Why is Lord Vishnu known as "Pashupati"?

 Vishnu is not known as Pashupati directly by name but the title can be used as an ephithet for Vishnu. He controlled the pashus created by Prajapati with his strides where all the other devatas failed as per vedas

Pañcaviṃśa Brāhmaṇa 20.3.2

• प्रजापतिः पशूनसृजत तेऽस्मात् सृष्टा अपाक्रामंस्तानग्निष्टोमेन नाप्नोत् तानुक्थैर्नाप्नोत् तान् षोडशिना नाप्नोत् तान् रात्र्या नाप्नोत् तान् सन्धिना नाप्नोत् तानाश्विनेन नाप्नोत् ।
• तानग्निमब्रवीदिमान्म ईप्सेति ।
• तानग्निस्त्रिवृता स्तोमेन जराबोधीयेन साम्ना नाप्नोत् ।
• तानिन्द्रमब्रवीदिमान्म ईप्सेति ।
• तानिन्द्रः पञ्चदशेन स्तोमेन सत्त्रासाहीयेन साम्ना नाप्नोत् ।
• तान् विश्वान् देवानब्रवीदिमान्म ईप्सतेति ।
• तान् विश्वे देवाः सप्तदशेन स्तोमेन मार्गीयवेण साम्ना नाप्नुवन् ।
• तान् विष्णुमब्रवीदिमान्म ईप्सेति ।
• तान् विष्णुरेकविंशेन स्तोमेनाप्नोद्वारवन्तीयेनावारयतेदं विष्णुर्विचक्रम इति व्यक्रमत् ॥
• “Prajāpati created the animals (paśus). Having been created by him, they went away from him.
• He could not reach them by the Agniṣṭoma, nor by the Ukthas, nor by the Ṣoḍaśin, nor by the Night-rite, nor by the Saṃdhi, nor by the Āśvina.
• He said to Agni: ‘I desire to obtain these.’
• Agni could not reach them by the Trivṛt-stoma and the Jarābodhīya Sāman.
• He said to Indra: ‘I desire to obtain these.’
• Indra could not reach them by the Pañcadaśa-stoma and Satrāsāhīya Sāman.
• All the other gods failed to reach them
• He said to the Viśve Devāḥ: ‘I desire to obtain these.’
• The Viśve Devāḥ could not reach them by the Saptadaśa-stoma and Mārgīyava Sāman.
• He said to Viṣṇu: ‘I desire to obtain these.’
• Viṣṇu reached them by the Ekaviṃśa-stoma; by the Vāravantīya Sāman he restrained them (avārayat). Saying, ‘Here Viṣṇu strode,’ he strode.””

They are other references in Brahmana layers of vedas where Vishnu conquered the worlds for devatas and drove away asuras .

Why is Mohini not considered in the 10 incarnations of Lord Vishnu?

 Mohini is not included in the standard Dashavatara (the ten principal incarnations of Bhagwan Vishnu) because she is the illusory form (maya-roop). Wherever Goddess Mohini is mentioned, the word Maya is always mentioned there and Maya is actually a key aspect of Shakti and hence Mohini’s emergence is explained broadly in Shaktism which is that branch of Sanatan Dharma which revolves around the female forms of the Divine.

Unlike other Vishnu avatars, Bhagwan Vishnu takes Mohini avatar any time. Also, since it is a female form it has a link with Devi. In other avatars, Narayan directly appears as a male being. So they are the main 10 avatars of Vishnu (Dashavataras). However, Mohini avatar is mentioned in the 24 avatars of Bhagwan Vishnu which is a broader list of incarnations.

It is interesting that Mohini is very often associated with Shakti because every female has been considered as the manifestation of Shakti and more importantly Shakti is Mahamaya, which strengthens Mohini’s connection with Devi further as Mohini is indeed describe as the manifestation of Maya. As per Brahmanda Purana, it is said Vishnu acquired the Mohini form from Goddess Maheshwari. So it actually Mahadevi manifesting through Bhagwan Vishnu as Mohini is completely female not that Shri Hari does some makeup to look feminine, that avatar is properly female and whatever is female, it comes under the domain of Devi. Further it establishes the oneness of Vishnu and Uma in a sense that the Ultimate Power which is Vishnu in male form, the female version of the same Ultimate Power is Uma as per multiple Puranic texts as well Upanishads that revolve around Advaita philosophy. That means all the deities we worship are actually the same Supreme Reality appearing in different forms. So it's like A=B, A=C so B=C and hence A=B=C.

