-
Vishnu
For other uses, see Vishnu (disambiguation).
Vishnu (/vnu/; Sanskrit: ,Viu) is a Hindu god,the Supreme God of
Vaishnavism (one of the three prin-cipal denominations of Hinduism)
and one of the threesupreme deities (Trimurti) of Hinduism.[1] He
is alsoknown as Narayana and Hari. As one of the ve primaryforms of
God in the Smarta tradition,[1] he is conceivedas the Preserver or
the Protector[2] within the Trimurti,the Hindu Trinity of the
divinity.In Hindu sacred texts, Vishnu is usually described as
hav-ing dark complexion of water-lled clouds and as havingfour
arms. He is depicted as a pale blue being, as are hisincarnations
Rama and Krishna He holds a padma (lotusower) in his lower left
hand, theKaumodaki gada (mace)in his lower right hand, the
Panchajanya shankha (conch)in his upper left hand and the discus
weapon considered tobe one of the most powerful weapon acoording to
HinduReligion Sudarshana Chakra in his upper right hand.
1 Etymology
The traditional explanation of the name Vishnu involvesthe root
vi,meaning to settle (cognate with Latin vicus,English -wich
village, Slavic: vas -ves), or also (in theRigveda) to enter into,
to pervade, glossing the nameas the All-Pervading One.[3] Yaska, an
early commen-tator on the Vedas, in his Nirukta, (etymological
interpre-tation), denes Vishnu as viur vivater v vyanoter v,one who
enters everywhere. He also writes, atha yadviito bhavati tad
vinurbhavati, that which is free fromfetters and bondages is
Vishnu.[4]
Adi Shankara in his commentary on the Sahasranamastates
derivation from vi, with a meaning presence ev-erywhere (As he
pervades everything, vevesti, he iscalled Vishnu"). Adi Shankara
states (regarding VishnuPurana, 3.1.45): The Power of the Supreme
Being hasentered within the universe. The root vi means 'en-ter
into'. Swami Chinmayananda, in his translation ofVishnu Sahasranama
further elaborates on that verse:The root vis means to enter. The
entire world of thingsand beings is pervaded by Him and the
Upanishad em-phatically insists in its mantra 'whatever that is
there isthe world of change.' Hence, it means that He is not
lim-ited by space, time or substance. Chinmayananda statesthat,
that which pervades everything is Vishnu.[5]
A 4th6th century CE Sardonyx seal representing Vishnu with
aworshipper. The inscription in cursive Bactrian reads:
"Mihira,Vishnu (right) and Shiva".
2 Sacred texts - Shruti and Smriti
Shruti is considered to be solely of divine origin. It
ispreserved as a whole, instead of verse by verse. It in-cludes the
four Vedas (Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samavedaand Atharvaveda) the
Brahmanas, the Aranyakas and theUpanishads with commentaries on
them.Smti refers to all the knowledge derived and inculcatedafter
Shruti had been received. Smrti is not 'divine' inorigin, but was
'remembered' by later Rishis (sages byinsight, who were the
scribes) by transcendental meansand passed down through their
followers. It includesthe Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana
which areSattva Puranas.[6] These both declare Vishnu as
ParaBrahman Supreme Lord who creates unlimited universesand enters
each one of them as Lord of Universe.
1
-
2 3 SHRUTI
A 13th-century Cambodian statue of Vishnu
3 Shruti
3.1 Vaishnava CanonThe Vaishnava canon presents Vishnu as the
supreme be-ing, rather than another name for the Sun God, who
alsobore the name Suryanarayana and is considered only as aform of
Vishnu.
3.1.1 Vedas
In the Yajur Veda, Taittiriya Aranyaka (10-13-1),Narayana
suktam, Lord Narayana is mentioned as thesupreme being. The rst
verse of Narayana Suktam men-tions the words paramam padam, which
literally meanhighest post and may be understood as the
supremeabode for all souls. This is also known as Param
Dhama,Paramapadam, or Vaikuntha. Rig Veda 1:22:20a alsomentions the
same paramam padam. This special sta-tus is not given to any deity
in the Vedas apart fromLord Vishnu/Narayana. Narayana is one of the
thou-sand names of Vishnu as mentioned in the Vishnu
Sa-hasranama.[7] It describes Vishnu as the All-Pervadingessence of
all beings, the master ofand beyondthepast, present and future, one
who supports, sustains andgoverns the Universe and originates and
develops all ele-ments within. This illustrates the omnipresent
character-istic of Vishnu. Vishnu governs the aspect of
preservationand sustenance of the universe, so he is called
Preserverof the universe.Vishnu is the Supreme God who takes
manifest forms or
avatars across various ages or periods to save humanityfrom evil
beings, demons or Asuras. According to theextant Hindu texts and
traditions, Lord Vishnu is con-sidered to be resident in the
direction of the MakaraRashi (the Shravana Nakshatra), which is
about coin-cident with the Capricorn constellation.[8] In some of
theextant Puranas, and Vaishnava traditions, Vishnus eye
isconsidered to be situated at the innitely distant
SouthernCelestial Pole.[9]
Following the defeat of Indra and his displacement asthe Lord of
Heaven or Swarga, Indra asks Lord Vishnufor help and thus Lord
Vishnu takes his incarnations oravatars to Earth to save mankind,
thus showing his posi-tion as Supreme God to all of creation.In the
Puranas, Indra frequently appears proud andhaughty. These bad
qualities are temporarily removedwhen Brahma and/or Shiva give
boons to Asuras or Rak-shasas such as Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu
and Ravana,who are then able to defeat Indra in wars between
Devasand Asuras. The received boons often made Asuras vir-tually
indestructible.Indra has no option but to seek help from Vishnu.
In-dra prays before Vishnu for protection and the SupremeLord
obliges him by taking avatars and generating himselfon Earth in
various forms, rst as a water-dweller (Mat-sya, sh), then as an
amphibious creature (Kurma avataror Tortoise), then as a
half-man-half-animal (Varahathe pig-faced, human-bodied Lord, and
Narasimha theLord with lions face and claws and a human
body).Later, Vishnu appears as human beings (Vamana
theshort-heighted person), Parashurama, Rama, Balarama[or Buddha
according to certain schools], Krishna, andnally as Kalki for
performing his task of protecting hisdevotees from demons and
anti-religious entities.Vishnus supremacy is attested by his
victories over thosevery powerful entities. It is further attested
by the ac-cepted iconography and sculptures of Vishnu in
recliningposition as producing Brahma emerging from his
navel.Brahma the creator is thus created in turn by Vishnu outof
his own person. Instead Vishnu takes various avatarsto slay or
defeat those demons. But it is to be noted thatVishnu also provided
boons to Akupresura, a bear faceddemon who was destroyed by Lord
Shiva.[10][11]
Vishnus actions lowered Indras ranking among Hindudeities and
led to the ascendancy of Vishnu.[10]
3.1.2 Rigveda
In the Rigveda, Vishnu is mentioned 93 times. He is fre-quently
invoked alongside other deities, especially Indra,whom he helps in
killing Vritra and with whom he drinksSoma. His distinguishing
characteristic in the Vedas is hisassociation with light. Two
Rigvedic hymns inMandala 7are dedicated to Vishnu. In 7.99, Vishnu
is addressed asthe god who separates heaven and earth, a
characteristic
-
3.1 Vaishnava Canon 3
12th century stone sculpture of God Vishnu anked by two ap-saras
one with a fan (left) and the other with Tambura (right).
he shares with Indra.The Rig Veda describes Vishnu as younger
brother to In-dra as Vamana. In Vaishnava canon the 'Vishnu' whois
younger brother to Indra is identied as Vamana,Avatar of Vishnu,
hence referred to as Vishnu byVaishnavites.[10][12] Vishnu is the
Supreme God who livesin the highest celestial region, contrasted
against thosewho live in the atmospheric or terrestrial regions.
