown with four arms that hold symbolic objects: a special pot with a spout that is used for ritual cleansing and represents the earth,the sustainer of all things; palm-leaf manuscripts,which represent the Vedas; prayer beads that he uses to recite prayers; and the sacred conch shell that calls the deities to sacrifices.
