hindu god vishnu, the preserver...hindu god vishnu, the preserver vishnu is part of the holy trinity...
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Hindu God Vishnu, the Preserver
Vishnu is part of the holy trinity of gods in Hinduism along with Brahma and Shiva. Image from Wikimedia.
Vishnu is one of the most important gods in the Hindu religion. Along with Brahma and Shiva,
Vishnu is considered a member of the holy trinity (trimurti) of Hindu gods. To illustrate Vishnu's
importance, Brahma is, in some stories, considered to have been born from a lotus flower
which grew from Vishnu's navel.
Vishnu is the Preserver and guardian of men, he protects the order of things (dharma). He was
married to Lakshmi, the goddess of good fortune; Sarawati, the goddess of wisdom; and
Ganga, the goddess who is the personification of the River Ganges. However, unable to live
with the quarrels between his three wives, Vishnu eventually sent Ganga to Shiva and
Sarawati to Brahma. He is considered to live in the city of Vaikuntha on Mount Meru, where
everything is made of shining gold and jewels and where there are lakes covered with lotus
flowers.
Vishnu has 10 avatars, or forms on Earth, which are people, animals or a mix of both. He is
Buddha, the heroes Krishna, Rama and Parashurama, Nara-Simha or Narasimba (the man-
lion), Vamana (the dwarf), Matsya (the fish), Kurma (the tortoise) and Varaha (the boar).
Ultimately, Vishnu will be Kalki, who will appear when the world ends, riding a white horse and
announcing the start of a new golden age.
By Ancient History Encyclopedia, adapted by Newsela staff on 09.13.17
Word Count 1,182
Level 1110L
This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1
Vishnu is involved in a number of colorful stories which illustrate his role as the protector of
order.
Churning the ocean
In the Baghavata-Purana, a collection of stories, Vishnu is credited with giving all the other
gods the gift of everlasting life. The story goes that the gods wanted to churn up the ocean of
milk in order to create a nectar. This nectar would give its drinker eternal life.
To mix the ocean, they decided to use the holy Mount Mandara as a churning stick. They
turned the giant serpent Vasuki into a rope and wrapped it around the mountain, with one end
being pulled by Demons and the other by the gods themselves. However, neither group could
handle such a weight, so they called for Vishnu to help. Vishnu took the form of Kurma, the
giant tortoise, and was able to support the mountain on top of his shell.
Thanks to Vishnu, the nectar finally was created from the foaming sea, but the Demons tried to
make off with it. Fortunately, Vishnu swooped in, taking the form of the beautiful Maya to
distract the Demons. When they gave up the nectar, Vishnu took it and graciously gave it to
the gods, allowing them the chance to live forever.
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The fish Matsya
Another story tells of a great flood that once covered the Earth. Manu, a wise sage, was
washing in a river one day when a small fish suddenly jumped into his hand. About to throw
the fish back into the water, he was stopped by the pleadings of the fish, who was afraid of the
monsters that might eat him. Manu, therefore, kept the fish in a small bowl, but overnight the
fish grew bigger and had to be moved to a jar. Still, the fish kept growing, and when it reached
a huge size Manu was forced to put it into the sea.
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The fish then told him a prophecy that, in seven days, there would be a great flood. It said that
Manu didn't have to worry about this catastrophe, as the fish would send him a large boat that
would let him escape unharmed. The fish instructed Manu to fill the boat with pairs of all the
creatures of the world and seeds of all the plants on Earth. During the flood, he was to tie his
boat to the fish by using a giant snake called Vasuki.
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After some time, just as the fish had predicted, the ocean slowly rose up and flooded the
world. Vishnu then reappeared on the scene as the gigantic fish, this time with golden scales
and a single horn, and carrying a ship for Manu. He promptly boarded with his vast collection
of animals and so, by surviving the flood, became the founder of the human race.
The Legend of the Three Steps
One of the more famous episodes involving the god in this second phase of the world is the
Legend of the Three Steps. In the battle between gods and giants for control of the world, the
giants were winning, so the gods asked Vishnu to confront the giant warrior Bali. Before doing
so, Vishnu took the form of a dwarf Brahman, or priest, called Vamana.
Vishnu offered a compromise. He said that if the fighting stopped, the gods would settle for a
small territory covered by three of Vamana’s steps, while the giants could have the rest of the
universe. Looking at the small legs of the dwarf, this seemed like a good bargain and so Bali
agreed. The giants did not know that the dwarf was secretly a great god.
