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Smriti

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VishnuSmriti

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TheVishnuSmti,isoneofthelaterbooksoftheDharmashastratraditionofHinduismandtheonlyone
thatfocusesonthebhaktitraditionandtherequireddailypujatoVishnu,ratherthanthemeansof
knowingdharma.Itisalsoknownforitshandlingofthecontroversialsubjectofthepracticeofsati(self
immolationofawidowonherhusband'sfuneralpyre).[15]Thetextwascomposedbyanindividualor
group.Theauthor(s)createdacollectionofthecommonlyknownlegalmaximsthatwereattributedto
Vishnuintoonebook,asIndianoralculturebegantoberecordedmoreformally.[16]

BhagavataPurana

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VishnuistheonlyBhagavanasdeclaredintheBhagavata1:2:11intheverse:vadantitattattvavidas
tattvamyajjnanamadvayambrahmetiparamatmetibhagavanitisabdyate,translatedas"Learned
transcendentalistswhoknowtheAbsoluteTruthcallthisnondualsubstanceasBrahman,Paramtmaand
Bhagavan."[17]KrishnaDvaipyanaVysadeva,alsocalledBdaryanaisawriterofShrimadbhagwat.He
istheLord,thebhagavn,amongthephilosophers,whoinIndiaassembledalltheholytexts[18][19]

Sangamliterature

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Mainarticle:Thirumal
TamilSangamliterature(300BCEto500CE)mentionsmAyOn,orthedarkone,asthesupremedeitywho
creates,sustainsanddestroystheuniverse.Paripadal3describesthegloryofThirumalinthemost
superlativeterms.
Paripadal(3)bykaduvaniLaveyinanAr:
"thIyinuLtheRalnIpoovinuLnaaRRanIkallinuLmaNiyunIsollinuLvaaymaiaRaththinuLanbu
nImaRaththinuLmainthunIvEthaththumaRainIboothaththumadhalunIvencudaroLiyunI
thingaLuLaLiyunIanaiththunIanaiththinutporuLunI"
[citationneeded]

ThelastlinestatesthatLordVishnuisthesupremedeitywhoistheinnercontroller(Antaryamin)ofthe
entireuniverse.ThisisoneoftheLord'sglories,whichisfirstmentionedinVedasandlaterpropounded
byAlwarsinPrabhandamsandSriVaishnavaiteAcharyasinvariouscommentaries
TheSriRanganathaswamyTempleandVishnu,LakshmiismentionedinTamilworksofliteratureof
theSangamera,includingtheepicSilapadikaram(book11,lines3540):
yiramviritteutalaiyuaiaruntia
pyapaippalartoutttaviritiraikkviriviyaperuturuttittiruvamarmrpakianta
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vaamum
Onamagnificentcothavingathousandheadsspreadout,worshippedandpraisedbymany,inanislet
surroundedbyKaveriwithbellowingwaves,isthelyingpostureoftheonewhohasLakshmisittinginhis
chest
TheSriRanganathaswamyTempleisaHindutemplededicatedto
VishnulocatedinSrirangam,Tiruchirapalli,TamilNadu,India.
SrirangamtempleisoftenlistedasthelargestfunctioningHindu
templeintheworld,thestilllargerAngkorWatbeingthelargest
existingtemple.[20][21]Thetempleoccupiesanareaof156acres
(630,000m2)withaperimeterof4,116m(13,504ft)makingitthe
largesttempleinIndiaandoneofthelargestreligiouscomplexesin
theworld.[22]
ThePadmanabhaswamyTempleinThiruvananthapuram,Kerala,
dedicatedtoVishnu.ThetempledatesbacktobeforetheSangam

TheSriRanganathaswamy
TemplededicatedtoVishnu
inSrirangam

period,andisbelievedtobethewealthiestplaceofworshipinthe
world,withassetsofgoldandpreciousstonespotentiallyestimated
tobeworthtrillionsofdollars.[23][24][25][26][27][28][29]