Vishnuis content with mere prayer, unlike almost all of theother
gods who receive sacricial oerings such as Havis,which is given
using claried butter, or Soma.[12] Laterforeign translators have
view that Vedas place Indra ina superior position to Vishnus Avatar
of Vamana but infact Vamana helps Indra by restoring his
Kingdom.Jan Gonda, the late Indologist, states that Vishnu,
al-though remaining in the background of Indras
exploits,contributes by his presence, or is key to Indras
success.Vishnu is more than a mere companion, equal in rank orpower
to Indra, or sometime the one who made Indrassuccess
possible.Descriptions of Vishnu as younger to Indra are found
inonly the hymns to Indra, but in a kathenotheism religionlike that
of the Rigveda, each god, for a time, is supremein the mind of the
devotee.In the Rig Vedic texts, the deity or god referred toas
Vishnu is the Sun God, who also bears the name'Suryanarayana'. By
contrast, the 'Vishnu' referred to in'Vishnu Purana', 'Vishnu
Sahasranamam' and 'PurushaSooktham' is Lord Narayana, the Consort
of Lakshmi.
Vaishnavites make a further distinction by extolling
thequalities of Vishnu by highlighting his dierences fromother
deities such as Shiva, Brahma or Surya.[10]
3.1.3 Three steps
God Vishnu Bronze, 10th-11th century, Coimbatore, TamilNadu,
India
Hymn 7.100 refers to the celebrated 'three steps ofVishnu (as
Trivikrama) by which he strode over the uni-verse and in three
places planted his step. The 'VishnuSuktam' (RV 1.154) says that
the rst and second ofVishnus strides (those encompassing the earth
and air)are visible to men and the third is in the heights of
heaven(sky). This last place is described as Vishnus supremeabode
in RV 1.22.20:
The princes evermore behold / that loftiestplace where
God Vishnu is / Laid as it were an eye inheaven.(trans.
Grith)
Griths princes are the sri, either inciters or lordsof a
sacrice, or priests charged with pressing the Soma.The verse is
quoted as expressing Vishnus supremacy byVaishnavites.Though such
solar aspects have been associated withVishnu by tradition as well
as modern-scholarship, he wasnot just the representation of the
sun, as he moves bothvertically and horizontally.In hymns 1.22.17,
1.154.3, 1.154.4 he strides across theearth with three steps, in
6.49.13, 7.100.3 strides across
-
4 3 SHRUTI
the earth three times and in 1.154.1, 1.155.5,7.29.7 hestrides
vertically, with the nal step in the heavens. Thesame Veda also
says he strode wide and created space inthe cosmos for Indra to ght
Vritra. By his stride he madedwelling for men possible, the three
forming a symbolicrepresentation of the dwellings all-encompassing
nature.This nature and benevolence to men were Vishnus en-during
attributes. As the triple-strider he is known asTrivikrama and as
Urukrama, for the strides were wide.
3.2 Brahmanas
A statue in Bangkok, Thailand depicting God Vishnu mountedon his
vahana Garuda, the eagle
The Brahmanas are commentaries on the Vedas and formpart of the
Shruti literature. They are concerned withthe detail of the proper
performance of rituals. In theRigveda, Shakala Shakha: Aitareya
Brahmana Verse 1declares: agnir vai devnm ava mo viu
paramus,tadantarea sarv any devat - Agni is the lowest oryoungest
god and Vishnu is the greatest and the highestGod.The Brahmanas
assert the supremacy of Lord Vishnu, ad-dressing him as Gajapati,
the one whom all sacricesare meant to please. Lord Vishnu accepts
all sacricesto the demigods and allots the respective fruits to the
per-former In one incident, a demonic person performs a sac-rice by
abducting the Rishis (sages), who meditate byconstantly chanting
Gods name. The sacrice is meantto destroy Indra. But the rishis,
who worship Indra asa demigod, alter one pronunciation of the Veda
Mantra,reversing the purpose of the sacrice. When the fruit of
the sacrice is given and the demon is on the verge of dy-ing, he
calls to Vishnu, whom he addresses as SupremeGodhead and the father
of all living entities includinghimself.Aitareya Brahmana 1:1:1
mentions Vishnu as theSupreme God. But in the Vaishnava canon, in
dier-ent ages, with Vishnu in dierent avatars, his relationshipwith
the asuras or demons, was always adversarial. Theasuras always
caused harm, while the sages and devas orcelestial beings, did
penance and called to Vishnu for pro-tection. Vishnu always obliged
by taking an avatar to van-quish the asuras. In the Vaishnava
canon, Vishnu nevergave or granted any boons to the asuras,
distinguishinghim from the gods Shiva and Brahma, who did. He is
theonly God called upon to save good beings by defeating orkilling
the asuras.[10]
Sayana writes that in Aitareya Brahmana 1:1:1 thedeclaration
agnir vai devnm ava mo viu para-mus,tadantarea sarv any devat does
not indicate anyhierarchy among gods. Even in Rigveda Samhita,
avamaand parama are not applied to denote rank and dignity,but only
to mark place and locality.In Rigveda 1:108:9,: yadindrghn
avamasypthivy madhyamasy paramasymuta stha |i.e., in the lowest
place, the middle (place), and thehighest (place). Agni, the re,
has, among the gods,the lowest place; for he resides with man on
the earth;while the other gods are either in the air, or in thesky.
