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Vishnu and Lakshmi

Vishnu becomes the Guardian Deity. Vishnu is the power that sustains everything that exists. Its symbols are the snail shell and the disk. Lakshmi is his female counterpart. This archetypal couple, imagined in practice as a god and goddess, is identified with the highest aspects of the human psyche. Becoming Vishnu and Lakshmi means becoming the lord or mistress of Preservation, the embodiment of spiritual wealth and material well-being. In tantra, the couple always strives to personify these two principles.

“Vishnu and Lakhimi always indulge in amorous pleasures. For this purpose they take various forms, but their changing outward manifestations tell us of their inner communion with each other. They are eternal lovers."

"Vishnu Purana"

Vishnu imagines in his dreams the game of the world and teaches a person various ways of protecting the Higher Self by extracting a “wave of Bliss” from the Great Cosmic Ocean of Existence. Vishnu, the Lord of the Universe, is usually imagined as a being of blue color. In his original form, he leans on a huge multi-headed snake, the embodiment of Infinity, which supports him in the Cosmic Ocean. It is believed that there were nine incarnations of Vishnu in the world.

It seems that this myth reflects the most ancient theory of evolution. In the first incarnation, Vishnu was a fish, then a tortoise, a boar, a lion, a dwarf, a warrior, a demon-slayer hero, the Eternal Youth (Krishna) and Buddha (in his intellectual aspect). The tenth incarnation of Kalki has not yet appeared. This is the cosmic horseman of the Apocalypse, who will come to destroy all the evils of this era.

Many other forms of Vishnu are reported in the scriptures. It is said that he has four or six arms - this reflects the plurality of his roles in a single image. Lakshmi, the female form of Vishnu, is depicted as white or red, depending on her mood. She holds a lotus in her hands - this is her special symbol. She can take many forms, even being able to create duplicates of herself to become many different wives of her divine lover at the same time.

The Prapanchasara Tantra offers a very detailed description of Vishnu and Lakshmi, which partners can practice in order to awaken the divine in themselves. The text states:

“Think of a beautiful garden where wish-fulfilling trees grow. It is full of the fragrance of flowers, and there is a beautiful buzzing sound of large bees. And now imagine Vishnu, he is sitting on a big bird, Garuda, who is sitting on a lotus. This Vishnu is red, this color expresses erotic feelings. It shines like a hibiscus flower with the power of millions rising suns, looks like a beautiful youth, exuding sweet-scented nectar and loving-kindness. He holds various weapons, including a conch shell, a club, a bow, and a discus. And he looks at the face of his wife Lakshmi, who embraces him with all the fullness of love. This divine couple is surrounded by many beautiful women with tight thighs, heavy breasts that smile lovingly, move voluptuously and create sensual lotus shapes with their hands. Their lips are parted, but they are silent from passion. Clothes and hair are in disarray, thereby openly showing their erotic feelings.

Such visualization awakens an erotic feeling, and this makes vital energy circulate. Erotic thoughts have a direct influence on the frequency of breathing, heart contractions and energy flows. Tantra teaches that the role of a woman is varied. A woman can easily become many women. If she allows herself to manifest in multiple forms (as a girl, wife, mistress, harlot, virgin), her man's sexuality immediately increases. This happens at the basic energy level, as well as at the biological, physiological and psychological levels. The expansion of woman's consciousness naturally gives rise to many soul-characters. A man initially resides in a variety of roles such as a hunter, hero, husband, lover or businessman. Due to the expansion of consciousness, he manages to combine these roles into a single entity, which is the highest level Tantra is the yogin, or archetype, guru. The ability of a woman to become many women for her man is a great source of original life-giving energy, which greatly enlivens relationships.

Vishnu and Lakshmi together govern erotic feeling, especially in that function of eroticism which sustains the existence of the universe. Vishnu and Lakshmi also rule over the element of water, without which we could not exist in the world. Erotic desire generates copious watery secretions - this is important for our well-being on the material and spiritual levels. The Hindu text Skanda Purana states: "Everything comes from the sexual act, without physical love, all living things wither and wither."

Hindu myths say that Vishnu and Lakshmi have a son - the god of love Kama. This Indian Cupid shoots flower arrows from a bow made of flowers and bees. Bees and birds symbolize the senses and erotic play. This god in an interesting way transformed into the pantheon of Western gods. Kama is strikingly handsome, since Shiva gave him eternal youth and beauty. Kama embodies the love of Vishnu and Lakshmi. Often he is depicted riding a dove, with a cuckoo and a bee acting as his allies. Especially often he is remembered in the spring and during the performance of love rituals. It is Kama that awakens in the hearts of lovers. Kamasutra is his song "Melody of Love".

