Word

Vishnu

Sanskrit

विष्णु

IAST

viṣṇu

In General

Vishnu is one of the three most popular deities of Hinduism, the other two being Siva and Devi. There is another trinity, Brahma Vishnu and Siva of which Vishnu share the responsibility of preserving the universe. To preserve and protect the devotee and the universe Vishnu incarnate in every age. The 10 incarnation of Vishnu are very important; they are Matsya (fish) , Kurma (Tortoise) , Varaha (Boar), Narasimha (Half man half Lion) , Vamana (a short person), Parasurama , Sri Rama , Balarama , Sri Krishna and Kalki. The Bhagavad_Gita mentions the purpose of Avatar is to protect Dharma and vanquish those negative forces of evil that threaten dharma, and also to display His divine nature.

Yaska in his Nirukta , defines Vishnu as viṣṇur viṣvater vā vyaśnoter vā, , the one who enters everywhere. Vishnu has three strides , the earth, heaven and the supreme world (tridhatu) of which sat, cit and ananda are the foundation.

Veda

Vishnu of the vast pervading motion holds in his triple stride all over the seven worlds. The strides of Vishnu (R.V. 7.100 ) are earth, heaven and the triple principle, tridhatu (world of Bliss). Between Earth and Heaven there is anthareeksha, an intervening space. Between the heaven and the world of Bliss is yet another intervening habitation called Maharloka, the supra conscious Truth of things. The sat, cit and ananda are the foundation of the world of tridhatu. Thus in the wide movement, Vishnu pervade in all the worlds and habitation under them. It is the forces of Vishnu that makes a wide room for the action of Indra to work in the life of a spiritual aspirant. It is by him and with him that a spiritual aspirent raise into his highest seat, the paramam padam. The goal of spiritual journey is to achieve paramam padam. Rudra , the fierce force help man to climp the spiritual ladder and approach the supreme blissful reality of Vishnu.

In the Rig_veda, Vishnu is mentioned nearly a hundred times. In, Purusha Sūktam (R.V. 10.90) Vishnu is said as Lord Narayana, the Consort of Lakshmi who extent everywhere and beyond. Because of the celebrated three strides, Vishnu is called as Trivikrama. The Vishnu Suktam ( R.V. 1.154) Narayana suktam ( T.A. 10.13.1) are other famous hymn on Vishnu.

Purana

In Purana texts, Vishnu is usually described as having the dark clouds complexion and having four arms. He holds a padma (lotus flower) in his lower left hand, the Kaumodaki gada (mace) in his lower right hand, the Panchajanya shankha (conch) in his upper left hand and the Sudarshana Chakra (discus weapon ) in his upper right hand.

Vishnu is the Supreme God who takes manifest forms or avatars across various ages or periods to save humanity from evil beings, demons or Asuras. Many a time these demons might have defeated Indra and displaced him from Heaven or Swarga. Indra is a heavenly force that help mankind; So, Lord Vishnu takes his incarnations or avatars to Earth to save mankind, as He is the Supreme God to preserve all of creation.

Vishnu is commonly depicted as riding on his shoulders of Garuda. Vishnu is also known as Narayana and Hari and he dwell at Vaikuntha, the Vishnoh Param Padam. Vishnu has many other names; His hundred names is popular as Vishnusahasranamam. This appear in Mahabharata (Anusasana Parva) and in Padma Purana with slight modification.

The universal existence of Vishnu is better illustrated in His reclines and rests on Ananta Shesha in the Kseera Sagara ( the ocean of milk) with Brahma emerging from his navel and creating the world. He is in deep meditative mood served by Laksmi and eulogized by rishies. The deity in the ancient Padmanabha swami temple and of Thiruvananthapuram and Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple of Srirangam, Tiruchirapalli are of reclining Vishnu.

The Rigveda verse that Lord Vishnu can traverse the entire Universe in three strides is told in the puranic version by the story of Vamana and Mahabali. Mahabali the faithful Vishnu devotee has dethroned Indra and was conducting the 100th Aswamedha yajna. Vishnu as Vamana appeared and begged for three feet of land which the king Mahabali gave graciously. The Vamana grew into such a size that in the first step he measured earth and the neither world and in the second step he measured the heaven. Then He asked the king where to keep the third feet, the King Mahabali bend his head, obliged and requested Vamana to keep the foot over his head. This was final test to qualify the post of Indra; Mahabali later became an Indra. This puranic story is behind the Onam celebration conducted in the South Indian State of Kerala.