Vishnu-The Lord of the Universe-Chapter#8

Lord Vishnu- the most enchanting person of the Universe

FIVE FORMS OF MANIFESTATION OF LORD

The Supreme Lord manifests Himself in five different forms for the benefit of His devotees. These forms are 1) Para, 2) Vyuha, 3) Vibhava, 4) Antaryamin and 5) Archa.

Each one of these five forms is briefly described below:

1. Parama Roopa

Para is the transcendental form of the Supreme Lord in His Highest Abode called the Parama Pada. Those who are residents in the Paramapada called the Nitya Suris or the eternally free celestials, the souls released from bondage. This form of Lord Vishnu is therefore not open to the mortal people of the mundane world.



Vishnu and Lakshmi riding on Garuda-The Eagle

2. Vyuha Roopa

From the Puranas it is learnt that the Devas or demi-gods when in serious trouble approach Brahma the First-born and seek ways to solve their problems. The gods headed by Brahma reach the Milky Ocean where the Supreme Lord Vishnu is resting in His serpent couch in meditative sleep. The main purpose of manifestation in the Vyuha form seems to be to provide an opportunity to the Vedic gods to experience the blissful presence of the Lord so as to render devotional service to Him. This form is not available for ordinary humans who have to be satisfied with the Para and the Vyuha forms portrayed in images and murtis.




Lakshmi Idol

3. Vibhava Avatar

The descent of the Supreme Lord by way of incarnations is called Avatar. The need and purpose of such incarnations in various forms are found in Bhagvad Gita. Lord Krishna says ”Arjuna, whenever there is a decline of righteousness and unrighteousness takes the upper hand I will incarnate to save justice, for the protection of dharma and for the destruction of the wicked, therby re-establishing Dharma".

The two epics namely Ramayana and the Mahabharata describe in great detail the exploits of the Supreme Lord in His various incarnations.

Vibhava or descents of the Lord has its particular time and place and this form is available only to those who are living during the period of these Avatars. Others have to console themselves by hearing or reading about the Lord.




Lord Vishnu is resting on the Divine snake-Moolavar form
The Murti form can be seen in front.

4. Antaryamin Form

The term Antaryamin refers to the indwelling spirit form of the Supreme Lord in all humans. The Lord resides in each human beings, animals, plants. The Lord resides in a very subtle form in the inner recess of the human heart for the purpose of meditation in order to realize Him by His grace.



A portrait of Lord Vishnu

5. Archa Avatara

The words Archa avatara denote the descent of the Supreme Lord in image or murti form for adoration, prayer and worship. Of all the forms of the Lord, the Archa or murti form is visible to everyone and easily accessible for worship. Formless or attribute less Brahman (Creator), besides being incomprehensible, reduces the spiritual practice into a sterile, soul-less and tedious exercise. Name, images, idols add more interest to any subject. Murtis and images are the most favourable items for the concentration of mind for worship and meditation. Image worship serves the very useful purpose of prompting religious fervor, stimulating devotion and creating a spiritually elevating divine atmosphere.

Next Chapter#9: Idol Worship

Lord of the Universe-Vishnu-Chapter#7

One of the essential requirements for a devotee in order to lead a religious life is to have a well qualified Acharya or Guru. Only a teacher can guide a pupil towards knowledge and enlightenment. The inner meaning of the philosophical truths cannot be attained by just self-study. Any devotee has to fully realize that he is absolutely dependent on God and that his intrinsic duty is to serve God at all times. He should realize that he is a mere tool in the hands of God and do all actions not for his selfish purposes but with a spirit of providing pleasure to God and this is the height of renouncement of ego.

Vishnu-The Lord of the Universe-Chapter#6

Shri Vaishnavam

Panentheism

Panentheism belief system is one which states that the one Supreme God interpenetrates every part of nature and timelessly extends beyond imaginations. Vaishnavam is a form of Panentheism in which Lord Vishnu is considered the Ultimate Reality. Lord Narayanan is viewed as a creator behind the universe and the source of universal truth. Panentheism is essentially a unifying combination of theism (God is the supreme being) and pantheism (God is everything). Panentheism holds that God is the “supreme affect and effect” of the universe. During the great battle of Mahabharata, Lord Krishna's saying to Arjuna: "I continually support the entire universe by a very small fraction of My divine power,".

Etymology

The name Vaishnavam is a formation from the Sanskrit Vaishnava. It means belonging to or derived from Vishnu. I was browsing through websites. I found this interesting quote, which I would like to quote.

"He is a true devotee of Vishnu who knows and feel others calamities as his own, ever ready to serve the society, One who keeps his thoughts, words and deeds pure. Blessed are the parents of such a person. He treats women as he would treat his own mother. He keeps his mind calm and does not stain his lips with falsehood, nor does he touches others wealth. Ever in tune with Rama-nama (name of God), within his body is present all places of pilgrimage. Free from greed and deceit, passion and anger.

Vishnu-The Lord of the Universe-Chapter#5

Lord Vishnu resting on Adhi-Sesha and His consort Goddess Lakshmi attending to him.

Adhi Sesha

Sesha is generally depicted with a massive form that floats coiled in space, or on the universal ocean, to form the bed on which Vishnu lies. Sometimes he is shown as five-headed or seven-headed, but more commonly as a many hundred-headed serpent. He is closely associated with Vishnu. Balarama and Lakshmana are considered avataras of Sesha. Sesha represents time. Sesha covers Vishnu’s head depicting that Lord Vishnu has won time. Each head of the giant snake represents innumerable desires, pleasures and maya(illusions). Vishnu rests on this serpernt majestically to signify that He has won all desires and He is beyond human perception.


