Vishnu, the all Pervader, is the most significant deity of cosmological trinity, other two being Brahma and Shiva.
In the Rig Veda, hymns are sung in his honour and he is described as one who traverse the earth and terrestrial spaces by taking three steps. He is identified with Sun and Yajna.
Vishnu grew in stature with the passage of time. He took several incarnations as a saviour of mankind. Bhagavata Purana says: 'Just as from an inexhaustible lake thousands of streams flow on all sides, so also from Hari (Vishnu) come forth countless incarnations.
In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna told Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra the purpose behind his incarnations. He said: 'O Bharata, whenever Dharma suffers and Adharma gets on ascendancy, I take incarnation to protect the virtuous, destroy evil and establish again the rule of Dharma'.
Among his many incarnations, ten are prominent and popularly known as Dashavatar. In this book, the myths related to these incarnations are narrated in lucid style. These myths from the core of Indian culture, around which epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata as well as several Puranas are woven.
Here this well-developed book gives the readers an insight into the Indian art, literature, culture and religion through mythology of Vishnu. |
