Lord Vishnu is the Preserver - Brush up your Mythology
The central and major deity of the Hindu Trinity, Vishnu the Preserver , is said to be all-powerful, all knowing and all pervading. The two most commonly seen representations of Vishnu show him either sleeping comfortably in the coils of Shesh Nag , the king of the serpents , as he floats on the waves of the ocean or as standing on the waves. In his four hands he holds his chief attributes: The conch , symbolic of the five elements; the discus; the lotus and the mace which is a symbol of primeval knowledge. Now let us take a closer look at what exactly these four attributes really symbolise. As mentioned above the conch is a sign of the five elements which are water, fire, air, earth and sky. The discus or wheel, which is called the Sudarshan Chakra has six spokes and represents the limitless control the God has over all the seasons. It is also a weapon that dismembers evil. The lotus referred to as Padma is a symbol of purity and represents the birth of creation while the mace is rep