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Vishnu is an avatara of God (Krishna).

Theological attributes and more

Vishnu is the all-inclusive deity, known as purusha or mah? purusha, param?tma antary?mi and He is the sh?shin in whom all souls are contained. He is Bhagavan, meaning the Supreme Lord Who possesses all opulences. He is nondifferent from Krishna, but is not manifesting His infinite sweetness, but instead is showing His infinite opulence.

Vishnu possesses six such divine glories, namely,

1. j??na
2. aishvarya
3. shaktiman
4. bala
5. v?rya
6. t?jas

Vishnu's consort is Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth. Shakti is nondifferent from God, in the same way that the energies of heat and light are nondifferent from a fire. Still, it is the fire that possesses these two potencies, while God, Who is Shaktiman, possesses all potencies or energies. Thus this Shakti of Vishnu is Shri or Lakshmi.

His mount is Garuda, the eagle. He, along with the rishis, helped broker the truce between Vritra and Indra.

Vishnu is first and foremost a Person, like Krishna, but He also displays certain impersonal qualities, as all persons can. However, since He is God, He displays infinite Personal and impersonal qualities.

Avatars

There are innumerable instances when Krishna descends through the agency of Vishnu. Ten instances are prominent:

1. Matsya, the fish
2. Kurma, the tortoise
3. Varaha, the boar
4. Narasimha, the Man-Lion (Nara = man, simha = lion)
5. Vamana, the Dwarf
6. Parashurama
7. Rama
8. Krishna (meaning "the All-attractive Supreme Lord." Even Krishna, Who is the origin of Vishnu, appears in this world through the agency of Vishnu.)
9. Lord Buddha
10. Kalki

"It is confirmed in Padma Purana that the species of life evolved from aquatics to plants, vegetables, trees; thereafter insects, reptiles, flies, birds, then beasts, and then human kind. This is the gradual process of evolution of species of life." ?Srila Prabhupada

As Srila Prabhupada points out in the above quote, the concept of evolution is not a new one. In fact, the most ancient Vedic scriptures have described this system in detail. These scriptures have existed since before written history, and they are so ancient that modern science is unreliable in tracing out their origins. This is because these scriptures have existed in sound form (sabda brahman) since before the beginning of material time. Actually, evolution is a real process, sanctioned by God, and mankind has known about it from the Vedas and Puranas for countless centuries. Darwin simply borrowed these concepts, added a large dose of mental speculation, and came up with an unprovable theory. The scriptures revealed by God present quite a different scenario. According to these authoritative scriptures, the Supreme Lord Vishnu, a plenary expansion of Lord Krishna, is eternally manifesting innumerable various forms. Each of these forms is perfect, transcending material time, meaning that They are without beginning and without end.

sa devo bahudha bhutva nirgunah purusottamah eki-bhuya punah sete nirdoso harir adi-krt

"The same Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Original Person, Who is never subject to material contamination, and Whose qualities are all transcendental, can lie down in one form while simultaneously manifesting Himself in many various forms." ?Padma Purana

bhavayaty esa sattvena lohan vai loka-bhavanah lilavataranurato deva-tiryan-naradisu

Thus the Lord of the universes maintains all planets. He descends to manifest His eternal pastimes among the demigods, animals, and human beings, to reclaim those in the mode of pure goodness. (SB 1.2.34)*

Also, the Narada-pancaratra states:

manir yatha vibhagena nila-pitadibhir yutah rupa-bhedam avapnoti dhyana-bhedat tathacyutah

"The Infallible Supreme Personality of Godhead can manifest His body in different ways according to different modes of worship, just as the vaidurya gem can manifest itself in various colors, such as blue and yellow."

