Vishnu, the one who preserves the Universe
Vishnu is one of the central gods in the yoga traditions. Being part of the triad Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva, he is the one who sustains and maintains cosmic order.
It is said that Vishnu lives in a paradise where everything is gold and precious stones, the Ganges river emerges from his feet and falls on an inaccessible place in the Himalayas, landing over Shiva´s head.
Vishnu is often times represented laying down and resting on the huge sacred snake Ananta, which means “endless”. Although he seems to be asleep, he always keeps his eyes half open. He watches over us because the normal state of the universe is balance but from time to time that order is broken and it is time then for Vishnu to come into action. His´s main role is to incarnate over an over in order to save humanity in our battles against the ferocious demons of ignorance and darkness. Vishnu always emerges victorious and his supremacy ensures peace and harmony in the cosmos. Furthermore, he is the deity of peace.
Although his attributes are countless, some of them deserve mentioning:
| Omniscience (Jñana) | He wears earrings shaped as a reptile biting its tail, symbol of the eternity of His knowledge |
| Sovereignity (Aishvarya) | His upright posture denotes supremacy and equanimity |
| Strength (Bala) and Vigor (Virya) | He holds the great divine mace |
| Splendour (Tejas) | His clothing is golden like the Sun |
| Energetic power (Shakti) | He holds a lotus flower, symbol of the feminine principle, of purity and goodness |
| Compassion (Karunya) | His hand in abhaya mudra is a gesture of unconditional love and protection |
His feminine counterpoint is Lakshmi, goddess of abundance and good fortune. It is her shakti (feminine power) that enables Vishnu to take the form of his different avatars in an outpouring act of supreme love.
The super heroes practice this week is to stay alert and watching, maintaining a state of mindfulness in a way that when we catch ourselves acting, talking or thinking from a place of ignorance, we can breathe gently and return the supremacy to our center of Light.
See you on the mat!
Om Shanti
Zaira
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