Garuda-The giant eagle and mount of Vishnu.


Garuda in Hindu mythology is the mount (vahanam) of Vishnu. Garuda is depicted as having a golden body, white face, red wings, and an eagle's beak and wings but a man's body. Garuda is the half brother of Arunan, Lord Surya’s charioteer.
Source: Write-up on Garuda is a wikipedia modified article.

Lord Hanumaan

Hanuman is a vanara who lived during the Treta Yuga. Hanumaan is believed to be an avtar of Lord Shiva. He was a very close friend of Lord Ram. Also known as 'Anjaneya' (son of Anjana), He is one of the most important personalities in the Indian epic, the Ramayana. Hanumaan and Vinayakar are the only two deities who aren’t controlled by the ill-effects of Shani. Anjana was worshipping Lord Shiva, elsewhere, Dasaratha, the king of Ayodhya, was performing the Putrakama Yagna in order to have children. As a result, he received some sacred pudding, to be shared by his three wives, leading to the births of Lord Rama(Vishnu avtar), Lakshmana(Adhi-Sesha Avtar), Bharata(Vishnu’s conch or sangu) and Shatrughna(Vishnu’s chakra). By divine ordinance, a fragment of the pudding flew in the air. Vayu, the Hindu deity of the wind, delivered the falling pudding to the outstretched hands of Anjana, who consumed it. Hanuman was born to her as a result. Hence Vayu is considered to be foster father of Hanumaan. When Lakshmana is severely wounded by Indrajit during the war against Ravana, Hanuman is sent to fetch the Sanjivani, a powerful life-restoring herb from the Dronagiri mountain in the Himalayas to revive him. When he is unable to find the specific herb before nightfall, Hanuman again displays his might by lifting the entire Dronagiri mountain and brings it to the battlefield in Lanka, thus helping others find the herb to revive Lakshmana. An emotional Rama hugs Hanuman, declaring him as dear to him as his own beloved brother Lakshmana.

Shortly after he is crowned Emperor upon his return to Ayodhya, Rama decides to ceremoniously reward all his well-wishers. At a grand ceremony in his court, all his friends and allies take turns being honored at the throne. Seeing Hanuman come up to him, an emotionally overwhelmed Rama embraces him warmly, declaring that he could never adequately honour or repay Hanuman for the help and services. Sita, however, insists that Hanuman deserved honour more than anyone else and asks him to seek a gift. Upon Hanuman's request, Sita gives him a necklace of precious stones adorning her neck. When he receives it, Hanuman immediately tores it apart and peers into each stone. Taken aback, many of those present didn't know why he was destroying the precious gift. Hanuman answers that he was looking into the stones to make sure that Rama and Sita are in them, because if they were not present, the necklace is of no value to him. At this, a few mock Hanuman, saying his reverence and love for Rama and Sita could not possibly be as deep as he was portraying. In response, Hanuman tears his chest open and everyone is stunned to see Rama and Sita literally in his heart.

Dwara Balakas-Security guards of Vaikuntam

Jayan and Vijayan are the Dwarabalakas of Vaikuntam. They are Vishnu’s security guards. Once a group of sages visited Vaikuntam to meet Lord Vishnu. At the entrance the sages are blocked by Jayan and Vijayan. Angered by this act, the sages curse Jayan and Vijayan. Due to the curse they lose their honour and they are made to take birth in earth. They are given two options. They must take seven births as friends of Almighty or three births as enemies of God. Jayan and Vijayan were devoted to Vishnu and wanted to return back to Vaikuntam as soon as possible. So they agree to take birth as enemies of God so that they can return soon. They take birth as Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakasipu and they are slain by Varaha and Narasimha avtars of Lord Vishnu. Then in Treta Yuga, they take birth as Ravanan and Kumbakarnan and Vishnu descends as Lord Ram to kill them. In the Dwarpa Yuga, they take birth as evil king’s Kamsa and Sisupala and Lord Krishna who is none other than Vishnu himself kills them to restore Dharma.

Vishnu-Lord of the Universe-Chapter#4

8 forms of Laksmi

Lakshmi

Lakshmi is the consort of Lord Maha Vishnu and is the Goddess of beauty, wealth and fertility. She resides in Vishnu’s chest. Often the deity of Vishnu bears a medal in the chest to signify the presence of Maha Lakshmi. When the devas and asuras churned the milk ocean, Lakshmi emerged from the ocean along with Dhanvantri, jewels, precious stones, amurtham. She and Vishnu are inseparables. During Ram incarnation, she takes avatar of Sita. And when Vishnu comes as Krishna she takes birth as Rukmini and Radha and serves the Almighty Lord. Lakshmi is the power and strength of Lord Vishnu. In some places She is seen in two forms, Bhudevi and Sridevi, both on either side of Vishnu's idol. Bhudevi is the fertility form in which She is Mother Earth. Sridevi is the wealth.