In Sri Vishnu Sahasranama, one of Lord Vishnu? Names is revealed as Acyuta, from the term cyuta with the negating prefix "a-." There are several meanings to this name, and the following are a few of the examples given by various acaryas:

- The Infallible Supreme Lord - He Who has never slipped from His Glory - He Who has never fallen from His true Nature

Lord Vishnu does not slip from His position by coming under the influence of any lower energy, as the minute spirit souls do. The Sanskrit term cyuta can mean "fallen," but it can also mean "modification," and so in addition to the above definitions, Acyuta also means "changeless." Therefore He never undergoes any changes, even while manifesting Himself in innumerable various forms. It also means that none of these forms slip from stage to stage in the sequence of material events such as birth, growth, change in appearance, decay, or disappearance from the body, and so, all of His innumerable forms are manifested simultaneously and eternally.

The Laghu-bhagavatamrta (Purva 5.86?00) contains a lucid explanation of Sri Krsna? inconceivable potencies. The Maha-varaha Purana declares:

sarve nityah sasvatas ca dehas tasya paramatmanah hanopadana-rahita naiva prakrti-jah kvacit

"All the varied expansions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are transcendental and eternal, and all of them repeatedly descend to the different universes of the material creation. Their bodies, composed of eternity, bliss, and knowledge, are everlasting; there is no chance of Their decaying, for They are not creations of the material world. Their forms are concentrated spiritual existence, always complete with all spiritual qualities and devoid of material contamination."

The Supreme Lord is unique in the sense that He is never influenced by the material energies, whereas the living entities, the jivas, are prone to be influenced by all kinds of material energies. On the other hand, material conditioning is a harsh reality in the lives of many jivas, such as the vast majority of jivas here in the material world:

sei vibhinnamsa jiva?ui ta' prakara

eka?nitya-mukta', eka?nitya-samsara'

'nitya-mukta'?itya krsna-carane unmukha 'krsna-parisada' nama, bhunje seva-sukha

'nitya-bandha'?rsna haite nitya-bahirmukha 'nitya-samsara', bhunje narakadi duhkha

sei dose maya-pisaci danda kare tare adhyatmikadi tapa-traya tare jari?mare

The jivas are divided into two categories. Some are eternally liberated, and others are eternally conditioned. Those who are eternally liberated are always awake to Krsna consciousness, and they render transcendental loving service at the feet of Lord Krsna. They are to be considered eternal associates of Krsna, and they are eternally enjoying the transcendental bliss of serving Krsna.

Apart from the ever-liberated devotees, there are the conditioned souls who always turn away from the service of the Lord. They are perpetually conditioned in this material world and are subjected to the material tribulations brought about by different bodily forms in hellish conditions. Due to being opposed to Krsna consciousness, the conditioned soul is punished by the witch of the external energy, maya. The soul is thus ready to suffer miseries brought about by the body and mind, by the inimical behavior of other living entities, and by natural disturbances caused by the demigods. (Cc Madhya 22.10-13)

According to Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, the perpetually conditioned souls are further classified into three types: those of covered consciousness, such as living entities in vegetable and mineral bodies, those of restricted consciousness, such as animals, and those of budding consciousness, such as humanoids lacking devotion to God. The materially conditioned living entities are obliged to inhabit temporary material bodies similar in shape to the eternally manifested spiritual forms of the Supreme Lord. They accept 8,400,000 different species of life due to their past deeds, desires, and moods. A conscious living entity in material bondage may be influenced by any combination of the various material energies, and is therefore subject to rising and falling all over the spectrum of material life. Among all these different species, only 400,000 are humanoid, and of those humanoid species, 300,000 species are uncivilized.

All the different species, just like the forms of Lord Vishnu, are manifesting eternally, and as a jiva leaves her former body, there is already a body waiting for her to enter. This is similar to the way that a prison house is already existing before the crime is committed, and the particular cell is already existing for a particular convict to wait out her sentence even before she enters the prison house. The jivas in lower forms automatically receive bodies in higher species as their present material bodies give out. Thus, the spirit-souls in lower species eventually rise to the civilized human platform, through the auspices of material nature, and it is on this platform that a living entity may possess the necessary intelligence to understand Godly and spiritual subjects and perform devotional service.