Hayagriva avatar of Shri Hari Vishnu explains about Mahadevi Lalita Tripurasundari. From there comes, Lalitopakhyana, Lalita Sahasranama etc.

In Lalita Saharasanama, Mohini directly appears as the 562nd name of Lalita Devi which confirms that Mohini does have a connection with Lalita, the third among the ten Mahavidyas.

The way I see it is that other forms of Shakti represent the motherly nature of the divine (Parvati, Durga, Kali, Lakshmi, Saraswati etc.) or the faithful wife or the daughter. All of those forms are gentle and benevolent. Mohini on the other hand is a different version of Shakti, bold and the enchanting energy. Hence, the Mother Goddesses do not take up that form to deal with the Asuras but rather destroy them directly in battlefield. In Shaktism, all the Goddesses are considered as the form of Lalita, so Mother Goddesses are also her form and the enchanting Mohini is also her form, the only difference is that Mother Goddesses don’t transform into the enchanting Mohini for dealing with Asuras, so that form against Asuras is taken by Bhagwan Vishnu.

Thus, Mohini connects really well with God Vishnu as he is the one who tricks the Asuras.

Lord Shiva served Lord Vishnu in the form of Hanumanji - but we don't see the reverse- why is that?

 🟥 Vaishnava answer ahead!

P.C.: Pinterest

Lord Hanumana being an incarnation of Lord Shiva is famous, but isn't universal! Scriptures talk of multiple source-deities of Hanuman, for example:

Skanda Purana 1.01.8.100:

“Naṇḍī, the son of Śilāda, who was a favourite follower of Śiva, incarnated as the great monkey Hanūmān for rendering assistance to Viṣṇu of unmeasured splendour.”

Shiva Purana 3.20.07:

“In due course Śiva was born of it in the form of a monkey named Hanūmat. He had great strength and exploit.”

Garuda Purana 13.16.68:

“When Lord Rama incarnated on Earth, Vayu was born as Hanuman for rendering assistance to Rama.”

Sri Madhvacharya has clearly explained multiple times that Lord Mukhyaprana’s first avatara is indeed Lord Hanumana, through scriptural authority. He states conclusively:

“He (Vayu) was directed by the God to take three incarnations. In the first incarnation He carried the orders of Sri Rama. In the second incarnation He destroyed Kauravas and their army. In the third incarnation, composing the works that describe the blissful God, He obtained the name Madhva.”

[Vishnu Tattva Nirnaya-90]

Other sects are free to belief whatever else they want. The reconciliation with the Shiva and Skanda Purana cannot be kalpabheda, since Hanumana isn't a post, but a characteristic of Vayu. So, to reconsile this, we need to dive deep into tattvavada.

Hanumana’s incarnation was taken by Sri Mukhyaprana only, Who has been called ‘Rudra’ in the Vedas. As:

"O Prana (Life-Force)! You are Indra (lord of power); by your brilliance, you are Rudra, the protector.

[Satprashnopanishad 2.06]

Sri Vamana Panditacharya, in his commentary, explains it as: rudrastho jagatparito rakṣitāsi— ‘Being in Rudra, You (Prana) are the protector on all sides’. Normally, the name ‘Rudra’ is derived from ‘roditi rudrah’, but contextually, when the epithet is assigned to Vayu, it becomes synonymous with protection and brilliance. That's why in some scriptures, Hanumana is said to be the avatara of Lord Shiva, when in reality, He is indeed the avatara of Lord Vayu. This is even accepted in Ramayana, this:

“I knower of Dharma! If you are worshipped, Marut (Vayu) gets worshipped. For that reason you are to be worshipped by me.”

