High above the earth, deep in the cosmos, an ocean flows forever pure and peaceful. Its milky foam is probably the reason that we now call it the 'Milky Way'. It has many inhabitants, but of most import is Lord Vishnu and his wife, Lakshmi. Spread across the body of a thick, endless snake called Ananta-Sesha, he lies with his eyes closed in meditation and a smile forever on his lips. It is this smile and his sense of peace that often drew the Gods to his side in times of great turmoil. It was also the cause of a sticky situation that had once angered Lakshmi so much that she had left her husband's side and come to Earth.

Once, perhaps in the past, perhaps in the future, Vishnu had been lying in slumber for some time, watching the charming works of the world in his mind. He often enjoyed watching these works. Fate's hand and consequence never failed to amuse him. Even when Fate sent the world spinning to its end, he could still be found smiling for he knew all. He knew the past, present, and future. He knew what is to be and why, and that was the reason why he enjoyed seeing it unfold.

Then came a knock at his gates. A Rishi by the name of Durvasa had come to visit the great Lord Vishnu. A man of great power and presence on Earth, he was accustomed to respect everywhere he went. Over hundreds of years, he had become so revered among his peers that he had also grown arrogant. Great was a man who was always consulted when any king, priest, or commoner needed advice. Great was a man who had so much power that all of mankind feared him. And now he had arrived at Vishnu's doorstep to make his greatness known. "Let me see your lord," he told the guards.

But they would not. He had given them clear orders, they told him, that no one was to disturb him for some time.

Durvasa prickled with rage. "How dare he deny me entrance into his home?" He demanded. He pushed past the guards and into Lord Vishnu's residence. Here he found the Lord sleeping with a smile on his face, and that smile spoke volumes of Lord Vishnu's disregard for the respect of his revered guest. He bellowed the Lord's name, but he would not wake. His wife stepped forward, a kind smile on her face, and thanked him for his visit. Her husband was asleep, she told him, but would he be so kind as to return at a later time?

Durvasa wouldn't hear it. Enraged, he stepped forward and kicked Lord Vishnu in his chest, snapping him out of his reverie. Lord Vishnu sprung to his feet and apologized to his guest, but Durvasa's anger had gone too far. He turned on his heel, intent on leaving the cosmos when the Lord fell at his feet. He asked for Durvasa's forgiveness, admitting to his mistake. Then, the Lord pressed his hand into the underside of Durvasa's foot where a third eye lay closed. It was this third eye that had granted Durvasa all the wisdom of the world. It was also this third eye that cursed him with his arrogance. Due to the Lord's actions, Durvasa's arrogance melted away, making him realize what a horrid mistake he'd made. He turned to Lord Vishnu with tearful eyes, wondering how he could have ever considered himself above the Lord. He begged for his forgiveness, but Lord Vishnu simply smiled. Man does terrible things in anger and arrogance, Vishnu told him. It was God's duty to show him the err of his ways and to forgive him.

Those were the wonderful ways of Lord Vishnu. Shiva was the pacifist, and Vishnu was the politician. Shiva was innocent, and Vishnu was clever. Shiva stayed far away from society and trouble, Vishnu greatly enjoyed being part of both.

Humbled, Durvasa took his leave of the Lord, but there was another conflict for Vishnu to deal with. When he turned to his wife again, it was to find her fuming with rage. She knew of her husband's mysterious, and often mischievous ways of getting what he wanted. She knew of her husband's kindness and patience. She knew of her husband's power and greatness, and for all these things she loved him. She couldn't, however, forgive him for allowing such humiliation to happen. Lady Lakshmi was a woman of great power herself and understood the Divine Three's responsibility in the universe. It was because of his divineness that she worshiped him, and it was that same divineness that had been insulted today. She could bear any insult against herself, but not against her husband, and today, her own husband had been part of his own insult.

She stormed out of the Milky Way and towards Earth. Her husband followed, trying to reason with her, but she wouldn't listen. Her anger was so great that she could not bear to be with him at the moment. She needed peace and solitude, and she would find none of that in the very place where her husband's insult had taken place. Lord Vishnu begged her to not leave, for he could hardly live without her, but it was too late. Lakshmi set foot on Earth, lost to him. He fell from divinity as well, turning into a mere man, woeful for his lost love. That was how Lord Venkateswara came to be-an avatar of Lord Vishnu lost on Earth, searching for both his wife and his divinity.

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Author'sNote: I really really really love Vishnu just as much as I love Shiva! I think I might write down a few of his stories too! Let me know what you guys think as you read more about him - if you'd be interested in a "sequel"!