Material conditioning is accomplished by three modes of material nature, as described in Srimad Bhagavatam:

sattvam rajas tama iti prakrter gunas tair yuktah parah purusa eka ihasya dhatte sthity-adaye hari-virinci-hareti samjnah sreyamsi tatra khalu sattva-tanor nrnam syuh

The Supreme Lord is indirectly in control of the three modes of material nature. He accepts the three qualitative forms of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva for the purpose of creating, preserving, and destroying the material universes. Lord Vishnu, the form of the quality of goodness, provides mankind with the ultimate benefit. (SB 1.2.23)

This material conditioning is a system by which material nature, under the order of the Supreme Lord, ushers the living entities up the evolutionary scale towards God-consciousness. There are three material modes, and all the different material manifestations are different combinations of these three modes. Lord Vishnu, the Preserver, is controlling the mode of goodness, sattva. Lord Brahma, the Creator, is controlling the mode of passion, or rajas. Lord Shiva, the Destroyer, is in control of the mode of ignorance, or tamas.

The acaryas have also given another definition for the name Acyuta, one that signifies His relationship with the jivas: Acyuta also means, "He who never lets His devotees slip." In other words, He never abandons His bhaktas, and He is never away from those who have sought refuge in Him.

The following quotes from the Supreme Lord confirm this fact:

"No matter what flaws a person has, if he has come to Me seeking My friendship, there is no way that I will abandon him under any circumstance." ?ord Ramachandra (Ramayana)

"My devotee will never perish" ?ord Krishna (BG 9.31)

The Supreme Lord is always manifesting innumerable Vishnu forms, and these forms are always accompanying the fallen conditioned souls in their evolutionary journeys through the temporary pleasures and miseries associated with the three material modes. The more a jiva associates with a particular mode, the stronger its effect on her. Although the jivas are obliged to enter into fallen species, the Supreme Lord descends to the material world by His own sweet will. The Sanskrit term avatara means "He Who descends," and it refers to any of the innumerable forms the Supreme Lord manifests when He displays His eternal pastimes with the fallen conditioned souls.

In the course of gradual development of the hearts of the living entities, Lord Krsna manifests in a form corresponding to the mood of the devotees. Tamas, the mode of ignorance, is associated with destruction, and with those objects that will cease to exist. When the living entities indulge in predominantly ignorant moods, similar to the moods of spineless fish and other invertebrates, they are obliged to inhabit invertebrate bodies. These include plants, microorganisms, fungi, slugs, and other bodies of simple design without rachis. This general category of body includes even stones. Jivas in mineral and vegetable bodies are classified as having covered consciousness.

The consciousness of jivas in mineral bodies is so covered that they have no feeling at all. They have achieved the very lowest position available to any living entity, and that position is as close to being inert matter that any jiva can reach. This is referred to as jada dharma, and living entities in this state display no detectable symptoms of intelligence. The consciousness of jivas in vegetable bodies is slightly less covered, and although they have some feeling, they are considered to be in the same general category as those jivas entrapped within mineral bodies. They display detectable symptoms of very limited intelligence, such as when a tree? root diverts its path of growth around a stone, or when plants bend toward the light of the sun.

Jivas in animal bodies are classified as having restricted consciousness. They possess significantly more feeling than plants do, and their symptoms of intelligence are more readily detectable. The most striking examples of such symptoms are their ability to move from place to place, and to express their feelings through sound and body language. They also display their intelligence by making arrangements for eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. However, their intelligence is not yet developed enough to understand spiritual concepts. Lord Vishnu accompanies the invertebrate species as Matsya, the fish avatara:

rupam sa jagrhe matsyam caksusodadhi-samplave navy aropya mahi-mayyam apad vaivasvatam manum

When there was a complete inundation after the period of the Caksusa Manu and the whole world was deep within water, the Lord accepted the form of a fish and protected Vaivasvata Manu, keeping him up on a boat. (SB 1.3.15)

(Lord Vishnu also appears among then mineral species in such forms as Saligrama Silas and Govardhana Silas, and He also appears among the vegetable species as Daru Brahman).