[Ramayana 5.1.122]

Regarding His attribution with Lord Nandi, two theories crop up: one is based on Hanumana's attribution to Lord Shiva, another is the curse of Nandi upon Ravana.

Lord Hanumana, as an incarnation of Lord Shiva is accepted from various sources, primarily the Shaiva-Shakta shastras and a few regional resentions of the Ramayana. The latter must not be paid heed, because poetic freedom maybe attributed to those texts. The former is a little complex. The Shaiva-Shakta tantras are branded as Chala-shastrani in the Bharadwaja Samhita, and hence, are to be entirely disregarded by the Vaishnavas. Regarding Puranas, kalpabheda maybe attributed. In some kalpas, Hanuman is attributed with Shiva too. But again, avatara-hood mustn't be falsely meant, owing to theological constraints and differences in hierarchy. Hanumana, when attributed to Shiva, should be understood as ‘avesha’ of Him and not ‘avatara’. That is because if it is contended that Shiva is supreme, then He wouldn't do anything beyond His nature, that is appear to have ‘ananya bhakti’ or ‘paramekanti bhakti’ towards Sri Vishnu as Sri Raghava. Moreover, this contention would justify the words such as ‘rudrāṃśaḥ kapisattamaḥ’ (Shiva Purana 3.20.12), ‘shivamsa’ (Skanda Purana 5.02.79.06, Ananda Ramayana 8.16.19) and others. Shivamsa/Rudramsa means the portion or avasesha of Shiva and not avatara of Shiva. In Shiva Purana 3.06.34, Nandi is described as ‘tava putro bhaviṣyāmi nandī nāmnā tvayonijaḥ’. Thus, whenever in any scripture, Nandi will be called as the source of Hanumana, the implied meaning would be Shiva only.

Another explanation is gathered from Vishnu Dharmottara Purana, which narrates a story between Nandi and Ravana:

“Seeing that the movement of the Pushpaka vimana was obstructed there, the night-walker (Ravana) looked around and saw Nandi, possessing the form of a monkey, seated on the peak of the mountain. Upon seeing him (Nandi), Ravana burst into laughter; thereupon, Nandi cursed him."O Ten-necked Ravana! Lord Shiva Himself sports on this mountain. Since you have approached His presence in your aerial vehicle and mocked me, I shall therefore pronounce a curse upon you: ‘Fierce monkeys of immense valor, resembling my exact appearance, shall be born in your lineage of Pulastya to bring about your total destruction!"

[Vishnu Dharmottara Purana 1.222.5–8]

Following this explanation, the Shiva Purana 1.01.8.100 verse should be understood, to mean that the beast bearing resemblance with Nandi’s appearance was born to render assistance to Vishnu of unmeasured valour. This is understood.

Now to the question, “Why don't we see Vishnu serving Shiva or His forms?”.

Well a simple exploration in a few of the reputed Shaiva pages will end this question. But they surely won't provide the reason for Vishnu’s actions!

Padma Purana, Uttara Khanda 235.25: “O powerful Rudra, in every age in My different incarnations I too shall worship you to delude the demons.”

This has been explained in the Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya 2.133–134: “Lord Vishnu sometimes worships Shiva; Sometimes He worships Rishis; Sometimes He worships Devatas; Sometimes He worships humans; He bows to them and praises them; He asks boons from them; He establishes Lingas; He asks boons from Asuras; He, who is eternally the Supreme Lord, independent, infinitely capable, infinitely knowledgeable and above all beings, does so to cause illusion to (some) people”

So Vishnu's supreme nature is indeed established. Further:

Śiva, the consort of Umā spoke again to Viṣṇu, "Give me this boon, O God, so I become eminent among all beings. By incarnating on Earth, O Keśava, worship me and get boons from me, O God of gods. From this, I will become worship-worthy to all the gods.”

[Varāha Purāṇa 73.42-43]

So, whenever in any scripture, instances of Vishnu worshipping Shiva for boons or for maintaining His ‘narayana-hood’ appears, it should be duly remembered that they are there for the purpose of delusion of the demoniac or the fallen. Vaishnavas of purity and righteous approach, should duly interpret those portions in that light.

