Parasara Maharisi: Višnu purana

Maharisi Parasara: The Vishnu Purana

The Vishnu Purana is a religious Hindu text and one of the eighteen Mahapuranas. It is considered one of the most important Puranas and has been named Puranaratna (jewel of the Puranas). The Vishnu Purana includes many stories well known in the Vedic tradition, including the various avatars of the God Vishnu and the life of his complete incarnation, Krishna. Presented as a dialogue between Parashara and his disciple Maitreya and divided into six parts, the main topics discussed include creation, stories of battles fought between asuras and devas, Avatars (divine powers) of Vishnu, and genealogies and stories of legendary kings. The Vishnu Purana attributes its authorship to Veda Vyasa. Padma Purana categorizes Vishnu Purana as Sattva Purana (Purana representing goodness and purity). In the Vishnu Purana, the worship of Vishnu is given great importance. The Vishnu Purana states that the worship of Vishnu could enable one to achieve the fulfillment of all earthly or materialistic desires and lead one to attain moksha or liberation from the cycle of birth and death in the material world. Similar to the Bhagavata Purana, the Vishnu Purana declares Vishnu or Narayana as the Para Brahman of the Supreme God who creates the limitless universe and enters each of them as the Lord of the universe. God Narayana participates in the creation of 14 worlds within the universe as Brahma when he deliberately accepts the rajas guna. God Narayana himself sustains, sustains and preserves the universe like Vishnu when he assumes sattva guna and destroys the universe at the end of a maha-kalpa like Shiva or Rudra when he assumes tamas guna. The Vishnu Purana declares Vishnu or Narayana as the Para Brahman of the Supreme God who creates the limitless universe and enters each of them as the Lord of the universe. God Narayana participates in the creation of 14 worlds within the universe as Brahma when he deliberately accepts the rajas guna. God Narayana himself sustains, sustains and preserves the universe like Vishnu when he assumes sattva guna and destroys the universe at the end of a maha-kalpa like Shiva or Rudra when he assumes tamas guna. The Vishnu Purana declares Vishnu or Narayana as the Para Brahman of the Supreme God who creates the limitless universe and enters each of them as the Lord of the universe. God Narayana participates in the creation of 14 worlds within the universe as Brahma when he deliberately accepts the rajas guna. God Narayana himself sustains, sustains and preserves the universe like Vishnu when he assumes sattva guna and destroys the universe at the end of a maha-kalpa like Shiva or Rudra when he assumes tamas guna.