Shesha (
Sanskrit: शेष; ) , also known as Sheshanaga (
Sanskrit: शेषनाग; ) or Adishesha (), is a serpentine demigod (
Naga
Naga or NAGA may refer to:
Mythology
* Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions
* Naga Kingdom, in the epic ''Mahabharata''
* Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong Riv ...
) and
Nagaraja (King of all
serpents), as well as a primordial being of creation in
Hinduism. In the
Puranas
Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...
, Shesha is said to hold all the planets of the universe on his hoods and to constantly sing the glories of
Vishnu from all his mouths. He is sometimes referred to as Ananta Shesha, "Endless-Shesha", or Adishesha, the "First Shesha". It is said that when Adishesa uncoils, time moves forward and creation takes place; when he coils back, the universe ceases to exist.
The
Narayana
Narayana (Sanskrit: नारायण, IAST: ''Nārāyaṇa'') is one of the forms and names of Vishnu, who is in yogic slumber under the celestial waters, referring to the masculine principle. He is also known as Purushottama, and is consi ...
form of Vishnu is often depicted as resting on Shesha, accompanied by his consort
Lakshmi. Adishesha is considered as one of the two mounts of Vishnu alongside
Garuda. He is said to have descended upon Earth in the following human forms or incarnations:
Lakshmana, brother of Vishnu's incarnation
Rama during the
Treta Yuga, and according to some traditions, as
Balarama, brother of Vishnu's incarnation
Krishna during the
Dvapara Yuga
''Dvapara Yuga'' ( Dwapara Yuga), in Hinduism, is the third and third best of the four ''yugas'' (world ages) in a ''Yuga Cycle'', preceded by ''Treta Yuga'' and followed by ''Kali Yuga''. ''Dvapara Yuga'' lasts for 864,000 years (2,400 divine y ...
. According to the
Mahabharata (Adi Parva), his father was
Kashyapa and his mother
Kadru, though in other accounts, he is usually a primordial being created by Vishnu.
His name means "he who remains", from the
Sanskrit root ''śiṣ'', because even as the world is destroyed at the end of each
kalpa, Shesha remains as he is.
Form
Adishesha is generally depicted with a massive form that floats coiled through space, or upon the
Ocean of Milk, to form the bed upon which Vishnu lays. Sometimes, he is depicted as a five-headed or seven-headed or a ten-headed
serpent; but more commonly as one thousand-headed, or five thousand-headed, or even as many as a one million-headed
serpent; sometimes with each head wearing an ornate crown.
Origin
According to the
Mahabharata, Adishesha was born to the sage
Kashyapa and his wife
Kadru. Kadru gave birth to a thousand snakes, of which Shesha was the eldest. After Shesha,
Vasuki,
Iravati and
Takshaka were born, in that order. A lot of Shesha's brothers were cruel and were bent upon inflicting harm on others. They were even unkind to
Garuda, who was Kashyapa's son through
Vinata, sister of Kadru. (Kadru and Vinata were daughters of Daksha).
Shesha, disgusted by the cruel acts of his brothers, left his mother and kin, and took to austere penances. He lived on air and meditated in places including Gandhamadhana, Badrikashrama, Gokarna, Pushkara, and the
Himalayas. His penances were so severe that his flesh, skin, and muscles dried up and merged with his frame.
Brahma, convinced of Shesha's will, asked Shesha to request a boon. Shesha asked that he be able to keep his mind under control so that he could continue to perform ascetic penances. Brahma gladly accepted the request.
Brahma then asked a favour of Shesha: to go beneath the precarious earth and stabilise it. Shesha agreed and went to the netherworld and stabilised
Bhumi with his hood. He is believed to support her even today, thus making
Patala his perennial residence.
Mahavishnu and Sankarshana
Shesha is usually depicted as floating in the ocean of the changing world, forming the bed of
Mahavishnu.
In the
Bhagavata Purana
The ''Bhagavata Purana'' ( sa, भागवतपुराण; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' or simply ''Bhagavata'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen great Puranas (''Mahapuranas''). Composed in Sa ...
, Shesha is named Sankarshana, the
tamasic energy of
Narayana
Narayana (Sanskrit: नारायण, IAST: ''Nārāyaṇa'') is one of the forms and names of Vishnu, who is in yogic slumber under the celestial waters, referring to the masculine principle. He is also known as Purushottama, and is consi ...
himself, and is said to live deep within the inner layers of
Patala, where there are many serpents with gems on their heads and where he reigns as its ruler. He is said to have existed before the creation of the universe. When the universe is towards its end, he creates the 11
Rudras from the serpents to destroy the universe for a new one to be created.