Sri Krishnarpanamastu 🪷

Did Lord Vishnu have a wife before Lakshmi?

 In Vedas , Aditi is the wife of Vishnu. That doesn't mean Lakshmi is not the wife of Vishnu .

As per Aditi suktam , In Rigveda she is the primordial god and mother of devatas .

• अदितिर्द्यौरदितिरन्तरिक्षम्
• अदितिर्माता स पिता स पुत्रः ।
• विश्वे देवा अदितिः पञ्च जना
• अदितिर्जातमदितिर्जनित्वम् ॥
• “Aditi is heaven; Aditi is mid-space;
• Aditi is mother, and she is father and son.
• Aditi is all the gods and the five peoples;
• Aditi is what has been born and what is yet to be born.”

Taittariya aranyaka clearly mentions her spouse which is Vishnu. Vedas don't have multiple Aditis. She is the same Aditi from rigveda with similar characteristics of power

• ध्रुवा दिशां विष्णुपत्न्यघोरा
• ऽस्येशाना सहसो या मनोता ।
• बृहस्पतिर् मातरिश्वोत वायुः
• संधुवाना वाता अभि नो गृणन्तु ॥
• विष्टम्भो दिवो धरुणः पृथिव्या
• अस्येशाना जगतो विष्णुपत्नी ।
• विश्वव्यचा इषयन्ती सुभूतिः
• शिवा नो अस्त्वदितिरुपस्थे ॥
• “Firm, of the directions, Viṣṇu's wife, unassailable, sovereign of strength, she who is intelligence/impulse…”
• “The support of heaven, the foundation of earth, sovereign of the world, Viṣṇu's wife; all-pervading, impelling, well-being—may Aditi be auspicious in our presence.”

As far as Lakshmi devi is concerned . She is praised in Lakshmi suktam as the wife of Vishnu. Lakshmi suktam is pretty much a part of vedic composition in ashvalayana samhita which is even quoted by Patanjali in 3BCE and it's considered much older than upanishads dating . So , neanderthals should not bring this stupid argument that laksmi suktam is not a part of Sri suktam. Sayanacharya literally includes Lakshmi suktam after Sri suktam verses.

• Āśvalāyana V.89
• Mahālakṣmī, the “Great Goddess Lakṣmī,” ... Lakṣmī as the wife of Viṣṇu.

So , vedas pretty much mention Lakshmi as the spouse of Vishnu. Vishnu is called yonder adithya in shatapatha brahmana and uttaranarayana anupama only refers to him.

What is the secret of Lord Vishnu and Sheshnag?

 Seshnag is poorva rudra and a destructive aspect of Vishnu . He is the destructive aspect of Sankarshana vyuha of Vishnu

Vishnu Purana mentions that at the end of kalpa he destroys the universe.

• कल्पान्ते मुखतो यस्य विषवह्निर्विनिःसृता ।
• त्रैलोक्यं दहते रौद्रं रूपं कृत्वा सुदारुणम् ॥
• At the end of every aeon, Rudra, who’s one with Saṃkarṣaṇa, … emerges from the mouths of Śeṣa to devour the threefold worlds.”

As per Mahabharata, Sankarshana vyuha is involved in the destruction of creation.

संकर्षणः शेष इति प्रोच्यते...

• “He that enters the body … is called Jīva. He is known also by other names, viz., Sesha and Sankarshana.”
• ततोऽहं पुनरेवात्र सृष्टिं सृजामि च प्रभो ।
• मम चतुर्थं तु रूपं सृजत्येष सनातनम् ।
• शेषाख्यं तु महाबाहो संकर्षणमुदाहृतम् ॥
• tato'haṃ punar evātra sṛṣṭiṃ sṛjāmi ca prabho |
• mama caturthaṃ tu rūpaṃ sṛjaty eṣa sanātanam |
• śeṣākhyaṃ tu mahābāho saṃkarṣaṇam udāhṛtam ||
• “Afterwards I again create creation here. My fourth form creates the eternal one called Śeṣa; that Śeṣa is called Saṃkarṣaṇa.”

