Hindu God Vishnu, the Preserver

Vishnu is part of the holy trinity of gods in Hinduism along with Brahma and Shiva. Image from Wikimedia.

Vishnu is one of the most important gods in the Hindu religion. Along with Brahma and Shiva,

Vishnu is considered a member of the holy trinity (trimurti) of Hindu gods. To illustrate Vishnu's

importance, Brahma is, in some stories, considered to have been born from a lotus flower

which grew from Vishnu's navel.

Vishnu is the Preserver and guardian of men, he protects the order of things (dharma). He was

married to Lakshmi, the goddess of good fortune; Sarawati, the goddess of wisdom; and

Ganga, the goddess who is the personification of the River Ganges. However, unable to live

with the quarrels between his three wives, Vishnu eventually sent Ganga to Shiva and

Sarawati to Brahma. He is considered to live in the city of Vaikuntha on Mount Meru, where

everything is made of shining gold and jewels and where there are lakes covered with lotus

flowers.

Vishnu has 10 avatars, or forms on Earth, which are people, animals or a mix of both. He is

Buddha, the heroes Krishna, Rama and Parashurama, Nara-Simha or Narasimba (the man-

lion), Vamana (the dwarf), Matsya (the fish), Kurma (the tortoise) and Varaha (the boar).

Ultimately, Vishnu will be Kalki, who will appear when the world ends, riding a white horse and

announcing the start of a new golden age.

By Ancient History Encyclopedia, adapted by Newsela staff on 09.13.17

Word Count 1,182

Level 1110L

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Vishnu is involved in a number of colorful stories which illustrate his role as the protector of

order.

Churning the ocean

In the Baghavata-Purana, a collection of stories, Vishnu is credited with giving all the other

gods the gift of everlasting life. The story goes that the gods wanted to churn up the ocean of

milk in order to create a nectar. This nectar would give its drinker eternal life.

To mix the ocean, they decided to use the holy Mount Mandara as a churning stick. They

turned the giant serpent Vasuki into a rope and wrapped it around the mountain, with one end

being pulled by Demons and the other by the gods themselves. However, neither group could

handle such a weight, so they called for Vishnu to help. Vishnu took the form of Kurma, the

giant tortoise, and was able to support the mountain on top of his shell.

Thanks to Vishnu, the nectar finally was created from the foaming sea, but the Demons tried to

make off with it. Fortunately, Vishnu swooped in, taking the form of the beautiful Maya to

distract the Demons. When they gave up the nectar, Vishnu took it and graciously gave it to

the gods, allowing them the chance to live forever.

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The fish Matsya

Another story tells of a great flood that once covered the Earth. Manu, a wise sage, was

washing in a river one day when a small fish suddenly jumped into his hand. About to throw

the fish back into the water, he was stopped by the pleadings of the fish, who was afraid of the

monsters that might eat him. Manu, therefore, kept the fish in a small bowl, but overnight the

fish grew bigger and had to be moved to a jar. Still, the fish kept growing, and when it reached

a huge size Manu was forced to put it into the sea.

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The fish then told him a prophecy that, in seven days, there would be a great flood. It said that

Manu didn't have to worry about this catastrophe, as the fish would send him a large boat that

would let him escape unharmed. The fish instructed Manu to fill the boat with pairs of all the

creatures of the world and seeds of all the plants on Earth. During the flood, he was to tie his

boat to the fish by using a giant snake called Vasuki.

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After some time, just as the fish had predicted, the ocean slowly rose up and flooded the

world. Vishnu then reappeared on the scene as the gigantic fish, this time with golden scales

and a single horn, and carrying a ship for Manu. He promptly boarded with his vast collection

of animals and so, by surviving the flood, became the founder of the human race.

The Legend of the Three Steps

One of the more famous episodes involving the god in this second phase of the world is the

Legend of the Three Steps. In the battle between gods and giants for control of the world, the

giants were winning, so the gods asked Vishnu to confront the giant warrior Bali. Before doing

so, Vishnu took the form of a dwarf Brahman, or priest, called Vamana.

Vishnu offered a compromise. He said that if the fighting stopped, the gods would settle for a

small territory covered by three of Vamana’s steps, while the giants could have the rest of the

universe. Looking at the small legs of the dwarf, this seemed like a good bargain and so Bali

agreed. The giants did not know that the dwarf was secretly a great god.