Vishnu occupies the highest place. The wordsavama and parama are
understood as 'First' and 'Last'respectively. To support this
claim, Sayana adducesthe mantra (1,4. Asval. Sr. S. 4, 2), agnir
mukhamprathamo devathanam samathanam uttamo vishnur asit,i.e., Agni
was the rst of the deities assembled, (and)Vishnu the last.In the
Kausitaki Brahmana (7.1) Agni is called Aarad-hya (instead of
avama), and Visnu parardha(instead ofparama),i.e., belonging to the
lower and higher halves(or forming the lower and higher
halves).[13] The VishnuPurana gives tremendous importance to the
worship ofVishnu and mentions that sacrices are to begin only
withboth the lighting of re or 'Agni', pouring of sacricial
of-ferings to Vishnu in 'Agni' so that those oerings reachand are
accepted by Vishnu. Worship of Vishnu throughYajnas (or Homams) and
other rituals, will not achievethe desired result if Agnis role is
neglected.[10]
Muller says Although the gods are sometimes distinctlyinvoked as
the great and the small, the young and theold (Rig veda 1:27:13),
this is only an attempt to ndthe most comprehensive expression for
the divine powers,and nowhere is any of the gods represented as the
subor-dinate to others. It would be easy to nd, in the
numeroushymns of the Veda, passages in which almost every singlegod
is represented as supreme and absolute.[14]
-
54 Smriti
4.1 Vishnu SmritiThe Vishnu Smti, is one of the later books of
theDharmashastra tradition of Hinduism and the only onethat focuses
on the bhakti tradition and the requireddaily puja to Vishnu,
rather than the means of knowingdharma. It is also known for its
handling of the contro-versial subject of the practice of sati
(self-immolation ofa widow on her husbands funeral pyre).[15] The
text wascomposed by an individual or group. The author(s) cre-ated
a collection of the commonly known legal maximsthat were attributed
to Vishnu into one book, as Indianoral culture began to be recorded
more formally.[16]
4.2 Bhagavata PuranaVishnu is the only Bhagavan as declared in
the Bhagavata1:2:11 in the verse: vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvamyaj jnanam advayam brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan
itisabdyate, translated as Learned transcendentalists whoknow the
Absolute Truth call this non-dual substance asBrahman, Paramtma and
Bhagavan.[17]
5 Sangam literatureMain article: ThirumalTamil Sangam literature
(300BCE to 500CE) mentions
The front-view of the Padmanabhaswamy Temple
inThiruvananthapuram, Kerala, dedicated to Vishnu. Thetemple dates
back to before the Sangam period, and is believedto be the
wealthiest place of worship in the world, with assetsof gold and
precious stones potentially estimated to be worthtrillions of
dollars.[18][19][20][21][22][23][24]
mAyOn, or the dark one, as the supreme deity who cre-ates,
sustains and destroys the universe. Paripadal 3 de-scribes the
glory of Thirumal in the most superlativeterms.Paripadal(3)by
kaduvan iLaveyinanAr:
thIyinuL theRal nI poovinuL naaRRanI kallinuL maNiyu nI sollinuL
vaaymaiaRaththinuL anbu nI maRaththinuL mainthunI vEthaththu maRai
nI boothaththu madhalunI vencudar oLiyu nI thingaLuL aLiyu
nIanaiththu nI anaiththinut poruLu nI
The last line states that Lord Vishnu is the supreme de-ity who
is the inner controller (Antaryamin) of the entireuniverse. This is
one of the Lords glories, which is rstmentioned in Vedas and later
propounded by Alwars inPrabhandams and Sri Vaishnavaite Acharyas in
variouscommentariesThe Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple and Vishnu,
Lakshmiis mentioned in Tamil works of literature of the Sangamera,
including the epic Silapadikaram (book 11, lines 3540):
yiram viritteu talaiyuai aruntiapya paip palartou ttta
viritiraik kviri
viyaperu turuttit tiruvamar mrpa kiantavaamum
On a magnicent cot having a thousand heads spread out,worshipped
and praised by many, in an islet surroundedby Kaveri with bellowing
waves, is the lying posture ofthe one who has Lakshmi sitting in
his chest
The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is a Hindu templededicated to
Vishnu located in Srirangam, Tiruchirapalli,Tamil Nadu, India.
Srirangam temple is often listedas the largest functioning Hindu
temple in the world,the still larger Angkor Wat being the largest
existingtemple.[25][26] The temple occupies an area of 156
acres(631,000 m) with a perimeter of 4,116m (10,710 feet)making it
the largest temple in India and one of thelargest religious
complexes in the world.[27]
-
6 6 THEOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTES
6 Theological attributesMain article: Vaishnavism
The actual number of Vishnus auspicious qualities iscountless,
although his six most-important divine glo-ries are:
Jnana (Omniscience); dened as the power to knowabout all beings
simultaneously;
Aishvarya (Sovereignty), derived from the word Ish-vara which
means unchallenged rule over all;
Shakti (Power or Energy), the capacity to make theimpossible
possible;
Bala (Strength), the capacity to support everythingby will and
without any fatigue;
Virya (Vigour), the power to retain immateriality asthe Supreme
Spirit or Being in spite of being thematerial cause of mutable
creations;
Tejas (Splendor), which expresses self-suciencyand the capacity
to overpower everything by spiri-tual eulgence.[28]
Other important qualities attributed to Vishnu are Gamb-hirya
(inestimatable grandeur), Audarya (generosity),and Karunya
(compassion). Natya Shastra lists Vishnuas the presiding deity of
the Sngara rasa.The Rigveda states that Lord Vishnu can traverse
theentire Universe in three strides. The rst stride coversthe
Mortal Realm. The second stride covers the inter-mediate visible
sky consisting of all the lesser realms.And the third stride covers
what cannot be seen by mor-tals and consists of all the countless
realms where theHigher Beings and the righteous dead reside.
(Thisfeature of three strides also appears in the story of
hisavatar Vamana/Trivikrama.) The Sanskrit for to strideis the root
kram; its reduplicated perfect is chakram (guagrade) or chakra
(zero-grade), and in the Rigveda he iscalled by epithets such as
vi-chakra-mas = he who hasmade 3 strides. The Sanskrit word chakra
also meanswheel. That may have suggested the idea of Vishnucarrying
a chakra.
6.1 Five formsSee also Pacaratra
The Sri Vaishnavism school within Hinduism dates toaround the
10th century AD and believes that Vishnu as-sumes ve forms:
1. The Para Form.
The Angkor Wat Temple is the largest existing Temple in
theworld; it is the largest religious structure ever built anywhere
inrecorded history; and with 6 million to 10 million blocks of
sand-stone, each weighing 1.5 tons on average, it is by far the
largeststone structure ever built anywhere in recorded
history.[29]
Vishnu (Beikthano in Burmese) on his mount, the garuda, in
thetraditional Burmese depiction.
2. The Vyuha form.
3. The Vibhava form.
4. The Antaryami form (dwelling within or SuksmaVasudeva
form).
