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Vedas Though a minor mention and with overlapping attributes in the Vedas, he has important characteristics in various hymns of the Rig Veda, such as 1.154.5, 1.56.3 and 10.15.3. In these hymns, the Vedic scriptures assert that Vishnu resides in that highest home where departed
Atman (Self) reside, an assertion that has been proposed in older publications as a reason for his increasing emphasis and popularity in Hindu
soteriology, yet deemed an insufficient explanation by Gonda. He is also described in the Vedic literature as the one who supports heaven and earth. In hymn 7.99 of Rigveda, Indra-Vishnu is equivalent and produce the sun, with the verses asserting that this sun is the source of all energy and light for all. Elsewhere in Rigveda, Atharvaveda and Upanishadic texts, Vishnu is equivalent to Prajapati, both are described as the protector and preparer of the womb, and according to Klaus Klostermaier, this may be the root behind the post-Vedic fusion of all the attributes of the Vedic
Prajapati unto the avatars of Vishnu. In the
Atharvaveda, the mythology of a boar who raises goddess earth from the depths of cosmic ocean appears, but without the word Vishnu or his alternate avatar names. In post-Vedic mythology, this legend becomes one of the basis of many cosmogonic myth called the
Varaha legend, with Varaha as an avatar of Vishnu.
Trivikrama: The Three Steps of Vishnu Several hymns of the Rigveda repeat the mighty deed of Vishnu called the
Trivikrama, which is one of the lasting mythologies in Hinduism since the Vedic times. It is an inspiration for ancient artwork in numerous
Hindu temples such as at the
Ellora Caves, which depict the Trivikrama legend through the Vamana avatar of Vishnu.
Trivikrama refers to the celebrated
three steps or "three strides" of Vishnu. Starting as a small insignificant looking being, Vishnu undertakes a herculean task of establishing his reach and form, then with his first step covers the earth, with second the ether, and the third entire heaven. {{blockquote| विष्णोर्नु कं वीर्याणि प्र वोचं यः पार्थिवानि विममे रजांसि । यो अस्कभायदुत्तरं सधस्थं विचक्रमाणस्त्रेधोरुगायः ॥१॥...
viṣṇōrnu kaṃ vīryāṇi pra vōcaṃ yaḥ pārthivāni vimamē rajāṃsi | yō askabhāyaduttaraṃ sadhasthaṃ vicakramāṇastrēdhōrugāyaḥ ||1|| I will now proclaim the heroic deeds of Visnu, who has measured out the terrestrial regions, who established the upper abode having, wide-paced, strode out triply... The Vishnu Sukta 1.154 of Rigveda says that the first and second of Vishnu's strides (those encompassing the earth and air) are visible to the mortals and the third is the realm of the immortals. The Trivikrama describing hymns integrate salvific themes, stating Vishnu to symbolize that which is freedom and life. Vishnu is described to be permeating all object and life forms, states S. Giora Shoham, where he is "ever-present within all things as the intrinsic principle of all", and the eternal, transcendental self in every being. The Vedic literature, including its Brahmanas layer, while praising Vishnu do not subjugate others gods and goddesses. They present an inclusive pluralistic
henotheism. According to
Max Muller, "Although the gods are sometimes distinctly invoked as the great and the small, the young and the old (Rig Veda 1:27:13), this is only an attempt to find the most comprehensive expression for the divine powers and nowhere is any of the gods represented as the subordinate to others. It would be easy to find, in the numerous hymns of the Veda, passages in which almost every single god is represented as supreme and absolute."
Upanishads The
Vaishnava Upanishads are minor
Upanishads of
Hinduism, related to Vishnu theology. There are 14 Vaishnava Upanishads in the
Muktika anthology of 108
Upanishads. It is unclear when these texts were composed, and estimates vary from the 1st-century BCE to 17th-century CE for the texts. These Upanishads highlight Vishnu,
Narayana,
Rama or one of his
avatars as the supreme metaphysical reality called
Brahman in Hinduism. They discuss a diverse range of topics, from ethics to the methods of worship.
Puranas (c. 16th century) is centred around
Krishna, a Vishnu avatar. Vishnu is the primary focus of the Vaishnavism-focused
Puranas genre of
Hindu texts. Of these, according to
Ludo Rocher, the most important texts are the
Bhagavata Purana,
Vishnu Purana,
Nāradeya Purana,
Garuda Purana and
Vayu Purana. The Purana texts include many versions of cosmologies, mythologies, encyclopedic entries about various aspects of life, and chapters that were medieval era regional Vishnu temples-related tourist guides called . One version of the cosmology, for example, states that Vishnu's eye is at the Southern Celestial Pole from where he watches the cosmos. In another version found in section 4.80 of the Vayu Purana, he is the
Hiranyagarbha, or the golden egg from which were simultaneously born all feminine and masculine beings of the universe.