With his first step, Vamana cleared the sky, with the second the Earth and, with his final step,

he took the Underworld, thus leaving nothing for the poor giants. Since Vishnu is often

associated with the sun, the story may also represent the three movements of the sun: when it

rises, when it reaches its peak or zenith, and when it sets.

In another legend, Vishnu also appeared as Krishna, the great hero. Also called the ''Black

Prince,'' Krishna was raised in the forests by the shepherd Nanda and his wife. He often

displayed his holy powers by performing amazing feats of strength and killing many demons

and monsters. However, this happy existence came to an abrupt end when his mother cursed

her son for not having joined a great battle between the warring families of the Kurus and

Pandus. Although Krishna was, in fact, present at the Battle of Kurukshetra, his mother had

not seen him.

One day, while Krishna was meditating peacefully, a hunter accidentally struck him with an

arrow, which hit his one weak spot - his heel. It was said that to mark such a sad end to such a

popular figure, even the sun itself died with him.

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Portrayal in art

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In Hindu art, Vishnu is portrayed differently depending on the culture. He is most often shown

colored blue and sometimes rides Garuda, a gigantic half-man, half-bird creature which

devours snakes. On occasion, the god sleeps on the giant snake Sesha, whose seven heads

form a canopy over him.

His weapon is the Sudarsanacakra, a round disc with a thousand spokes. It is perhaps a

symbol of the wheel of time, or the sun. He usually has four hands, and often holds various

objects in them, such as a conch shell trumpet which sounds the Creation, a sword, which

represents strength, and a lotus, representing freedom and the beauty of life.

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Quiz

1 Read the list of sentences from the article.

1. Along with Brahma and Shiva, Vishnu is considered a member ofthe holy trinity (trimurti) of Hindu gods.

2. He was married to Lakshmi, the goddess of good fortune;Sarawati, the goddess of wisdom; and Ganga, the goddess whois the personification of the River Ganges.

3. Vishnu is involved in a number of colorful stories which illustratehis role as the protector of order.

4. Since Vishnu is often associated with the sun, the story may alsorepresent the three movements of the sun: when it rises, when itreaches its peak or zenith, and when it sets.

Which two sentences taken together provide the BEST evidence to support the idea that Vishnu is

a very important god in the Hindu religion?

(A) 1 and 2

(B) 2 and 3

(C) 1 and 3

(D) 3 and 4

2 Read the sentence from the introduction [paragraphs 1-4].

Vishnu has 10 avatars, or forms on Earth, which are people, animalsor a mix of both.

All of the following sentences from the article support the idea above EXCEPT:

(A) In the Baghavata-Purana, a collection of stories, Vishnu is credited with giving

all the other gods the gift of everlasting life.

(B) Vishnu took the form of Kurma, the giant tortoise, and was able to support the

mountain on top of his shell.

(C) Vishnu then reappeared on the scene as the gigantic fish, this time with golden

scales and a single horn, and carrying a ship for Manu.

(D) Before doing so, Vishnu took the form of a dwarf Brahman, or priest, called

Vamana.

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3 Read the following paragraph from the section "Portrayal in art."

His weapon is the Sudarsanacakra, a round disc with a thousandspokes. It is perhaps a symbol of the wheel of time, or the sun. Heusually has four hands, and often holds various objects in them, suchas a conch shell trumpet which sounds the Creation, a sword, whichrepresents strength, and a lotus, representing freedom and the beautyof life.

WHY does the author include this paragraph in the article?

(A) to explain why Vishnu gave birth to Brahma, another important god in the Hindu

religion

(B) to prove that people practicing the Hindu religion today still respect and believe

in Vishnu

(C) to share another interesting story of how Vishnu is the protector of all things in

the Hindu religion

(D) to emphasize how people in the Hindu religion see Vishnu as an all-powerful

and important god

4 WHY does the author include the various legends about Vishnu?

(A) to prove to readers that Vishnu was deserving of his title in the Hindu religion

(B) to entertain readers with some of the best tales about Vishnu in the Hindu

religion

(C) to explain to readers why Vishnu was the most important of the holy trinity of

Hindu gods

(D) to show readers how Vishnu was believed to be a guardian and protector in the

Hindu religion

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