Vishnu
(redirected from Anant)Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus.
Related to Anant: Anat, Anant Chaturdashi
Vishnu
Vishnu (vĭshˈno͞o), one of the greatest gods of Hinduism, also called Narayana. First mentioned in the Veda as a minor deity, his theistic cults, known as Vaishnavism, or Vishnuism, grew steadily from the first millennium B.C., absorbing numerous different traditions and minor deities. By his worshipers Vishnu is regarded as the supreme God, of whom other gods are secondary manifestations. The early epics the Mahabharata and the Ramayana show considerable Vaishnavite influence. The later Puranas fully elaborate the myths of Vishnu and his avatara (incarnations): Matsya (the fish), Kurma (the tortoise), Varaha (the boar), Narasimha (the man-lion), Vamana (the dwarf), Parashurama (Rama with the ax), Rama, Krishna, Buddha, and Kalkin (who is yet to appear). Vishnu is generally depicted as dark blue in color, crowned, and bearing in his four hands his emblems—the conch, discus, mace, and lotus. His mount is the eagle Garuda, and his consort is Lakshmi, or Shri, the goddess of wealth.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia™ Copyright © 2022, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Vishnu
with Brahma and Siva the highest deity of Brahmanism and Hinduism; the supreme deity of Vishnuism. Vishnu is the protector god, the embodiment of eternally living nature. He is mentioned as the sun god again in the Rig-Veda. Vishnu is worshiped mainly in the form of avatars (his earthly incarnations)—Rama (the hero of the epic Ramayana) and Krishna.
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
Vishnu
Hinduism the Pervader or Sustainer, originally a solar deity occupying a secondary place in the Hindu pantheon, later one of the three chief gods, the second member of the Trimurti, and, later still, the saviour appearing in many incarnations
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005