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In Puranic Hinduism, the abstract ideas of the Vedas - expressed ritually and poetically - are transformed into stories replete with plots and characters that common people can understand. Here, for the first time, we encounter the idea of the Hindu trinity Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Brahma is visualised as a Brahmin Vishnu as a king and Shiva as an ascetic. Despite the high status given to Brahmins in Hindu society, the priest-like Brahma is not worshipped. He and his sons - the devas and the asuras, the rakshasas and the yakshas, the birds and the serpents are seen as creatures who are hungry and insecure, and therefore, unworthy of adoration.

By contrast, Vishnu and Shiva are seen as having outgrown their hunger and insecurity, and are therefore, worthy of adoration. The difference between Shiva and Vishnu is that Shiva needs to be coaxed to participate in society and engage with Brahma's children, whereas Vishnu does so willingly. The Ramayana and the Mahabharata are essentially stories of how Vishnu engages with society. He is immortal and infinite, but in the two epics, he takes mortal and finite forms - the avatars!

Vishnu takes the form of Ram and Krishna for various reasons. In some stories, he does this to liberate his doorkeepers, Jaya and Vijaya, who were cursed to be born on earth (as Ravana and Shishupala) by sages, whose entry into Vishnu's abode they obstructed, during the call of duty. In other stories, however, this descent is to relieve the burden of Bhoo-devi, the earth-goddess who is tired of the greed of kings, who are supposed to take care of her. In these stories, Vishnu is forced by Brahmins to go to earth and restore dharma: and so, in many images, Vishnu sports the footprint of Bhrigu, the archetypical complaining Brahmin, on his right shoulder.