Studies in Indian Art c9.s1.5

c9.s1.5

Viṣṇu is the second deity of the triad. He is the preserver. His vehicle is Garuḍa, which symbolises the sun or time. Viṣṇu’s *Cakra* is also the revolving wheel of time. It is also the *Brahmāṇḍa-Cakra*, that is the Cosmos imagined as a circle, which is infinite but bounded. Viṣṇu is known for his three steps which signify motion. The Serpent on which Viṣṇu sleeps is named Ananta or the Infinite which is the symbol of the Absolute. Viṣṇu stands for the imminent form and the cosmic serpent Śeṣa stands for the transcendent absolute or the unmanifest sub-stratum. The four arms of Viṣṇu are symbols of the *Svastika*, i.e. the fourfold pattern of Creation.