Vishnu and His avatars are one of the most popular forms of
Supreme Truth worshipped in Hinduism. Hindu God Vishnu is a living god. Understanding
Lord Vishnu is easy for a bhakta or devotee but he is a puzzle for the scholar
and the non-believer. He continuously makes His presence felt in the world
through His avatars. Puranas, Mahabharata and Ramayana are full of stories of
Vishnu.
‘The world originated from Vishnu; it is in Him that the world exists as a harmonious system; He is the sole sustainer and controller of the world, and in truth, the world is He.’ (Vishnu Purana I, i, 35)
- Vishnu, also known as Narayana, is mentioned in the Rig Veda, the earliest of the known Hindu scriptures.
- The Supreme Truth in whom the universe appears and disappears is not easy to fathom for a common mind. Vishnu is the easily understandable and the most approachable face of the Supreme Truth in Hinduism.
- Avatars of Vishnu are more popular than Him – like Sri Ram and Sri Krishna.
- Bhakti or devotion is of great importance in the worship of Vishnu. Thus, we have innumerable Bhakti cults that have developed around the avatars of Vishnu.
- The title of ‘only preserver’ is wrongly attributed to Vishnu by scholars with little or no knowledge of the true concept of Hinduism.
- Some of the most popular Hindu temples in the world are dedicated to Vishnu or one of his avatars.
- Bhagavad Gita is the direct teaching of Vishnu through his avatar Krishna.
- The Hindu scripture that is exclusively dedicated to Lord Vishnu is the Srimad Bhagavad Purana.
- Jagannath, Venkateswara, Guruvayoor Appan, Ranganatha, Vitthal, Shrinathji, Badrinath…all are His forms. Self-realization is seeing Vishnu in all animate and inanimate.
- The world is not linear but cyclic in Hinduism. When Adharma flourishes, things become unbearable in the world. Vishnu then takes an avatar to preserve Dharma.
- Vishnu is a highly personal God. Bhakti or devotion of a devotee can make Him appear. He takes the form in which His devotee wants to see Him. Thus he can appear as son, friend, brother, lover, husband, enemy…
- Innumerable are the incarnations of Vishnu in the universe. Humans have only recorded a very of them. Among the very few, 10 are more famous. They are:
- Fish (Matsya)
- Kurma (Tortoise)
- Boar (Varaha)
- Narasimha (Man-lion)
- Vamana (dwarf)
- Parashurama (the forest dweller with an axe)
- Ramachandra (Rama with the Bow)
- Krishna (Human mind cannot capture Him in words)
- Buddha (appeared to wipe out ignorance)
- Kalki (Future incarnation – that will put an end to the present cycle of creation)