Who Can Defeat Lord Vishnu? Stories From Ancient Scriptures

In Hindu mythology, most Gods are depicted as immortal who cannot be defeated by any forces or weapons. The most powerful gods comprise the Hindu Trinity – Vishnu the preserver, Brahma the creator, and Shiva the destroyer. Lord Vishnu is considered one of the most powerful and invincible deities. If you go through the ancient scriptures, there is one question that comes to the mind of most people – Who can defeat Lord Vishnu?

So, who can defeat Lord Vishnu? In the vast realm of Hindu mythology, is there anyone or any force that can defeat Lord Vishnu – the preserver of the universe? In this article, we will share the information that might answer the question of who can defeat Lord Vishnu.

From the fierce Lord Shiva to the captivating Goddess Durga, who has the potential to challenge Lord Vishnu’s superiority. Let’s find out:

Power of Lord Vishnu

Vishnu plays the role of sustainer of the universe. Lord Vishnu’s religious duty is to protect the celestial order, ensuring that creation flourishes and prospers. He is the god of compassion whose presence upholds the fragile balance that protects the universe from caving into chaos.

Lord Vishnu possesses many divine qualities, that make him invincible and immensely powerful. His form radiates beauty and grace. He has all the knowledge and can understand the past, present, and future simultaneously. Lord Vishnu is omnipresent and spreads his divine presence throughout the entire universe.

So, who can defeat Lord Vishnu?

Lord Vishnu is defeated by Lord Shiva

This story from the Shatarudra Samhita of Shiva Purana says that Lord Vishnu took the form of Mohini after Samudra Manthan and seized nectar from demons. Most demons were killed by the Gods who drank the nectar and became immortal. Some celestial nymphs were born who were extremely attractive from some stray drops of the nectars. The surviving demons kidnapped them and went to the patal (netherworld).

Lord Vishnu chased them but when he saw the beautiful damsels, he was captivated by their exquisite beauty. From his relationships with them, Lord Vishnu had some sons. They were brave and specialists in many kinds of warfare. These sons of Lord Vishnu started harassing the three worlds.

The worried Gods went to Lord Brahma for a solution. Lord Brahma took them to Lord Shiva, and then Lord Shiva was requested to stop Lord Vishnu’s sons from harassing the three worlds. Lord Shiva took the form of a divine bull.

The bull’s bellow crumbled the netherworld. The proud sons of Lord Vishnu attacked the bull. The bull kicked them with his hooves and Vishnu’s sons were torn apart with his horns.

When Lord Vishnu got to know about the death of his sons, he became enraged. He could not recognize Lord Shiva in the form of the bull so he attacked the bull with arrows and weapons. Nothing affected the bull and then he leaped up and tore him with his horns. This answers the question of who can defeat Lord Vishnu.

But after this, Lord Vishnu was liberated from the delusion and identified Lord Shiva. He apologized to him for his wrongdoing and returned to Vaikuntha.

Who can defeat Lord Vishnu? – Charpatinath defeats Lord Vishnu

Navnath Bhaktisar is a divine book that glorifies Navnath and shows them as more powerful than the Hindu Trinity. In this book, a story mentions that one of the Navnaths once defeated Lord Vishnu. In the story, when Charpatinath is attacked by the soldiers in heaven, he defeats all of them. When Lord Indra sends other gods to end Charpatinath, he defeats them as well.

Lord Vishnu went to Lord Shiva and asked for his help, but he was also defeated by the Navnath. When Lord Vishnu came to know about Lord Shiva’s defeat, he targeted his Sudarshana Chakra at the yogi, but it was immobilized by him with the help of some holy ash. Then the yogi stopped the god’s breathing and used Vatakarshana Vidya against Lord Vishnu. Later, Pippalayan intervened and rescued Lord Vishnu and other gods.

Lord Vishnu swallowed by Nigas

Who can defeat Lord Vishnu? – Lord Brahma gave a boon to a demon named Nigas. The boon was that he could swallow anyone he wished once. He was a persistent devotee of Lord Shiva.

According to a story, Nigas swallowed Lord Vishnu when he was in Yoga Nidra so that only Lord Shiva would remain.

Virabhadra defeated Lord Vishnu

According to the Shiva Purana, Lord Shiva sent Virabhadra to disturb Daksha’s yajna and kill Daksha when Goddess Sati self-immolated. But Daksha was promised Lord Vishnu’s protection; therefore, he had a fight with Virabhadra where he lost deliberately so that Virabhadra could kill Daksha.

Who can defeat Lord Vishnu?

• If a person obtains a boon to defeat Lord Vishnu in his original form, then it is possible to defeat Lord Vishnu.
• If Lord Vishnu deliberately wants to be defeated, like in the Virabhadra story.

Disclaimer

Most of the stories that talk about the defeat of Lord Vishnu are not 100% reliable. The purpose of writing this article is only to answer the questions of people who are curious about Lord Vishnu. This article does not discriminate against any caste, religion, or people in any way. The purpose of this article is only to share knowledge with the readers. After reading this article please do not discriminate between the power of any God or religion.

Also read: Who Can Defeat Lord Shiva? Stories From Ancient Scriptures