Within the broad landscape of Hindu thought, Lord Vishnu stands as one of the principal deities of the Trimurti, alongside Brahma and Shiva, and is especially revered in Vaishnavism as the Supreme Being. His primary role is that of Preserver and Protector: he sustains the universe between cycles of creation and destruction and safeguards the moral and cosmic order known as dharma. In this vision, all beings and events are held within his sustaining power, and the stability of the cosmos is seen as an expression of his ongoing care.

A distinctive feature of Vishnu’s role is his relationship to avatāras, or incarnations. Whenever dharma declines and unrighteousness threatens to dominate, Vishnu is said to descend in various forms to restore balance and righteousness. Among these manifestations, Rama and Krishna are especially central, becoming focal points of devotion and theological reflection in Vaishnava traditions. Through these forms, Vishnu is understood not as a distant deity, but as one who actively intervenes in history to guide and protect beings.

Vaishnava schools regard Vishnu, often identified with Nārāyaṇa or Krishna, as the ultimate reality, the Supreme Lord upon whom all individual souls depend. Liberation, or moksha, is described as arising through loving devotion (bhakti) to him, in which the soul recognizes its eternal dependence and turns wholeheartedly toward his grace. Devotional practices such as chanting his names, worshiping his images, and studying scriptures that glorify him are thus not mere ritual, but ways of aligning oneself with the preserving and compassionate aspect of the divine.

Vishnu’s iconography further expresses these theological ideas in symbolic form. He is commonly portrayed with a blue or dark complexion, suggesting depth and infinitude, and with four arms bearing the conch, discus, mace, and lotus, each evoking different dimensions of his protective and sustaining power. He is often shown reclining on the cosmic serpent Śeṣa or Ananta upon the ocean of milk, an image that conveys transcendence and lordship over time and space. At his side stands Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune and grace, whose presence signifies that preservation is inseparable from benevolence and auspiciousness.