विष्णुपञ्चकव्रतकथा

víshṇu-pañcakavrata-kathā

víshṇu

although Vishṇu comes second in the triad he is identified with the supreme deity by his worshippers;
in the Vedic period, however, he is not placed in the foremost rank, although he is frequently invoked with other gods <esp. with Indra whom he assists in killing Vṛitra andﾠ with whom he drinks the Soma juice;
cf. his later names Indrânuja andﾠ Upêndra>;
as distinguished from the other Vedic deities, he is a personification of the light andﾠ of the sun, esp. in his striding over the heavens, which he is said to do in three paces
< seeﾠ tri-vikrama andﾠ cf. bali, vāmana>, explained as denoting the threefold manifestations of light in the form of fire, lightning, andﾠ the sun, orﾠ as designating the three daily stations of the sun in his rising, culminating, andﾠ setting;
Vishṇu does not appear to have been included at first among the Ādityas <q.v.>, although in later times he is accorded the foremost place among them;
in the Brāhmaṇas he is identified with sacrifice, andﾠ in one described as a dwarf;
in the Mahā-bhārata andﾠ Rāmayaṇa he rises to the supremacy which in some places he now enjoys as the most popular deity of modern Hindū worship;
the great rivalry between him andﾠ Ṡiva <cf. vaishṇava andﾠ ṡaiva> is not fully developed till the period of the Purāṇas:
the distinguishing feature in the character of the Post-vedic Vishṇu is his condescending to become incarnate in a portion of his essence on ten principal occasions, to deliver mankind from certain great dangers <cf. avatāra andﾠ IW. 327 >;
some of the Purāṇas make 22 incarnations, orﾠ even 24, instead of 10;
the Vaishṇavas regard Vishṇu as the supreme being, andﾠ often identify him with Nārāyaṇa, the personified Purusha orﾠ primeval living spirit <described as moving on the waters, reclining on Ṡesha, the serpent of infinity, while the god Brahmā. emerges from a lotus growing from his navel;
cf. Manu I, 10 >;
the wives of Vishṇu are Aditi andﾠ Sinīvālī, later Lakshmī orﾠ Ṡrī andﾠ even Sarasvatī;
his son is Kāma-deva, god of love, andﾠ his paradise is called Vaikuṇṭha;
he is usually represented with a peculiar mark on his breast called Ṡrī-vatsa, andﾠ as holding a ṡaṅkha, orﾠ conch-shell called Pāñcajanya, a cakra orﾠ quoit-like missile-weapon called Su-darṡana, a gadā orﾠ club called Kaumodakī andﾠ a padma orﾠ lotus;
he has alsoﾠ a bow called Ṡārṇga, andﾠ a sword called Nandaka;
his vāhana orﾠ vehicle is Garuḍa q.v.;
he has a jewel on his wrist called Syamantaka, another on his breast called Kaustubha, andﾠ the river Ganges is said to issue from his foot;
the demons slain by him in his character of « preserver from evil»,
orﾠ by Kṛishṇa as identified with him, are Madhu, Dhenuka, Cāṇūra, Yamala, andﾠ Arjuna < seeﾠ yamalâ̱rjuna>, Kāla-nemi, Haya-grīva, Ṡakaṭa, Arishṭa, Kaiṭabha, Kaṇsa, Keṡin, Mura, Ṡālva, Mainda, Dvi-vida, Rāhu, Hiraṇya-kaṡipu, Bāṇa, Kāliya, Naraka, Bali;
he is worshipped under a thousand names, which are all enumerated in MBh. XIII, 6950-7056 ;
he is sometimes regarded as the divinity of the lunar mansion called Ṡravaṇa) RV. etc. etc. (cf. RTL. 44 IW. 324);
N. of the month Caitra VarBṛS. ;
