Dictionary Of God And Godedesses

Visvamitra 343CENTER(S) OF CULT many sanctuaries throughoutthe subcontinent.ART REFERENCES sculptures generally in bronze;but also in stone. Reliefs.LITERARY SOURCES Rg Veda; Mahabharata andRamayana epics; Puranic literature.Višnu began, according to the Vedas, as a minorcosmic deity imagined striding the sky in threegiant steps—rising, zenith and setting. He wasnever a solar god, but became briefly associatedwith the movements of the sun in the sky.Višnu’s prestige developed with the Epics and ofthe three deities making up the apex of the modernHindu pantheon, he is the most widely worshipedand pre-eminent (see also BRAHMA and ŠIVA). Thekeeper of civilized morality and order. In theMahabharata, he is partly identified with Krsna.According to one Puranic legendary source, Višnuwas created from the left side of the primordial creatorforce. The Puranas also provide complex classificationsfor various aspects of Višnu. His mostfrequent consort is the goddess of fortune, LAKSMI,with whom he is often depicted standing or restingon a lotus. His sacred animal is GARUDA.Višnu is the preserver of the world. He rules realtime, or history, and through the concept of karmahe maintains a moral balance which he correctsoccasionally in the guise of one of his incarnations.He is a chief adversary of YAMA, the god ofthe dead, and has the power to repel death. He isalso closely identified with sacred water or NARA,his presence pervading the Ganges. He is believedto sleep for four months each year, resting on theserpent SESA with a lotus sprouting from his navel,after which he is roused by a special rite.The followers of Višnu are the Vaisnavas andare mainly in the north of India, though thereexists a strong following among the Tamils in thesouth. The Vaisnava caste mark is a V-shaped signidentified with water which has a property ofdescending.Višnu is depicted with many heads or with fourheads, generally with four arms, typically holdinga wide assortment of attributes including conchand prayer wheel. He may also carry a discus,which reflects a destructive aspect, a mace ofauthority and a lotus. Around his neck may bethe sacred stone, the kausrabha, and typically hehas an obvious shock of chest hair.Višnu TrivikramaForm of the god VIŠNU. Hindu (Epic andPuranic). Trivikrama is the transformation into agiant from Višnu’s dwarf avatara VAMANA, inorder to confirm his dominance over the world bycovering it in three huge strides.Visvakarman (architect of the universe)Poorly defined creator god. Hindu (Vedic). Similarto DYAUS PITAR, he is described as the artistof the gods who may be linked or identified withTVASTAR. He evolved, as the son of PRABHASAand Yogasiddha, into an occasional consort of themother goddess SARASVATI.Visvaksena (the all-conquering)Minor god. Hindu (Puranic). The bodyguardand gatekeeper of VIŠNU. Tradition maintainsthat Visvaksena was slain by ŠIVA when herefused the latter an audience with Višnu. Forthis reason he is generally depicted in the formof a skeleton impaled on the trident weaponcarried by Šiva in his aspect of KANKALAMURTI.His attributes include a wheel, club and conchshell.VisvamitraMinor god. Hindu (Puranic). According tolegend, the father of the god NARADA.