Vishnu is one of the Supreme Gods of the Hindu pantheon and together with his consort Lakshmi is widely worshipped by Hindus. Officially known as the preserver, Vishnu is recognised as the God that pervades and sustains the Universe, but his true symbolic meaning drills down much deeper into the human psyche. In Hindu myth, Vishnu takes on many forms and the roles he assumes can be somewhat confusing when attempting to interpret his true meaning as a personified God.
But like all Hindu Gods, Vishnu is symbolic of consciousness and aspects of human nature. As a member of the Hindu Trinity alongside Brahma and Shiva, Vishnu is recognised as a Supreme deity. In Vedic literature he is also known as Hari and Lord Narayana, both of whom we see represented as Absolute Truth. Essentially Vishnu represents absolute consciousness. It is for this reason that Hindus consider Vishnu as the protector of the Universe. In Hindu myth, Brahma is born from the navel of Vishnu and goes on to create the world and everything in it. Brahma is thus the creative expression of absolute consciousness – the source. Vishnu in Hindu mythology The Rig Veda tells us that “Vishnu is the most ancient of all, yet also the most recent. Nothing and no one createsVishnu, yet Vishnu creates everyone and everything.” The meaning here is very subtle, but when we consider the incarnations of Vishnu throughout Hindu mythology, we discover the pattern of evolution from fish to man.
Beginning with the fish, Matsya to Buddha, Vishnu has been reincarnated nine times. His next reincarnation is said to be Kalki, the tenth and final incarnation of man. Hindus believe we are living in the time when Kalki is due to make an appearance. This merely means that future generations will be born more spiritually aware than previous generations. We find in Hindu mythology that Vishnu has taken the form of:
– a fish
– a reptile
– a pig
– half man, half lion
– a dwarf
– a man with an axe
– Rama, a moral man
– Krishna, a philosophical man
– Buddha, an enlightened man
We can therefore see the theory of evolution unfolding in ancient literature, only the sanskrit writings go one step further to explain that all life begins with consciousness and over time continues to evolve on to the next stage. The same can be said for human consciousness within our lifetime. It is fair to say that many people in the modern world are the man with the axe, workers. A good percentage of workers also have the moral qualities of Rama. There are fewer men that are philosophical and fewer still that are enlightened. Ayurvedic yogis describe consciousness as awareness or being present in the moment. It is the significant moment when we reach an understanding. But it depends what you do with the knowledge that determines the outcome of your conscious evolution. This is why ancient sages described Vishnu as the preserver. As we learn things in life we live by them, and it is our moral duty to do the right thing. Hindus call this Dharma. When you uphold your Dharma you invoke the power of Vishnu and can consciously evolve. Furthermore, by becoming more consciously aware of your true self, the absolute consciousness which Vishnu represents, you dissolve your ego and develop peace of mind whereby you can live in bliss and happiness.
