Srinivas Padma: Personal Musings on Life, Growth, and Connections

Of the 10 recognised incarnations of Lord Vishnu , legend has it that nine have already appeared before us. Let us have a look at these various avatars. The first one of these takes the form of Matsya or fish . Hindu mythology believes that the world is subject to a cycle of periodical destruction. It was during one such cycle that the four Vedas were submerged beneath the water. In order for Brahma to carry on with his work of creation, the Vedas were a must as they were manuals of instruction. Vishnu was commanded to recover these books and to do so, he took the form of a fish. In his next incarnation, Vishnu takes the form of a tortoise, Kachyup or Kurma that took the newly created, trembling earth upon its back to give it some form of stability. The third incarnation is that of Varaha or boar . Taking this form, Vishnu is supposed to have descended into the water and drawn up the earth with the help of his huge tusks. Narasimha is Vishnu’s fourth incarnation. This form of a hal

The central and major deity of the Hindu Trinity, Vishnu the Preserver , is said to be all-powerful, all knowing and all pervading. The two most commonly seen representations of Vishnu show him either sleeping comfortably in the coils of Shesh Nag , the king of the serpents , as he floats on the waves of the ocean or as standing on the waves. In his four hands he holds his chief attributes: The conch , symbolic of the five elements; the discus; the lotus and the mace which is a symbol of primeval knowledge. Now let us take a closer look at what exactly these four attributes really symbolise. As mentioned above the conch is a sign of the five elements which are water, fire, air, earth and sky. The discus or wheel, which is called the Sudarshan Chakra has six spokes and represents the limitless control the God has over all the seasons. It is also a weapon that dismembers evil. The lotus referred to as Padma is a symbol of purity and represents the birth of creation while the mace is rep