As the living entities automatically advance from lower forms under the influence of the three modes, they are obliged to gradually accept shelled bodies, in which the rachis is designed like a curved disc or a bell-like shape. The bodies in this class are not necessarily invertebrates, and not necessarily proper vertebrates. They include mollusks, snails, turtles, and the like. Slightly more complex arrangements for eating, sleeping, mating, and defending may manifest. Spiritual understanding, however, is absent in such living entities. Among such living entities, Lord Vishnu appears as Kurma, the turtle avatara:

surasuranam udadhim mathnatam mandaracalam dadhre kamatha-rupena prstha ekadase vibhuh

The eleventh descent of the Lord took the form of a tortoise Whose shell served as a pivot for the Mandaracala Hill, which was being used as a churning rod by the demigods and demons of the universe. (SB 1.3.16)

As the living entities continue making advancement, they are gradually obliged to accept bodies whose rachis is designed as a central spinal column, such as the types of bodies that most four-legged beasts possess. These living entities dedicate their lives to making many varieties of arrangements related to eating, sleeping, mating, and defending, but they also lack conceptions of spirit. Among such living entities, Lord Vishnu appears as Varaha, the boar avatara:

dvitiyam tu bhavayasya rasatala-gatam mahim uddharisyann upadatta yajnesah saukaram vapuh

The supreme enjoyer of all sacrifices accepted the incarnation of a boar and for the welfare of the earth He lifted the earth from the nether regions of the universe. (SB 1.3.7)

The material mode of passion, or rajas, is associated with creation, and with all material objects that came into existence at a particular time. The mode of goodness, or sattva, is associated with preservation. Because it is a material mode, it is also associated with both rajas and tamas, and so every object in the mode of goodness is both created and destroyed. However, objects and energies in the mode of goodness are different from those in the modes of passion and ignorance in that they are conducive to higher planes of thought. Ignorance tends to lead created objects to material destruction, and passion tends to lead to the creation of material objects destined to be destroyed, but the mode of goodness leads to preservation. When the living entities associate freely with moods that are both human-like (goodness) and animal-like (passion and ignorance), they are obliged to enter into both types of bodies.

Complex arrangements for eating, sleeping, mating, and defending predominate, and higher planes of consciousness are rarities. Jivas in humanoid bodies who have no devotion to God are classified as having budding consciousness. Living as aborigines, they do not develop civilization or moral codes, and their God-consciousness is definitely present, but it is so under-developed that they approach mundane natural phenomena, such as mountains and rivers, with the reverence with which more highly developed societies approach God. Although their consciousness is not necessarily restricted as that of the animals is, still, it has not necessarily risen to the fully human platform. According to Srila Prabhupada, human beings have the intelligence necessary to understand spiritual concepts, while the lower life forms do not. The symptoms of intelligence in the combined position of human and animal range from those of the lower animals through various materialistic religious inclinations. Moral values are rare. Among such living entities, Lord Vishnu is appearing as Lord Narasinghadeva, the half-man half-lion avatara:

caturdasam narasimham bibhrad daityendram urjitam dadara karajair urav erakam kata-krd yatha

In the fourteenth descent, the Lord appeared as Nrsimha and bifurcated the strong body of the atheist Hiranyakasipu with His nails, just as a carpenter pierces cane. (SB 1.3.18)

When the living entities begin to overcome the mode of ignorance, they are granted human bodies of low stature. Due to past association, traces of the lower modes still remain within their consciousness. Arrangements for eating, sleeping, mating, and defending still predominate, but higher conceptions, such as God-consciousness, may begin to manifest more strongly than in those of the previous categories, and as a result they may also begin to realize bona fide moral codes. Lord Vamanadeva, Lord Vishnu? dwarf avatara, appears among them:

pancadasam vamanakam krtvagad adhvaram baleh pada-trayam yacamanah pratyaditsus tri-pitapam

