Vishnu

[vish-noo]

noun

Hinduism.

1. (in later Hinduism) “the Preserver,” the second member of the Trimurti, along with Brahma the Creator and Shiva the Destroyer.

2. (in popular Hinduism) a deity believed to have descended from heaven to earth in several incarnations, or avatars, varying in number from nine to twenty-two, but always including animals. His most important human incarnation is the Krishna of the Bhagavad-Gita.

3. “the Pervader,” one of a half-dozen solar deities in the Rig-Veda, daily traversing the sky in three strides, morning, afternoon, and night.

Vishnu

/ ˈvɪʃnuː /

noun

1. 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

Vishnu

1. A deity of Hinduism, known as the Preserver. According to the Hindus, he has appeared as Krishna and as the Buddha.

Other Word Forms

• Vishnuism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of Vishnu¹

From the Sanskrit word viṣṇu

Word History and Origins

Origin of Vishnu¹

C17: from Sanskrit Viṣṇu, literally: the one who works everywhere

Example Sentences

Back in the 1990s, only two or three people a week visited what was then a little-known place of worship to Lord Balaji, a local incarnation of the Hindu god Lord Vishnu.

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From the passenger seat, Vishnu Persaud coaches me on working the clutch: “So you’re going to slide your foot off the pedal. Just let the bottom of your foot pivot off your Achilles’ heel.”

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"He not only refused to accept the prayer, but made fun of the Lord Vishnu," Mr Kishore told The Print.

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Elsewhere, Vishnu Sridharan and I have called this the difference between offering “natural” and “created” reasons.

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In one origin story, the king, Hiranyakashipu, ordered everyone in his kingdom to worship him and was irked when his own son Prahlad, a devotee of Lord Vishnu, disobeyed his command.

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