5. The Arcavatara or image manifestation form.
-
7.3 Garuda 7
7 Relations with deities
The Trimurti (three forms) is a concept in Hinduism inwhich the
cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, anddestruction are
personied by the forms of Brahma thecreator, Vishnu themaintainer,
preserver or protector andShiva the destroyer or
transformer.[30][31] These threedeities have also been called the
Hindu triad[32] or theGreat Trinity,[33] all having the same
meaning of threein One. They are the dierent forms or
manifestationof One person the Supreme Being or
Narayana/SvayamBhagavan.[34]
7.1 Shiva
The three gods of the Trimurti clan are inseparable andin
harmony in view of their common vision and universalgood. They are
perfectly ideal in all respects.Both Asuras and Devas played
supportive roles in thisstory by keeping company with Vishnu in his
incarnatedforms. Hanuman is a vanara who is completely dedi-cated
to Rama. He gives Vishnu company and obeyshis command, while
playing an important part in Ramaslife. He is regarded in Vaishnava
canon because it isthrough blessings that Hanuman is born. Thus,
Hanu-man, Vishnus constant companion, with his idol appear-ing
temples of Rama, Krishna and Narasimha, i.e. allof Vishnus avatars,
is considered by Vaishnavas. LordShiva and Lord Vishnu are
considered to be devotees ofeach other and they help each other in
maintaining stabil-ity and peace in world [35]
Syncretic forces produced stories in which the two deitieswere
shown in cooperative relationships and combinedforms. Harihara is
the name of a combined deity formof both Vishnu (Hari) and Shiva
(Hara).[36] This dualform, which is also called Harirudra, is
mentioned in theMahabharata.[37]
7.2 Lakshmi
Vishnus consort is Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth (alsoknown as
Maya). The Samvit (the primary intelli-gence/dark matter) of the
universe is Vishnu, while theother ve attributes emerge from this
samvit and henceMaya or dark energy of the universe is Lakshmee is
hisahamata, activity, or Vishnus Power.This power of God,Maya or
Shakti, is personied and has multiple names:Shree, Lakshmi, Maya,
Vishnumaya or Mahamaya. Sheis said to manifest as Kriyashakti,
(Creative Activity) andBhutishakti (Creation). This world requires
Vishnus cre-ativity. He therefore needs Lakshmi to always be
withHim. Her various avatars as Lord Vishnus consorts
areVarahavatar (Bhoodevi) or Bhoomi, Ramavatar Seeta,Krishnavatar
Rukmini)
Vishnu with Lakshmi (Lakshmi-Narayana) at Halebidu.
7.3 Garuda
Vishnus mount (Vahana) is Garuda, the eagle. Vishnu iscommonly
depicted as riding on his shoulders.
8 AvatarsMain article: AvatarSee also: DashavataraAdherents of
Hinduism believe Vishnus eternal andsupreme abode beyond the
material universe is calledVaikuntha, which is also known as
Paramdhama, therealm of eternal bliss and happiness and the nal or
high-est place for liberated souls who have attained
Moksha.Vaikuntha is situated beyond the material universe andhence,
cannot be perceived or measured by material sci-ence or
logic.[38][39] Vishnus other abode within the ma-terial universe is
Ksheera Sagara (the ocean of milk),where he reclines and rests on
Ananta Shesha, (the kingof the serpent deities, commonly shown with
a thousandheads). In almost all Hindu denominations, Vishnu is
ei-ther worshipped directly or in the form of his ten avatars,the
most famous of whom are Rama and Krishna.[40]
The Puranabharati, an ancient text, describes these as
thedashavatara, or the ten avatars of Vishnu. Ten
avatars(dashavatara) of Vishnu are the most prominent:[41]
-
8 9 BEYOND HINDUISM
Ten avatars of Vishnu (Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Vamana,Krishna,
Kalki, Buddha, Parshurama, Rama and Narasimha).Painting from
Jaipur, now at the Victoria and Albert Museum
Among the ten, nine have occurred in the past and onewill take
place in the future as Lord Kalki, at the end ofKali Yuga, (the
fourth and nal stage in the cycle of yu-gas that the world goes
through). These incarnations takeplace in all Yugas in cosmic
scales; the avatars and theirstories show that gods are indeed
unimaginable, unthink-able and inconceivable. The Bhagavad Gita
mentionstheir purpose as being to rejuvenate Dharma,[42] to
van-quish those negative forces of evil that threaten dharma,and
also to display His divine nature in front of all souls.Another 22
avatars are given in Chapter 3, Canto 1 of theBhagavata Purana,
although it states that the incarnationsof the Lord are
innumerable, like rivulets owing frominexhaustible sources of
water.
9 Beyond Hinduism
9.1 SikhismGuru Granth Sahib of Sikhism mentions Vishnu,
oneverse goes:-
The true Vaishnaav, the devotee of Vishnu,is the one with whom
God is thoroughlypleased. He dwells apart from Maya. Per-forming
good deeds, he does not seek rewards.Spotlessly pure is the
religion of such a Vaish-naav; he has no desire for the fruits of
hislabors. He is absorbed in devotional worship
and the singing of Kirtan, the songs of theLords Glory. Within
his mind and body, hemeditates in remembrance on the Lord of
theUniverse. He is kind to all creatures. He holdsfast to the Naam,
and inspires others to chantit. O Nanak, such a Vaishnaav obtains
thesupreme status.[43]
9.2 Buddhism
Uthpalawarna Vishnu Devalaya in Devinuwara, Matara, SriLanka
While some Hindus consider Buddha as an incarnationof Vishnu,
Buddhists in Sri Lanka venerate Vishnu asthe custodian deity of Sri
Lanka and protector of Bud-dhism. Lord Vishnu is also known as
upulvan, or uth-pala varna, meaning Blue Lotus coloured. Some
pos-tulate that Uthpala varna was a local deity who latermerged
with Vishnu while another belief is that Uth-pala Varna was an
early form of Vishnu before he be-came a supreme deity in Puranic
Hinduism. According toChronicles "Mahawamsa", Chulawamsa, and
folklorein Sri Lanka, Buddha himself handed over the custodi-anship
to Vishnu. Others believe that Buddha entrustedthis task to
Sakra(Indra) and Sakra delegated this taskof custodianship to god
Vishnu.[44] In contrary to vedicHinduism, in assimilation of Hindu
god Vishnu into Sin-halese Buddhism, Vishnu becomes a mortal being
and aBodhisattva aspiring Buddhahood. Additionally, Vishnuis
considered as the god of home and hearth represent-ing mercy,
goodness, order and stability. Many Buddhistand Hindu shrines are
dedicated to Vishnu in Sri Lanka.In addition to specic Vishnu
Kovils or devalayas,all Buddhist temples necessarily house shrine
rooms (De-valayas) closer to the main Buddhist shrine dedicated
toVishnu.[45]
John Holt in his groundbreaking study examines theassimilation,
transformation, and subordination of theHindu deity Vishnu within
the contexts of Sri Lankanhistory and Sinhala Buddhist religious
culture. He thenexplores the role and rationale of medieval Sinhala
kingsin assimilating Visnu into Sinhala Buddhism.[46] Accord-
-
9ing to Holt the veneration of Vishnu in Sri Lanka is ev-idence
of a remarkable ability, over many centuries, toreiterate and
reinvent culture as other ethnicities havebeen absorbed into their
own. Though the Vishnu cult inCeylon was formally endorsed by
Kandyan kings in theearly 1700s, Holt states that vishnu images and
shrinesare among conspicuous ruins in the medieval
capitalPolonnaruwa.In Buddhist mythology, when Vishnu failed to
tra-verse the universe in three steps, he was given the titleArdha
Vishnu (Half-Vishnu)" and when Vishnu ban-ished demons from the
Vaishali (Vishala )in India, hebecame Mulu Vishnu or Whole Vishnu.
