The Preserver, the second god of the Hindu triad, Brahma (q. v .) being the first and Siva ( q. v .) the third; revealed himself by a succession of avatars, Râma ( q. v .) being the seventh and Krishna ( q. v .) the eighth; he has had nine avatars, and on the tenth he will come to judgment; he is extensively worshipped, and his worshippers, the Vaishnavas, are divided into a great number of sects.