One of the oldest description of Sankarshana Balaram in 2th BCE in mathura is shown to have thousand headed serpent as hood.

In Valmiki Ramayana, he bears weight of the entire earth from Patala and sustains the three worlds and all the gods combined

Who played a key role in Samudra Manthan - Lord Vishnu or Lord Shiva?

 Here both played a significance role

In samudra mantana mandara parvata used to churn ksheera saagara (which belongs to God Perumal),Perumal or vishnu being turtle supported the parvata.Vasuki is used as rope for mandara.All the gods (except perumal who was holding the mandaram on his back as a turtle) including bhrama and lord Shiva and on the other side all the demons.

God Perumal : supported entire programme as a kurmam and become basic energy probiding boath to gods and demons

Lord shiva : drank the poison kaalakuta which has a power to destroy entire universe. After drinking it starts affecting shiva by creating a unbearable burning sensation in his throat looking lord’s condition parvati look after the kaalakottam not to enter his throat. So she did not allow him to sleep and this is celebrated as shivaratri jagaranam

How did Lord Vishnu get Goddess Lakshmi as his consort?

 In Hinduism, you will often find multiple narratives that vary or even appear to contradict one another. This is due to Kalpa Bheda, varying Sampradayas, or Kula lineages. Ultimately, the Supreme Truth is experienced and described from different perspectives.

According to texts like the Srimad Devi Bhagavatam, the Devi Mahatmya, and Lakshmi Tantra, it is Mahadevi who manifests and assigns consorts to the Tridevas (Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva). Similarly, texts like the Varaha Mahapurana and Padma Purana state that when the Supreme Purusha manifests as the Tridevas, Para-Prakriti simultaneously manifests as the Tridevi.

However, a highly specific and fascinating account is found in the Sri Dakshinamurti Samhita, which states that Sri Hari Vishnu practiced Vaishnavi Vidya to obtain Goddess Lakshmi as his wife.

Sri Dakshinamurti Samhita, Chapter Four:

Translation: "Now, O Great Goddess, I shall describe the deity of supreme empire, by whose worship Vishnu himself became the Lord of Lakshmi (Lakshmipati)."

The Form of the Goddess

The presiding deity of this Vidya is none other than Sarva-Samrajya-Lakshmi. The text provides a Dhyana on her divine form, which Lord Vishnu utilized during his worship:

Translation: "She resembles the Atasi flower (blue flax) and is adorned with gem-studded ornaments. In six of her hands, she holds the Conch (Shanka), Discus (Chakra), Mace (Gada), Lotus (Padma), Bow (Sharnga), and Arrows (Bana). With two other hands, she displays the gestures of Boon-giving (Varada) and Fearlessness (Abhaya). Meditating thus on her eight-armed form, the wise one should perform the recitation."

This is consistent with other sources, which note that Lord Vishnu successfully undertook the Sadhana of Goddess Kamala to gain her as his eternal consort.

Kamalā Kamalā 🌺🪷

Maa Sarva Samrajya Lakshmi.

Why is Garuda considered the vehicle of Lord Vishnu?

 Garuda is the celestial falcon, who is the chariot of Bhagavan Vishnu. At the time of pralaya, only Bhagavan Vishnu was there. Bhagavan Vishnu wished to create the universe. A 14-petalled lotus emerged from Bhagavan Vishnu’s navel. From that navel came Chaturmukha Brahma. Bhagavan instructed Chaturmukha Brahma to perform the task of creation. Lord Brahma divided Himself into two parts from which two people came, namely Svayambhu Manu and Shataroopa Devi, who were the first man and woman respectively in the universe. They both had three daughters by name Akooti, Prasooti and Devahooti.

Following Bhagavan’s instructions, Brahma gave birth to children, who were born from his mind for continuing the creation. That’s why they were known as Brahma Maanasa Putras. Out of these were the 4 Kumaaras, Sage Marichi, and Daksha Prajapati. Daksha Prajapati was married to Prasooti, the daughter of Svayambhu Manu. From Daksha Prajapati and Prasooti came 14 daughters. Out of 14 daughters, 13 daughters were married to Sage Kashyapa, the son of Sage Marichi. Whereas the 14th daughter, Satidevi, was married to Lord Shiva.

