Vishnu — The Preserver

When the cosmos tilts toward chaos, Vishnu descends. He has done so nine times already. As the fish Matsya, he saved humanity from the great flood. As the tortoise Kurma, he supported the churning of the cosmic ocean. As the man-lion Narasimha, he killed a king who believed himself beyond the reach of god. As Rama, he demonstrated the perfect life of duty and righteousness. As Krishna, he taught the Bhagavad Gita on a battlefield and changed the philosophical history of the world. One final avatar, Kalki, is still to come — at the end of the current age. Vishnu is patient. He has time.

These signs carry the conch, the disc, the mace, the lotus, and the Garuda eagle on which the preserver of worlds travels between descents.