At other times he did not hesitate to kill women who were protecting and sustaining
the forces of darkness. One such was the mother of Sukra, the preceptor of the demons
and her power made them insolent and audacious. Realizing that she was threatening
the stability of the universe Vishnu cut off her head. An angry Sukra cursed Vishnu
to be born many times upon earth as a punishment, but the impish humor of the Trickster
found in that an opportunity to perform mighty deeds for the benefit of the world.
These births were to become the avatars of Vishnu. We see clearly how these stories
attempt to reconcile divergent and incongruous patterns of behavior. In fact Vishnu
seems to have a penchant for going against expectations and acting in ways that
shock. Even the moral exemplar, Rama, could suddenly launch into actions that demonstrated
the old truism - "The Hero may sometimes act like a villain but never as a fool."
In his treatment of Vrinda, wife of the asura king Jalandhara, he displayed a level
of ruthlessness that is still shocking. Vrinda was the perfectly chaste wife of
the demon king. In Indian myth that means her husband is invulnerable. The gods
were getting thrashed regularly by this asura and unlike the bout with Vrita there
was no loophole to exploit. Vishnu, having protean forms, assumed that of Jalandhara
and paid Vrinda a conjugal visit while he was supposed to be on the battle field.
The parallels with Uther Pendragon, father of Arthur, and his seduction of Ygraine
are exact. It was obviously a popular mythical device to shatter the power of an
invulnerable foe, as Jalandhara is instantly defeated. Vrinda realizes she has been
deceived and before committing suicide curses Vishnu to suffer the torment of having
his wife's honor besmirched. This is the explanation for the episode of Rama and
Sita, but Vishnu probably felt it was a minor price to pay. This hard edge is not
something devotees of Vishnu prefer to dwell upon but it is there nonetheless. If
Vishnu is indeed the universe then he is the hardness and darkness of it too.
 These episodes
are atypical and not to be confused with the norm where Vishnu is concerned. They
merely point out that Vishnu should never be underestimated or taken for granted
as a pious softy. That is always a danger as Vishnu is usually described as mild,
always amused and smiling, and when in his heaven, called Vaikuntha, he seems to
be in perpetual slumber upon the coils of Anantha, the Infinite Snake which floats
upon the cosmic waters. This is regarded in yogic circles as a symbol of his perfect
control over the Kundalini energy which is the creative power of the universe. Since
he has it under control there is no need to strive or be frenetic in activity. Everything
naturally happens to such a being. In popular mythology, Vishnu has a lotus growing
form his navel upon which sits Brahma, perpetually involved in the actions
of the cosmos he has created. This contradicts the position that Vishnu is in charge
of the world. Actually Brahma incessantly oversees that aspect of things, Vishnu
waking up from his yogic slumber only when there is a crisis!
Vishnu has a few mythical characters closely associated with him. Foremost is his
wife Laxmi, Goddess of Fortune, and his greatest devotee. In fact one of her names
is Vishnupriya, 'Dear to Vishnu', and the bhakti tradition holds that worship of
Laxmi is so pleasing to Vishnu that you do not even have to consciously worship
him! Their domestic life is usually harmonious, though Vishnu does have another wife,
Bhudevi - the Earth Goddess. Some traditions hold that she is actually none
other than Laxmi herself. At various times and at various incarnations Vishnu ends
up marrying either or both of them so the point is unclear. In south India he is
always depicted with the two of them as separate wives. One of Bhudevi's children
went to the bad over the ages and became a cosmic nuisance called Narakasura. The
Krishna avatar of Vishnu had to kill him off, so the trickster's penchant for the
unexpected obviously continues.
Vishnu's vehicle is the mythical man bird Garuda, the king of all winged creatures.
He is a superhumanly powerful force in the cosmos and seems to have been originally
one of the yaksha deities who were absorbed into the mainstream religion. Garuda
is called the senior servant of Hari (Vishnu).
All Vishnu temples display him upon the flag post and there is usually a separate
shrine for his worship. The junior servant of Hari is the great god Hanuman.