The eighth incarnation of Vishnu is Krishna, the merry youth, or the Eternal Youth, who is depicted in a bluish color. In modern India, he is a popular depiction of erotic feeling. Tantric sexual rituals often reenact the legend of Krishna playing with gopis, cowherd women, who surround him and demand attention. The gopis are not only cowherd boys, they milk the cows and churn the milk. In everyday life they symbolize an erotic game. They also symbolize the innermost whirlwind of emotions during spiritual quests.

The circular erotic dance of Krishna with beautiful gopis expresses the invisible circulation of sexual energies in the psychic centers of transformation and the rotation of galaxies in the macrocosm. This is Krishna-lila, or the Game of Krishna, a psychocosmic reflection of the transformation of energy in the tantric tradition. This erotic dance originates from the many-sided nature of a woman, her ability to expand, rotate and constantly change around the one absolute archetype of the male god, the eternally playful Krishna.

Krishna lila is very common in modern India, despite the trend towards more puritanical religious rites and ceremonies. Spiritual sensibility in the East in recent times was suppressed to a large extent due to the influence of Muslim and Christian incursions. Nevertheless, the women of India still like to think of themselves as gopis serving Krishna, and popular love songs express this yearning for liberation through sensuality.

Gopis are the incarnation of Lakshmi, just as Krishna is the incarnation of Vishnu. Every gopi thinks that Krishna belongs only to her, and parting with him causes her great anguish. The gopis demonstrate the purified great emotional power of eroticism. Anguish, spiritual languor is the main component of all mystical transformation, it is an emotional upsurge that can break through any boundaries of dualism or conventionality. Without passion and without a sense of uniqueness, a woman loses the opportunity to express her various roles. This is the secret of sex, which was used in Tantra as a powerful method of enhancing the capacity for transcendence. Gopis are Shaktis, charged with erotic feeling and desire, craving the attention of their only master. According to the stories of Krishna, he multiplies himself by giving birth to identical forms, and thus he is able to make love to all the gopis at the same time. Everyone is satisfied that Krishna belongs to her alone. In this game, one cannot say that Krishna is unfaithful, he is simply unconventional and projects his uniqueness into exact copies of himself. Each gopi is a form of Lakshmi. Krishna-lila is the mystical expression of the divine love of Vishnu and Lakshmi, by which the gopis representing the senses are purified.

Conventional love develops into predictable patterns - this is love between husband and wife, the spiritual fruits of this appear when a family is formed. This is the World Path. It consists in serving between husband and wife, parent and child, and in serving the whole family of the ancestral line. This Path was highly revered in the ancient civilizations of China and Egypt, and until very recently in the West. Children were born in marriage, a man divorced a woman who could not give birth to children, or took another wife. The most unfortunate man was considered unable to conceive a child, because he could not leave a descendant who would continue his work in the future. Conventional spirituality in all cultures meant blood ties, liberation through family well-being and insisted on the duty of children to their parents even when the parents had already left this world.

The modern upsurge of materialism has perverted the spirit of conventional love and provided no viable alternative. Conventional love these days is often seen as something limited and devoid of novelty. Established traditions have lost their meaning. In modern Western culture, there is no way to spiritually strengthen marriage and give it meaning. A married couple, once happy, now often finds themselves growing apart as the years go by. Their marriage contract becomes meaningless. This is now the rule rather than the exception, as evidenced by the growing number of divorces.

Unconventional love is unpredictable and spontaneous, it is based on pure feeling, it is usually considered illegal or vicious, since it occurs outside the boundaries of love blessed in society. Eastern mysticism gives unconventional love great potential and the ability to turn into transcendental love. It is argued that it can lead to Divine love, if the energies are channeled correctly.

Nowadays, non-traditional love has almost acquired a conventional status. But, unfortunately, mystical fruit rarely ripens from this type of relationship. There is spontaneity, but there is no spiritual direction left. In this regard, the tantric teachings can guide us.

The boundary between the two forms of erotic love can no longer be precisely defined. The categories of conventional and non-conventional have lost their meaning. In fact, this is a matter of attitude to the subject of discussion, not categorization. Tantra teaches that in a community it is possible to combine the conventional with the non-conventional. It is possible to take the best of both worlds, and this is the attitude that should be cultivated in a loving relationship. When lovemaking becomes boring and predictable, communication breaks down, self-doubt and lack of faith take over the relationship.

