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Vishnu
Physical Characteristics and Symbolism
Vishnu has Lotus feet and the flower around his neck is a symbol of God’s worship. The stone that decorates his neck shows that he fulfills his worshippers’ desires. His crown denotes the Divine’s power and authority. His two earrings stand for the dual nature of creation.
In the Puranas, Vishnu is described as being the colour of dark clouds (dark-blue and symbolizes the infinite), having four arms, holding a lotus, mace, a conch and a chakra. Sometimes Vishnu even had more than four arms. Arms for the Hindu Gods were a representation of the god’s diverse powers.
Vishnu’s four arms symbolize the four stages of human life, a.k.a. – the four ashrams; the quest for knowledge (Brahamacharya), family life (Grihastha), retreat to the forest (Vana-Prastha), renunciation (Sannyasa). Of course if Vishnu had more than four, they indicate the four aims of life; duty and virtue (Dharma), material goods, weatlh, and success (Artha), pleasure, sexuality, and enjoyment (Kama), and liberation (Moksha).
Vishnu is also shown with weapons and objects in his arms, which will be mentioned in Objects and Their Meanings.
Objects and Their Meanings
Vishnu is shown with four attributes or weapons. In one hand is the conch, which symbolizes ancient creative voice and the OM (sacred sound) that is said to be the breath of Vishnu. The conch also represents the five universal elements. When the conch is blown, it is said to produce a sound related to the original vibration of universal creation. Vishnu also blows His conch in calling everyone to turn to the higher reality rather than remaining in the darkness of material existence. This calling is the inner voice which nudges all beings of conscience to seek the Absolute Truth. If man does not heed the call, then Vishnu may still use His conch to cut away any material attachments of those who do not turn toward the spiritual path. In the second hand, the disc or Chakra has the characteristics of a boomerang. It signifies the universal mind and/or awareness and it is used to destroy any and all forms of ignorance, showing a path to higher awareness. Also, in the middle of this disk, which is also known as Sudarshan, the revolving nature of the universe can be seen. The third hand holds the mace. This mace symbolizes the cosmic intellect or knowledge. It is called Kaumodaki, meaning that which captivates the mind. It is also associated with time, which destroys all, and is also related to Kali, the power of time. The last of the four objects, the lotus, represents the four directions and indicates His absolute power in the four corners of the universe and is held in the fourth hand.