In the fifteenth descent, the Lord assumed the form of a dwarf-brahmana and visited the arena of sacrifice arranged by Maharaja Bali. Although at heart He was willing to regain the kingdom of the three planetary systems, He simply asked for a donation of three steps of land. (SB 1.3.19)

When the living entities have developed fully human, but uncivilized moods, they are awarded fully human, but uncivilized, bodies in accordance with their own actions and desires. Parasurama, Lord Vishnu? perfect warrior avatara, appears among these types of living entities:

avatare sodasame pasyan brahma-druho nrpan trih-sapta-krtvah kupito nih-ksatram akaron mahim

In the sixteenth descent of the Godhead, the Lord annihilated the administrative class twenty-one times, being angry with them because of their rebellion against the brahmanas. (SB 1.3.20)

Among civilized races, empiric materialists have developed an amoral society that is devoid of God-consciousness. Their highest goals are material scientific advancement, development of material resources, and material sense enjoyment without regard for any moral codes, for the spiritual energies, or for God. Because their consciousness does not extend beyond making arrangements for eating, sleeping, mating, and defending, their consciousness is also considered to be on the same platform as that of the animals, even if they have developed a more convoluted means of attaining those four goals. Srila Prabhupada has referred to such materialistic persons as "polished animals." Conversely, the God-consciousness and moral values among civilized living entities may gain a significant amount of structure if not too influenced by the atheistic disease of empiric materialism, and this in turn may inspire the development of Godly civilization. Still, if the living entities do not develop strong devotion to God, they are, for the most part, as under control of the material modes as are the lower animals, and this state is known as nitya-baddha.

In his transcendental work, Vaisnava Siddhanta Mala, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has classified all jivas into three general categories in regard to being either materially conditioned or spiritually liberated:

1) Nitya-mukta, eternally liberated souls who are transcendental to matter; 2) Baddha-Mukta or those who are living in the material world but not caught up in it; and 3) Nitya-baddha or perpetually conditioned souls who are completely entangled in material perplexities.

When the living entities develop fully into the mode of goodness, leaving passion and ignorance behind, and develop a strong devotional civilization, they are awarded civilized human bodies in accordance with their Divine moods. Such living entities are fully moral devotees by virtue of strictly following the instructions that God has revealed to them in the scriptures. Lord Ramachandra, Lord Vishnu? perfect king avatara, the transcendental personification of moral virtues and duty, appears among them. He exhibits pastimes that exemplify the very best qualities of the human form:

nara-devatvam apannah sura-karya-cikirsaya samudra-nigrahadini cakre viryany atah param

In the eighteenth descent, the Lord appeared as King Rama. In order to perform some pleasing work for the demigods, He exhibited superhuman powers by controlling the Indian Ocean and then killing the atheist King Ravana, who was on the other side of the sea. (SB 1.3.22)

As living entities are gradually inspired in loving devotional service, they make advancement as devotees of the Supreme Lord, and they gradually become free from material bondage. Practicing devotees are classified as jivas with blooming consciousness, meaning consciousness so developed as to revive their constitutional position as eternal servants of the Supreme Lord, but whose practice has not yet produced its full fruits. If their practice continues with steadfast determination, their consciousness will come into full blossom, and they will become ecstatic devotees, relishing the outpourings of ecstatic devotional service due to being situated in their natural eternal mellow in loving relationship with the Supreme Lord. Practicing devotees and ecstatic devotees are within the material world, but are not affected by it. Ecstatic devotion is the highest position that any jiva situated within the material world can achieve.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura teaches that there are two types of baddha-mukta souls:

1) Those with blooming consciousness, like practicing devotees (sadhana-bhaktas); and

2) Those with fully blossomed consciousness, like devotees who are relishing the outpourings of ecstatic devotional service due to being situated in their natural eternal mellow (sthayi-bhava-bhaktas).