Different Names of Lakshmi

Padma: lotus dweller.
Kamala: lotus dweller.
Padmapriya: One who likes lotuses
Padmamaladhara devi: One who wears a garland of lotuses
Padmamukhi: One whose face is as beautiful as a lotus
Padmakshi: One whose eyes are as beautiful as a lotus
Padmahasta: One who holds a lotus Padmasundari: One who is as beautiful as a lotus


Goddess Lakshmi-Goddess of Beauty, wealth and prosperity.

Her other names include:
Bhargavi: One who is the incarnation of the daughter of Sage Bhrigu
Sridevi: Goddess of wealth
Bhumi Devii: Earth goddess
Jalaja: Born from sea.





Lakshmi often accompanied by Goddess Saraswati and Vinayagar.


Iconography:

Physically, goddess Lakshmi is described as a fair lady, with four arms, seated on a lotus, dressed in fine garments and precious jewels. Her expression is always calm and loving. The most striking feature of the iconography of Lakshmi is her persistent association with the lotus. The meaning of the lotus in relation to Shri-Lakshmi refers to purity and spiritual power. Rooted in the mud but blossoming above the water, completely uncontaminated by the mud, the lotus represents spiritual perfection and authority. Goddess Lakshmi's traditionally accepted vehicle, is the owl.





Popular painting of Ravi Verma depicting Goddess Lakshmi.


8 forms of Lakshmi’s:

Veera Lakshmi- Goddess of courage.
Gaja Lakshmi- Portrayed along with elephants symbolizing supremacy.
Santhana Lakshmi- Seen with a child.
Vijaya Lakshmi- Goddess of power.
Dhanya Lakshmi- Goddess of food.
Adhi Lakshmi- Supreme power.
Dhana Lakshmi- Goddess of wealth.
Aishwarya Lakshmi- Goddess of prosperity.




Lord Vishnu with His consorts Sridevi and Bhudevi.

Lakshmi is often accompanied by Lord Ganesha and Goddess Saraswati. This combination is said to overcome any difficulty in life and the devotee will be blessed with wealth, knowledge and will be free of all obstacles in life. Lakshmi resides in the chest of Vishnu. This is often depicted by a dollar near the chest of Lord Vishnu.


Next Chapter#5: True Devotees of Vishnu

Stay tuned...

Vishnu-Lord of the Universe-Chapter#3

Praying to Vishnu
The purpose of doing puja is to thank and remember Maha Vishnu before starting our day. It is due to the Supreme that we have been given a good body, food, etc. It is He who awakens us in the morning and blesses us with sleep at night. It is He who constantly protects us from evil and bad things everyday. It is He who inspires and boosts our atma. Therefore to thank Him for all these valuable gifts, we need to pray to him. We think of Him first, before thinking and doing things for ourselves. Even when Vishnu came as Krishna to the world, He still followed all rituals and vedas as an human being, though he was the God.


Unfortunate People
It is wrong to tease people who are lame or mentally ill. After all they are also creation of God. It is their fate, ill-luck, that they have been born physically challenged. It is the duty of every human to take care of His elders and neighbours. When He incarnates, He has never shown partiality. He has respected everyone equally.








Vishnu as Parashuram with axe.
Parashuram Avtar



In the Parashurama avtar, Vishnu destroys evil king Katavirya Arjuna and restores peace. Parashuram was the son of rishi Jamadagni. Parashuram was well known for penance and strength. Katavirya Arjuna was the king of all Kshatriyas then. Katavirya Arjuna used to be very powerful and full of ego. One day Katavirya Arjuna stormed into the ashram of brahmins and forcibly took away the diive Kamdhenu. When Parashuram returned after completing penance and meditation, he learnt about the incident and vowed to slay Kartavirya Arjuna. Parashuram rescued Kamadhenu and handed the cow over to his parents and returned to his meditation and penance. Meanwhile Katavirya Arjuna's sons beheaded rishi Jamadagni, father of Parashuram. Parashuram was enraged when he learnt about his father’s demise. He hunted down all of Kshatriyas. He vowed to wipe out 21 generations of Kshatriyas. In this manner Bhagwan Parashuram removed evil Earth and re-established dharma. Parashuram proves the power of man. He considered as Rama with axe. The axe was presented by Lord Shiva after Bhagwan Parashuram underwent penance.

Ram with Lakshman, Sita Devi and Hanumaan.

Lord Ram

In Ram avtar, Lord Ram kills demon Ravana and rescues Sita Devi. Lord Ram is the most popular incarnation of all as in that incarnation, Ram lived life the way it should be lived. He didn’t succumb to materialistic pleasures of life and he lived as a proper family man and was loyal to Sita devi. He didn’t even use any of His divine powers as in Krishna avtar. Rama's life and journey is one of perfect adherence to dharma despite harsh tests of life and time. For the sake of his father's honour, Rama abandons his kingdom to Kosala's son to serve an exile of fourteen years in the forest. His wife, Sita and brother, Lakshmana being unable to live without Rama decide to join him, and all three spent the fourteen years in exile together. This leads to the kidnapping of Sita by Ravana. After a long and arduous search that tests his personal strength and virtue, Rama fights a colossal war against Ravana's armies. Rama slays Ravana in battle and liberates his wife.

