Vishnu is identical to the metaphysical concept called?Brahman, who takes various?avatars?as “the preserver, protector” whenever the world is threatened with evil, chaos, and destructive forces.[8]?His avatars most notably include?Rama?in the?Ramayana?and?Krishna?in the?Mahabharata. He is also known as?Narayana,?Ananta,?Keshava, Trilokinath, Ishtadeva,?Jagannath, Vasudeva,?Vithoba, and?Hari. Agama scripture?Pancharatra?describes mode of worship of Vishnu. Anushasana Parva of Mahabharata provides a list of 1,000 names of Vishnu known as?Vishnu Sahasranama. He is one of the five equivalent deities worshipped in?Panchayatana puja?of the?Smarta Tradition?of Hinduism