(with prājāpatya) of the author of RV. X, 84 ;
of a son of Manu Sāvarṇa andﾠ Bhautya MārkP. ;
of the writer of a law-book Yājñ. ;
of the father of the 11th Arhat of the present Avasarpiṇi L. ;
( alsoﾠ with gaṇaka, kavi, daivajña, paṇḍita, bhaṭṭa, miṡra, yatî ̱ndra, vājapeyin, ṡāstrin etc.) of various authors andﾠ others Inscr. Cat. ;
= agni L. ;
= vasu-devatā L. ;
= ṡuddha L. ;
f. N. of the mother of the 11th Arhat of the present Avasarpiṇi L. ;
n. pl. (in a formula) ĀpṠr. ;
( vishṇor with apamarṇam, ājya-doham, vratam;
<oḥ> sāma, svarīyaḥ N. of Sāmans;
with shoḍaṡa-nāma-stotram, anusmṛitiḥ, ashṭāviṉṡati-nāma-stotram, andﾠ mahā-stutiḥ N. of wks.)
- विष्णुऋक्ष
- विष्णुकन्द
- विष्णुकरण
- विष्णुकवच
- विष्णुकाञ्ची
- विष्णुकान्ती
- विष्णुकान्तीतीर्थ
- विष्णुकुतूहल
- विष्णुकोशल
- विष्णुक्रम
- विष्णुक्रमीय
- विष्णुक्रान्त
- विष्णुक्रान्ति
- विष्णुक्षेत्र
- विष्णुगङ्गा
- विष्णुगाथा
- विष्णुगायत्री
- विष्णुगुप्त
- विष्णुगुप्तक
- विष्णुगूढ
- विष्णुगृह
- विष्णुगोपवर्मन्
- विष्णुगोल
- विष्णुग्रन्थि
- विष्णुचक्र
- विष्णुचन्द्र
- विष्णुचित्त
- विष्णुज
- विष्णुजामल
- विष्णुजामातृ
- विष्णुतत्त्व
- विष्णुतन्त्र
- विष्णुतर्पण
- विष्णुतर्पणविधि
- विष्णुतिथि
- विष्णुतीर्थ
- विष्णुतीर्थीयव्याख्यान
- विष्णुतुल्यपराक्रम
- विष्णुतैल
- विष्णुतोषिणी
- विष्णुत्रिशती
- विष्णुत्व
- विष्णुदत्त
- विष्णुदत्तक
- विष्णुदास
- विष्णुदेव
- विष्णुदेवत्य
- विष्णुदैवत
- विष्णुदैवत्य
- विष्णुद्वादशनामस्तोत्र
- विष्णुद्विष्
- विष्णुद्वीप
- विष्णुधर्म
- विष्णुधर्मन्
- विष्णुधारा
- विष्णुध्यानस्तोत्रादि
- विष्णुनदी
- विष्णुनाममाहात्म्यसंग्रह
- विष्णुनाममाहात्मरत्नस्तोत्र
- विष्णुनीराजन
- विष्णुन्यङ्ग
- विष्णुपञ्चक
- विष्णुपञ्चकव्रतकथा
- विष्णुपञ्जर
- विष्णुपति
- विष्णुपत्नी
- विष्णुपद
- विष्णुपद्धति
- विष्णुपरायण
- विष्णुपर्णिका
- विष्णुपादादिकेशान्तस्तुति
- विष्णुपुत्र
- विष्णुपुर्
- विष्णुपुर
- विष्णुपुराण
- विष्णुपुराणक
- विष्णुपूजन
- विष्णुपूजा
- विष्णुप्रतिमासम्प्रोक्षणविधि
- विष्णुप्रतिष्ठा
- विष्णुप्रतिष्ठापद्धति
- विष्णुप्रिया
- विष्णुप्रीति
- विष्णुब्रह्ममहेश्वरदानप्रयोग
- विष्णुभ
- विष्णुभक्त
- विष्णुभक्ति
- विष्णुभगवतपुराण
- विष्णुभुजंग
- विष्णुभुजंगस्तोत्र
- विष्णुभुजंगी
- विष्णुमत्
- विष्णुमन्त्र
- विष्णुमन्दिर
- विष्णुमय
- विष्णुमहिमन्
- विष्णुमानस
- विष्णुमाया
- विष्णुमाहात्म्य
- विष्णुमाहात्म्यपद्धति
- विष्णुमित्र
- विष्णुमुख
- विष्णुयन्त्रप्रकरण
- विष्णुयशस्
- विष्णुयाग
- विष्णुयागप्रयोग
- विष्णुयामल
- विष्णुयामलतन्त्र
- विष्णुयामिल
- विष्णुरथ
- विष्णुरहस्य
- विष्णुराज
- विष्णुरात
- विष्णुराम
- विष्णुरामसिद्धान्तवागीश
- विष्णुलहरी
- विष्णुलिङ्गी
- विष्णुलोक
- विष्णुवत्
- विष्णुवर्णनध्यानादि
- विष्णुवर्धन
- विष्णुवर्मन्
- विष्णुवल्लभ
- विष्णुवाहन
- विष्णुवाह्य
- विष्णुविग्रहशंसनस्तोत्र
- विष्णुविजय
- विष्णुवृद्ध
- विष्णुव्रतकल्प
- विष्णुशक्ति
- विष्णुशतनामस्तोत्र
- विष्णुशयनबोधदिन
- विष्णुशर्मन्
- विष्णुशिला
- विष्णुशृङ्खल
- विष्णुश्राद्ध
- विष्णुश्राद्धपद्धति
- विष्णुश्रुत
- विष्णुषट्पदी
- विष्णुसंहिता
- विष्णुसमुच्चय
- विष्णुसरस्
- विष्णुसरस्तीर्थ
- विष्णुसर्वजन
- विष्णुसर्वज्ञ
- विष्णुसहस्रनामन्
- विष्णुसिंह
- विष्णुसिद्धान्त
- विष्णुसिद्धान्तलीलावती
- विष्णुसूक्त
- विष्णुसूत्र
- विष्णुस्तव
- विष्णुस्तवराज
- विष्णुस्तुति
- विष्णुस्तोत्र
- विष्णुस्मृति
- विष्णुस्वरूपध्यानादिवर्णन
- विष्णुस्वामिन्
- विष्णुहरि
- विष्णुहारदेव
- विष्णुहिता
- विष्णुहृदय
- विष्णुहृदयस्तोत्र