Vishnu is always a couch potato, he's lying on this cosmic serpent and from his navel comes the lotus which blooms. So in popular iconography, in Hindu iconography you will see Vishnu reclining,. On that Brahma is sitting, who will proceed to create the universe. He happens to look down and see Vishnu and says, who are you? And Vishnu says, I am your creator. The gods become scared of this quarrel between Vishnu and Brahma so they appeal to Shiva, do settle this quarrel. Then Shiva appears before them in a pillar of radiance or light or fire - it stretches from one end of the universe to the other