S'rî Vishnu

S'rî Vishnu is the Krishna Avatar for our universe responsible for providing Lord Brahma the support required to maintain the creation. Vishnu is described in the Vedic Literature as depicted here, with four arms, holding a spinning chakra, conch, mace and lotus in His hands and standing or reclining on a multi-headed serpent.

Every feature of this picture including His clothing, oraments, even the color of His skin is esoterically very significant. The thing to keep in mind is that Lord Vishnu is a celestial being and His appearance is extraordinary and difficult to describe in ordinary physical plane terms. The best compromise is to make extensive use of symbology to force the mind to construct its own image based on a holistic knowledge construct that is created by the interaction of the totality of this esoteric symbology.

There are two ways to construct in your mind this esoteric symbolic knowledge structure that represents the form of Lord Vishnu:

1. Listening to, chanting and meditating upon the Vishnu Sahasranama - this is the "easiest" way because the essence of the Glory of Lord Vishnu is contained in this most valuable resource. A complete copy of the Vishnu Sahasranama is offered here.
2. Reading and meditating upon the many stories in the Vedic Literature that have been created about Lord Vishnu. Some of the literature to consult would be
• S'rimad Bhagavatam (the "Book of God")
• Bhagavad Gita (the "Song of God")
• Ramayana
• Mahabharata
• Vishnu Purana
• Garuda Purana

Lord Vishnu is not different from Lord Narâyana, the source of Lord Brahma the Creator, and the source of our Holy Tradition of Vedic Masters. Ultimately one would have to say that He is not different from Mahâvishnu the source of all Narâyanas, nor is He different from Lord Krishna the Supreme aspect of God.

To better understand this, consider that God is triune - Creator, Maintainer and Destroyer. The function of Creation is the responsibility of Jîva Avatar Lord Brahma, the function of Maintainer is the responsibility of Krishna Avatar Lord Vishnu, and the function of Destroyer is the responsibility of Krishna Avatar Lord Rudra. There is a "difference" between Vishnu and Rudra that is like the "difference" between Krishna and S'iva. Vishnu is on the Krishna side of the coin and Rudra is on the S'iva side. See the article S'iva/Krishna for more about the S'iva/Krishna relationship.

Developing an intimate relationship with Lord Vishnu is a very important part of the S'rî Chakra Maha-Videha Programme and absolutely necessary in order to rise to the Brahman Consciousness. Lord Vishnu is the Grandfather of your Âtman and ultimately responsible for the process of transmutation that changes your ungrounded energies and karmas into your leshya-avidya - the crystalline ego structure that enables you to balance on the razor sharp distinction between Krishna and S'iva.