Vishnu

Vishnu
God of Preservation[1]
  • God of Time[2]
  • The Protector of Good[3]
  • Bestower of Karma
The Supreme Being (Vaishnavism)[4]
Member of Trimurti
Vishnu (centre) surrounded by his ten major avatars, illustrated by Raja Ravi Varma, 1910
Other names
Affiliation
Abode
Mantra
Weapon
Symbols
DayThursday
Mount
Festivals
Personal information
SiblingsParvati or Durga (ceremonial sister)
ConsortLakshmi and her avatars
Children

Vishnu (/ˈvɪʃn/ VISH-noo; Sanskrit: विष्णु, lit.'The Pervader', IAST: Viṣṇu, pronounced [ʋɪʂɳʊ]), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.[9][10]

Vishnu is known as The Preserver within the Trimurti, the triple deity of supreme divinity that includes Brahma and Shiva.[11][12] In Vaishnavism, Vishnu is the supreme being who creates, protects, and transforms the universe. In the Shaktism tradition, the Goddess, or Adi Shakti, is described as the supreme Para Brahman, yet Vishnu is revered along with Shiva and Brahma. Tridevi is stated to be the energy and creative power (Shakti) of each, with Lakshmi being the equal complementary partner of Vishnu.[13] He is one of the five equivalent deities in Panchayatana puja of the Smarta tradition of Hinduism.[12]

According to Vaishnavism, the supreme being is with qualities (Saguna), and has definite form, but is limitless, transcendent and unchanging absolute Brahman, and the primal Atman (Self) of the universe.[14] There are many both benevolent and fearsome depictions of Vishnu. In benevolent aspects, he is depicted as an omniscient being sleeping on the coils of the serpent Shesha (who represents time) floating in the primeval ocean of milk called Kshira Sagara with his consort, Lakshmi.[15]

Whenever the world is threatened with evil, chaos, and destructive forces, Vishnu descends in the form of an avatar (incarnation) to restore the cosmic order, and protect dharma. The Dashavatara are the ten primary avatars of Vishnu. Out of these ten, Rama and Krishna are the most important.[16]

  1. ^ Encyclopedia of World Religions. Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. 2008. pp. 445–448. ISBN 978-1-59339-491-2.
  2. ^ Wendy Doniger (1999). Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions. Merriam-Webster. p. 1134. ISBN 978-0-87779-044-0.
  3. ^ Soifer 1991, p. 85.
  4. ^ Indian Civilization and Culture. M.D. Publications Pvt. 1998. ISBN 9788175330832.
  5. ^ a b Constance Jones; James D. Ryan (2006). Encyclopedia of Hinduism. Infobase Publishing. pp. 491–492. ISBN 978-0-8160-7564-5.
  6. ^ "Shesha, Sesa, Śeṣa, Śeṣā: 34 definitions". 23 August 2009.
  7. ^ Muriel Marion Underhill (1991). The Hindu Religious Year. Asian Educational Services. pp. 75–91. ISBN 978-81-206-0523-7.
  8. ^ "Prayers to Goddess Lakshmi".
  9. ^ Kedar Nath Tiwari (1987). Comparative Religion. Motilal Banarsidass Publications. p. 38. ISBN 9788120802933.
  10. ^ Pratapaditya Pal (1986). Indian Sculpture: Circa 500 BCE- 700 CE. University of California Press. pp. 24–25. ISBN 978-0-520-05991-7.
  11. ^ Orlando O. Espín; James B. Nickoloff (2007). An Introductory Dictionary of Theology and Religious Studies. Liturgical Press. p. 539. ISBN 978-0-8146-5856-7.
  12. ^ a b Gavin Flood, An Introduction to Hinduism (1996), p. 17.
  13. ^ David Leeming (17 November 2005). The Oxford Companion to World Mythology. Oxford University Press. p. 236. ISBN 978-0190288884.
  14. ^ Edwin Bryant; Maria Ekstrand (23 June 2004). The Hare Krishna Movement: The Postcharismatic Fate of a Religious Transplant. Columbia University Press. p. 16. ISBN 978-0231508438.
  15. ^ Vanamali (20 March 2018). In the Lost City of Sri Krishna: The Story of Ancient Dwaraka. Simon and Schuster. p. 737. ISBN 978-1620556825.
  16. ^ Zimmer, Heinrich Robert (1972). Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization. Princeton University Press. p. 124. ISBN 978-0-691-01778-5.