Now, out of these 13 wives of Sage Kashyapa, Aditi gave birth to the devatas, Diti gave birth to the demons, Danu gave birth to the Daanavas, and so on. Now, in this answer, we require only two wives of Sage Kashyapa, namely Vinata and Kadru. They had worshipped their husband, Sage Kashyapa, with great devotion. Sage Kashyapa, pleased by their devotion, asked them to ask for a boon. Kadru asked for 1000 powerful serpent sons. Whereas Vinata asked for only 2 sons who were more powerful than all 1000 sons of Kadru combined. Sage Kashyapa blessed them with the same.

As per the blessing, Kadru laid 1000 eggs, from which the serpents led by Vaasuki, Aadishesha, etc. were born. Whereas Vinata laid 2 eggs, from which two were born - Garuda and Aruna. Aruna became the charioteer of Suryadeva. Vinata and Kadru were rivals from the beginning itself. During the Samudra Mathana, a horse named Uchhaishravas came out from the Milky Ocean. Now, Kadru and Vinata got into an argument over whether this Uchhaishravas horse was black or white. Kadru said it was black, whereas Vinata said it was white.

Both placed a bet that if Kadru won, Vinata would be her maid, whereas if Vinata won, Kadru would be her maid. Kadru, for the sake of winning the bet, asked her sons to cover the Uchhaishravas horse so that it looked black and she would win. Note that Aadishesha had already left his brothers and had gone to do penance to please Lord Brahma. Now, these serpents disagreed with Kadru to do the same. Enraged by this disobedience by her own sons, she cursed the snakes to be burnt in the fire. These snakes were later burnt in the Sarpa Satra done by King Janamejaya, the son of King Parikshita. The serpents agreed and then covered the horse, and thus from far it looked black in color, and then Kadru finally won deceitfully, and Vinata had to become her maid.

Vinata was treated as a maidservant by Kadru and her sons. Kadru used to order Vinata to do heavy tasks. She even once asked Vinata to carry her on Vinata’s back and cross the ocean to a distant island, which was the island of the serpents. Vinata had to fly across the ocean carrying Kadru on her back. She even used to torture Garuda by ordering him to carry her sons on a pleasure trip on Garuda’s back. So, they were tortured a lot by Kadru and her sons. Garuda couldn’t see his mother suffer like this, and Vinata too couldn’t see her son suffering like this. When Garuda grew up, He asked the serpent sons what ransom they would take to stop torturing his mother.

The serpent sons demanded Amrita. Garuda, agreeing to that, flew to Svarga. His power was so much that He defeated Indra and other devatas in Svarga, bypassed all the securities in the Svarga, which were kept for the protection of Amrita, and then took the Amrita from there and came out of Svarga. There Bhagavan Vishnu appeared in front of Him. He saw that Garuda hadn’t drunk the Amrita out of selfishness. On seeing His selflessness and his struggle to save his mother, Bhagavan Vishnu was pleased. Lord Vishnu asked Garuda to ask for a boon.

Garuda asked for two boons, namely: To become ageless without drinking Amrita and to be above Bhagavan Vishnu on the flag of His chariot. Lord Vishnu, on this, said, “So be it.” That’s why Bhagavan Vishnu is known as Garuda Dhvaja. Lord Vishnu instructed Garuda to be His vehicle. Garuda joyfully agreed to be the Vaahana of Bhagavan Vishnu. So, Bhagavan Vishnu accepted Garuda as His vehicle because of His sheer selflessness, kindness, and devotion towards Him. Thus, Garuda became the vehicle of Bhagavan Vishnu.

