Who Is the Four-Armed Hindu Deity?

A deity called Vishnu is the Hindu deity that is always pictured with four arms.

• According to Hindu belief, Vishnu is just one of the forms of God. In the Hindu religion, God actually has five forms.
• Vishnu is known as the supreme soul and supreme God. Translated into Hindu, this declares Vishnu to be Paramatma or Parameshwara. This God is the essence of all being.
• The God is pictured with four arms to represent various things depending on what branch of the Hindu religion is being practiced.
• Vishnu is not only the essence of all being, but is the creator and the destructor who maintains and has control over the Universe.

Object's in Vishnu's Arms

When Vishnu is pictured you will always see the deity with four arms - this is why he is considered the four-armed Hindu deity. However, there are some important things to notice about these four arms besides just how many of them there are: 

• In each of the four arms the God is generally depicted carrying an object.

• Typically these objects are a lotus, a conch, a mace, and a chakra. The lotus in Hindu generally reflects beauty; the mace strength; the conch - in the arms of Vishnu specifically, reflects life from life giving waters; and the chakra protection. 

More About Vishnu

• The God is described as appearing in a form that cannot be understood by the eyes of human beings.
• In addition to having four arms, the God is always seen in the color blue. In the Hindu religion, Vishnu is believed to be the color of clouds that are filled with water which is the reason for the blue tone of the deity’s skin.

Vishnu is translated into English to mean the God of Sun and Light, but there are also other distinct characteristics that the Hindu people use to describe Vishnu in addition to the color and the four armed appearance.

Out of all of the characteristics believed to be associated with this deity, there are six that are of the utmost importance.

• The first characteristic is that Vishnu is Omniscient; the God knows all about all simultaneously.
• The second characteristic is that the God is sovereign. This means that Vishnu rules over everyone, there is no other more powerful God.
• The third characteristic is energy, meaning Vishnu has the power to make all things possible even when things seem impossible.
• The fourth characteristic of Vishnu is strength. The strength that the Hindu people believe this deity has is the ability to never tire.
• The fifth characteristic is vigor. This is probably the vaguest of characteristics. In its most simplest form it means that the Hindu people believe that Vishnu has the ability to maintain or retain a unique form that is different from anything that the deity has created on Earth.
• The final characteristic of Vishnu is splendor. This characteristic simply describes the deity Vishnu as being efficient and not having to rely on any other deity or being for the works that He does.