Topic summary
Prajapati
Prajapati (Sanskrit: प्रजापति, lit.'Lord of the people', IAST: Prajāpati) is an important deity in ancient Vedic religion, who is identified with Brahma, the creator god in Hinduism.
In Puranic tradition, the term is a name applied to many different deities of Hinduism that played roles in creation. These include: Brahma, the creator god; a son of Brahma; Vishwakarma, the architect of the devas; Agni, the fire god; Indra, the weather god; Daksha, the ritual god; and Kashyap, the father of the Adityas (solar deities), Asuras (malevolent gods), Gandharva (celestial musicians), Yakshas (nature spirits), and humans (through his grandson Vaivasvata Manu). In Jain tradition, Prajapati is identified as a Kamadeva.
In classical and medieval era literature, Prajapati is the metaphysical concept called Brahman as Prajapati-Brahman, and Brahman is the primordial matter that made Prajapati.