Vishnu

Quick Facts

About Vishnu

The all-pervading preserver of the cosmos, who as Mohini distributed the amrita and whose avatar Krishna steered the destiny of the Kuru age.

In Their Words

Whenever dharma declines, I make myself a body and descend.

Vishnu

Traits

• preserving
• strategic
• compassionate
• infinite

Story Appearances

• Samudra ManthanMohini, distributor of the nectar❧ 18 min
• Ancient BeginningsThe preserver behind the age's design❧ 22 min

Stories Featuring Vishnu

99 further tales on this site name Vishnu, in canonical reading order.

• Garuda and the AmritaThe Great Bird's QuestAdi Parva ‧ 19 min
• The Serpent Who Bears the WorldShesha leaves his wicked kin and upholds the earthAdi Parva ‧ 10 min
• The Demon Who Burned HimselfBhasmasura and the Dance of MohiniAdi Parva ‧ 9 min
• The Vision in the RiverA devotee granted the sight of Krishna's divinityAdi Parva ‧ 10 min
• The Age After the AxeHow the warrior caste came back, and how it was spoiled againAdi Parva ‧ 16 min
• Garuda's Pact and the Forked TonguesHow the snakes lost the nectar and got their split tonguesAdi Parva ‧ 13 min
• The Lineages of Gods and DemonsVaishampayana recites the descent of every creature from Brahma and the daughters of DakshaAdi Parva ‧ 22 min
• The Arm on the Bird's ShoulderThe strongest flier in the worlds, taught his sizeAdi Parva
• The Slayer of the Sand-DemonKuvalashva and the Demon DhundhuVana Parva ‧ 8 min
• The Fish and the FloodManu and the Great DelugeVana Parva ‧ 9 min
• The Child on the Cosmic WatersMarkandeya's Vision of the World's EndVana Parva ‧ 11 min
• The Chaste Wife and the Three GodsAnasuya and the Test of the TrimurtiVana Parva ‧ 9 min
• The Elephant and the CrocodileGajendra's SurrenderVana Parva ‧ 9 min
• The Boy Who Became the Pole StarDhruva's PenanceVana Parva ‧ 12 min
• Rudra's Share and the Sinking EarthTwo quarrels over what may be given away, on the Kalinga shoreVana Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Two Pots of RiceA mother and daughter exchange their bowls and exchange their sonsVana Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Map of the WorldsA priest naming the four quarters of the cosmos from a mountain shoulderVana Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Road to Yama's CountryWhat each gift becomes on the walk after deathVana Parva ‧ 19 min
• The Boons of Visrava's SonsThree brothers ask Brahma for different thingsVana Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Five Lakes of BloodParashurama's oblation to the fathers at SamantapanchakaVana Parva ‧ 19 min
• The Bow at the FrontierParashurama Tests Rama of Ayodhya and Loses His EnergyVana Parva ‧ 14 min
• The Gods Ask for RamaAgni pleads before Brahma, and the answer is a king's son and an army of monkeys and bearsVana Parva ‧ 12 min
• Sakamvari and the Ford of GoldThe goddess who fed the sages on herbs, and the tirtha where Vishnu knelt to RudraVana Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Children of AgniMarkandeya names the whole family of fires, from the daughters of Angiras to the rivers who mothered themVana Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Slaying of VritraDadhichi's Bones and Indra's SinUdyoga Parva ‧ 10 min
• The Cow at the Bottom of the WorldSurabhi, the four cows of the quarters, and the cities beneath PatalaUdyoga Parva ‧ 16 min
• Garuda's Map of the WorldThe four directions described from a bird's backUdyoga Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Ascetic Who Would Not Be CarriedA thought Garuda never spoke aloud costs him his wingsUdyoga Parva ‧ 16 min
• Arjuna's Message to the KurusSanjaya recites the message in open court, and names every man who will dieUdyoga Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Sacrifice of BattleDuryodhana makes the coming war his own rite, and his father disowns him for itUdyoga Parva ‧ 23 min
• The Grandsire Names the GodDuryodhana asks why he keeps losing and gets a theology insteadBhishma Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Grandsire Chooses His HourBhishma remembers Santanu's boon and refuses to die in the wrong seasonBhishma Parva ‧ 21 min
• Sanjaya Describes the EarthThe blind king asks what the earth is worth, and his charioteer answers with the whole of itBhishma Parva ‧ 24 min
• The Elephant King of the EastBhagadatta, Supratika, and the Missile Krishna Took on His ChestDrona Parva ‧ 20 min