Lord Balaram

Balaram is the elder brother of Lord Krishna. He is considered as an avtar of Adhi-Sesha, the giant snake on which Lord Vishnu rests. Balarama is always depicted as being fair skinned, especially in comparison to his brother, Krishna, who is shown as dark blue or black in color. His weapons are the plough and the mace. The only theological difference between Krishna and Balarama is that the body color of Krishna is dark and that of Balarama is fair. During Ram avtar, Goddess Maha Lakshmi incarnated as Sita along with Ram. The giant serpent Adhi-Sesha couldn't stay away from His Lord. So Adhi-Seshan incarnated as Lakshman, Ram's brother so that he could serve him in earth. The Lord was moved by Adhi-Seshan's devotion and spirit. So in next avtar, Adhi-Seshan incarnated as Balaram with an hamsam of Vishnu. Then Vishnu incarnated as Krishna and served Balarama in return of gratitude.

Lord Krishna

Krishna is the ninth avtar and perhaps the most popular avtar of Vishnu. Few consider Krishna has the Supreme Personality of God head from whom all avtars originate including Vishnu. According to Hinduism, Krishna is the avtar of Vishnu. His lifestyle was very different from that of other avtars. His favourite food item was butter. He was a naughty kid during His earlier days and He was a great hero amongst women (Gopis). During his lifetime, he killed many demons, evil kings and bad elements. Everyone knew by looking at Him that He was no ordinary human. However, Krishna is widely criticised for His one-sided partial nature towards Pandavas during the Great War Mahabharata. Krishna played a lot of pranks using His Supreme Powers indirectly to reestablish justice. It was in this avtar that Vishnu in the form of Krishna shows his awesome cosmic form to Arjuna. All living forms, land, ocean, all gods are seen in His radiance. Krishna himself is killed by an archer after the Great War.

Kalki Avtar

As the world was neared the end of Dwarpa Yuga, Vishnu took the form of Balarama and Krishna and destroyed evil demons, kings in the world. Thus the world was devoid of bad people once again. In the last incarnation Kalki, Vishnu will come as a white horse with a sword to remove evil and He will reestablish peace and truth. We can see that every time there is imbalance between good and bad, God descends down to earth to remove bad elements from the society. Every Religion has got truth. God has taken many forms to give us joy and protection whether it’s Jesus or Allah. There is a path to reach God. Different paths may lead to the same destination. Likewise, there are different religions all leading to the same God.

Next Edition:- Goddess Lakshmi-Consort of Vishnu.

Vishnu-The Lord of the Universe-Chapter#2

Vishnu in the form of fish. Matsya Avtar.


In Kaliyuga, people are far away from God. The world is full of injustice. The human civilization has degraded spiritually through the years. All humans have become sinners. It's the age for wrong doers. There is ignorance of Dharma everywhere. People are killing each other in the name of Religion and castes. No one is really concerned about other’s welfares. Humans will be inclined to follow false sciences rather than accepting the Vedas as the Ultimate Truth to reality. People will see those who are helpless as easy targets and remove everything from them. Other’s property will be coveted. There will be a mad craze for money, lust and other cheap materialistic pleasures of life. Students won't be obedient to the Guru's. In the age of Kali Yug, even pre-teenage girls will get pregnant. The primary cause will be the social acceptance of sexual intercourse as being the central requirement of life. Human life’s moral values will be lost.




Vishnu in the form of tortoise-Kurma Avtar

It is believed that sin will increase exponentially, whilst virtue will fade and cease to flourish. People will take vows only to break them soon. People will destroy trees and gardens in the view of urbanization. People will become addicted to intoxicating drinks.

The good and the bad are balanced. However, sometimes the amount of evilness increases. God descends down into earthly form to remove injustice. Wrong doers will be punished. This is evident from the incarnation of nine avatars.

In the Matsya avatar, Vishnu-The Supreme takes the form of a fish and saves the world from destruction and reestablishes growth of life in the world by defeating a demon which stole the vedas from Brahma. Earlier, a evil demon stole the vedas from Brahma and kept it under an ocean. Vishnu took the form of a fish and fights the demon under water and restores vedas and gives it back to Brahma.

But peace was short lived. The world was again facing miseries. The Devas and Asuras were always at war. In one such war, the demi-gods were on the verge of defeat. A truce was made and the Devas and Asuras agreed to churn the milk ocean to get the divine nectar, which will make anyone immortal. At that time, Vishnu takes the form of a tortoise i.e. Kurma Avatar to support the mountain. Mandara was used as Churn Dasher and Vasuki, The King of Serpents was used as a rope to churn it. Then Maha Vishnu takes the form of Mohini a charming damsel and distracts the evil minded asuras. Thus they are devoid of nectar. The Devas consumed the nectar become and immortal. Rightness is again restored. It is believed that Rahu and Ketu actually drank some of the nectar. This was seen by the Sun and Moon God. Lord Surya and Moon god told this to Vishnu. With the help of his discus, Lord Vishnu cuts the head of Rahu and the body of Ketu. But since they had consumed the nectar, the remaining pieces remained alive. Later, Rahu and Ketu got an head and body of a snake respectively. It is believed that during eclipse, Rahu and Ketu eat up a portin of Sun and Moon as a sign of revenge.


Varaha Avtar. Vishnu saves the earth when it sunk deep into the ocean.

