GODS and GODDESSES
Vishnu
- Lord of Maintenance - One of the Trinities
One
of the Trinities
Vishnu
- The Lord of
maintenance with
his consort Lakshmi
- Goddess of
wealth
Vishnu is the Lord
of protection, sustenance & maintenance. His consort Lakshmi is the
possessor of wealth, which is a necessity for maintenance. Goddess Lakshmi
represents not only material wealth, but the wealth of grains, courage,
valour, offspring, success, luxurious life, eternal bliss. Vishnu and Lakshmi
thus help the souls introduced into the life cycle by Brahma to survive
in the cycle of life;
Lord Vishnu is also called Nilameghashyamalan
- possessing a complexion the colour of the dark clouds. As proof that
opposites attract, Vishnu's outer appearance is dark while he is associated
with the santha gunam, bringing light & peace to the world.
He rests on the ocean on his bed
of Adisesha (serpent with 1,000 heads). Any time Lord Vishnu sees great
trouble, He takes an avataram to rescue the people from evils. He is all
merciful, ever rushing to serve his devotees.
In the form of Mahavishnu he has
four arms wielding the chakra, conch, lotus & the gadha or mace in
his four arms. Some of the main avatarams of Vishnu are enumerated as the
Dasavataram (10 Incarnations).
Dasavataram
- The story of all the avatarams
Ashtalakshmi temple, Besant Nagar, Chennai
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