• The Armour of MantrasThe one day Duryodhana stood in front of Arjuna and did not fallDrona Parva ‧ 21 min
• The One Who Walked Ahead of the ChariotArjuna finally asks who has been winning his battlesDrona Parva ‧ 17 min
• Seven Bows Against OneDhrishtadyumna rides at Drona in the night battle and answers seven champions with three arrows apieceDrona Parva ‧ 12 min
• Sword and Shield Against the PreceptorDhrishtadyumna, stripped of car and bow, dances the twenty-one motions to reach DronaDrona Parva ‧ 17 min
• The One Who Walked Before the CarVyasa tells Arjuna whose lance was breaking the ranks in front of himDrona Parva ‧ 24 min
• The King Falls Out of His SeatDhritarashtra hears that Drona is dead, faints in his hall, and wakes to ask who was supposed to be guarding himDrona Parva ‧ 20 min
• The Arrow Cut in the AirSatyaki saves Dhrishtadyumna from the preceptor's shaft and holds three great bowmen at once, and the day ends with Drona's head in the dustDrona Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Burning of the Three CitiesShiva, the Ender of TripuraKarna Parva ‧ 10 min
• Karna's Tales of the MadrakasThe abducted woman's curse, the rakshasa's ranking of dirt, and a driver who cannot get off the chariotKarna Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Anointing of the War GodEvery god brings a gift to a six-day-old commanderShalya Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Lords of the Waters and the TreasuresBalarama walks the Sarasvati past the fords where Varuna, Kubera, Indra and Surya won what they holdShalya Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Secret of the GodsVyasa tells the blind king why the war was ordained before his eldest son was bornStri Parva ‧ 14 min
• Bhishma on the Bed of ArrowsFifty-Eight Days of Teaching, and a King Crowned at His FeetShanti Parva ‧ 24 min
• The Age Before KingsHow men who protected one another stopped, and what had to be writtenShanti Parva ‧ 18 min
• Mandhatri Asks to See GodThe emperor got an answer instead of a visionShanti Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Day the Rod VanishedWhat happened to the world when Chastisement disappearedShanti Parva ‧ 20 min
• Bali in the Nooses of VarunaThe prisoner who would not be mocked, and the god who let him beShanti Parva ‧ 19 min
• Fortune Changes SidesWhy Sri deserted the asuras, told on a bank of the GangaShanti Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Deer Who Asked to Be KilledA poor brahmana's sacrifice and the neighbour who begged for the knifeShanti Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Four Shares of a SinWho agreed to carry a quarter of Indra's guilt, and what it cost themShanti Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Sweat That Became FeverA drop from Shiva's forehead, and the disease scattered through the worldShanti Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Guest Nobody Could SeeBrihaspati throws down the ladle at a sacrifice where no animal was killedShanti Parva ‧ 19 min
• Three Balls of MudThe Boar invents the rite for the dead, and has no one above him to offer it toShanti Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Horse-Headed Voice in the DeepHow the Vedas were sung back out of the hands of thievesShanti Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Rishi Born From a WordVyasa tells his disciples who he was before he was VyasaShanti Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Road of WorksBrahman and the first Rishis stand a thousand years on the shore, and sacrifice is foundedShanti Parva ‧ 22 min
• The Tribes Beyond the PaleBhishma names the peoples of the borders and dates them to the ending of the first ageShanti Parva ‧ 18 min
• On Dreams and SleepBhishma explains where dreams come from and who stays awake in dreamless sleepShanti Parva ‧ 15 min
• The Eighth Portion of VishnuSanatkumara tells the defeated Vritra what holds up the universe, and Bhishma tells Yudhishthira who Krishna isShanti Parva ‧ 23 min
• Does Consciousness SurviveYudhishthira asks whether anyone is left awake in the emancipate state, and Bhishma answers out of the Sankhya of KapilaShanti Parva ‧ 22 min
• The Signs of Approaching DeathYajnavalkya tells the king of Mithila which door the soul leaves by, and how a man learns that his year has begunShanti Parva ‧ 20 min
