Lord Vishnu

Lord Vishnu is considered one of the principal deities in Hinduism. He is regarded as the preserver of the universe. In Hinduism, the Trimurti — Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesh (Shiva) — holds special importance, where Brahma is the creator, Lord Shiva is the destroyer, and Lord Vishnu is the preserver. Lord Vishnu’s role is to protect righteousness and maintain balance in the world. Whenever unrighteousness increases on Earth, he incarnates in different forms to protect the universe.

According to the Puranas, Lord Vishnu resides in the Kshira Sagara (Ocean of Milk) upon Sheshnag. Goddess Lakshmi is his divine consort, and she is always seen serving at his feet. Lord Vishnu has four arms, in which he holds the conch (Shankha), discus (Chakra), mace (Gada), and lotus (Padma). The conch symbolizes righteousness and purity, the discus represents power and the destruction of evil, the mace symbolizes strength and protection, and the lotus represents peace and purity.

At one time, oppression and unrighteousness greatly increased on Earth. Evil demons began troubling both gods and humans. The gods prayed to Lord Vishnu for help. Lord Vishnu assured them that he would incarnate from time to time to protect righteousness.

The ten major incarnations of Lord Vishnu are known as the ‘Dashavatara.’ These include Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, and Kalki. The purpose of every incarnation was to protect righteousness and destroy evil.