VenuPayyanur

Vishnu and You

According to various Puranas, Vishnu is the ultimate omnipresent reality and one of the most important Gods among the Trinity. He is generally shown either in the standing position or lying on top of the snake Anantha with Lakshmi, his consort serving him at his feet. Let us try to understand the symbolism behind his various forms and how we can benefit from having better understanding of the symbolism.

1.  The name Vishnu means all pervading, omnipresent, etc.

2.  He is shown with four arms.

3.  The colour of his skin is blue: The blue colour indicates his all-pervasive nature, blue being the colour of the infinite space as well as the infinite ocean on which he resides.

4.  He has the mark of sage Bhrigu‘s feet on his chest.

5.  Also on his chest is the srivatsa mark, symbolising his consort Lakshmi.

6.  He is to shown wearing two earrings: The earrings represent inherent opposites in creation — knowledge and ignorance; happiness and unhappiness; pleasure and pain, etc

7.  A crown adorns his head symbolizing his supreme authority.

8.  His four hands hold a conch shell or Shankha named “Panchajanya”, the chakra, a sharp-spinning discus-like weapon, named “Sudarshana”, a mace or Gada, named “Kaumodaki”, and a lotus flower or Padma.

Now let us try to understand the significance of Vishnu symbolism.

1.  Vishnu, the name and the colour signifies all pervading and omnipresent. If you are the CEO or a manager of a company, your presence have to felt across the organization to be effective, irrespective of the fact that your men are working across geographies in different offices and departments. If you are in sales or marketing, your customers must feel yours and your company’s presence all the time and this can be achieved either by smart marketing or by physically covering the market. Only then you and your company can be successful.

2.  Have you ever recited this prayer “Karaagre Vasate Lakshmi, Karamuule Saraswati, Karamadhye sthithe Gowri, Prabhaate Kara Darshanam”? This means the front part of the hands (the fingertips) is ascribed to Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, the middle part (the palm proper) to Goddess Saraswati, the Goddess of Learning, and the root (the part of hand near the wrist) to Gowri (the Goddess of power). This prayer is to be recited first thing in the morning once you get up and essentially means that only if you work hard you can attain knowledge, wealth and power. Or everything is in your hands. Generally we all work with one hand. The four hands of Vishnu depicts that you have to work much more than an average person to be extremely successful.

3.  The conch shell in his hand is called “Panchajanyam”. It has two meanings. The sound from the conch is “Om” and as the first sound (pranavam) is the origin of the entire universe. It also means that which produces the five elements, ether (space), air, fire, water and earth, from which the entire universe is created. You have to produce results to be successful.

4.  The disc or chakra is called “Sudarshana” and we think that it is the ultimate weapon used by Vishnu or Krishna to kill the enemies. But the fact is different. Sudarshana means “auspicious vision”. How can you kill a person with auspicious vision? This essentially means that you convert a person who is defocused and not doing what is expected to be done. It could also be someone with negative character doing all the wrong things. By proper advice and guidance you can convert any person to think and behave the way what is appropriate to the society or the circumstances. Once you do that the bad element in that person is killed and goodness is born. That is what Krishna has done with Arjuna. Krishna converted a dejected and de-motivated Arjuna to take up arms and start the war as that was his solemn duty as a Kshatriya in the battle field. Every organization has a vision statement which we all are supposed to follow with total devotion and commitment and do whatever it takes to live the vision and convert every other employee to be committed as well.

5.  Vishnu has a crown in his head and mace in his hand and that represents his authority and power. The crown represents his positional authority, generally worn by kings and the mace represents his authority to punish people when they go wrong. In organizations positional authority is depicted by their title (that is why everyone wants a manager’s title). Managers also have the power to reward and punish those who are his direct reports.

6.  Lotus flower which Vishnu holds in one of his hands is one of the most popular symbols in Hindu and Buddhist religion and represents purity and non attachment. It grows in mud and lives in water, yet is one of the most beautiful flowers and never gets wet. It is not bothered about the surroundings but blooms and performs its job before vanishing. The ultimate aim of living beings is to perform its karma without bothering about the external factors. Generally we are bothered about everyone else in our job or surroundings and keep complaining about them without focusing on what we are supposed to do. People say that one’s character is defined by his nature and nurture, means the family and environment. What lotus teaches us is that irrespective of our family background and our upbringing, we can lead a life of perfection and attain great achievements if we live like a lotus.

7.  On his chest Vishnu has the “srivatsa” mark symbolizing his consort Lakshmi. Does this mean that you have to keep the photo of your wife in your shirt pocket all the time? Or like the fad these days make a tattoo of your wife on your chest? Certainly not. For me this signifies that you should always be thinking and caring about your family, including spouse, even when you are immersed in your professional or personal pursuits.

Therefore let us all try to live the life of Vishnu and be highly successful.

Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.” –Brian Tracy

A grateful heart is the beginning of greatness. Gratitude builds humility as we recognize an act of kindness, service, or caring from someone else. True gratitude is a foundation for faith, courage, contentment, happiness, love, and well-being. Being grateful leads us to look outside ourselves and turn to the bestower of the blessings. The link between spirituality and gratitude has recently become a popular subject of study. While these two characteristics are certainly not dependant on each other, studies have found that spirituality is capable of enhancing a person’s ability to be grateful and therefore, those who regularly attend religious services or engage in religious activities are more likely to have a greater sense of gratitude in all areas of life.

Guru-kripa-grace of a Guru-is also an essential element for one’s success.  A Guru can be pleased with his disciple only if the latter carries out his instructions diligently and implicitly and do nothing that will hurt the feelings or image of the Guru, Guide or the teacher.

However what do we see around us these days, particularly in the corporate sector? They act like Bhasmasura, trying to destroy the very person or organization that has helped the individual to be where s/he is today.

Demon Bhasmasura performed intense ‘tapas’ (penance) for several years with only the thought of Lord Shiva. Finally, Lord Shiva relented and granted the demon the boon that he asked – that he could burn to ashes anyone whose head he placed his hand. An Asura, Bhasmasura showed his true color and he wanted to test the power of the boon by placing his hand on Shiva’s head. Shiva fled in terror and sought the help of Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu who knew about this evil desire took the form of Mohini, the seductress, once again. Bhasmasura is taken with Mohini’s charm and beauty and asks her to marry him. Mohini convinces him to dance and mimic every move that she makes. In the course of gestures and postures, Mohini puts her hand on her head and Bhasmasura, distracted by her beauty and grace, does the same. The moment he places his hand on his head, he gets burned and dies and Shiva and the world are saved.

Don’t we see many Bhasmasuras around us in the corporate circle? A company invests more than six months of their time, money and resources in training the person, in their technology, products, markets, competitors and also imparting the necessary skills such as selling techniques, diagnostic skills, communication skills, leadership skills, etc. In high technology companies, the training is ongoing both in the class rooms as well as on the job. Once that person starts getting results and being successful, may be after 3 or 5 years, s/he feels de-motivated due to increase in expectations. And then leaves the company and joins the competition. There he uses all the knowledge and skill learned earlier, to destroy the same company that made him eligible for the current job by misusing trade secrets and internal information and saying negative things about the products and people. He will also try to allure people and make the company weak. I am not against persons joining competition, but should believe in the law of abundance; my success is not achieved by the failure of someone else, there is enough in the world for all of us to be successful.

When one is reasonably successful in life or in any particular endeavor they generally attribute it to their individual knowledge, competence and hard work.  Probably that would also be the beginning of their decline. However great one may be no success can ever be achieved without the support from many persons who are known and unknown. And Gurukripa is essential for continued success!

Venu Payyanur