• The Seven WindsVyasa halts a recitation on the Himavat and names the winds that move the worldsShanti Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Curses of the RishisKrishna names the marks that Brahmanas left on gods, seas and mountainsShanti Parva ‧ 19 min
• The Gold Mountain in the Ocean of MilkBrahma tells Rudra of the one Purusha whom neither of them can seeShanti Parva ‧ 17 min
• The Boy Who Would Not BowPrahlada and the Man-LionShanti Parva ‧ 10 min
• The Three StepsVamana and the Generosity of BaliShanti Parva ‧ 11 min
• The King Who Became a DeerJada Bharata and the Snare of AttachmentShanti Parva ‧ 11 min
• The First KingVena, Prithu, and the Milking of the EarthShanti Parva ‧ 11 min
• The Devotee and the Sage's WrathAmbarisha and the Discus of the LordShanti Parva ‧ 11 min
• The Procession of IndrasIndra's Pride and the Vastness of TimeShanti Parva ‧ 11 min
• The Boar Who Lifted the EarthVaraha and the Rescue of the Drowned EarthShanti Parva ‧ 8 min
• The Gatekeepers Who Became DemonsThe Curse of the Kumaras and the Three BirthsShanti Parva ‧ 8 min
• The Twin SagesNara, Narayana, and the Eternal CompanionshipShanti Parva ‧ 9 min
• The Demons Born of SleepMadhusudana and the Dawn of CreationShanti Parva ‧ 9 min
• The Sinner Who Called the NameA fallen brahmin saved at death by the holy nameShanti Parva ‧ 10 min
• The Sage Who Forgot HimselfNarada lives a whole life in an instant of illusionShanti Parva ‧ 10 min
• The Son Who Taught His MotherKapila, an avatar born as a son, teaches Devahuti liberationShanti Parva ‧ 10 min
• The Sage Who Tested the GodsBhrigu finds the greatest is greatest in forbearanceShanti Parva ‧ 10 min
• The Birth of the SwordNakula asks which weapon came firstShanti Parva
• The White IslandNarada and three sages at the edge of the worldShanti Parva
• The Word That Meant Two ThingsKing Vasu judges what aja means, and falls out of the skyShanti Parva
• The Savitri Mantra of SalutationsBhishma gives Yudhishthira the roll of names to be said at dawnAnushasana Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Names That Cleanse SinAsked what destroys sin, Bhishma answers with a litany of gods, rivers, mountains, sages and kingsAnushasana Parva ‧ 15 min
• Upamanyu's PenanceThe boy who refused every god but Shiva, and the god who came disguised as Indra to hear him do itAnushasana Parva ‧ 24 min
• Tandi and the Ten Thousand YearsA rishi meditates for a hundred centuries, sees Mahadeva, and hymns him as the end of all five roadsAnushasana Parva ‧ 20 min
• The Vow of Ten and Two YearsKrishna keeps a twelve year vow on the mountain and a fire walks out of his mouthAnushasana Parva ‧ 19 min
• How Vishnu Got the DiscusUpamanyu tells Krishna where Sudarsana came from, and Krishna climbs Himavat to ask Mahadeva for a sonAnushasana Parva ‧ 23 min
• The Brahmanas Who Deserve WorshipNarada tells Krishna whom he bows to, and Bhishma tells a king what it costs to forgetAnushasana Parva ‧ 24 min
• The Mysteries of Religion, Part OneThe deities, the Pitris and the Rishis each give up a duty whose reason is secretAnushasana Parva ‧ 24 min
• The Mysteries of Religion, Part TwoLomasa, Arundhati, the night-wanderers and the elephants of the quarters give up the last of their secretsAnushasana Parva ‧ 18 min
• The Child Who Stopped Indra's ArmA boy on Uma's lap holds the thunderbolt in the airAnushasana Parva ‧ 16 min
• The Fires Inside the BodyA wife asks what her husband's stillness is worthAshvamedhika Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Eight Who Questioned BrahmaThe ladder from the Unmanifest down to a bodyAshvamedhika Parva ‧ 21 min
• The Earrings of MadayantiA pupil grown old, and a bargain with a man-eating kingAshvamedhika Parva ‧ 19 min
• The Rewards of the Eighteen ParvasVaishampayana prices each stage of hearing the Bharata against a sacrifice, from the Agnishtoma to twenty-one thousand years with IndraSvargarohana Parva ‧ 17 min

Places in Vishnu's Story

Drawn from the stories Vishnu appears in.

• Mount Mandaraमन्दर पर्वत
• Amaravatiअमरावती
• Kshira Sagaraक्षीरसागर
• Kurukshetraकुरुक्षेत्र
• Indraprasthaइंद्रप्रस्थ
• Brahmalokaब्रह्मलोक
• Naimisharanyaनैमिषारण्य
• Chediचेदि
• Hastinapurहस्तिनापुर
• Pragjyotishaप्राग्ज्योतिष
• Kamyaka Forestकाम्यक वन
• Mount Kailasaकैलास

Related Characters

Others counted among the Divine Beings.

• ❉Krishna
• ◭Hanuman
• ❧Kacha
• ≈Goddess Ganga
• ★The Eight Vasus
• ॐSage Vyasa