The maturation of civilized society leads to the sporting and leisurely mood, in which the living entities begin to develop spiritual attachment. Spiritual attachment leads to purification of the lower modes and advancement in shuddha sattva. When the living entities fully attain, by the grace of the Supreme Lord, shuddha sattva, the mode of pure goodness, which is not contaminated by passion or ignorance, they are awarded consciousness of their fully spiritual bodies. Spiritual bodies are not subject to creation or destruction, as they are not material, and they are eternally situated in the spiritual world. They are fully blissful, eternal beings whose greatest pleasure is to serve the Supreme Lord. He has given them the ultimate in wisdom: fully blossomed God-consciousness. They have no consciousness of creation or destruction, no ignorance, and no passion. All of their activities are fully spiritual, and are manifesting eternally, like those of the Supreme Lord. They are always engaged in playing with and serving God. The Supreme Lord gives them eternal knowledge of Himself, and all other knowledge they ever need, of any and all varieties.

Their bliss is also as eternal as that of the Supreme Lord, with no beginning and no end. In such a society, the only references for determining morality are the spiritual desires and pleasures of God, and all other considerations are subservient. These jivas are relishing prema, or pure love of God, and actually, their only motivation is their love for Him. In such a society, there is no sorrow or pain for any living entity. This is fully blossomed, fully self-sufficient love of God and its accompanying perfect spiritual morality. The results of all activities motivated by true love of God, whether they are in accordance with lower moral codes or not, are all auspicious. Krishna, the perfect enjoyer, appears eternally among these living entities.

He enjoys with His devotees the richest pastimes of full-fledged reciprocal Divine Love in the culmination of leisure in human society. Sri Krsna also exhibits many wonderful pastimes in which He transcends human moral virtues and duties. This shows that He possesses all the perfect human qualities of Lord Ramachandra, and that He also possesses the ability exceed the best of all these human qualities, that He is the perfection of Divine qualities. Although all these ten avataras are nondifferent from Sri Krsna, this form is the only one in which He reveals the full range of His Divine qualities and pastimes. His elder brother, Lord Balarama, accompanies Him in this descent:

ekonavimse vimsatime vrsnisu prapya janmani rama-krsnav iti bhuvo bhagavan aharad bharam In the nineteenth and twentieth descents, the Lord advents Himself as Lord Balarama and Lord Krsna in the family of Vrsni, and by so doing He removes the burden of the world. (SB1.3.23)

When the living entities develop the mood of argument, atheism flourishes. When atheistic mentalities manifest, they undercut morality, just as a disease sabotages health. Atheists in humanoid bodies have an opportunity for spiritual advancement, but they waste it on futile attempts at unauthorized activities. Their moral codes, if any, are based on their own mental speculation, but they have no regard for spiritual subjects, for God, or for the eternal moral codes that He has revealed. All of their endeavors are mundane and material, and are therefore prone to error. Although they may practice a type of mundane material morality, all of their arrangements, however complex, are also restricted to the mundane arenas of eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. As a result, they cannot experience the spiritual bliss that comes from engaging the free will in service to God. Because the living entity? eternal function is service, they serve lower energies, mundane creatures, or their own mundane senses instead of serving God. This unfortunate misuse of the free will places such living entities on the same level of consciousness as that of the animals.

Lord Vishnu? Buddha avatara appears among such argumentative living entities to save as many atheists as possible from their diseased conceptions. He renounces civilization, renounces God, His own Divine Personality, renounces His own revealed scriptures and the eternally perfect moral codes presented in them, and renounces all material objects and energies. He also renounces all authority, leaving His followers completely devoid of any type of authority, real or imagined:

tatah kalau sampravrtte sammohaya sura-dvisam buddho namnanjana-sutah kikatesu bhavisyati

Then, in the beginning of Kali-yuga, the Lord will appear as Lord Buddha, the son of Anjana, in the province of Gaya, just for the purpose of deluding those who are envious of the faithful theist. (SB 1.3.24)

In order to bewilder the atheists, He preaches nothing about the spiritual energies, and nothing about God. He attracts their full attention by displaying His Divine intelligence while concealing His Personal Divinity from them, and they are strongly inspired to worship and serve Him. He re-introduces the very morality that He has renounced by giving strict moral codes, such as nonviolence. He brilliantly presents these moral codes without mentioning their source, God, and brilliantly convinces the atheists, using inescapable logic and supremely intelligent arguments, to follow them regardless.