The ex-treme signicance of god Vishnu in Sinhala society is
re-ected in recitals of the traditional oerings to dwarfsand
crossing the door frame (bahirwayanta dola pideemsaha uluwahu
peneema) that starts with Sri Vishnu in-vocation. In the recitals,
mentioning of the aspiring Bud-dhahood of Vishnu which is of prime
importance to Bud-dhists and wishes for him to live ve thousand and
moreyears highlight the central role of Vishnu in the psyche ofSri
Lankan Buddhists.[47]
9.3 Others
Similarities between Vishnu and Ancient Egyptian GodHorus have
been noted by James Freeman Clarke,[48]Richard Leviton,[49] James
Cowles Prichard,[50] and oth-ers.During an excavation in an
abandoned village of Russia inthe Volga region, archaeologist
Alexander Kozhevin ex-cavated an ancient idol of Vishnu. The idol
dates frombetween the 7th and 10th centuries. In the
interviewKozhevin, stated that, Wemay consider it incredible, butwe
have ground to assert that Middle-Volga region wasthe original land
of Ancient Rus. This is a hypothesis,but a hypothesis, which
requires thorough research.[51]
10 Thousand names of Vishnu
Main article: Vishnu sahasranama
Vishnus many names and followers are collected in
theVishnusahasranama (Vishnus thousand names), onewell-known
version of which is found in the Mahab-harata. The character
Bhishma recites the names be-fore Krishna on the battleeld of
Kurukshetra, praisingVishnu as the supreme god. These sahasranama
are re-garded as the essence of all Vedas by followers of
Vaish-navism, who believe sincere chanting of Vishnusahas-ranama
results in spiritual well-being and greater aware-ness of God.
11 In popular culture4034 Vishnu is an asteroid discovered by
Eleanor F.Helin.[52]
Vishnu rocks are a type of volcanic sediment found inthe Grand
Canyon, Arizona, USA. Consequently, massformations are know as as
Vishnu temples.[53]
12 See alsoMedia related to Vishnu at Wikimedia Commons
Jagannath Narayana Keshava Krishna Keshava Namas Dashavatara
Great Architect of the Universe List of names of Vishnu Mahavishnu
Amaterasu
13 References[1] Gavin Flood, An Introduction to Hinduism
(1996), p. 17.
[2] Zimmer, Heinrich Robert. Myths and Symbols in IndianArt and
Civilization. Princeton University Press. p. 124.ISBN
9780691017785.
[3] Collected writings - Volume 12, by Helena PetrovnaBlavatsky,
Boris De Zirko, p. 149
[4] Adluri, Vishwa; Joydeep Bagchee (February 2012).FromPoetic
Immortality to Salvation: Ruru andOrpheusin Indic and Greek Myth
(PDF). History of Religions 51(3): 245246. doi:10.1086/662191.
Retrieved 24 March2014.
[5] Swami Chinmayanandas translation of Vishnu sahas-ranama pgs.
1617, Central Chinmaya Mission Trust.
[6] As categorized in Padma Purana, Uttara-khanda, 236.1821
[7] Sri Vishnu Sahasranama Transliteration and Transla-tion of
Chanting. Swami-krishnananda.org. Retrieved2011-11-30.
[8] Hart De Fouw; Robert Svoboda (2003). Light on Life:An
Introduction to the Astrology of India. ISBN 978-0-940985-69-8.
Retrieved 2013-10-16.
-
10 13 REFERENCES
[9] White, David Gordon (2010-07-15). Sinister Yogis.ISBN
978-0-226-89515-4.
[10] Nilakanta Sastri, K.A. (1980). Advanced History of
India,Allied Publishers, New Delhi.
[11] This story is told in Vishnu agama and is quoted inMoores
Hindu Pantheon pp. 1920.
[12] H. G Narahari (2007). Atman in Pre-Upanisadic
VedicLiterature. Read Books. p. 86. Retrieved 2013-10-16.
[13] Aitareya Brahmana , By Martin Haug, SUDHINDRANATH VASU, M.
B., AT THE PANINI OFFICE, BA-HADURGANJ, ALLAHABAD.,1922. page 1
note 1
[14] History of Ancient Sanskrit Literature by Prof Maxmuller.
Printed by Spottiswoode and Co. New-StreetSquare London. page
533
[15] Olivelle, Patrick (2007). The Date and Provenance ofthe
Vinu Smti. Indologica Taurinensia (33): 149150.
[16] Lariviere 1989: xxiii
[17] Bhagavata Purana 1.2.11
[18]
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/kerala-temple-may-reveal-more-riches/1/144004.html
[19]
http://www.mgsrefining.com/blog/post/2012/06/13/Worlds-Largest-Gold-Hoard.aspx
[20]
http://www.commodityonline.com/news/gold-treasure-at-india-temple-could-be-the-largest-in-the-world-40475-3-40476.html
[21]
http://www.ivanhenares.com/2014/03/kerala-trivandrum-padmanabhaswamy-temple-padmanabhapuram-palace.html
[22]
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/eclectic-architecture-exquisite-features/article2236138.ece
[23]
http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-interview-with-prof-mg-sashibhushan-on-padmanabhaswamy-temple%20treasure/20110712.htm
[24]
http://www.rediff.com/news/slide-show/slide-show-1-build-world-class-museum-near-padmanabha-temple/20110718.htm
[25] Vater 2010, p. 40.
[26] Jones 2004, p. 4.
[27] Mittal 2005, p. 456.
[28] Tapasyananda (1991). Bhakti Schools of Vednta.Madras: Sri
Ramakrishna Math. ISBN 81-7120-226-8.
[29] http://www.livescience.com/24440-angkor-wat-canals.html
[30] For quotation dening the trimurti see Matchett, Freda.The
Puras, in: Flood (2003), p. 139.
[31] For the Trimurti system having Brahma as the creator,Vishnu
as the maintainer or preserver, and Shiva as thetransformer or
destroyer see: Zimmer (1972) p. 124.
[32] For denition of trimurti as the unied form of Brahm,Viu and
iva and use of the phrase theHindu triad see:Apte, p. 485.
[33] For the term Great Trinity in relation to the Trimurtisee:
Jansen, p. 83.
[34] Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1 Chapter 2 Verse 23.
Ved-abase.net. Retrieved 2011-11-30.
[35] Nilakanta Sastri, K.A. (1977) Reprint 1980, AdvancedHistory
of India, Allied Publishers, New Delhi.
[36] Chakravarti, pp. 5455.[37] For Harirudra citation
toMahabharata 3:39:76f see: Hop-
kins (1969), p. 221.[38] Sapthagiri. Tirumala.org. 2010-11-19.
Retrieved
2013-03-05.[39] Chapter 2: Beyond the Senses. Teachings of
Queen
Kunt. Bhaktivedanta VedaBase Network. Retrieved 27April 2014.
... like the modern scientist. They want toknow everything by their
experimental knowledge. But itis not possible to know the Supreme
Person by imperfectexperimental knowledge. He is described herein
as ad-hokaja, or beyond the range of experimental knowledge.
[40] Matchett, Freda (2000). Krsna, Lord or Avatara? the
re-lationship between Krsna and Visnu: in the context of theAvatara
myth as presented by the Harivamsa, the Visnupu-rana and the
Bhagavatapurana. Surrey: Routledge. p.254. ISBN 0-7007-1281-X.