After many years, a demon named Hirayaksha sinks the world deep into the ocean. Lord Narayana comes in the form of a Boer i.e. Varaha Avatar and rescues the earth and lifts it from the ocean. Hiranyakasipu was the brother of Hiranyaksha. He was no different from his evil-minded brother. He hated Lord Narayana and didn’t allow anyone to worship Narayana. However, his son Prahlad was a Vishnu devotee. Hiranyakasipu warned his own son not to worship Vishnu. But Prahlad didn't listen to his father. Enraged by his son’s disobedience, he decides to kill his own son. Sarcastically, he asks his son where his Lord is present? Prahlad replies calmly, “That He is present everywhere and He is omnipresent”. Frustrated and enraged Hiranyakasipu inquires whether his Lord is present inside the stone pillar near his throne. Prahlad says, “Yes”. Hiranyakasipu breaks the pillar and Vishnu appears in the form of half man-half lion form i.e. Narasimha avatar. Thus it is evident that God always comes to the rescue of His devotees in times of danger and no one cares for us as the Divine Lord Perumal.



Lord Narasimha killing Hiranyakasipu. Prahlad can be seen at the right.


Hiranyakasipu was the brother of Hiranyaksha. He was no different from his evil-minded brother. He hated Lord Narayana and didn’t allow anyone to worship Narayana. However, his son Prahlad was a Vishnu devotee. Hiranyakasipu warned his own son not to worship Vishnu. Enraged by his son’s disobedience, he decides to kill his own son. Sarcastically, he asks his son where his Lord is present? Prahlad replies calmly, “That He is present everywhere and He is omnipresent”. Frustrated and enraged Hiranyakasipu inquires whether his Lord is present inside the stone pillar. Prahlad says, “Yes”. Hiranyakasipu breaks the pillar and Vishnu appears in the form of half man-half lion form i.e. Narasimha avatar. Thus it is evident that God always comes to the rescue of His devotees in times of danger and no one cares for us as the Divine Lord Perumal.



Vamana humbles Maha Bali.


In the next avatar, Vishnu takes the form of Vamana, a dwarf Brahmin. King Maha Bali was a good person. However, he was an Asuran and he wanted to win the devas. Though he was good at heart, he had a very bad attitude towards the Devas. In order to attain a heavenly position he performs Ashwamedha Yagam. Maha Bali conducts Ashwamedha Yagam and donates wealth to brahmins and the poor needy. Vishnu disguised as a brahmin named Vamana approaches Bali and asks for three feet of land. Underestimating, the size of the person he agrees to give it as an offering not minding his Guru Sukracharaya’s words. Sukracharaya warned him earlier that Vamana was none other than Vishnu himself who has come to humble him. Sukracharya then becomes an insect and enters into the water pot as it was customary to pour water before donating anything. Maha Bali was confused when water didn't pour out of the pot. Actually Guru Sukracharya was inside in the form of a bee to prevent water from flowing out. Vamana uses "dharbai" and inserts it into the pot's nozzle to allow the water to pour out. It hurts Sukracharya's eye. Once Maha Bali whole heartedly agrees for the donation, Vamana exposes his true form. He expands Himself and keeps one foot on the earth and the other on the heaven. Bali knew that he had been outwitted by the Supreme. He offered his head for the third step. In this incarnation Vishnu shows that He is the Supreme and the most powerful person. He keeps one foot on earth and shows to humans that he is superior to them. He keeps another step on the heaven to show Indra that He is stronger than him too.


Important lessons to be learnt:

* God is Supreme be it Allah, Jesus or Shiva. Fighting and killing each other in the name of religion is doing sin in the name of God. Religion is only a path to salvation. It is a route to attain peace.

* Proof of evolution is observed. Vishnu comes in the form of Fish, Tortoise, then a four legged boar, half man-half lion Narasimha and a dwarf brahmin, then as a perfect man in Parasuram Avtar. In Ram avtar, he shows how a family man should live. In Balaram avtar, he shows his friendly nature. In Krishna avtar, he proves his kiddish playful nature, Supreme power and divine knowledge as he recites Bhagvad Gita.

* His omnipresent nature is seen in Narasimha avtar.

* His power is felt in all his avtars.


Next Edition(22/11/2007):-Chapter#3 Avatar's-Part-II



Technical Difficulties:

Due to unknown reasons, Blogger hasn't been responding properly. If new articles are posted, they don't show up for many days. This happens especially with the case when there is a large amount of picture data. Inconvenience caused is regretted. Hopefully, it should return to normalcy soon.

Vishnu-The Lord of the Universe-Chapter#1

Lord Vishnu also known as Lord Narayana is the Supreme Being or the Ultimate reality. Vishnu is the all-pervading essence of all beings, the master the past, present and future, one who supports, sustains and governs the Universe. It is from him the entire universe originates. In the basic Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, Vishnu is the protector of the universe, where Brahma and Shiva are known as creators and destroyers. Vishnu is often represented as sleeping over a thousand headed serpent named "Adhi Sesha or Ananta Sesha" with His consort Goddess Lakshmi massaging His lotus feet. Lord Narayana and Adhisesha are inseparables. Even in Vishnu’s avtar of Ram and Krishna, Adhi-Sesha incarnates as Lakshman and Balarama respectively to serve the Almighty.






In the Puranas, Vishnu is described as being the color of clouds (dark-blue), four-armed, holding a lotus, mace, conch and a chakra. Vishnu is also described in the Bhagavad-Gita Gita as having a 'Universal Form' (Vishvarupa) which is beyond the ordinary limits of human sense perception. When Krishna reveals himself as Vishnu to Arjuna, in His viswaroopam all gods are seen in his radiance. Brahma, Vishnu,Shiva, Vinayagar, Hanumaan, Anjaneyar, Agni and other Devas and with Goddess Lakshmi in His chest. Krishna reveals that He is present everywhere and omnipresent. He keeps His consort in His chest, indicating to humans that they should care for their spouses. Even Vishnu is a family man. In His avtar as Ram, He is loyal to Seeta Devi. He followed the path of Dharma. He lived the way a man should live. Each of his avtars have got a message for mankind.




