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12. VAISHNAVISM
CHAPTER 12 VAISHNAVISM
In Vaishnavism, Vishnu is considered as the supreme God. It arose as a result of the on going conflict with Saivism where Siva is considered as the God of destruction. Vishnu comes from a root meaning "to pervade," and he is known as the Pervader. Thus, Vishnu dwells in everything to defeat the power of destruction. It may be restated as the principle of Life and Death. Vishnu is the principle of Life, which tries to defeat the principle of Death, which is Shiva. They are two opposing equal Gods, though the hope of the living lies in Vishnu according to Vaishnavism. This struggle is eternal in which eventually Siva wins and the cycle starts all over again.
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