[41] Garuda Purana Texts 1.86.1011[42] Bhagavad Gita 4.7 "... at
that time I descend Myself[43] The Truth of Nanak and the Sikhs
Part One, page. 353[44] Wilhelm Geiger. Mahawamsa: English
Transla-
tion(1908).[45] SwarnaWickremeratne (2012). Buddha in Sri Lanka:
Re-
membered Yesterdays. SUNY press. p. 226.[46] John C Holt (2004).
The Buddhist Vishnu:Religious trans-
formation,politics and culture. Columbia University Press.[47]
Bonnie G MacDougall. Door frame crossing: English
Translation.[48] Richard Leviton (1871). Ten Great Religions: an
Essay in
Comparative Theology. Trbner & Company. p. 247.[49] Richard
Leviton (2002). Whats Beyond That Star: A
Chronicle of Geomythic Adventure. Clairview Books. p.160.
[50] James Cowles Prichard (1819). An Analysis of the Egyp-tian
Mythology: To which is Subjoined a Critical Exami-nation of the
Remains of Egyptian Chronology. J. and A.Arch. p. 285.
[51] Ancient Vishnu idol found in Russian town" Times of In-dia
4 Jan 2007
[52]
http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMH64M_Vishnu_4034_Vishnu_Asteroid__Pasadena_CA
[53]
http://pandasthumb.org/archives/2012/08/vishnu-temple-a.html
-
11
14 Further reading Translation by Richard W. Lariviere (1989).
The
Nradasmrti. University of Philadelphia. Patrick Olivelle. The
Date and Provenance of theViu Smti. Indologica Taurinensia, 33
(2007):149163.
Devdutt Pattanaik (2011). 7 Secrets of Vishnu. west-land ltd.
ISBN 978-93-80658-68-1.
15 External links Vishnu, the god of Preservation, by
Dr.C.P.Ramaswami Aiyar
BBCReligion&Ethics Who is Vishnu (bbc.co.uk)
-
12 16 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES
16 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses16.1
Text
Vishnu Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishnu?oldid=666764155 Contributors:
Zundark, Timo Honkasalo, XJaM, Arvindn, Hari,Paul Barlow,
DopeshJustin, Tiles, Looxix~enwiki, Mkweise, Nanshu, TUF-KAT,
DropDeadGorgias, Usedbook, Glenn, Andres, Evercat,Shree, Rl,
Kaysov, Raven in Orbit, Guaka, Stone, Dysprosia, Zoicon5, Selket,
Tpbradbury, Imc, Lord Emsworth, Carlossuarez46, Ae-nar, Robbot,
Astronautics~enwiki, Sam Spade, Kahn~enwiki, Rursus, Karkikailash,
Auric, Jondel, Tobycat, Sunray, Hadal, Mushroom,JamesMLane,
Crculver, DocWatson42, Andries, Marcika, Everyking, Chinasaur,
Yekrats, 20040302, Per Honor et Gloria, Mboverload,Ramrao, Eequor,
Allstar86, Utcursch, LordSimonofShropshire, F16~enwiki, Mr d logan,
Sonjaaa, Quadell, Antandrus, OverlordQ, Fa-talvenom, Jossi, Shweta
sr, Zfr, Sam Hocevar, Illyrianka, Anirvan, Venu62, CALR,
Discospinster, ElTyrant, Rich Farmbrough, Heiko-Evermann, Max
Terry, Eric Shalov, Dbachmann, Indrian, Kjoonlee, Alren, Zscout370,
El C, Szquirrel, Kwamikagami, Bobo192, Ia-munknown,
Balajiviswanathan, Smalljim, Flxmghvgvk, Viriditas, Elipongo,
Dungodung, CWood, Chirag, Nk, Hintha, Manu.m, Raj2004,Alansohn,
Anthony Appleyard, Brosen~enwiki, Arthena, Wiki-uk, M7, Ricky81682,
Katefan0, Bart133, Snowolf, Knowledge Seeker,Jobe6, Fadereu,
Zawersh, SteinbDJ, Kelly Martin, OwenX, Woohookitty, Shreevatsa,
Fbv65edel, Dangerous-Boy, Male1979, Waldir,Frankie1969, BD2412,
Ketiltrout, Sj, Rjwilmsi, Nanami Kamimura, TheRingess, Captain
Disdain, Bhadani, Tbone, FlaBot, Osprey39,Ian Pitchford, Nihiltres,
Caesarscott, RexNL, Ewlyahoocom, Alphachimp, Animesh78, Chobot,
DaGizza, Bgwhite, NSR, Gwernol, Sa-tanael, YurikBot, Kinneyboy90,
Phantomsteve, Petiatil, Amithchandhran, Stephenb, Gaius Cornelius,
CambridgeBayWeather, Theelf29,Rsrikanth05, Sanguinity, Srini81,
Marcus Cyron, NawlinWiki, Welsh, Muwaaq, Thiseye, Nick, Paul Raj,
Supten, IslandGyrl, Priyanath,Bota47, CaptainRon, Seemagoel,
Hatesgames, Rudrasharman, Jacklee, Chopper Dave, Saranghae honey,
SMcCandlish, BorgQueen, Kevin,Anclation~enwiki, Savyasaachi,
Sethie, Je Silvers, TomMorris, SmackBot, Esradekan, Mrhyde,
KnowledgeOfSelf, Hydrogen Iodide, Pgk,C.Fred, Od Mishehu, Sathyan
Bhrama, Jab843, Miljoshi, BiT, Anup Ramakrishnan, HalfShadow,
Xaosux, Magicalsaumy, Marc Kupper,TimBentley, Persian Poet Gal,
Bazonka, ImpuMozhi, Ramas Arrow, Can't sleep, clown will eat me,
Writtenright, OrphanBot, Onorem,DPSingh, Buddhist143, Ryan Roos,
DotShell, Weregerbil, Megalophias, Bailbeedu, Leaord, GourangaUK,
Mlpkr, Bejnar, Ananthp,SashatoBot, Apalaria, Nishkid64, Alamandrax,
Nharipra, Armyrie9, Pthag, KarlM, Green Giant, Don't fear the
reaper, A. Parrot, Yeditor,Vishnu9, Mr Stephen, Childzy, Meco,
Interlingua, Deepak D'Souza, Sharnak, Blind Man Walking,
Rickington, MikeWazowski, Noctifer,Kanatonian, Iridescent, Rayeld,
Laurens-af, Newone, Slobot, Tawkerbot2, Coreycubed, YF-23, Dblum1,
MightyWarrior, Nagarajan knb,CmdrObot, Dycedarg, Basawala,
DanielRigal, Nirvanatoday, WeggeBot, Moreschi, HexenX, Cydebot,
NandaSahadeo, MantaRay, Aristo-phanes68, Yenotobacco, Doug Weller,
Paddles, DBaba, Omicronpersei8, Woland37, Zalgo, Redscares,
Thijs!bot, Epbr123, Barticus88,Awenindo, Kablammo, Marek69, Tapir
Terric, Ashutosh g, Rhrad, Nick Number, Sean William, Pankajwillis,
Gossamers, AntiVan-dalBot, RobotG, Luna Santin, Jrrao, NeilEvans,
Muski27, Autocracy, Darklilac, Lfstevens, Myanw, Wahabijaz,
JAnDbot, Ekabhishek,Bakasuprman, Biswa roop, Quentar~enwiki, Sigurd
Dragon Slayer, Cakra, Roleplayer, Hut 8.5, RoundSparrow, Calvin777,
Beaumont,.anacondabot, Yahel Guhan, Magioladitis, Connormah, Lenny
Kaufman, VoABot II, JamesBWatson, Kajasudhakarababu, Green23,