The four arms indicate his all-powerful and all-pervasive nature. The two arms in the front represent the physical existence of Vishnu while the two arms at the back represent his presence in the spiritual world. The blue color indicates his all-pervasive nature, blue being the color of the infinite sky as well as the infinite ocean on which he resides. Also on his chest is the srivatsa mark, symbolizing his consort Lakshmi. Around his neck, he wears the auspicious "Kaustubha" jewel and a garland of flowers (vanamaalaa). A crown adorns His head. The crown symbolizes his supreme authority. He is shown as wearing two earrings. They represent inherent opposites in creation - knowledge and ignorance; happiness and unhappiness pleasure and pain. "Those who bear His light loads in their life, serve Him the best". I am quoting this line from On His Blindness by John Milton. Those who face difficulties in life, without lamenting serve God. All humans should accept God, as the most Supreme Being be it any religion whether it’s Vishnu or Allah or Jesus and serve Him by chanting His names, than giving into materialistic pleasures and hence succumbing to evil.





Scenario: Kurushetra Battlefied. Krishna reveals His awesome cosmic form.

Symbols of Vishnu


1. A conch shell named "Panchajanya", held by the upper left hand, which represents creativity. The Panchajanya is the originator of the five elements or Panchabhoota - water, fire, air, earth and sky or space.

2. The chakra, a sharp-spinning discus-like weapon, named "Sudarshana", held by the upper right hand. The chakra as a weapon thus indicates the necessity of destroying one's ego and illusory self-existence and developing the vision to identify the eternal truth. The discus has six spokes and symbolizes a lotus with six petals, thus representing the power that controls all six seasons.

3. A mace or Gada, named "Kaumodaki", held by the lower left hand, which represents individual existence. The mace symbolizes the primeval force from which all mental and physical strength is derived.

4. A lotus flower or Padma, held by the lower right hand, which represents liberation or dispersion. The lotus symbolizes the power from which the universe emerges. It represents the concentration of truth or Satya, the originator of the rules of conduct or Dharma, and knowledge or Gyana in a single symbol.




Lord Vishnu as Balaji in Tirumala.




Next Chapter#2: Purpose of Avtars

Are women safe?

A women cares for a child and protects it day and night for ten months. Alas, no one is there to protect her! And God is watching all this!


An employee of a Wipro-owned call centre was found murdered off the old Mumbai-Pune highway on Saturday. Jyoti Chowdhary (22) — whose body was found at Gahunje village, 130 km from Mumbai — was probably strangled, police said. Two drivers hired by the call centre in Hinjewadi IT Park were arrested and charged with murder. Police said they are awaiting the post-mortem report to see whether Jyoti was sexually assaulted. Police Inspector Prakash Suryavanshi said one of the arrested drivers, Purushottam Borate, used to drop Chowdhary to her office from her home. The other accused, Pradeep Kokade, is a friend of Borate's. Confirming that Chowdhary was an employee, Wipro BPO president TK Kurien said in a statement: "There has been a criminal manipulation of our processes. We had put several processes in place, including ‘no first pick up or last drop’ of female staffers, compulsory rosters for every taxi, ongoing education of employees on personal safety, precautions to be followed during late-night travel. Unfortunately, even the most secure processes get manipulated. We have initiated an audit to further tighten all processes, especially those concerning employees' safety."

Though Infosys,Wipro prevents first pickup or last drop of women, crimes still occur at an alarming rate. The reason is due to the fact of women being alarmingly dependent, they get cheated by men. Statistics show that most of the crimes were done by co-workers.

I blame the Government and NASSCOM(National Association of Software and Services Companies ). They havent put any strict restrictions on these BPO companies. BPO companies don't do any background check and police check. Police dont want to instruct these companies what they have to do stop these kind of activites. So there is lot to blame on and sufferring people will be women!

A shocking case of rape and murder of a BPO employee has thrown a question mark over safety for women working in call centres once again. There are various steps that can be taken.

* One is that women should not be the first or last ones to be picked or dropped.

* Second is to make use of technology.

* Third to put a security guard in the cabs. Let is be a women security guard.

* Girls can learn a few martial arts. What they really need is some sort of courage and optimism.

* This idea is tough, but worth thinking. Young girls should learn to judge their counterparts before venturing out with them.

I have observed that women have performed well in all aspects. I have seen them doing well in all aspects be it Academics, I.T, Sports or whatever. I admit that I have been jealous at many circumstances. But I am always against abuse and assault, be it women or men or a small child.

Hoping God will change things....

-Krishna Kumar.S

IRFCA-Indian Railway's Fan Club Association

I am not going to talk about a multinational firm or a government organisation. I am going to write about an organisation which is dedicated to the Indian Railway fans. It gives me immense pleasure to write about IRFCA. IRFCA stands for Indian Railways Fan Club Association which comprises of more than 5000 members globally.