Bhagavan Vishnu also has a name ‘Vishva ’, which is the first name of Bhagavan Vishnu in the Vishnu Sahasranaama. One of the meanings of the name Vishva is:

1. Vishanti Asmin Ananta kalyaana gunaaha iti Vishvam: The one who is the abode of all auspicious qualities.

2. Vishati iti Vishvam: The one who is all-pervading Bhagavan.

3. Vina Garudena Shvayate Iti Vishvam: The one who has Garuda as His vehicle. ‘Vi’ in Vina stands for Garuda, the celestial falcon, which is the chariot of Bhagavan Vishnu.

Since Bhagavan has Garuda as His Vaahana, He is also known as Vishvam. Actually, there are 100 meanings for the word Vishva, but these are a few meanings of the name Vishva.

Now, when Garuda brought the Amrita from the heavens, He kept it in front of the serpents, His step-brothers, on the Kusha grass. He advised them, “You cannot consume this Amrita when you are impure. First go and have a bath and become pure, then come and have it. Now, that I have brought Amrita for you, release my mother from slavery.” The serpents were overjoyed, and they declared Vinata free from slavery. They went for the bath. Here, while coming from Svarga, Garuda had made a pact with Indra. So, as the serpents went for a bath in the river, Indra came down, took the Amrita, and flew back to Svarga.

The serpents came back and saw there was no Amrita. They came and started licking the Kusha grass because they thought some drops of Amrita may have fallen. As the blade of the Kusha grass was sharp, it divided their tongues into two parts. That’s why the snakes or serpents have split tongues. And since the Kusha grass had the touch of Amrita Kalasha, they gained the property of shedding their old skin and growing a new skin. This is even today observed in snakes and serpents. Thus, this was the story of Garuda, as to how his life was, how he became the vehicle of Bhagavan Vishnu, and how he cleverly prevented the serpents from drinking the Amrita, thus gaining multiple boons from the Supreme Bhagavan Vishnu Himself.

He is equal to Aadishesha and Rudra in power, Vishnu Bhakti and knowledge, as stated in the Garuda Purana. His wife is Souparni Devi.

SriVishnuvaahana Garudaya namaha!🙏😊✨

Hope this helps!
Jay SriRam!
ShriGaruda Antargata SriBhaaratiramana Mukhyaprana Antargata ShriKrishnarpanamastu!

Is it true that whoever is slain by Lord Vishnu gets salvation and goes to Vaikunth?

No. It is not true. There is a misconception that whoever is slain by Bhagavan Vishnu gets salvation and goes to Vaikuntha, the supreme abode of Bhagavan Vishnu. Some even say that, “No matter with what bhaava you see Bhagavan, your mind is contemplating Bhagavan, whether it is by Bhakti or hatred.” This sounds nice to say and hear, but it's NOT the reality.

You CANNOT attain Bhagavan by mere hatred. Bhagavan can ONLY be attained by BHAKTI and nothing else. Yes, Bhagavan in the Bhagavad Gita does say that ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस्तथैव भजाम्यहम् । Bhagavan NEVER intends to say, ‘Approach me with hatred, and I will bestow you Moksha or salvation.’ If you approach Him with enmity, He reciprocates accordingly. Kamsa had enmity toward Krishna. But ultimately, when Krishna came to Mathura to kill him, Kamsa saw Yamaraja or his death in Krishna.

If one could attain Vaikuntha just by hating Bhagavan, then why should we practice Bhakti to Bhagavan? Everyone could have hated Him, thus being slain by Him and then attained liberation. What is the need for Bhakti then? Why do the shaastras emphasize more on doing Bhakti? Why don’t the shaastras teach us to hate Bhagavan then?? Here, some people even say that hatred is also a kind of devotion to Bhagavan. But the answer is a big NO.

Hatred is NEVER the way for liberation and CAN NEVER please Bhagavan. If that was the case, then Prahlada Maharaja would have mentioned hatred as one of the nine forms of devotion. Then it would have been 10. But he doesn’t mention it. Bhakti never means to hate Bhagavan. Bhakti is knowing the greatness of Bhagavan, plus simultaneously loving Him causelessly like an unbroken flow of oil. Without this Bhakti, liberation is never possible.