Vishnu Purana The
Vishnu Purana presents Vishnu as the central element of its cosmology, unlike some other Puranas where Shiva or Brahma or goddess Shakti are. The reverence and the worship of Vishnu is described in 22 chapters of the first part of Vishnu Purana, along with the profuse use of the synonymous names of Vishnu such as Hari, Janardana, Madhava, Achyuta, Hrishikesha and others. The Vishnu Purana also discusses the Hindu concept of supreme reality called
Brahman in the context of the
Upanishads; a discussion that the theistic Vedanta scholar
Ramanuja interprets to be about the equivalence of the Brahman with Vishnu, a foundational theology in the
Sri Vaishnavism tradition.
Bhagavata Purana Vishnu is equated with
Brahman in the
Bhagavata Purana, such as in verse 1.2.11, as "learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this non-dual substance as
Brahman,
Paramatma and Bhagavan." The
Bhagavata Purana has been the most popular and widely read Purana texts relating to Vishnu avatar Krishna, it has been translated and available in almost all Indian languages. Like other Puranas, it discusses a wide range of topics including cosmology, genealogy, geography, mythology, legend, music, dance, yoga and culture. As it begins, the forces of evil have won a war between the benevolent
devas (deities) and evil
asuras (demons) and now rule the universe. Truth re-emerges as the Vishnu avatar first makes peace with the demons, understands them and then creatively defeats them, bringing back hope, justice, freedom and good – a cyclic theme that appears in many legends. The
Bhagavata Purana is a revered text in
Vaishnavism. The Puranic legends of Vishnu have inspired plays and dramatic arts that are acted out over festivals, particularly through performance arts such as the
Sattriya,
Manipuri dance,
Odissi,
Kuchipudi,
Kathakali,
Kathak,
Bharatanatyam,
Bhagavata Mela and
Mohiniyattam.
Other Puranas Some versions of the Purana texts, unlike the Vedic and Upanishadic texts, emphasize Vishnu as supreme and on whom other gods depend. Vishnu, for example, is the source of creator deity
Brahma in the Vaishnavism-focussed Purana texts. Vishnu's iconography and a Hindu myth typically shows Brahma being born in a lotus emerging from his navel, who then is described as creating the world or all the forms in the universe, but not the primordial universe itself. In contrast, the
Shiva-focussed Puranas describe Brahma and Vishnu to have been created by
Ardhanarishvara, that is half Shiva and half Parvati; or alternatively, Brahma was born from
Rudra, or Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma creating each other cyclically in different aeons (
kalpa). In some Vaishnava Puranas, Vishnu takes the form of Rudra or commands Rudra to destroy the world, thereafter the entire universe dissolves and along with time, everything is reabsorbed back into Vishnu. The universe is then recreated from Vishnu all over again, starting a new
Kalpa. For this the
Bhagavata Purana employs the metaphor of Vishnu as a spider and the universe as his web. Other texts offer alternate cosmogenic theories, such as one where the universe and time are absorbed into Shiva.
Agama The
Agama scripture called the
Pancharatra describes a mode of worship of Vishnu.
Sangam and Post-Sangam literature The Sangam literature refers to an extensive regional collection in the
Tamil language, mostly from the early centuries of the common era. These Tamil texts revere
Vishnu and his avatars such as
Krishna and
Rama, as well as other pan-Indian deities such as Shiva,
Muruga, Durga, Indra and others. Vishnu is described in these texts as
Mayon, or "one who is dark or black in color" (in north India, the equivalent word is Krishna). Krishna as Vishnu avatar is the primary subject of two post-Sangam Tamil epics
Silappadikaram and
Manimekalai, each of which was probably composed about the 5th century CE. These Tamil epics share many aspects of the story found in other parts of India, such as those related to baby Krishna such as stealing butter, and teenage Krishna such as teasing girls who went to bathe in a river by hiding their clothes.
Bhakti movement Ideas about Vishnu in the mid 1st millennium CE were important to the
Bhakti movement theology that ultimately swept India after the 12th century. The
Alvars, which literally means "those immersed in God", were Tamil Vaishnava poet-saints who sang praises of Vishnu as they traveled from one place to another. They established temple sites such as
Srirangam, and spread ideas about
Vaishnavism. Their poems, compiled as Alwar Arulicheyalgal or
Divya Prabhandham, developed into an influential scripture for the Vaishnavas. The
Bhagavata Purana's references to the South Indian Alvar saints, along with its emphasis on
bhakti, have led many scholars to give it South Indian origins, though some scholars question whether this evidence excludes the possibility that
bhakti movement had parallel developments in other parts of India. ==Vaishnava theology==