His followers?personal success as atheistic moralists is temporary at best, because they are acting from a handicapped platform due to lack of God-consciousness. Fortunately, Lord Vishnu? influence indirectly reveals a bona fide moral structure. The Buddhists preach moral codes, and are known as empiric moralists. They proclaim His glories to the world, worship Him in deity form, presenting Him with nice incense and vegetarian food preparations, and revere Him just as other types of societies revere God, but in ignorance of His actual Supreme position. They imagine that their moral codes are coming from a human being who happened to be an advanced thinker, but actually, all their moral codes are introduced and maintained by God. Although the Buddhists like to imagine that they can bring their individual existence to annihilation, this is not the case. The individual souls each possess eternal existence, and this fact is confirmed in the Second Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita (2.12), wherein the Lord says:

na tv evaham jatu nasam na tvam neme janadhipah na caiva na bhavisyamah sarve vayam atah param

"Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be."

Because they are acting on a false premise, the destination of the empiric moralists is quite different from the one that they imagine, and so Lord Buddha takes pity on them and manifests for their benefit. This affords them a method of performing some devotional service and regaining some revealed moral values. Mundane morals concocted by material minds always lead to inauspicious results, and although Lord Buddha has given them a wonderful chance at redemption, not all of them take advantage. For example, those most advanced on the non-devotional Buddhist path concoct their own versions of morality and work very hard at achieving personal annihilation. Unfortunately, with their eternal consciousness, annihilation is not possible, and the closest thing they can reach is to have their consciousness covered: they must accept mineral bodies at the time of death. From mineral consciousness, they make gradual and painful advancement up the evolutionary scale once again, through 8,400,000 vegetable, animal, and uncivilized humanoid species. As they advance again to a fully human form, their likelihood of developing God-consciousness, devotion, and true morals increases greatly.

When the living entities unable to make advancement from atheism to God consciousness degrade further into the disease of atheism, they fall below the platform that the Supreme Lord affords to the Buddhists. They delve deeply into the ocean of incorrect use of the free will. When atheistic mentalities predominate in society, it deteriorates all too rapidly, destroying itself from within. Various concocted atheistic doctrines congest the whole world with their thorny branches of immorality and violence:

athasau yuga-sandhyayam dasyu-prayesu rajasu janita visnu-yasaso namna kalkir jagat-patih

Thereafter, at the conjunction of two yugas, the Lord of the creation will take His birth as the Kalki avatara and become the son of Visnu Yasa. At this time the rulers of the earth will have degenerated into plunderers. (SB 1.3.25)

Real moral values eventually lose all meaning without God-consciousness. Mental speculation conceived in a mood of ill-will, propounded by amoral materialists, replaces eternal Godly morals. As a result, inspiration for correct behavior becomes very rare. When the living entities develop full-fledged atheistic tendencies, they transform civilization into an abomination. Human beings become mudha, foolish men who are lower than the animals, according to Srila Prabhupada. This is advancement of kali yuga, the age of quarrel and hypocrisy. Lord Vishnu appears as Lord Kalki, the avatara of Divine Justice, to show such a civilization the greatest mercy. Total destruction is the only cure for a society that is fully manifesting all varieties of vices and is thoroughly devoid of all virtues. At the end of Kali-yuga and the beginning of Satya-yuga, Lord Kalki personally kills all the members of a society that becomes so thoroughly degraded. Being killed personally by Lord Vishnu grants instant liberation from the material modes.

• Most of the translations of scriptures quoted in this essay are by His Divine Grace, AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

Worship

Vishnu is the chief god of Vaishnavism.

It is not clearly known when or how the worship of Vishnu began. In the Vedas, and the information on Aryan beliefs, Vishnu is listed as a lesser god, strongly associated with Indra. It was only later in Hindu history that he became a member of the Trimurti and one of the most important deities of the religion. m?