Now you might ask, “In the Bhagavatam, Pootana attained Sadgati after being killed by Krishna, Kamsa attained Sadgati after being killed by Krishna, Shishupala’s soul in the form of a light entered Krishna when He killed Shishupala. Don’t all these instances prove that all those whom Bhagavan Vishnu, as Krishna or Rama, slew attained His Parama Dhaama Vaikuntha?” These instances superficially do indicate the fact that the people whom Bhagavan Vishnu slew attained Vaikuntha, but the reality is different.

SriMadhvacharya, in His granthas, clarifies this misconception. All these people like Pootana, Kamsa, Shishupala, Dantavakra, Raavana, Kumbhakarna, etc. were split personalities (not in medical terms). There were two souls present in these people. This concept is known as Jiva dvaya avesha, which means ‘Presence of two souls in the body’. In the case of Pootana, there were two jivas within her, namely Taataki and Urvashi. Urvashi, due to the curse of Kubera, had to be born like this. In the case of Kamsa, there was Kaalanemi as well as Sage Bhrigu in him. That’s why when Kamsa thought of Krishna the whole day, inside it was Sage Bhrigu who was contemplating Krishna, whereas when Kamsa hated Krishna, then it was Kaalanemi named demon, who was hating Krishna.

In the same way, in Hiranyaksha-Hiranyakashyapu, Raavana and Kumbhakarna, Shishupaala and Dantavakra, there were two souls, namely Jaya (gatekeeper of Vaikuntha) and Adi Hiranyakashyapu, and Vijaya(another gatekeeper of Vaikuntha) and Adi Hiranyaksha. As we have devatas, we have demons too. Among demons, the foremost and best among the demons is Kali Purusha. After that comes Viprachitti, and below them both come Adi Hiranyaksha and Adi Hiranyakashyapu. So, both of them are inherently tamasik and have great hatred for Bhagavan Vishnu. [Source: HKS by SriJagannatha Dasaru]

Now coming to the point, when Bhagavan slew Pootana, the Urvashi present within Pootana attained Sadgati and got freed from the curse, because she fed the breast milk to Krishna with devotion, whereas the Taataki present within Pootana attained hell, because she fed the poison to Krishna with hatred. Same in the case of Kamsa. Sage Bhrigu attained Sadgati, whereas Kaalanemi attained hell. In the same way, in the case of Raavana-Kumbhakarna and Shishupala-Dantavakra, Jaya and Vijaya attained Vaikuntha, whereas the Adi Hiranyaksha and Adi Hiranyakashyapu attained hell. So, the soul which came in the form of light, which entered Krishna, after killing Shishupala, was Jaya. The Adi Hiranyakashyapu within Shishupala attained hell. When Lord Varahadeva and Lord Narasimhadeva killed Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashyapu, Jaya and Vijaya attained Vaikuntha, whereas the Adi Hiranyaksha and Adi Hiranyakashyapu entered hell.

At last, all the noble souls like Jaya, Vijaya, Urvashi, and Sage Bhrigu will attain liberation, because they are inherently the devotees of Bhagavan Vishnu, whereas the evil souls like Taataki, Adi Hiranyaksha, Adi Hiranyakashyapu, Kaalanemi, etc. will attain the eternal hell, by the name Andha Tamas.

So, the reality is, no amount of hatred can ever lead to the pleasure of Bhagavan Vishnu. Only and only by true and unadulterated devotion can we attain Him. Hope this clears the doubt!

REMEMBER:

भक्त्यैकलभ्यः पुरुषोत्तमोऽसि जगत्प्रसूतिस्थितिनाशहेतो ।
अकिञ्चनं नान्यगतिं शरण्यं गृहाण मां क्लेशिनम् अम्बुजाक्ष ॥
O lotus-eyed Supreme Lord, You are attainable only through pure devotion. You are the cause of the creation, maintenance, and destruction of the universe. I possess nothing, have no other refuge, and am filled with suffering. O ultimate shelter, please accept me under Your protection.

[Jitante Stotra by Lord Brahmadeva, Paancharaatra Aagama]

Jay SriRam!
ShriKrishnarpanamastu!