sition is,
practically, that he has little to do with man. Being already created,
man takes more interest in the gods that preserve and destroy.[81]
Even Brahm[=a]'s old exploits are, as we have shown, stolen from him
and given over to Vishnu. The famous (totemistic) tortoise legend was
originally Brahm[=a]'s, and so with others of the ten 'forms' of
Vishnu, for instance the boar-shape, in which Vishnu manifests
himself, and the fish-shape of Brahm[=a] (epic) in the flood-story.
The formal _trim[=u]rti_ or _tr[=a]ipurusha_ ('three persons') is a
late figure. It would seem that a Harihara (Vishnu and Civa as one)
preceded the trinity, though the dual name is not found till quite
late.[82] But, as we showed above, the epic practically identifies
Vishnu and Civa as equals, before it unites with these Brahm[=a] as an
equal third.

There arises now the further question whether sectarian Vishnuism be
the foisting of Krishnaism upon a dummy Vishnu. We think that, stated
in this way, such scarcely can have been the case. Neither of the
great sects is professedly of priestly origin, but each, like other
sects, claims Vedic authority, and finds Brahmanical support. We have
said that Vishnu is raised to his position without ictic suddenness.
He is always a god of mystic character, in short, a god for philosophy
to work upon. He is recognized as the highest god in one of the oldest
Upanishads. And it is with the philosopher's Vishnu that Krishna is
identified. Krishna, the real V[=a]sudeva (for a false V[=a]sudeva is
known also in the epic), is the god of a local cult. How did he
originate? The king of serpents is called Krishna, 'the black,' and
Vishnu reposes upon Cesha Ananta, the world-snake; but a more
historical character than this can be claimed for Krishna. This
god-man must be the same with the character mentioned in the
Ch[=a]ndogya Upanishad, 3. 17. 6. One may notice the similarities
between this Krishna and him of the epic cult. Krishna, son of
Devak[=i], was taught by his teacher, Ghora [=A]ngirasa, that
sacrifice may be performed without objective means; that generosity,
kindness, and other moral traits are the real signs of sacrifice; and
it is then said: "The priest Ghora [=A]ngirasa having said this to
Krishna, the son of Devak[=i]--and the latter was thereby freed from
(thirst) desire--said: "When a man is about to die let him resort to
this triad: 'the imperishable art thou,' 'the unmoved art thou,'
'breath's f