Theologicalattributes

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Mainarticle:Vaishnavism
TheactualnumberofVishnu'sauspiciousqualitiesiscountless,althoughhissixmostimportant"divine
glories"are:
Jnana(Omniscience)definedasthepowertoknowaboutallbeingssimultaneously
Aishvarya(Sovereignty),derivedfromthewordIshvarawhichmeansunchallengedruleoverall
Shakti(PowerorEnergy),thecapacitytomaketheimpossiblepossible
Bala(Strength),thecapacitytosupporteverythingbywillandwithoutanyfatigue
Virya(Vigour),thepowertoretainimmaterialityastheSupremeSpiritorBeinginspiteofbeingthe
materialcauseofmutablecreations
Tejas(Splendor),whichexpressesselfsufficiencyandthecapacitytooverpowereverythingbyspiritual
effulgence.[30]
OtherimportantqualitiesattributedtoVishnuareGambhirya(inestimatablegrandeur),Audarya
(generosity),andKarunya(compassion).NatyaShastralistsVishnuasthepresidingdeityof
theSngararasa.
TheRigvedastatesthatLordVishnucantraversetheentireUniverseinthreestrides.Thefirststride
coverstheMortalRealm.Thesecondstridecoverstheintermediatevisibleskyconsistingofallthe"lesser"
realms.Andthethirdstridecoverswhatcannotbeseenbymortalsandconsistsofallthecountlessrealms
wherethe"HigherBeings"andtherighteousdeadreside.(Thisfeatureofthreestridesalsoappearsinthe
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storyofhisavatarVamana/Trivikrama.)TheSanskritfor"tostride"istherootkram
itsreduplicatedperfectischakram(guagrade)orchakra(zerograde),andintheRigvedaheiscalledby
epithetssuchasvichakramas="hewhohasmade3strides".TheSanskritwordchakraalsomeans
"wheel".ThatmayhavesuggestedtheideaofVishnucarryingachakra.

Fiveforms

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SeealsoPacaratra
TheSriVaishnavismschoolwithinHinduismdatesto
aroundthe10thcenturyADandbelievesthatVishnu
assumesfiveforms:
1.TheParaForm.
2.TheVyuhaform.
3.TheVibhavaform.
4.TheAntaryamiform("dwellingwithin"or
"SuksmaVasudeva"form).
5.TheArcavataraorimagemanifestationform.

Relationswithdeities

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TheAngkorWatTempleisthelargestexisting
Templeintheworlditisthelargestreligiousstructure
everbuiltanywhereinrecordedhistoryandwith6
millionto10millionblocksofsandstone,each
weighing1.5tonsonaverage,itisbyfarthelargest
stonestructureeverbuiltanywhereinrecorded
history.[31]

TheTrimurti(threeforms)isaconceptinHinduism"in
whichthecosmicfunctionsofcreation,maintenance,and
destructionarepersonifiedbytheformsofBrahmathecreator,
Vishnuthemaintainer,preserverorprotectorandShivathe
destroyerortransformer."[32][33]Thesethreedeitieshavealsobeen
called"theHindutriad"[34]orthe"GreatTrinity",[35]allhavingthe
samemeaningofthreeinOne.Theyarethedifferentformsor
manifestationsofOnepersontheSupremeBeing.[36]

Shiva

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ThethreegodsoftheTrimurticlanareinseparableandinharmony
inviewoftheircommonvisionanduniversalgood.Theyare
perfectlyidealinallrespects.Theycomplementeachother.Within
Vaishnavism,VishnuiswidelyseenasSvayam
BhagavanmeaningGodhimself.
ShivaandVishnuarebothviewedastheultimateformofgodin
differentHindudenomoniations.Severalstoriespresentoneorthe

Vishnu(BeikthanoinBurmese)on
hismount,thegaruda,inthetraditional
Burmesedepiction.

otherdeityasSupreme.IntheRamayana,Hanumanisan
incarnationofShivawhoiscompletelydedicatedtoRama,anavatarofVishnu.InthesamestoryRama
worshipsShivaashisishtadevataatRameshwarabeforeattackingLanka.LordShivaandLordVishnuare
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consideredtobedevoteesofeachother.[37]
Syncreticforcesproducedstoriesinwhichthetwodeitieswereshownincooperativerelationshipsand
combinedforms.HariharaisthenameofacombineddeityformofbothVishnu(Hari)andShiva
(Hara).[38]Thisdualform,whichisalsocalledHarirudra,ismentionedintheMahabharata.[39]

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