Try to bring the divine archetypes of Vishnu and Lakshmi into your life. Call on them to help and become them. Try to develop both conventional and non-conventional ways of worship in your lovemaking. Step into the multiple roles of Krishna and gopis, experience the rich imagery of the Krishna myth to explore your erotic potential. Every woman is able to transform into all the gopis. Within every man there is a divine lover Krishna. The practical application of this ancient truth The human psyche provides a way of life that can bring self-realization. Transform into Vishnu and Lakshmi, rejoice in their eternal play.

Lakshmi and Vishnu

Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, light, wisdom, lotus, good luck and luck, beauty, courage and fertility. Images akin to Lakshmi or Sri are also found in Jainism and Buddhism, not to mention numerous Hindu temples. She is kind to children and generous with gifts. Because of her maternal feelings and because she is the wife of Narayan (the Supreme Being), the image of the Mother of the universe is transferred to her. Lakshmi is the wife of Vishnu, she was married to all his incarnations: at the time of Rama she was Sita, at the time of Krishna - Rukmini, when he appeared as Venkateswara, she was Alamelu. According to the beliefs of the Vaishnavas, she is the mother goddess and shakti (energy) of Narayana.

About the appearance of Goddess Lakshmi exists ancient legend. The quick-tempered sage Durvasa once presented Indra, the king of the gods, with a garland of flowers that should never wither. Indra gave this garland to his elephant, Airavata. When Durvasa saw such disrespect for himself that an elephant was walking around with a divine garland around his neck, he cursed Indra, saying that he and all the gods would lose their strength due to his pride and careless attitude. The curse came true: the demons drove the gods out of heaven.

The defeated gods went to seek refuge with the Creator - the god Brahma, who offered them to plow the ocean of milk - Kshirshagar, in order to get the nectar of immortality. For help, the gods turned to Vishnu, who took the avatar of Kurma (turtle) and supported Mantar Parvata (mountain) as a stupa in the churn, while Vasuki, the king of snakes, played the role of a rope. Gods and demons, under the control of the wise ruler of Bali - Chakravarti, helped each other to plow this milky ocean.

Among all the divine gifts that appeared from the ocean in the process of churning, the goddess Lakshmi also appeared, choosing Vishnu as her husband, so only he has the power to control the illusion (maya). This legend also explains why Lakshmi is called the daughter of the ocean; the moon, also emerging from the ocean during churning, is called in myths the brother of Lakshmi. Lakshmi's older sister is the goddess of misfortune Alakshmi. It is believed that she also came from the ocean of milk. According to the Vishnu Purana, Lakshmi is the daughter of Bhrigu and Khyati, she was brought up in Svarga, but due to the curse of Durvasa, she had to settle in Kshirsagar. Lakshmi is the power and maya of the god Vishnu. In some images, she can be seen in two forms: Bhudevi and Sridevi, standing on opposite sides of Vishnu. Bhudevi is a form of fertility, in fact, it is mother earth. Sridevi represents wealth and knowledge. Many people mistakenly say that Vishnu has two wives, but this is not true. Regardless of the number of forms, it is still one goddess.

Lakshmi is portrayed as beautiful woman with four arms, seated on a lotus, dressed in luxurious robes and adorned with jewels. Her expression is always peaceful and loving. the most important hallmark Lakshmi is that she always sits on a lotus. Lotus symbolizes inseparable bond Sri Lakshmi with purity and spiritual power. Rooted in mud, but blooming above the water, one whose flower is not polluted, the lotus represents spiritual perfection and the meaning of spiritual attainment. Apart from Lakshmi, many deities in Hindu iconography stand or sit on a lotus. Many epithets of Lakshmi include a comparison with a lotus. Goddess Lakshmi traditionally rides on an owl (uluka) - a bird that sleeps during the day and wakes up at night.

Vishnu

As the preserver and restorer, Vishnu is very popular among Hindu followers. The root from which his name is derived - vish - means "to fill": they say about him that he is omnipresent and fills all creation. His power manifests in the world through many forms called avatars or incarnations. The essence of incarnations lies in the fact that part of his divine power is born in the form of a person or other creature. The Avatar appears when there is an urgent need to prevent the influence of evil on the earth. “When order, justice and mortals are in danger, I descend to the earth,” says Vishnu. Despite the fact that Vishnu devotees mention twenty-eight incarnations of Vishnu, only ten are the main ones in the chronology of Hinduism.