Interaction among IRFCA members is not just by electronic mail. Occasionally, members of the IRFCA mailing list in a particular region may also meet in person to go railfanning at local train stations or on longer trips (by train, hiking, etc.), or sometimes just to chat about trains etc. It is only through these trips, I saw many hidden beauties of Indian Railways. And it is only after joining IRFCA, I got the peculiar habit of taking photographs of trains.

I saw IRFCA first in 2004, when I accidentally accessed the IRFCA server to see videos and pictures. It fascinated me a lot. Finding it interesting, I signed up for to the mailing list. And man, the next day I checked my mailbox to find around 75 mails. I realised that this IRFCA forum was no joke, but a serious discussion forum dedicated to the Indian Railways. I visited the IRFCA gallery site and saw many pictures. I downloaded a lot of videos. Almost around 200 videos in a single day. My father was also excited on seeing the website. We both are rail fans so we felt as if the website was like heaven. Then I started reading the mails. It was full of technical facts, information, spottings of strange locos, shed details, trip reports. I have always wondered how a loco cab would look like and how would the controls would be like. I accessed different parts of the website and I found various details. I found out how the Indian Railway system works.

Then I went to the IRFCA's Yahoo! mailing list. I noted down a few id's and added them in my messenger. The first person whom I met in IRFCA was Aditya Prbahakar from Hyderabad. I chatted with him for about a month and then he came here to Chennai just for the sake of meeting me. We went all around the sub-urbs and we had a nice time with the engines. Then Aditya introduced Zubin Dotivala to me.Zubin is 39, but still he moves with me well. If I am depressed, restless or mentally upset I talk to Zubin. Zubin has been a good mentor and a good friend. Love you!

Then came Deepesh Soni, Abhisbhek Risbud, Abhishek Salian etc etc. And within a year I know many IRFCAn's across India. It took another one more year and I was open to the US chapter. Eventhough they work for big companies like GE, Microsoft they are still railnuts and they are crazier than me when it comes to trains.


IRFCA has helped me a lot. When I was in my tenth grade, I wasn't able to speak English properly. My communication skill was very poor. At the same time, I wasn't much exposed to the outside world. However, within a span of two years IRFCA has transformed me into a confident individual. After moving with many fellow IRFCA guys, my language has improved, my confidence improved and I was buzzing with self confidence. What really happened? Well, while interacting with people, I had no other choice than using English. So naturally, I learnt English. I really struggled a lot and within no time, I gained it. Ask Aditya, he would know better:).


Apart from talks regarding Railways, I have approached senior members tips and advice. Whenever I feel bothered, I use to have a chat with Zubin and Sundar Krishna Murthy. We use to share a lot of ideas. They have stood along with me during tougher times of my life. Perhaps, the most important event was my job hunt. I lost my first interview. My world was shattered into to pieces. But the Chennai chapter came to the rescue. Harish.K counselled me and nurtured optimism. Then I had a talk with Aravind.S (Saidapet South Cabin Controller). He told what's life all about and he told he got selected only in his third interview.


Through God's grace, assisted by my HOD(who is also in IRFCA) and guided by IRFCA mentally, I got placed. Today I have an air of confidence around me. I have improved a lot, especially socially. Our bondage is strong and our relationship is true. That's why IRFCA prospers.

LONG LIVE IRFCA!

LONG LIVE THE INDIAN RAIWAYS!

GOD BLESS IRFCA MEMBERS!

Please visit us at http://www.irfca.org/


-Krishna Kumar.S
IRFCA
Chennai.

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Steve Waugh-My role model

"The more you help people the more you grow as a person and feel good about yourself. And in return you're helping someone else. It's a win-win situation, unlike cricket where one should lose at the end of the day. You see kids with a tough lifestyle and yet by doing just one little thing, you can help make them happier. Many are in a bad way, or dying, but their inner strength and courage are incredible."

-Steve Waugh



Any individual who serves as an example of a positive behavior can be termed as a perfect role model. Many of my close friends will surely know that if I ever say the word role model it means none other than Steve Waugh. There are many reasons which attracts and impresses me. Any cricket fan would admit that he was the person who redefined Australian Cricket. He is the most experienced Test cricketer in history, making 168 appearances. He is known as "Tugga", and amongst the public as "Iceman" for his ability to remain calm and cool in high-pressure situations throughout his career. Ironically, that's the character I lack slightly. Though being an Indian, I have supported Australia just for the sake of Steve Waugh. With him in the one-day team, Australia won two World cups, and reached the finals of another. Under his captaincy, the Test side became a dominant force, and set the benchmarks in international cricket.



After Mark Taylor and Healy's retirement, the Australian Team was relatively new having only Waugh and Moody has their senior players. The new team struggled a lot. With Taylor retiring from the Test captaincy at the end of the 1998-99 season, Waugh inherited the captaincy, with his first assignment being a tour to the West Indies. Australia were expected to crush their opponents easily, who had been whitewashed 5-0 by South Africa immediately before the series. After easily winning the first Test, Waugh found himself in trouble on his first tour as captain. Embattled West Indies skipper Brian Lara and Jimmy Adams batted for the entire second day of the second Test, to set up a large innings victory, and in the third Test, Lara batted for the entire final day to secure an unlikely one-wicket victory. Under immense pressure and criticism due to the team's inability to defeat a team rated much lower, he was forced to axe Warne from the team for the final Test after his ineffective performances on his comeback from injury, leading to a threat of retirement. Despite, a third consecutive Lara century, the team managed to win the final Test to draw the series and retain the Frank Worrell Trophy. The one day series brought further trouble, as the Australians stumbled to a 2-2 series draw.



