The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hindusim vol 2
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Vishnuchittar<br />
760<br />
usually because <strong>of</strong> a demon grown disproportionately<br />
strong. <strong>The</strong>re are ten<br />
generally reckoned avatars. <strong>The</strong> first<br />
four are in nonhuman forms: the Fish<br />
avatar, Tortoise avatar, Boar avatar,<br />
and Man-Lion avatar. <strong>The</strong> other six are<br />
in human form, <strong>of</strong>ten as sages or heroes:<br />
Vamana avatar, Parashuram avatar,<br />
Rama avatar, Krishna avatar, Buddha<br />
avatar, and Kalki avatar; the last has yet<br />
to come. In each <strong>of</strong> these cases, Vishnu<br />
takes form to avert some sort <strong>of</strong> disaster<br />
and to maintain the integrity <strong>of</strong> the cosmos.<br />
<strong>The</strong> doctrine <strong>of</strong> the avatars provided<br />
a mechanism to assimilate existing<br />
deities into the larger pantheon and to<br />
give them recognizable status <strong>of</strong> their<br />
own. Although most <strong>of</strong> the avatars are<br />
no longer objects <strong>of</strong> worship (the Boar<br />
and Man-Lion avatars each had a substantial<br />
following early in the common<br />
era), in much <strong>of</strong> northern India the worship<br />
<strong>of</strong> Rama and Krishna has largely<br />
eclipsed that <strong>of</strong> Vishnu himself, who<br />
has largely faded into the background.<br />
In southern India, Vishnu is still<br />
an important object <strong>of</strong> worship, particularly<br />
in the Shrivaishnava community.<br />
Aside from the doctrine <strong>of</strong> the avatars,<br />
important local deities have also been<br />
assimilated into the pantheon as forms<br />
<strong>of</strong> Vishnu; the most significant<br />
examples are Jagannath, Venkateshvara,<br />
and Vithoba.<br />
In medieval Hinduism sectarian<br />
rivalry developed between Vaishnavas<br />
and Shaivas, with each claiming that<br />
their chosen deity (Vishnu and Shiva,<br />
respectively) was supreme. Although<br />
Vaishnavas see Vishnu as the supreme<br />
power in the universe, his mythic character<br />
and activity differ sharply from<br />
Shiva’s. Whereas Shiva is associated with<br />
ascetic life and practices (tapas), and<br />
thus with the religious power generated<br />
by such practices, Vishnu’s headdress is<br />
a crown, and his persona is that <strong>of</strong> an allruling<br />
king. Whereas Shiva destroys his<br />
mythic adversaries using raw power,<br />
from which all subtlety is absent, Vishnu<br />
more <strong>of</strong>ten triumphs through cunning,<br />
cleverness, and trickery. Each deity’s<br />
adherents affirm their divinity as the<br />
preeminent power in the universe, from<br />
which all the other gods gain their<br />
power, and both are seen as gracious<br />
and loving to their devotees (bhakta).<br />
Vishnuchittar<br />
An epithet <strong>of</strong> the Alvar poet-saint<br />
Periyalvar. <strong>The</strong> Alvars were a group<br />
<strong>of</strong> twelve poet-saints who lived in southern<br />
India between the seventh and tenth<br />
centuries. All the Alvars were devotees<br />
(bhakta) <strong>of</strong> the god Vishnu, and<br />
their stress on passionate devotion<br />
(bhakti) to a personal god, conveyed<br />
through hymns sung in the Tamil<br />
language, transformed Hindu religious<br />
life. See Periyalvar.<br />
Vishnu Purana<br />
One <strong>of</strong> the eighteen traditional puranas,<br />
which were an important genre <strong>of</strong> smrti<br />
texts, and the repository <strong>of</strong> much <strong>of</strong> traditional<br />
Indian mythology. <strong>The</strong> smrtis or<br />
“remembered” texts were a class <strong>of</strong> literature<br />
that although deemed important,<br />
were considered less authoritative than<br />
the shrutis or “heard” texts. In brief, the<br />
shrutis denoted the Vedas, the oldest<br />
and most authoritative Hindu religious<br />
texts, whereas the smrtis included the<br />
Mahabharata and the Ramayana, the<br />
dharma literature, the Bhagavad Gita,<br />
and the puranas. <strong>The</strong> puranas are compendia<br />
<strong>of</strong> all types <strong>of</strong> sacred lore, from<br />
mythic tales to ritual instruction to exaltation<br />
<strong>of</strong> various sacred sites (tirthas)<br />
and actions. Most <strong>of</strong> the puranas are<br />
highly sectarian, and as this one’s name<br />
clearly shows, it is focused on the worship<br />
<strong>of</strong> Vishnu. It gives an exhaustive<br />
account <strong>of</strong> Vishnu’s mythic deeds—<br />
many <strong>of</strong> which have become the common<br />
mythic currency for many<br />
traditional Hindus—as well as instructions<br />
for how, where, and when Vishnu<br />
is to be worshiped.<br />
Vishnuswami<br />
(“[He whose] Lord is Vishnu”)<br />
According to tradition, the founder <strong>of</strong><br />
the Rudra Sampraday <strong>of</strong> the Vaishnava