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Hindu God: Vishnu
Background and History
- Hinduism is an ancient religion from India. Hinduism believes in a variety of gods, many of which are often in contention with one another for power over regions of the universe. Each ''God'' has different physical features and different powers and tasks to perform which are explained in the mythologies of India. Many of the Hindu gods date back several thousand years while others, which are said to be manifestations of other gods or newly created gods entirely, are more modern. Vishnu is one of these Hindu ''Gods''.
- Vishnu is one of the oldest gods in Hinduism. He appears in the earliest sacred texts, called the Vedas, composed circa 1000 BCE. Vishnu has grown in importance within the pantheon of Hindu society since then. In the first few centuries of the Common Era (c. 200-500 CE), Vishnu started to become central to the core religious beliefs amongst many Hindus in north and south India. Unlike the earlier centuries, during this period Vishnu took on new qualities and characteristics as new religious literature was composed. It was then that Vishnu became the god known today: the preserver of the universe. Previously, Vishnu was a companion god who was one of many. Eventually, Vishnu became one of the three most important gods because of his role in preserving the earth and the rest of the cosmos.
- Vishnu preserves the universe by taking a direct role in the lives of his devotees. Vishnu incarnates, or descends from the heavens, into the body of an animal or even a man in order to prevent catastrophe or assist in eliminating evil forces from the world. As the preserver and lord of the universe, Vishnu came to be associated with many warlike characteristics, something not previously given to him in the religious literature like the Vedas, which are considered to be divinely inspired. In each of his 10 main bodily incarnations in the world either save the world through heroic acts, eliminate evil forces, or cultivate wisdom to give directly to humanity so that they may find the path of righteousness. Some of his incarnations are worshiped as individual deities themselves.
- One such incarnation is King Rama, whose story is known in the epic story called the Ramayana. King Rama successfully recovers his kidnapped wife from the demon king of Lanka, Ravana, and takes his place as lord of the virtuous kingdom in India. Another incarnation is the great fish who saves Manu, the first human, from a giant flood that will engulf the whole world. Yet another and extremely famous incarnation of Vishnu, is the Buddha. As Buddhism gradually became one of the most powerful religions in ancient India, Hinduism fought back by incorporating the Buddha into Hindu mythology. As such, the teachings of the Buddha, according to devout Hindus, are either secretly sacred knowledge of the universe, or, according to others, deliberately deceiving teachings in order to point humanity back towards the teachings found in canonical Hinduism.
Role in Hindu Society
- All of the incarnations of Vishnu may be worshiped individually. Each represents one particular quality or another. For instance, King Rama is the embodiment of dharma, or righteousness, both in how he governs his kingdom and in how he combats and defeats evil. Further, in addition to being the ideal King, Rama is viewed as the ideal son for mothers, the ideal husband for wives, and the ideal brother for siblings. Like Rama, another famous incarnation of Vishnu, Krishna, represents some important qualities of Hinduism and in ancient and modern Hindu society in general.
- Lord Krishna has thousands of tales dedicated to only his heroic and philosophical acts. Two important events illustrate Krishna’s importance.
- The first is Krishna’s fame derived from killing Kamsa, an usurper to the Kingdom in Mathura, located near present day Delhi. Krishna satisfied the gods by killing Kamsa, a demon. The other event is told in the famous poem The Bhagavad-Gita. In this story, Krishna is the advisor to Arjuna, a prince who is on the battlefield of Kurukshetra facing his cousins to decide the fate of all of India. Krishna advises Arjuna to fight, as it is his duty, being born as the perfect human warrior. Krishna also reveals his true form as the one singular God to Arjuna. All facets of the cosmos are actually part of Krishna just as all other gods are part of Krishna and are, in fact, all essentially Vishnu, of whom Krishna is just an incarnation.
Worshipers
- Devotees of Vishnu are called Vaishnavas, literally meaning “followers of Vishnu.” This term also applies to those who worship Krishna, the Buddha, or King Rama as their primary or favorite deity. Vishnu is identified usually by being blue with a crown and four arms. In each of the four arms is a hand holding important items. One is a mace, used for warfare against evil. Next is a lotus, then a conch which, when blown, alludes to the upcoming death of a demon, and then finally a discus, which is considered to be the ultimate weapon against evil. This image of Vishnu is often depicted in illustrations. As a murti, or statue, Vishnu is typically just standing by himself.
- To worship Vishnu, devotees will make offerings and recite prayers or mantras. Since Vishnu preserves the universe, he is one of the three most important Hindu deities. Often in the modern world he alternates with Shiva as the most powerful and most significant. Both have nearly an equal number of followers, although worshiping one or the other does not prevent one from worshiping the other at a different or even the same time.
- To summarize: Vishnu has a long history in Hinduism and embodies many characteristics. His main features are his preservation of the universe through his incarnations that save or illuminate the world, and his ability to create life and boons for his devotees. In his various forms, he represents a plethora of other features, such as embodying the ideal human, the ideal advisor, spiritual teacher, or warrior.
- source--http://www.asiasworld.net/