Vishnu is usually depicted as a handsome Yanosha with dark blue skin, dressed like an ancient ruler. In his four hands he holds a conical shell, a disk, a club and a lotus flower. He rides Garuda, the sun bird, the enemy of all snakes. This antagonism is revealed in the struggle between Krishna and the water serpent Kaliya. When Balarama reminded Krishna of his divine nature, he performed a dance on the head of Kaliya. Having defeated the tormented king of snakes, Krishna ordered him to leave the Yamuna River and move to the endless ocean, promising that Garuda - the golden sun bird - would never dare to attack him because her rider had touched him. Half of the main avatars of Vishnu are people, half are animals. While all the many universes are in a manifested state, the Primordial Vishnu monitors the state of affairs in each of them and periodically incarnates in one place or another, in whole or in part, in order to restore order.

According to the most common classification, 10 avatars (incarnations) of Vishnu visited our Earth.

1. Fish (matsya).

When the earth was flooded global flood, Vishnu took the form of a fish, which first warned Manu (the progenitor of mankind, the son of Brahma) about the impending danger, and then, on a ship tied to a horn on her head, carried Manu, his family and seven great sages (rishis) out of the flood

2. Turtle (kurma).

During the flood, many divine treasures were lost, including ambrosia (amrita), with the help of which the gods kept eternal youth. Vishnu assumed the form of a gigantic tortoise and plunged to the bottom of the cosmic ocean. The gods placed Mount Mandara on his back and wrapped the divine serpent Vasuki around the mountain. Then they pulled the kite and thus spun the mountain, churning the ocean like an ordinary Indian milkman churns butter. Amrita and many other treasures, including the goddess Lakshmi, floated to the surface of the churning ocean.

3. Boar (varaha).

The demon Hiranyaksha again plunged the Earth into the depths of the cosmic ocean. Vishnu assumed the form of a giant boar, slew the demon, and set the earth in place, lifting it up on his fang.

4. Lion Man (narasimha).

Another demon, Hiranyakasipu, received a magical ability to become invulnerable as a gift from Brahma. Neither beast, nor man, nor god could kill him day or night. Taking advantage of his safety, he began to persecute the gods and people and even his pious son Prahlada. Then Prahlada turned to Vishnu for help. At sunset, i.e. neither day nor night, the god suddenly emerged from a pillar in the demon's palace in the guise of a half-lion half-man and killed Hiranyakashipu

5. Dwarf (vamana).

A demon named Bali seized power over the world and, having performed a series of ascetic feats, achieved supernatural power and began to threaten even the gods. Vishnu appeared before him in the form of a dwarf and asked for as a gift as much land as he could measure in three steps. When the gift was promised, the god turned into a giant and took two steps, which covered the earth, the sky and all the space between them, but generously refrained from the third step, leaving the demon to the underworld

6. Parasurama ("Rama with an ax").

Vishnu took on a human form, having been born the son of the Brahmin Jamadagni. When the brahmin's father was robbed by the evil king Kartavirya, Parasurama killed him. The sons of Kartavirya, in turn, killed Jamadagni, after which the angry Parasurama exterminated all the men from the Kshatriya (warrior) class 21 times in a row.

7. Rama, prince of Ayodhya, hero of the epic drama Ramayana. Vishnu incarnated in his image to save the world from the oppression of the demon Ravana. Rama is usually depicted as a dark-skinned man, often armed with a bow and arrow. He is accompanied by his loving wife Sita - the embodiment of female fidelity, his three devoted brothers - Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna - and Hanuman, the king of monkeys, a faithful friend and companion. Rama is revered as the embodiment of an ideal husband, commander and monarch.

8. Krishna, the most significant of the incarnations of Vishnu is the most popular deity in India today. He was the last of the shepherd family of Yadavas. Vishnu pulled out his two hairs: white and black, and placed them in the womb of Devaki and Rohini, so Krishna appeared from the black hair, and Balarama from the white. Kansa, the ruler of Madhura, learned that Devaki's son would kill him, and ordered his mother to exchange Krishna for the daughter of the cowherds Nanda and Yasoda. On the way to Madhura, Krishna performs many feats. Yashoda learns about his divine origin by looking into his mouth and seeing the whole universe there. The symbol of devotion is the love of the cowherd girl Radha for Krishna. Krishna tells Arjuna about his divine origin, being his charioteer during the battle of the Pandavas and Kauravas. He reveals the divine truth to Arjuna, so the Bhagavad Gita is not so much an epic as the sacred book of Hinduism.

9. Buddha, the last incarnation of Vishnu in the past.

According to the Gitagovinda by the great poet Jayadeva, Vishnu incarnated as a Buddha out of compassion for animals in order to put an end to bloody sacrifices.

10. Kalki is the future incarnation.

Hindus believe that at the end of our dark era, Vishnu will appear in the form of a man riding a white horse, with a flaming sword in his hand. He will condemn the sinners, reward the virtuous and revive the Satya Yuga ("golden age").

