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[[Vaikuntha]] generally refers to Vishnu's abode, but in the ''[[Mahabharata]]'' and the [[Puranas]], this term is also used as an epithet of Vishnu.<ref>Gail p. 305</ref> Though no clear etymology of ''vaikuntha'' exists, the term is believed to be derived from ''vi-kuntha'', literally meaning "not blunt". The earliest scriptures like the [[Vedas]], [[Upanishads]] and [[Brahmanas]] connect the epithet to [[Indra]], the king of the gods and the Supreme god of the era. By the time of the ''Mahabharata'', Vishnu gained the role of Indra and the epithet ''vaikuntha'' was transferred to him. The use of ''vaikuntha'' in the name also suggests that the form represents the [[Parabrahman|Para]] (Ultimate Reality) form of Vishnu.<ref>Desai pp. 37–8</ref>
The name ''Chaturmurti'' also appears in the ''[[Vishnu sahasranama]]'' (thousand names of Vishnu).<ref name="Chinmayananda1983">{{cite book|author=Swami Chinmayananda|title=Thousand Ways to The Transcendental: Vishnusahasranama|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G2EfW1oiVw8C|access-date=23 December 2012|year=1983|publisher=Chinmaya Mission|isbn=978-81-7597-245-2|page=193}}{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
==Iconography==
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The central Vishnu head and side heads of Varaha and Narasimha may be influenced by other configurations in architecture. For example, Vishnu, Varaha and Narasimha may be depicted on back (western) and side (northern/southern) walls of temples. Varaha (rescues the earth from the cosmic waters at the beginning of an [[Kalpa (aeon)|eon]]), Vishnu (as a human) and Narasimha (destroying a demon) may represent creation, preservation and destruction – the three functions in the Hindu universe.<ref>Gail pp. 300, 305</ref> Vaikuntha Chaturmurti represents Vishnu as the [[King of the gods|Supreme Being]], Creator of the Universe.<ref name="met"/><ref name="KossakWatts2001"/> Also, Varaha and Narasimha are oldest in antiquity (avatars [[Matsya]] and [[Kurma]] which are described in sacred texts to be appearing before Varaha and Narasimha were associated with Vishnu at a later date).<ref name="Gail pp. 297-9, 306"/> Their presence in the iconography of Vaikuntha Chaturmurti suggests that this form originated in the Gupta era, where their cults were at their peak.<ref name="Desai39"/>
Many writers associate the boar and lion heads to the avatars Varaha and Narasimha, others associate with the ''Chaturvyuha''s, however the latter is heavily disputed.<ref name="ArtPal1989"/><ref name="museum"/><ref name="Gail pp. 297-9, 306">Gail pp. 297–9, 305–6</ref> The ''Vishnudharmottara Purana'' describes the ''Chaturvyuha''s – [[Krishna|Vasudeva]] (Krishna), [[Balarama|Samkarshana]] (Balarama), [[Pradyumna]], [[Aniruddha]] – four manifestations of Vishnu. Though the text does not explicitly equate the two forms. Many modern indologists as well as Pancharatra followers associate both of them based on the association of Chaturvyuhas with [[Guṇa|guna]]s (qualities) in the ''Vishnudharmottara Purana'' and the Pancharatra texts. The gunas are in turn associated with Vaikuntha Chaturmurti. The human face is Vasudeva, who symbolizes strength/power (''bala''); the lion is Samkarshana, who is knowledge/wisdom (''jnana'') personified; the demonic form is Pradyumna, who is prosperity/sovereignty (''[[aishvarya]]'') and the boar is Aniruddha, the Lord of energy (''shakti'').<ref name="ArtPal1989"/><ref name="Gail pp. 297-9, 306"/>
==Worship==
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==References==
{{commons category|Vaikuntha chaturmukha}}
* {{cite book|author=Kalpana Desai|title=Iconography of Visnu|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4M90AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA47|date=31 December 2013|publisher=Abhinav Publications|pages=37–|id=GGKEY:GSELHU3JH6D}}{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
*{{cite journal | title=On the Symbolism of Three- and Four-Faced Viṣṇu Images: A Reconsideration of Evidence | author=Adalbert J. Gail | journal=Artibus Asiae | year=1983 | volume=44 | issue=4|jstor=3249614}}
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