Abhi-lashrana, KConWiki, Fabrictramp, Aziz1005, Vssun,
Dharmadhyaksha, Glen, DerHexer, Philg88, Edward321, Liu13130,
Megalodon99,Lenticel, Teardrop onthere, Gunathilake, B9 hummingbird
hovering, MartinBot, Arjun01, Naohiro19, Anaxial, Stgsrinivas,
4356, Jbarot,CommonsDelinker, Gunkarta, Fconaway, Tgeairn,
J.delanoy, Singaraja, Abecedare, Winode sv, MercuryBlue, Uncle
Dick, Lhynard,Wikramadithya, Ian.thomson, Cpiral, Scholarus,
1000Faces, Bdodo1992, Jigesh, AntiSpamBot, Krishnachandranvn,
Belovedfreak, Park-erconrad, Zerokitsune, JSellers0, Nareshgupta,
Sarayuparin, KylieTastic, Cometstyles, Aminullah, DorganBot,
Arbind12, Idioma-bot,Redtigerxyz, Malik Shabazz, Some people,
VolkovBot, Managerpants, Thedjatclubrock, A.Ou, Fundamental metric
tensor, Yash chauhan2,Donzerus, Hybernator, TXiKiBoT, Flyte35,
Rajeshkumarmishra, Dj thegreat, Rei-bot, ElinorD, Mowsbury,
Sankalpdravid, Michael riberjorgensen, IPSOS, Khammam, Anna
Lincoln, Corvus cornix, Snehilsharma, Buddhipriya, MarkMarek,
LeaveSleaves, BotKung, Bear-ian, Saturn star, Vimalkalyan,
KhanBoston, B4upradeep, Turgan, Purgatory Fubar, AlleborgoBot,
Lando5, Scuba6671, Raorajesh29,Logan, Bhaktivinode, Arjun024,
SieBot, Ivan tambuk, Srimaanpundrik, Mrfandango, Oldag07, Dawn
Bard, Slycoat, Yintan, Flyer22,Le Pied-bot~enwiki, Tombomp,
Brooke.maury, RabisaV, Svick, StaticGull, Randy Kryn,
ImageRemovalBot, RegentsPark, Martarius,MBK004, ClueBot,
Girish.unnithan, The Thing That Should Not Be, Icarusgeek,
Srikanthdileep, Narasimhavarman10, Lokanth, Ryoutou,Niceguyedc,
Jesucristo301, Puchiko, Lindja-y02, Chimesmonster, Whaa212121,
Gnome de plume, Swarajtushar, 5dollabill, Geosteph,Rajivtinaikar,
KC109, World, TheRedPenOfDoom, Elizium23, Vinodh.vinodh,
SchreiberBike, Zeuspitar, El bot de la dieta, Baabji
tvk,Bakshionkar, Aitias, Mczack26, Lx 121, SoxBot III,
Vinayak.razdan, Editor2020, Wikidas, DumZiBoT, Lucidsubconscious,
XLinkBot,Gnowor, Mitsube, Ism schism, RushiExtreme,
Rohit.b.kachroo, Fairview2008, JinJian, Srirangam99, Maldek,
Jbelanger, Addbot, More-cambe1, Blanche of Kings Lynn,
JudeistheWalrus, Seanmisra, Atethnekos, Thaejas, Ronhjones,
Raghu1691, D0762, CanadianLinuxUser,Download, Om108, Ccacsmss,
Jonoikobangali, Nizil Shah, Names of gods, Tide rolls,
Abhishekkumarwiki, Harharryhar, Ozashraf, Em-peror Genius,
Drockius, Venu Muriki, V hsp, Ben Ben, Nathsmiles, TheSuave, Yobot,
Ptbotgourou, Legobot II, Mcatemad, Yogacharya,Polskais2, Mmxx,
L^BPub, Wikiveer, Vaishnava, AnomieBOT, Jenakarthik, Enigma Blues,
Jim1138, Varunbhandanker, RandomAct,IBW3, Materialscientist, ,
Citation bot, Quebec99, Xqbot, I Feel Tired, 187mania, Rasnaboy,
J04n, ProtectionTagging-Bot, Omnipaedista, .., RibotBOT, Amaury,
Powerprowess, SchnitzelMannGreek, SD5, Dougofborg, FrescoBot,
LucienBOT,WarriorHockey18, NakulKapadia, Cdw1952, Xkluzivmailz,
Mthrandir, Nosedown, RRao 001, Adnan.jsr, , A little
insignicant,Joutbis, Aditya soni, OreL.D, Gandharva95, SpacemanSpi,
Elockid, AhamAtma, Bindul, Jmoral4, CoNaDa, Dazedbythebell,
Skyerise,Dandrake47, Trelawnie, Phearson, Matu94, Thecurran91,
Xdivider, Tanzz, Ingle.atul, TobeBot, Lotje, Harut8, Zaven2,
Poitrine, MrX, Siz-zle Flamb, Robaloblikespie, Cowlibob, Reaper
Eternal, Greendayfan3393, Linguisticgeek, Avedeus, World8115, DARTH
SIDIOUS 2,Rasikapriya00, EmausBot, John of Reading, Cinosaur,
WikitanvirBot, Yt95, Madhusudhan champalal vanik, GoingBatty, V
das, Melakavi-jay, Kkm010, Udaysagar1, Midas02, Bonnabonnabadboy,
Captain Screebo, Eramchander10, Ben Ammi, Moushumiveda, Someone65,
Rc-sprinter123, IGeMiNix, JuTa, Carmichael, Qualities108, Jambolik,
Ajitamanjusri, Riteshkochar, Gezginrocker, Eagleap, TYelliot,
28bot,Helpsome, Kaushal4355, ClueBot NG, Gareth Grith-Jones, Jack
Greenmaven, Pebble101, Lovelywhitefox, NKul, Work2win,
Mel-bourneStar, Joefromrandb, Another Hindu, , Frietjes, Cntras,
Muon, O.Koslowski, Dream of Nyx, Kanishkajamkar, Widr,
Quietsong,Sharanbngr, Adityamadhav83, Rohitranjan2007, Harsimaja,
Commons fair use upload bot (usurped), Helpful Pixie Bot,
Thisthat2011,Curb Chain, Titodutta, Wbm1058, Mugil.chandran,
BG19bot, MKar, Ekanshm, El Monterrey, PhnomPencil, JohnChrysostom,
Avo-catoBot, Anagha Kannath, Tapuu, Radhakrishna-chandra,
Kunjikkuttan, Altar, Joshua Jonathan, Anooj Muljee, DPL bot,
DekaTrix,Dsudhindra, Risingstar12, Nadolski, Rhinomantis88,
Deepakkhann, Achowat, Astros4477, Hg.govind, Bonkers The Clown,
Jack93885,W.D., KATANAGOD, ChrisGualtieri, Mediran, Varhuk126,
Jihadcola, Winkelvi, Rockin It Loud, Magentic Manifestations,
Aman87,Hotmuru, Stallion444, Maurya300, Raghavsan, Ritik18, Luna
Fire, JnanaKarma, ComfyKem, Soulsdone3, Goodmanatheart,
Raphsis,Alkahol, Suman.mondal728, Epicgenius, Greengreengreenred,
FenixFeather, Alan, KD-Singhania, Mynameistheodore,
WIKIPROTECT,Eshwar.om, Iztwoz, Book butter, Agletarang, Msundqvist,
Shivamnk, DavidLeighEllis, Npotnis, CensoredScribe, Manavatha,
Babitaarora,AmruthAnjaly, Truth only 1, Quenhitran, Kunalrks,
Kahtar, Ilango adikal chera, Ashokkashyap, JDiala, Jeevan King,
Bladesmulti, Same-
-
16.2 Images 13
newguy, Krishna.Sanker.1987, Raghav Sharman, BenTheChemist,
Fanatical Footloose Frankensteino, Aditimandavgane11, Taab555,
Hi-manshuatwiki, Rameshnta909, Njol, JaconaFrere, Dialgathoverlord,
Zkala, Mirtuh, MythoEditor, Monkbot, 10mishapanch,
Filedelink-erbot, Prymshbmg, Sam.Scott123, Madhurima13,
Millionmiles101, Pumanis, Pratik Basu tkwbi, Sunainasaraf, Tabby