Australia then had an unconvincing start to their 1999 World Cup campaign. After a scratchy win against Scotland, Australia suffered defeats to New Zealand and Pakistan, meaning that they would have to win their two remaining group matches against Bangladesh and the West Indies, as well as all three Super Six matches to progress to the semi-finals. In all, this meant seven consecutive matches without defeat in order to win the World Cup. After defeating Bangladesh, Waugh and Michael Bevan were criticised for deliberate slow batting, in order to minimize damage to the West Indies and enhance their own chances of progressing to the semi-finals. Waugh testily retorted "We're not here to make friends, we're here to win the World Cup". However, in 2001, South Africa gave a sample of Waugh's own medicine when they deliberately focussed on achieving a target safely rather than winning the match. Australia was eliminated in the VB Series prelimnaries. Since South Africa batted slowly, this ensured minimal damage to New Zealand. Morever, since South Africa lost the match, New Zealand gained a point and got an edge over Australia. South Africa preferred New Zealand in finals than the Aussies. After Australia's elimination the first rounds, Steve Waugh was stripped off the ODI cap which he never claimed back.



Waugh saved his best for two must-win games against South Africa, scoring 120 against South Africa in the last game of the "Super Six" to ensure Australia's progression to the semi-final, and then 56 in the semi, which was tied. 2001 began with an attempt to conquer the "Final Frontier" - to defeat India on the subcontinent, where Australia had not won a series since 1970 under Bill Lawry. The campaign appeared to be on track, with the first Test in Mumbai being won easily by ten wickets, and India looking set for defeat in the second after conceding a lead of 274. Waugh choose to enforce the follow-on, and saw the sequence of 16 consecutive victories end after V. V. S. Laxman and Rahul Dravid batted for the entire fourth day's play and set up a large run chase after a partnership of 376 on a dusty spinning wicket. The Australians were unable to cope with the spin of Harbhajan Singh on the final day, becoming only the third team to lose a Test after enforcing the follow-on. Australia started the final Test well, but collapsed on the second morning after Waugh became only the sixth batsman to be given out handled the ball when he pushed a ball from Harbhajan away from the stumps after being hit on the pads. Harbhajan finished with 15 wickets in the match, which resulted in a two-wicket victory to the Indians, and the "Final Frontier" eluded Waugh.



Steve Waugh retired from international cricket after the fourth Test against India on 2- January 2004. Steve played a crucial, archetypically gritty final Test innings, compiling 80 - his highest-ever fourth innings score - on the final day to save Australia from their first home series defeat in 12 years. As he passed 50, ferries on Sydney Harbour took the rare gesture of sounding their horns in acknowledgement of the retiring champion. An all-time record number of fans and spectators had also turned out on the fifth day to bid farewell to Waugh at the SCG.



Waugh helps to raise funds for a leper children's colony, "Udayan", in Calcutta. He reportedly also encouraged his players to learn about and enjoy the countries they visited and played in, presumably partly to reduce the siege mentality of some previous Australian teams playing in south Asia. Waugh is a keen photographer and has produced several "tour diaries" which feature his images. In his latter years as a cricketer, he has written for a number of newspapers. He insists on writing them himself rather than with the assistance of professional journalists. Steve Waugh was recently stated in an article as commenting: "If you don't help people who are in need, it's just not cricket". He is also a prolific author and his ever expanding series of tour diaries and thoughts provide an insight into the mind of Steve Waugh.



When Steve Waugh first saw the streets of downtown Mumbai, he was amazed. Even for a kid born and raised in Sydney's rough and tumble west, nothing could prepare him for the confronting sights of beggars, people without limbs and children, all scavenging for money.
Nothing affected him more deeply, though, than to see young children sleeping on street corners with rats running over them. He could not get used to the smell of the city, the atrocities or the scorned left to die. For years during Australian tours he felt overwhelmed and helpless. The opportunity, however, to meet with noted humanitarian Mother Teresa added a fresh perspective. Here was a tiny, frail lady, bent over with arthritis, slowly shuffling around, oblivious to her own ills and championing the welfare of others. "There was a calming aura about her," Waugh said. "When you were in her presence you definitely felt more serene and peaceful."



Of all the celebrity encounters he had enjoyed, from the Queen to Nelson Mandela and Sir Elton John, this was by far the most important and powerful. Just as thousands of others had gained strength from shaking Mother Teresa's hand and receiving her saintly blessings, so did Waugh. Now, in places like India where cricketers are feted like movie stars, Waugh has a godlike status and not only for his deeds with cricket's world champions. In Calcutta, for example, Waugh is a hero for the masses as patron of the Udayan Children's Fund, which is assisting deprived children with leprosy.



One of Waugh's dreams is for an entire new wing to be built at Udayan, allowing 250 girls to be housed, counselled and educated so they, too, have a chance of a healthier and more rewarding life. Already there is a boy's wing, but land is scarce and very costly. Achievements on the sporting field are great, but after all it's only a game. When you help people out, realistically it's more important.

India has got a lot of rich CEO's. Making billions through outsourcing business, off shoring, IT, ITES, BPO etc. Lots of people have got a lot of money. Maybe they should take the cue from Steve's words.

-Krishna Kumar. S

Source: Statistics from Cricinfo