Vishnu

Vishnu (Sanskrit, m., विष्णु Visnu, etymology unclear) is one of the most important forms of the divine in Hinduism and already occurs in the Vedas. In Vaishnavism, he is regarded as the manifestation of the Supreme. His Shakti, the feminine side of the Divine thought, Lakshmi, who is considered as his wife is.

Several Puranas report on Vishnu, his incarnations are mentioned among others in the Bhagavata.

Vishnu in the Vedas

In fact, Vishnu is originally a Vedic deity, even if it was used to be subordinate in comparison to today. In the Rigveda, Vishnu appears mainly as a God with cosmic significance. Originally it was probably a god of the sun, light and warmth, set the time on the move, the universe is permeated and extent of the room. He was one of the Adityas, the sons of the goddess Aditi, which was partially as his wife. The Rigveda mentions Vishnu multiple important role in the victim, he was primarily a god of rituals and is also revered as the center and pillar of the universe. He also watched over the victim pillars of the animals. Vishnu was also the creator of the Maya, the primordial power and miraculous power of the Vedic gods, brings forth the world. In three steps ( Trivikrama ), symbolizing rising, peaking and setting of the sun, he measured as a dwarf form, which grew into a giant, the entire room, took all the three worlds ( Triloka ) in possession and made it for men and gods habitable. This dwarf form ( Vamana ) later became the fifth avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism today. With the development of the Vedic epoch of Lord Vishnu went through a tremendous development. In addition to the god Rudra, he is one of the major movers of Hinduism. Over time he became more and more the traditional remit of Indra as a fighter against the " demons " and sustainer of the world.

Trimurti

Vishnu is part of the Trimurti, a very well-known in Hinduism concept of the " three figures ". This consists of three aspects of the divine, which comply with the fundamental principles or forces of the cosmos at:

• Creation: Brahma
• Grade: Vishnu
• Destruction: Shiva

In the Trinity, the tasks are distributed: Vishnu is the divine form of conservation, since he received the Dharma in the sense of a just and humane cosmological order and incarnated for this purpose again and again as an animal or human. Shiva destroys and dissolves, however, to allow a fresh start, while Brahma is responsible for creation. In the Trimurti concept these opposing values ​​are a complementary connection. Unite outside these Trimurti, however, both Vishnu and Shiva all three aspects in one. Also Vishnu can be destructive: The Flying Disc ( chakram ), one of four symbols, he has worked as a destructive weapon.

Also Shiva contains all aspects outside of the Trinity. For those believers who worship him as the Supreme, the Shivaites, he is also regarded as saviors, as the Good, as its name implies. A divine form that combines the aspects of Vishnu and Shiva, Harihara is.

Representation

Vishnu is usually represented with four insignia that he holds in his four hands:

• Discus ( Sudarshana Chakra ) who is thrown into a battle to the enemy
• Conch ( sankha ) on which he blows on several occasions
• Lotus ( padma ), including the symbol of wisdom and purity, because it is clean and bright even in the dirtiest pond
• Mace ( gada ), with whom he fought against the Asuras. On his head he wears a cup-like crown.

Vishnu's mount ( vahana ) is the half- human, half- eagle Garuda multiform. In many representations of it rests on the cosmic serpent Ananta or Shesha.

Other Names

Vishnu carries different - originally part of regional - epithet; the most important or most common are:

• Bhagavan ( = Exalted )
• Hari ( = God, see Harihara )
• Jagannath ( Lord of the world = )
• Mohini ( = female form of Vishnu )
• Narayana ( = Coming out of the water )
• Vaikunthanatha ( = Lord of Paradise )
• Vasudeva ( = God of prosperity )
• Vishvarupa ( = Allgestaltiger )

In the Tamil area Vishnu bears the name Mayon ( " the Dark " ), Tirumal ( " the illustrious Great") or Perumal ("the Great "). The name " Vishnu " appears in the oldest literature ( Sangam corpus ) not once and appears in Tamil only with the increasing influence of the Brahman influenced Hinduism in the second half of the 1st millennium AD as a term for this form of Divine to come into use.

The 10 Avatars ( Dashavatara )

Vishnu manifests itself in a variety of manifestations. To protect the Dharma in the sense of a just and humane cosmological order, he always incarnated when the world order ( Dharma ) threatens to waver on earth. These incarnations are called avatars.

The most famous and important avatars are Rama ( Prince of Ayodhya and hero of the epic Ramayana ) and Krishna.

In the texts about Vishnu's tenth avatar, Kalki says that he would appear at the end of the Kali Yuga, to cleanse the world. Since the 20th century it is therefore not uncommon for followers of Vishnu also worship Jesus Christ, because in the Bible, especially the Book of Revelation (Chapter 19), is of Christ as endzeitllichem judge the speech, which appears on the earth, to judge the world.