Yet another divine personage closely associated with Vishnu is the sage Narada,
who is also a great devotee of Vishnu. This sage is unique in having been born a
deva or god but choosing a spiritual life of celibacy and devotion, unlike the rest
of the heavenly crew.
Narada is the ideal sidekick for a Trickster god, being a sort of magnified Puck,
hugely intelligent and having a congenitally strange sense of humor allied to a
persuasive tongue. He has the run of all the worlds and since his very presence
brings forth blessings to the land even the demons don't prevent him from coming
and going as he wills. Narada is always looking to stir things up, and being an
infallible psychologist he knows exactly what buttons to press. Sometimes he creates
domestic strife in Vishnu's life solely for the amusement! To meddle is what he
lives for and to make people fall in love when their families would oppose it, to
give false hope to evildoers, to shake up the staid and conventional, and to completely
puncture the pretensions of the delusional - these are his vocation. Narada of course
is an active agent of Vishnu and he should really be regarded as an aspect of the
god's power than as a separate entity.
Narada was once inadvertently responsible for the birth of the sacred heavenly river
Ganga from the body of Vishnu. Narada fancied himself as a singer, and the rest
of the world was too polite to tell the divine sage the truth - that he stank. One
day, while on his travels and cheerfully warbling away, he came across some hideously
mutilated and suffering beings. The compassionate Narada was aghast when he learnt
the truth about them. They were the inner geniuses of the songs he had been so cavalierly
massacring, reduced to such torment because the power of a god had literal consequences
when used.
He swore not to sing until he had mastered the art and he kept his promise so well
that Narada is acknowledged as an unquestioned master of music today. However
something needed to be done for the wounded spirits of music. Fortunately if their
songs were sung by the perfect singer, they would be healed. Shiva was the perfect
singer and he agreed on condition that the perfect listeners, Brahma and Vishnu,
be present for the concert. He would sing only if he was in perfect rapport with
his audience. None of this was a problem and the great god began to sing. So enraptured
did Vishnu get with the song that his body began to melt in sympathy. Brahma was
alert and he quietly captured this melted essence of Vishnu in his water pot. This
became the river of salvation - Ganga.
Vishnu is depicted as a handsome young man, dressed in royal robes and being either
dark blue or black in complexion. In his four hands he holds the symbols so dear
to his devotees, these being - the conch-shell or Shanka called Panchajaya, the
fiery quoit or discus weapon called the Sudarshana charka made from the rays of
the sun, a mace called Kaumodaki, and the fourth hand holding a lotus or Padma.
Students of the Tarot will instantly recognize that each one of these symbols represent
one of the Great Elements of Earth, Water, Fire and Air and represents the ability
of the Trickster god to pervade everything as befits his name. His bow is
called Sarnga and his sword Nandaka. One of the peculiar identifying marks of Vishnu
is that his chest has a curl of hair called the sri-vasta, or sign of Laxmi! Avatars
of Vishnu are recognized by their having this curl. He is also depicted as wearing
Laxmi's portrait over the sri-vasta, which is a pretty romantic thing to do as well
as being something unique in Sanskrit literature.
The worship of Vishnu is one of the most theologically and ritually overdeveloped
aspects of Indian faith so we shall not go into it here. What is of interest is
the concept that by exclusively focusing on the God one could achieve salvation.
This was a new note in India. The worshippers of Vishnu are generally more
conservative in caste outlook and attitudes than those who follow the avatars. They
are a veritable bulwark of tradition which is a mixed blessing, but the Vaishnavas
have contributed more than their fair share to the cultural life of India so it
all balances out. Vishnu would have been pleased with that. Finally one of the characteristic
features of Vishnu worship is the repetition of his thousand names. Of these some
of the more significant are Achyuta - the imperishable; Hrishikesha - lord of the
organs of sense; Keshava - the radiant; Purusha - the supreme man/spirit; Purushottama
- the supreme spirit/highest amongst men; Yajnesha - the lord of sacrifices; Svayambhu
- the self existent; Mukunda - the deliverer and Vishwamvara - the protector of
the world.
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