by Lord Vishnu – The Protector of Humanity
Lord Vishnu is the protector god among the trimurti. The trimurti or the Hindu Triad comprises of Lord Brahma (the creator or designer of the universe), Vishnu (the protector) and Mahesh (also known as Lord Shiva, the destroyer). He is known by various names and his reincarnations include Lord Narasimha, Parasurama, Lord Rama, Lord Krishna, Balarama. He takes birth in human form from time to time to avert the wrongs and protect his devotees from Adharma (injustice). As stated in various Vedas, Krishna avatar of Vishnu said that he would come again “when injustice prevails over justice, when darkness takes over the light and when people begin to question righteousness.”
The extraordinary appearance of Lord vishnu
He is depicted as a deity with blue coloured skin and a divine aura around him. He is seen with four hands in all his images holding a shankha (conch), gada (mace), padma (lotus) and sudarshan chakra in each of his hand. He is often called the protector as his divine powers diverge in maintaining and preserving the various aspects of life. Rama was incarnated as Vishnu and Hanuman as Shiva. Lord Hanuman was a firm devotee of Rama in Ramayana and in, Vedas, Vishnu is seen worshiping Shiva. Both Shiva and Vishnu worship each other and are devotees of each other. There is an eternal connection between both of them.
Beyond time and space
As described in the Sahasranama and Vishnu Purana; a commentary of Adi Shankara, he is present everywhere and all pervading. The entire universe vests in him and he is not bound by the boundaries of time and space. With his divine powers, he can create unlimited universes and enter within them as Supreme Being.
Wife of Lord Vishnu
The Goddess of Wealth, Lakshmi is the wife of Vishnu and possesses his active energy. She has played the role of his wife in all his incarnations. She is endowed with divine strengths as Vishnu.
The Ultimate
Vishnu is unequaled to any God and possesses the energy to transform the universe. He is one of the triads, which is inseparable. His abode is the highest place where liberated souls reach upon liberation from the material world. He gives shelter to all who seek the divine. His mercy can change the spiritual progress of an individual. He is indirectly worshiped in the entire Hindu majority through his various Avatars.
This system of the life cycle on earth is divided into 4 cycles or Yugas till it comes to an end. According to the Puranabharati, one of the ancient texts, there are ten avatars of Vishnu of which nine have occurred in the past. The tenth is yet to come; it will come in times to come as Kalki and end the Kali Yuga (which is running at present).
Ahead of Hinduism
Lord Vishnu extends its sphere beyond Hinduism and also finds mention in sacred texts of Sikhism, Buddhism and some other religions of the world. He is omnipresent and can reach out to his followers through any medium. He is divine and cannot be comprehended with the help of written texts or merely by reading what has been written about him. He can be realized with meditation and only with a disciplined spiritual approach.
