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Vaikuntha (Sanskrit: वैकुण्ठ, romanized: Vaikuṇṭha, lit. 'without anxiety'), [1] also called Vishnuloka (Viṣṇuloka), and Tirunatu (Tirunāṭu) in Tamil, [2] is the abode of Vishnu, [3] the supreme deity in the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism, [4] [5]: 17 and his consort, Lakshmi, the supreme goddess of the sect.
Perumal (Tamil: பெருமாள், romanized: Perumāl) [2] or Tirumal (Tamil: திருமால், romanized: Tirumāl pronunciation ⓘ) is a Hindu deity. [3] Perumal is worshipped mainly among Tamil Hindus in South India and the Tamil diaspora, who consider Perumal to be a form of Vishnu. [4]
The chaturvimshatimurti are all represented as standing and holding the four attributes of Vishnu: the Sudarshana Chakra (discus), Panchajanya (conch), Kaumodaki (mace), and Padma (lotus). Symbolising the deity's different visible forms, the only difference between these images is the order of the emblems held by his four hands . [ 5 ]
The third hymn of the Tirunetuntantakam describes the Kurma incarnation of Vishnu during the Samudra Manthana: [9] The dark blue-hued lord is a picture of auspiciousness. In each age he takes a different form, suited to that age. In the Tretayuga he took the huge form of a tortoise to churn ambrosia from the ocean.
Vishnu found Shiva and explained the whole affair to him. Shiva asked if he too could see Vishnu in this female form. When Vishnu appeared thus, Shiva was overcome with passion, and the two engaged in intercourse. The two gods thus became "Harihara Murthi", that is, a composite form of Shiva and Vishnu as one god.
Vaishnavism is centred on the devotion of Vishnu and his avatars. According to Schweig, it is a "polymorphic monotheism, i.e. a theology that recognises many forms (ananta rupa) of the one, single unitary divinity," since there are many forms of one original deity, with Vishnu taking many forms. [78]
The Alvars (Tamil: ஆழ்வார், romanized: Āḻvār, lit. 'The Immersed') were the Tamil poet-saints of South India who espoused bhakti (devotion) to the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu, in their songs of longing, ecstasy, and service. [2] They are venerated in Vaishnavism, which regards Vishnu as the Ultimate Reality.
Balarama, the elder brother of Krishna, is sometimes featured as an avatar of Vishnu in the lists of the Puranas, replacing Buddha, though he is also widely considered in other traditions to be a form of Shesha, the serpent of Vishnu. Other significant forms of Vishnu include Prithu, Mohini, Dhanvantari, Kapila, Yajna, and a third of Dattatreya.