Vishnu << VIHSH noo >> is one of the two main gods of Hinduism. The other is Shiva. Vishnu has a kindly nature, and Hindus call him “the Preserver.” They believe he tries to ensure the welfare of humanity. Vishnu is one of three main forms of Brahman, the most absolute, abstract form of God in Hinduism. The two other main forms are Brahma, creator of the universe, and Shiva, its destroyer. Together, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are known as the Trimurti.
Vishnu sometimes descends from heaven to the earth in one of his avatars (physical forms). He does so when a catastrophe faces the universe or if humanity needs comfort and guidance. According to Hindu belief, Vishnu has already appeared in nine principal avatars. The two most important ones were as the Indian prince Rama and the god Krishna. As Rama, Vishnu is the hero of a Hindu epic (long poem) called the Ramayana. As Krishna, Vishnu converses with the hero Arjuna in the Bhagavad-Gita, part of another epic called the Mahabharata. Hindus believe that Vishnu will return to the earth someday to destroy all evil and begin a new Golden Age of humanity.
