Vishnu: Difference between revisions

| image = Vishnu Kumartuli Park Sarbojanin Arnab Dutta 2010.JPG

| caption = Statue of Vishnu

God of Time, The Protector of Good, Bestower of [[Karma]]<ref>{{cite book | url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Indian_Civilization_and_Culture/KItocaxbibUC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=vishnu+supreme+being+vaishnavism&pg=PA112&printsec=frontcover | isbn=9788175330832 | title=Indian Civilization and Culture | year=1998 | publisher=M.D. Publications Pvt. }}</ref>

Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within the [[Trimurti]], the [[triple deity]] of [[Para Brahman|supreme divinity]] that includes [[Brahma]] and [[Shiva]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Orlando O. Espín|author2=James B. Nickoloff|title=An Introductory Dictionary of Theology and Religious Studies|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k85JKr1OXcQC&pg=PA539|year=2007|publisher=Liturgical Press|isbn=978-0-8146-5856-7|page=539}}</ref><ref name="Flood 1996, p. 17">[[Gavin Flood]], ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=KpIWhKnYmF0C An Introduction to Hinduism]'' (1996), p. 17.</ref>  In [[Vaishnavism]], Vishnu is the [[Para Brahman|supreme being]] who creates, protects, and transforms the [[Hindu cosmology|universe]]. In the [[Shaktism]] tradition, the Goddess, or [[Adi Shakti]], is described as the supreme [[para brahman|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.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Oxford Companion to World Mythology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iPrhBwAAQBAJ|page=236|author=David Leeming|publisher=Oxford University Press|date=17 November 2005|isbn=978-0190288884}}</ref> He is one of the five equivalent deities in [[Panchayatana puja]] of the [[Smarta tradition]] of Hinduism.<ref name="Flood 1996, p. 17" />

The historic identifiers of his icon include his image holding a conch shell ([[shankha]] named [[Panchajanya]]) between the first two fingers of one hand (left back), a [[chakra]] – war discus named [[Sudarshana]] – in another (right back). The conch shell is spiral and symbolizes all of interconnected spiraling cyclic existence, while the discus symbolizes him as that which restores dharma with war if necessary when cosmic equilibrium is overwhelmed by evil.<ref name="KossakWatts2001p30"/> One of his arms sometimes carries a ''gada'' (club, mace named [[Kaumodaki]]) which symbolizes authority and power of knowledge.<ref name="KossakWatts2001p30"/> In the fourth arm, he holds a lotus flower (''[[Padma (Vishnu)|padma]]'') which symbolizes purity and transcendence.<ref name="KossakWatts2001p30">{{cite book|author1=Steven Kossak|author2=Edith Whitney Watts|title=The Art of South and Southeast Asia: A Resource for Educators |year= 2001 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=orBAYzCRJhIC |publisher= Metropolitan Museum of Art|isbn= 978-0-87099-992-5|pages= 30–31, 16, 25, 40–41, 74–78, 106–108}}</ref><ref name="Rao1993p73">{{cite book|author=T. A. Gopinatha Rao|title=Elements of Hindu iconography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MJD-KresBwIC|year=1993|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0878-2|pages=73–115}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=James G. Lochtefeld|title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism|year=2002|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group|pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=5kl0DYIjUPgC&pg=PA137 137], 231 (Vol. 1), 624 (Vol. 2)}}<br />{{*}}{{cite book|title=Vol. 1|isbn=978-0-8239-3179-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5kl0DYIjUPgC|via=Google Books|last1=James g. Lochtefeld |first1=Ph. D. |date=15 December 2001 }}<br />{{*}}{{cite book|title=Vol. 2|isbn= 978-0-8239-2287-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedencyc0000loch |url-access=registration |via=Internet Archive|last1= Lochtefeld |first1= James G. |year= 2002 }}</ref> The items he holds in various hands varies, giving rise to twenty four combinations of iconography, each combination representing a special form of Vishnu. Each of these special forms is given a special name in texts such as the ''Agni Purana'' and ''Padma Purana''. These texts, however, are inconsistent.<ref name=bidyabinod>P.B.B. Bidyabinod, Varieties of the Vishnu Image, Memoirs of Archaeological Survey of India, No. 2, Calcutta, pages 23-33</ref> Rarely, Vishnu is depicted bearing the bow [[Sharanga]] or the sword [[Nandaka]]. He is depicted with the [[Kaustubha]] gem in a necklace and wearing [[Vaijayanti]], a garland of forest flowers. The [[shrivatsa]] mark is depicted on his chest in the form of a curl of hair. He generally wears yellow garments. He wears a crown called the [[Kiritamukuta]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Blurton |first=T. Richard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xJ-lzU_nj_MC&dq=kiritamukuta&pg=PA114 |title=Hindu Art |date=1993 |publisher=Harvard University Press |isbn=978-0-674-39189-5 |pages=114 |language=en}}</ref>

[[File:Gwk.jpg|thumb|270px|Statue of Vishnu riding Garuda in [[Garuda Wisnu Kencana]], [[Bali]], [[Indonesia]]]]

In Javanese mythology, Wisnu also incarnated as a matsya ([[fish]]) to kill the giant Hargragiwa who stole the [[Veda]]. Become Narasingha (human with a tiger head) to destroy King [[Hiranyakashipu]]. He once intended to become a Wimana ([[dwarf (folklore)|dwarf]]) to defeat Ditya Bali. Batara Wisnu also incarnated in Ramaparasu to destroy gandarwa. Incarnated as Arjunasasra or Arjunawijaya to defeat King Rahwana. The last one was for King Krishna to become the great Pandavas parampara or advisor to get rid of greed and evil committed by the [[Kauravas]].

===List of temples===

#[[Divya Desam|108 Divya Desams]]

#[[Venkateswara Temple]]

#[[Padmanabhaswamy Temple]]

#[[Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam]]

#[[Jagannath Temple, Puri]]

#[[Badrinath Temple]]

#[[List of Swaminarayan temples|Swaminarayan temples]]

#[[Angkor Wat]] , Cambodia

#[[Laxminarayan Temple|Birla Mandir]]

#[[Dashavatara Temple, Deogarh]]

#[[Pundarikakshan Perumal Temple]]

#[[Kallalagar temple|Kallalagar temple , Madurai]]