Essay on Lord Vishnu

Lord Vishnu is one of the three elements in Hindu trinity- The Protector. The name Vishnu implies ‘Giver and Provider’ of the essential things in life. He is also the upholder of the ultimate Hindu Dharma and its righteousness. Lord Vishnu is believed to be the Lord of Universe who manifests himself into 10 different incarnations in order to remind people of their prime duty, that is, to be honest, and spread the love.

Where does Lord Vishnu live?

Lord Vishnu is said to be residing beneath the mighty oceans inside water bodies of Vaikunth. He lives on a bed made in the form of several coils formed by hundreds of thousands of hooded serpents. He lives there with his consort- Goddess Lakshmi. His home inside the ocean has a hidden meaning, too. The ocean is identified as bliss and consciousness, The Hooded Serpent head indicates time, diversity, desires and illusion. The Goddess Lakshmi who sits beside him is a symbol of wealth and powers of creations.

What does Lord Vishnu look like?

• Lord Vishnu has dark blue colored skin which symbolizes the sky and cosmic relations. His blue color also signifies his relationship with God of rain, thunder and the mother earth.
• Lord Vishnu is always depicted with one arm, four arms in a resting posture along with a lotus in one hand.
• He always wears a necklace made of rare Kaustubha Gem and a Vaijayanti garland.
• All four of his hands have something very essential to them. Each one of them holds the Shankha, Chakra, Gada, and Lotus. The shankh also was known as Conch signifies five essential elements- The ‘Om’ sounds, Salagrama, Goddess Lakshmi, Mighty waters, Purity, and Perfection.
• Chakra is a weapon which is used by Lord Vishnu to destroy the evil which is also a symbol of the sun that banishes the darkness.
• The Gada implied the power of enlightenment and Lotus is a symbol of beauty, harmony as well as purity.

Incarnations of Lord Vishnu

The holy Bhagavad Gita has mentioned that whenever evil wins over the good, Lord Vishnu takes to his responsibility of restoring the dharma by punishing evil and keeping up the righteousness created by the supreme power. Since, Vishnu is the preserver of this universe he has time and again, taken incarnations. It is said that there will be 10 incarnations in total out of which one is yet to happen in twenty-first century.