Despite the fact that there are quite a lot of gods and goddesses in Hinduism, Lakshmi, the goddess of harmony and prosperity, deserves special attention. She is the wife of Vishnu, and that says a lot. It is believed that Lakshmi accompanies God in all his incarnations.

Therefore, she is an example of an ideal wife. Lakshmi is a goddess who personifies generosity, prosperity, harmony and beauty, compassion for all living things. She can bestow peace and tranquility in the family, so they say that if everything is good in the house, then Lakshmi lives there. If there is misfortune in the house, and the family lives in quarrels, then it is believed that the goddess left this house.

There are several legends about how Lakshmi appeared. According to the most popular version, the goddess was born during the churning of the ocean by devas (gods) and assurs (demons).

The second legend is less popular and less beautiful, but the most plausible. According to this version, Lakshmi is the daughter of the sage Bhrigu.

According to the third version, Lakshmi emerged from a lotus that floated above the surface.

world waters. There is a version according to which the goddess appeared from a lotus above the head of Vishnu. But in any case, all versions of the legend agree that she accompanies Vishnu in all his incarnations.

How is Lakshmi described? The goddess is usually depicted as a beautiful young woman with many arms (up to 10 in some temples where this deity is revered). She is also depicted on a lotus with various subjects. Elephants almost always water it. This shows that indian goddess Lakshmi connects the power of the divine (lotuses) with the power of the world (elephants). Like all gods, Lakshmi is depicted in a different color, which has a deep symbolism. For example, the dark color of the skin indicates that in front of you is the dark aspect of the goddess. Golden yellow is a symbol of abundance. White is pure nature. But most often her skin is pink - a symbol of compassion for everyone and everything.

Lakshmi is a multi-armed goddess, since she can give people four bodily pleasures, righteousness and bliss. However, most often Lakshmi is depicted with Vishnu, as she is his shakti, the creative energy that is inseparable from him.

What do the symbols in the hands of the goddess mean? Since Lakshmi is the goddess of prosperity and abundance, her symbols are mainly associated with this. As it was said, the lotuses in the hands are the symbols of the two worlds. And how open they are shows the degree of evolution of these worlds. The fruits of Lakshmi are a symbol of the result of our labors. Until the goddess has mercy, a person will not achieve anything in life. Coconut, interestingly, corresponds to three levels of creation: causal (nut juice), subtle (pulp), and gross (shell). Pomegranate and citron are also symbols of the worlds held by the goddess. Bilva fruit - (the highest fruit is a reward for a righteous life). Sometimes Lakshmi also holds a vessel of Ambrosia. This is a direct symbol of what she can give people and eternal life(by analogy with the Greek Ambrosia).

If you decide to purchase a statue of Lakshmi, then it is best to place it in the hallway or in the office, since these places are associated with prosperity and well-being.

Lakshmi- the goddess of abundance, prosperity, wealth, good luck and happiness. She is the embodiment of grace, beauty and charm. It is believed that its adherents will be protected from all kinds of misfortune and poverty. Lakshmi is the eldest wife, married to Rama (in the incarnation sieves) and Krishna (as radha, and later Rukmini).

She is depicted both alone and with Vishnu. If Vishnu is accompanied by Bhu or she also keeps him company and is then called Sri. When she is the only companion of Vishnu, she is called Lakshmi. When she is depicted alone, she is called both Sri and Lakshmi. Lakshmi is the eldest wife of Vishnu. The meaning of the name Sri is “prosperity”, “happiness”, “glory”.

• Padma: Lotus Dweller
• Kamala: Lotus Dweller
• Padmapriya: She who loves lotuses
• Padmamaladhara devi: She who wears a garland of lotuses
• Padmamukhi: The one whose face is as beautiful as a lotus
• Padmakshi: She whose eyes are as beautiful as lotuses
• Padmahasta: The one who holds the lotus
• Padmasundari: She who is beautiful like a lotus
• Vishnupriya: Beloved Vishnu
• Ulkavahini: The one who rides an owl

Among her other names indira("beautiful" or "powerful"), Chanchala and Lola("unstable") Lokamata("mother of the world").

In the incarnation of Lakshmi, Draupadi is considered - the wife of the five Pandava brothers, incarnations, and the Ashvin twins. According to Harivansha, the Indian Cupid, Kamadeva, was the son of Lakshmi and Dharma, the god of justice and Dharmic law, almost identical to Yama. In some texts, Lakshmi may be identified with Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom, learning and the arts, but in others, Lakshmi and Saraswati are rival spouses. According to one version of the birth of Lakshmi, she was the daughter of the sage-rishi Bhrigu and Khyati, according to another, much more popular, she appeared with a lotus in her hands or sitting on a lotus while the devas and asuras were churning the world ocean, according to the third, she appeared back in at the very beginning of the world process, emerging from the primordial waters on a lotus flower (cf. her names Padma and Kamala - "Lotus").

goddess of wealth and happy fate depicted as a woman of extraordinary beauty, sitting or standing on a lotus flower, a symbol of motherhood, immortality and spiritual purity, and holding lotuses in her hands. She is also adorned with a lotus garland.

