The Preserver of Life, Lord Vishnu
One third of the famous Hindu Trinity, Lord Vishnu is known to be the "Preserver of Life".
One third of the famous Hindu Trinity, Lord Vishnu is known to be the "Preserver of Life". The other two would be Brahma, the Creator and Shiva, the destroyer. He has firm principles of truth, righteousness and order and whenever these values are threatened, he would materialize from his divine existence to bring back order to earth.
He has 10 earthy incarnations or avatars. These are Matsyavatara, the fish; Koorma, the turtle; Varaaha, the boar; Narasimha, man lion; Vaamana, the dwarf; Parasumra, angry man; Rama, the perfect human form; Krishna, the divine statesman and diplomat and the tenth avatar is still to appear on earth on the "Age of Decline" which Hindus believe is yet to come. Usually, he would be portrayed with dark features, which is the color of formless and passive ether. Like other Hindu gods, he also has four hands.
On one of his hands, he holds a sankha or a conch shell with a milky white color and a chakra. This signifies the progression of time and a deadly weapon he uses to counter blasphemy. There is also the legendary Sudarshana Chakra which is seen spinning upon an index finger. He would also hold a padma or a lotus that symbolizes his glorious existence and a gada or mace on his forth hand, which implies punishment for unruliness. He has a sword which is called Nandaka and a bow, Sarnga.
Lord Vishnu is also known to be the god of truth and preserves cosmic order. On his navel grows the Padmanbham or a lotus which holds the god of creation, Brahma, and the Rajoguna which is the epitome of royal virtues. In his peaceful form, he rejects royal benefits through his navel and sits on the "Sheshnag" that represents vices or Tamoguna. This makes him Lord of Satoguna or the integrity of truth and the Lord of peace. There are many paintings or figures that show him sitting on a snake. This simply means that one should always be patient and calm when worries and fear come their way.
His mount is the king of birds, Garuda, who is an eagle. This creature powered with speed and courage to spread the wisdom of Vedas and shows fearlessness during calamity. Lord Vishnu comes with other names like Hari or Narayana. Goddess Lakshmi is his consort and the deity of beauty and wealth.
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Source - The Preserver of Life, Lord Vishnu - jacob jay
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