With his first step, Vamana cleared the sky, with the second the Earth and, with his final step,
he took the Underworld, thus leaving nothing for the poor giants. Since Vishnu is often
associated with the sun, the story may also represent the three movements of the sun: when it
rises, when it reaches its peak or zenith, and when it sets.
In another legend, Vishnu also appeared as Krishna, the great hero. Also called the ''Black
Prince,'' Krishna was raised in the forests by the shepherd Nanda and his wife. He often
displayed his holy powers by performing amazing feats of strength and killing many demons
and monsters. However, this happy existence came to an abrupt end when his mother cursed
her son for not having joined a great battle between the warring families of the Kurus and
Pandus. Although Krishna was, in fact, present at the Battle of Kurukshetra, his mother had
not seen him.
One day, while Krishna was meditating peacefully, a hunter accidentally struck him with an
arrow, which hit his one weak spot - his heel. It was said that to mark such a sad end to such a
popular figure, even the sun itself died with him.
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In Hindu art, Vishnu is portrayed differently depending on the culture. He is most often shown
colored blue and sometimes rides Garuda, a gigantic half-man, half-bird creature which
devours snakes. On occasion, the god sleeps on the giant snake Sesha, whose seven heads
form a canopy over him.
His weapon is the Sudarsanacakra, a round disc with a thousand spokes. It is perhaps a
symbol of the wheel of time, or the sun. He usually has four hands, and often holds various
objects in them, such as a conch shell trumpet which sounds the Creation, a sword, which
represents strength, and a lotus, representing freedom and the beauty of life.
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Quiz
1 Read the list of sentences from the article.
1. Along with Brahma and Shiva, Vishnu is considered a member ofthe holy trinity (trimurti) of Hindu gods.
2. He was married to Lakshmi, the goddess of good fortune;Sarawati, the goddess of wisdom; and Ganga, the goddess whois the personification of the River Ganges.
3. Vishnu is involved in a number of colorful stories which illustratehis role as the protector of order.
4. Since Vishnu is often associated with the sun, the story may alsorepresent the three movements of the sun: when it rises, when itreaches its peak or zenith, and when it sets.
Which two sentences taken together provide the BEST evidence to support the idea that Vishnu is
a very important god in the Hindu religion?
(A) 1 and 2
(B) 2 and 3
(C) 1 and 3
(D) 3 and 4
2 Read the sentence from the introduction [paragraphs 1-4].
Vishnu has 10 avatars, or forms on Earth, which are people, animalsor a mix of both.
All of the following sentences from the article support the idea above EXCEPT:
(A) In the Baghavata-Purana, a collection of stories, Vishnu is credited with giving
all the other gods the gift of everlasting life.
(B) Vishnu took the form of Kurma, the giant tortoise, and was able to support the
mountain on top of his shell.
(C) Vishnu then reappeared on the scene as the gigantic fish, this time with golden
scales and a single horn, and carrying a ship for Manu.
(D) Before doing so, Vishnu took the form of a dwarf Brahman, or priest, called
Vamana.
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3 Read the following paragraph from the section "Portrayal in art."
His weapon is the Sudarsanacakra, a round disc with a thousandspokes. It is perhaps a symbol of the wheel of time, or the sun. Heusually has four hands, and often holds various objects in them, suchas a conch shell trumpet which sounds the Creation, a sword, whichrepresents strength, and a lotus, representing freedom and the beautyof life.
WHY does the author include this paragraph in the article?
(A) to explain why Vishnu gave birth to Brahma, another important god in the Hindu
religion
(B) to prove that people practicing the Hindu religion today still respect and believe
in Vishnu
(C) to share another interesting story of how Vishnu is the protector of all things in
the Hindu religion
(D) to emphasize how people in the Hindu religion see Vishnu as an all-powerful
and important god
4 WHY does the author include the various legends about Vishnu?
(A) to prove to readers that Vishnu was deserving of his title in the Hindu religion
(B) to entertain readers with some of the best tales about Vishnu in the Hindu
religion
(C) to explain to readers why Vishnu was the most important of the holy trinity of
Hindu gods
(D) to show readers how Vishnu was believed to be a guardian and protector in the
Hindu religion
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