The skin color of the goddess has been variously described as dark, pink, golden yellow, or white. If Lakshmi is depicted as dark in color (the color of a thundercloud), this indicates that she is the wife of Vishnu, the dark-faced God. If she is depicted as golden yellow, it means that she is the source of all wealth. If she white color, then this means purest form prakriti (nature). The pinkish color, the most commonly accepted, reflects her compassion for all beings, as she is the Mother of all things.

Picture of Sri

When Shri has two hands, she is holding a srifala (coconut) and a lotus (padma). She is accompanied by two female bearers (chauri) with fans and two or four elephants carrying ghatas.

Image of Lakshmi

If Lakshmi has eight arms, then she carries a bow (dhanus), a rod (gada), an arrow (bana), a lotus (padma), a wheel (chakra), a shell (sankha), a wooden pestle, a goad (ankusa) in them.

If she has four arms, she holds a wheel (chakra), a conch shell (sankha), a lotus (padma), a wand (gad); or lemon-like fruit (mahalunga), lotus (padma), lotus and nectar vessel; or lotus (padma), bilva fruit (wooden apple), conch (sankha) and vessel of ambrosia; or in both upper hands the goddess holds a lotus (padma), and gold coins are pouring from her lower palms, or one of the hands is in a blessing position.

If Lakshmi has two hands, then she holds a conch (sankha) and a lotus (padma). On both sides she is accompanied by Vidyadharas, as well as Rajasri, Svargalakshmi, Brahmi, Lakshmi, Jayalakshmi.

When near Vishnu, she usually has two hands, and then holds a lotus (padma) and a coconut (srifala), or lotuses in both hands. At the same time, she stands or sits on the left thigh of Vishnu, or sits on the snake Ananta (Ananta), or on an eagle.

It happens that she is depicted with elephants, which are immersed in water to the waist.

Kingdom of Vishnu. The world created by Brahma was often exposed to mortal dangers: asuras and other demons tried to seize power over it. But this World has a mighty Preserver - Vishnu, the youngest son of Aditi. High in the sky is the kingdom of Vishnu - Vaikuntha. In the center of it flows the celestial Ganges, in the valleys five lakes with multi-colored lotus flowers shine like emeralds and sapphires, numerous palaces built of gold and precious stones rise. Vishnu himself sits on a white lotus on a golden throne, shining like the sun on a hot afternoon.

The appearance and symbols of Vishnu. Vishnu has dark blue skin and four hands, in which he holds a conch, club, lotus flower and chakra - a weapon in the form of a jagged-edged disk that returns to him after each throw. Like a bright unquenchable flame, the face of God shines, his yellow clothes shine like gold, and his look cannot be described, because it cannot be compared with anything in the earthly world.

Goddess Lakshmi. Next to Vishnu is always his wife - the goddess Lakshmi, who is also called Shri. Already her names say that this goddess is kind and beautiful: after all, the name "Lakshmi" means "beauty", and the name "Shri" means "happiness". Lakshmi gives people happiness, beauty and wealth, so she was one of the most revered goddesses in India. Dressed in snow-white clothes, shining with indescribable beauty, Lakshmi sits at the feet of her husband. She never parted from him. Even in his descents to earth, she faithfully accompanied him. Yes, and Lakshmi herself appeared during one of these descents, which will be discussed below.

Such a descent of Vishnu, his birth on earth in the form of an animal or a man, is called an avatar. This happens when the balance of good and evil is disturbed in the world, evil begins to win and it is necessary to save the world from premature death. Vishnu had nine great avatars, and the tenth is yet to come. Who was Vishnu on earth?

Vishnu is a fish. His first avatar is an appearance in the form of a fish. This was before the flood. There was then a righteous man named Manu. Once, while praying under a sacred tree on the bank of the river, he scooped up water from the river for ablution, and in this water there was a small fish. Manu wanted to release it back into the river, but suddenly the fish spoke. “In the river, we little fish are in danger from everywhere. Save my life, and someday I'll save you too!" - she said. Manu was a righteous man, so he did not ignore the request of the fish and placed it in a small vessel. When the fish grew up, he transferred it to a barrel of water, then to a pond, to a river, and finally to the sea. Once in the sea, the fish began to grow very rapidly and soon reached the size of one hundred thousand yojanas. B [according to our measures, one yojana is sixteen kilometers]. That's how big she's become! And on her head grew a horn ten thousand yojanas long.

