Worshipped by Vaishnavas – for whom he is both “Bhagavan” (the

Lord) & “Istadevata” (chosen deity).

VishnuVishnu•Vishnu is the deity primarily

responsible for the maintenance of dharma; in it’s cosmic sense.

•Many devotees regard Vishnu as “the god”.

VishnuVishnu• Iconographic

representations of Vishnu focus upon his beauty & attraction to mankind.

Vishnu AvatarasVishnu Avataras• Because of his interest in preserving

dharma, on occasion Vishnu descends into the human world as an “avatar” (descent. This is when dharma is threatened, and he acts to restore it.

• There are ten universally recognised avatars of Vishnu, and many traditions recognise more (22, 26, or even an infinite number; Gandhi, and even Jesus have been acclaimed as avatars.

Vishnu Vishnu AvatarasAvataras

MatsyaKurmaVaraha

NarasinhaVamana

ParasuramaBuddha

RamachandraKrishna

Kalki

NarasinhaNarasinha• Slew the tyrannical

demon Hiranyakashipu who could not be killed by day or night, by man or animal, by weapon, indoors or out.

• As the man\lion, he slew him on his threshold at sunset, by ripping him apart.

RamaRama• Hero of the

Ramayana, came to earth to slay the demon Ravana, and rescue Sita.

• Portrayed as the ideal of king, and of man.

KrishnaKrishna• Krishna means “dark”, and is the most

popular god in Hinduism. • One reason for this may be that

devotees can approach Krishna in any one of a number of forms, through which to experience love for the divine: as a child, as Krishna gopala (the cowherd), as a lover, as the warrior.

• As a child Krishna was brought up in hiding from a demon who had sworn to kill him. He was very naughty, and his mother caught him stealing butter, when she looked in his mouth, she saw the whole universe.

Krishna GopalaKrishna Gopala• Krishna steals

the clothes of the gopis of Vrindravan.

• Their nudity symbolises the soul’s nakedness before God.

• The sound of Krishna’s flute enchants the gopis, who steal away from their husbands to dance in the forest with him. Each one believes that she alone is dancing with him, just as each believer has a unique relationship with God.

RadhaRadha

• Krishna’s favourite gopi & consort is Radha, who steals away from her husband to join Krishna’s dance.

Krishna the warrior kingKrishna the warrior king

• In the Mahabharata, Krishna drives the chariot of Arjuna, the warrior prince, and speaks the Bhagavad Gita, to him on the battlefield of Kurukshetra