Parsley, Wayoyo,Ssven2, Ankisur2, EmmaSmith0711, Rahulbh1990,
Skandasol, Greecoroman, Shivam kr. Singh, Ashwin2345, Samuel Sagan,
Brah-madutta, Sam.Scott1234, Shrofshrs, Maygodblessall, Bnbhatta,
Superspysid, My mum vishnu, FourViolas, YaboiLayne,
Bidhanbarabazar,Mytholo, Annonymus2002, Rajkishortripathy,
Grosshigh, Swami tusharananda, Stinkypoopoo369, Highest Religion,
Xman71, HamzaTer-minator, Ankush 89, Indiansjl, KasparBot,
YaDaOcial and Anonymous: 952
16.2 Images File:Angkor_Wat.jpg Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Angkor_Wat.jpg
License: GFDL Contributors:
Own work Original artist: Bjrn Christian Trrissen
File:Avatars.jpg Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Avatars.jpg
License: Public domain Contributors:
Painting from Jaipur, India; in the Victoria and Albert Museum,
London. (site is redesigned, old description is also available in
Britannica"Original artist: the Victoria and Albert Museum
File:Beikthano_(Vishnu)_Nat.jpg Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Beikthano_%28Vishnu%29_Nat.jpg
License: Public domain Contributors: The Thirty Seven Nats, from
Southeast Asia Digital Library Original artist: Temple,
RichardCarnac, Sir
File:Bhagavan_Vishnu.jpg Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Bhagavan_Vishnu.jpg
License: Public do-main Contributors:
http://archive.org/details/mahabharata06ramauoft Original artist:
Ramanarayanadatta astri
File:Devinuwara_Sri_Vishnu_Maha_Devalaya_in_Sri_Lanka.jpg
Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/36/Devinuwara_Sri_Vishnu_Maha_Devalaya_in_Sri_Lanka.jpg
License: Public domain Contributors:Created this work entirely by
myselfOriginal artist:Anuradha Dullewe Wijeyeratne
File:Garudabkkholidayinn0609.jpg Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Garudabkkholidayinn0609.jpg
Li-cense: CC BY 2.0 Contributors: Own work (Own photo) Original
artist: Fotograf / Photographer: Heinrich Damm (User:Hdamm, Hdammat
de.wikipedia.org)
File:God_Vishnu_with_Lakshmi_and_Saraswati.jpg Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/God_Vishnu_with_Lakshmi_and_Saraswati.jpg
License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist:
Sanjay Acharya
File:HinduismSymbol.PNG Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/HinduismSymbol.PNG
License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: Created by Tinette user of
Italian Wikipedia. Original artist: Tinette (talk contribs)
File:Museum_fr_Indische_Kunst_Dahlem_Berlin_Mai_2006_036_2.jpg
Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Museum_f%C3%BCr_Indische_Kunst_Dahlem_Berlin_Mai_2006_036_2.jpg
License: Public domain Contributors:self-made by Gryndor, edited by
Switchercat Original artist: Gryndor
File:Om.svg Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8e/Om.svg License: PD
Contributors:svg created by Rugby471 from a public domain
symbolOriginal artist:Rugby471
File:Panorama_Temple_Ranganatha-Swami.jpg Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Panorama_Temple_Ranganatha-Swami.jpg
License: CC BY-SA 2.0 Contributors: Flickr: Panorama Temple
Ranganatha-Swami Original artist:Patrick MICHAUD
File:Question_book-new.svg Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/99/Question_book-new.svg
License: Cc-by-sa-3.0Contributors:Created from scratch in Adobe
Illustrator. Based on Image:Question book.png created by
User:Equazcion Original artist:Tkgd2007
File:Relief_sculpture_of_the_Hindu_god_Narayana_with_his_consort_Lakshmi_(Lakshminarayana)_in_the_Hoysaleshwara_temple_at_Halebidu.jpg
Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Relief_sculpture_of_the_Hindu_god_Narayana_with_his_consort_Lakshmi_%28Lakshminarayana%29_in_the_Hoysaleshwara_temple_at_Halebidu.jpg
License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist:
en:User:Dineshkannambadi
File:Sri_Padmanabhaswamy_temple.jpg Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Sri_Padmanabhaswamy_temple.jpg
License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: Own work (self photographed)
Original artist: Rainer Haessner
File:Statue_of_Vishnu,_Victoria_and_Albert_Museum,_London,_UK_(IM_127-1927)_-_20090209.jpg
Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Statue_of_Vishnu%2C_Victoria_and_Albert_Museum%2C_London%2C_UK_%28IM_127-1927%29_-_20090209.jpg
License: CC BY 2.5 Contributors: Flickr: Vishnu, photographed by
Forever Wiser (JennyO'Donnell) (Wikipedia Loves Art participant
"Opal_Art_Seekers_4") on 9 February 2009, 14:54. Original artist:
Unknown.
File:Vishnu.jpg Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Vishnu.jpg
License: Public domain Contributors: TheGovernment Museum and Art
Gallery, Chandigarh, Original artist: Unknown
File:VishnuGandhara.JPG Source:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/VishnuGandhara.JPG
License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: ? Original artist: ?
16.3 Content license Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike
3.0
Etymology Sacred texts - Shruti and Smriti ShrutiVaishnava Canon
Vedas Rigveda Three steps
Brahmanas
SmritiVishnu Smriti Bhagavata Purana
Sangam literature Theological attributes Five forms
Relations with deities ShivaLakshmi Garuda
Avatars Beyond Hinduism Sikhism Buddhism Others
Thousand names of Vishnu In popular culture See also References
Further reading External links Text and image sources,
contributors, and licensesTextImagesContent license