Vishnu saves the world from the flood. Seeing a fish of such size, Manu realized that it could only be Vishnu, and asked him: “Why did you deceive me with your appearance? Why didn't he show up in his true form? Then Vishnu revealed to him the time of the flood and ordered to build a boat, take into it the seeds of all creatures, the seven holy righteous and the sacred books - the Vedas, and wait at the indicated time on the seashore. Manu did everything as he was ordered. When the flood began, he was already at the appointed place and watched in horror as the waves of the sea surged, threatening to swallow all life. A fish swam up and told him to tie the boat to its horn, and then quickly swam into the raging sea. Fierce winds beat on the sides of the boat, violent waves rocked it from side to side, the land and cardinal directions were not visible, and it seemed that death was inevitable. But the rope held the boat, and the fish swam and swam to the north, in the direction where the peaks of the Northern Mountains rose above the water. This voyage lasted a long time, the whole "night of Brahma", but, finally, the mountains were reached. There Vishnu ordered Manu to tie the boat to a tree and wait for the water to subside. Gradually, following the water, Manu descended from the mountains to the plain.

In gratitude for his salvation, the pious Manu decided to make a sacrifice to the gods. He kneaded butter, sour milk, sour cream and cottage cheese in water, and from this sacrificial mixture, when a year had passed after its preparation, a girl named Ila appeared. Manu took her as his wife, and from their marriage the whole human race sprang up and repopulated the whole earth.

Vishnu the turtle. Ocean churning. Once upon a time, the gods gathered on the top of the great mountain Meru, whose peaks shine like the Sun, and indulged in bitter reflections: they surpass the power of any of the people, but old age and disease pursue them just like mortals. Then they decided to ask for advice and help from the Guardian of the World. Vishnu listened to them and said: “Amrita, the drink of immortality, can help with old age and ailments. But it's hard to get it. To do this, you need to churn the Ocean - churn it in the same way that people churn milk to get butter from it. This is hard work, and you need to call on the asuras for help, promising them half of the amrita for this.

The gods got to work. Asura willingly agreed to help them - after all, they also wanted to gain immortality. But the Ocean is not a butter churn, and a huge whip was needed for whipping. The gods and asuras took here the huge mountain Mandara, the top of which goes up eleven thousand yojanas, and its roots go down just as much, wrapped it around the snake Vasuki - the king of all snakes, so huge that there is no measure to measure its length. Now it was possible to plunge the mountain into the Ocean and begin to rotate it, churning amrita from its waters, but there was no support for a huge whorl in the abyss of the waters. It was then that Vishnu helped the gods: turning into a huge turtle, he substituted the shell under the base of the mountain.

The gods took hold of the serpent's tail, and the asuras took hold of its head, and began to rotate the mountain. For thousands of years the work went on and the whorl-Mandara rotated; both the gods and the asuras were exhausted - but the asuras had a harder time. It was no coincidence that the cunning gods placed them in front of the snake: fire escaped from the mouth of Vasuki and scorched the asuras, depriving them of their strength. But the clouds that arose from its smoke went towards the tail and the spray of rain pouring from them refreshed the weary gods.

With a whistle and a roar, Mandara rotated, trees and stones fell from its slopes into the Ocean. Mixed with the juices of herbs and trees, the waters of the Ocean turned into milk, then into butter... But there was still no amrita. Not only the asuras, but also the gods began to languish - but then a clear moon appeared from the waters of the Ocean and shone with its cold light. Seeing this, the gods perked up and spun the whorl with renewed vigor. And then the beautiful Lakshmi appeared from the Ocean in snow-white clothes and, approaching Vishnu, gently clung to him - this is how the Guardian of the World got himself a faithful wife. Then many more wonderful creatures appeared from the Ocean - a white horse, as fast as thought, a white elephant, a tree that filled the world with the aroma of its flowers. Finally, the very last, Dhanvantari, the god of healing and healing, emerged from the sea with a bowl of amrita in his hands.

"I will burn the whole world with my power." The gods were already ready to take the cup into their hands, when suddenly thick black smoke came from the depths of the Ocean, flames shot up to the sky, and a monster appeared with burning hair and burning breath. In a voice that shook the entire universe, he announced: “I am Kalakuta, the deadly poison, and I will burn the whole world with my power!” The gods were horrified and did not know what to do; and the world would have perished on that day, if not for the great Shiva. This formidable god, of whom we are talking ahead, scooped up poison in his palms and drank it. And he was so powerful that the terrible poison did not harm him, only his neck turned blue. Therefore, Shiva is sometimes called Nilakantha - "Blue Neck".

