Early Monastic Buddhism v1.c5.s3.8

v1.c5.s3.8

The conception of Brahmā as the first born can be traced in the Ṛgvedic account of Prajāpati or Viśvakarman who is described thus: "He is the god who is the first born, the golden germ, Hiranyagarbha, who creates the whole universe, who gives life, whose commands the gods obey, whose shadow is death and immortality, who is lord of man and beast, of the mountain and the sea."³ In the *Brāhmaṇa* period too, Prajāpati is given the place of the creator, the supreme god, the ruler of the universe.⁴