Demon Rahu,
devouring the moon
and the sun

The division of the drink of immortality. So, the danger was left behind, the amrita was received, it was time to share it. Asuras rushed to the forefather of all healers, and managed to grab the cup before the gods. Amrita was in their hands, but immediately a fierce dispute arose among them - who should drink the drink of immortality first. The asuras shouted at each other, argued, a fight was about to begin between them, but no one yielded to the other. Meanwhile, Vishnu, having turned into a beautiful girl, appeared before the disputants. The asuras were numb at the sight of such beauty, forgot their strife and decided: let the beauty determine who to drink first.

Rahu, Sun and Moon. Vishnu in the form of a beautiful woman with a smile accepted from their hands a vessel with amrita - and suddenly disappeared. When the asuras came to their senses, they realized that the gods had deceived them, but they were already far away. Only one of the asuras, Rahu, managed to mix with the crowd of gods, taking on their guise, and taste the amrita. He had already touched the vessel with his lips and took the first sip when he was recognized by the Sun and the Moon. They reported this to the gods, and Vishnu cut off his head with a blow of his chakra. But the drunk amrita had already reached Rahu's throat, so his head became immortal. She ascended into the sky, and the body fell down with a terrible roar. Since then, the head of Rahu, feeling hatred for the luminaries who betrayed him, has been chasing them across the sky. Sometimes he overtakes the Sun or the moon, and, opening his terrible mouth, swallows them. For a while the world is shrouded in darkness; but the head of Rach cannot swallow them completely - after all, his neck is cut, and the Sun and the Moon, rolling out through the neck, shine again in the sky.

As for the rest of the asuras, they did not reconcile themselves to the loss of amrita and, having overtaken the gods, entered into battle with them. In a fierce battle, asuras and gods clashed with each other, but their strength was unequal: asuras died in thousands, and the gods were now immortal. In the end, the asuras could not withstand the onslaught of the gods and fled from the battlefield. So the gods remained the masters of the amrita, which they now kept in their heavenly world.

Vishnu the dwarf returns to the gods the power over earth and sky. Once Vishnu had to incarnate on earth and in the form of a dwarf. It was in those days when Bali, the king of the Asuras, acquired unprecedented power. He was distinguished by virtue and piety, which had no equal in the three worlds. It was for these qualities that he gained power over the Universe, over all three worlds, underground, earthly and heavenly. Even the gods were forced to acknowledge his dominion.

Narasinha -
avatar of Vishnu.
Nepal.
Around the 17th century

But Aditi, the mother of the gods, could not accept this. She turned to Vishnu with a request: “Help your brothers! The law of justice has been violated in the world, only you can restore it! Vishnu did not refuse his mother's request: he incarnated in a small ugly dwarf - Vamana and in his image appeared to Bali for alms. The just king of the asuras offered him gold and jewelry, elephants and horses - but this was not what the dwarf needed. “Give me as much land as I can cover with my three steps,” he asked. Bali was surprised at this request: after all, how far can a dwarf step? And one of his wise mentors began to advise to refuse the request. But Bali was proud and generous, and therefore could not refuse the petitioner. And when the consent was given, a miracle happened before the eyes of the king of the asuras: the dwarf turned into a giant. So great was his step that with the first step he covered the whole sky, with the second step he covered the earth, but he did not take the third step. He took pity on the virtuous Bali and left the underworld, Patala, in the possession of the asuras. He returned the power over the earth and over the sky to the great gods.

Other Avatars of Vishnu. In addition to those avatars that we talked about, Vishnu also had other incarnations. He was both a boar, and Narasinha - a lion with a human face, and powerful heroes Rama and Krishna, and Buddha, who brought people a new teaching on how to live. Vishnu incarnated as Buddha to check if all the people who used to worship him, the Guardian of the World, were all. They will be able to remain faithful and not succumb to the new teachings of the Buddha.

But the main avatar of Vishnu is yet to come. When the kingdom of evil comes in the world, when the villains gain power over people, and unbelief settles in the hearts of people, when the ancient laws are not respected, then Vishnu will appear on earth in the form of Kalki - a rider on a white horse, in shining armor, with a sparkling sword in hand. With this sword, he will destroy all the enemies of justice in the world, and people will again live happily. But when that will be, no one knows. Until now, in India, thousands of people worship Vishnu, hope for him and look forward to this avatar of him.