Sankarshana is also one of the four
vyuha forms of
Vishnu, the other three being
Vāsudeva,
Pradyumna, and
Aniruddha.
In
Gaudiya accounts, Sankarshana expands himself as Garbhodakshayi-Vishnu in the beginning of the universe to create
Brahma. In other words, Sankarshana is believed to be Narayana himself.
In the first few chapters of the
Puranas
Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...
, it is also said that Sankarshana preached the
Bhagavata
The Bhagavata tradition, also called Bhagavatism, refers to an ancient religious sect that traced its origin to the region of Mathura. After its syncretism with the Brahmanical tradition of Vishnu, Bhagavatism became a pan-Indian tradition ...
to the
Four Kumaras, who in turn passed on this message. At some point, the message was passed to sage
Maitreya
Maitreya (Sanskrit: ) or Metteyya (Pali: ), also Maitreya Buddha or Metteyya Buddha, is regarded as the future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. As the 5th and final Buddha of the current kalpa, Maitreya's teachings will be aimed at ...
, who in turn preached it to
Vidura.
Avatars
Adisesha is believed to have taken 6 incarnations on earth. During the
Satya Yuga, he came down in his original form to form a seat for Vishnu's avatar of
Narasimha, who had incarnated to slay the impious
Hiranyakashipu.
During the
Treta Yuga, Sesha took birth as
Lakshmana, as Lord Vishnu's (as
Rama) brother. Lakshmana is a very prominent character in the Ramayana, along with Hanuman and Sita.
During
Dvapara Yuga
''Dvapara Yuga'' ( Dwapara Yuga), in Hinduism, is the third and third best of the four ''yugas'' (world ages) in a ''Yuga Cycle'', preceded by ''Treta Yuga'' and followed by ''Kali Yuga''. ''Dvapara Yuga'' lasts for 864,000 years (2,400 divine y ...
, he is a stated to have incarnated as
Balarama again as a brother to Vishnu (as Krishna). This is often disputed by the original line-ups of the
Dasavatara
The Dashavatara ( sa, दशावतार, ) are the ten primary avatars of Vishnu, a principal Hindu god. Vishnu is said to descend in the form of an avatar to restore cosmic order. The word ''Dashavatara'' derives from , meaning "ten", an ...
, where Balarama is also considered to be an incarnation of Vishnu.
During the
Kali Yuga
''Kali Yuga'', in Hinduism, is the fourth and worst of the four ''yugas'' (world ages) in a ''Yuga Cycle'', preceded by '' Dvapara Yuga'' and followed by the next cycle's '' Krita (Satya) Yuga''. It is believed to be the present age, which is ...
, according to
Sri Vaishnava tradition, he was born as
Patanjali Maharishi,
Ramanujacharya, and
Manavala Mamunigal
Alagiya Manavalan, best known by his epithet Manavala Mamunigal (1370–1450), was a Hindu theologian. He was a major proponent of the Sri Vaishnavism tradition in the 15th century in Tamilakam, disseminating it with the help of his eight di ...
. He was not accompanied by
God during the Kali Yuga. Instead, he incarnated alone to spread devotion among the people, being a peaceful incarnation.
Sri Vaishnavism
Sri Vaishnavism, or the Sri Vaishnava Sampradaya, is a denomination within the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism. The name refers to goddess Lakshmi (also known as Sri), as well as a prefix that means "sacred, revered", and the god Vishnu, who ...
also states that Balarama is an incarnation of both
Vishnu and Adishesha. In the
Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700- verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic ''Mahabharata'' (c ...
, in the middle of the battlefield
Kurukshetra
Kurukshetra (, ) is a city and administrative headquarter of Kurukshetra district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is also known as Dharmakshetra ("Realm of duty ") and as the "Land of the Bhagavad Gita".
Legends
According to the Pura ...
, Krishna, explaining his omnipresence, says: "Of
Nāgas, I am Ananta" indicating the importance of Ananta Shesha.
Literature
The
Brahma Purana describes the attributes of Ananta:
The Brahmanda Purana also described Shesha in Patala:
The
Bhagavata Purana
The ''Bhagavata Purana'' ( sa, भागवतपुराण; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' or simply ''Bhagavata'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen great Puranas (''Mahapuranas''). Composed in Sa ...
equates Shesha and Balarama:
In the
Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700- verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic ''Mahabharata'' (c ...
chapter 10, verse 29,
Krishna describes 75 of his common manifestations, and declares, : ''Among Nāgas (a special class of serpents), I am the serpent-god Ananta''.
File:Hampi3.JPG, Narasimha, the man-lion incarnation of Vishnu seated on the coils of Shesha, with seven heads of Shesha forming a canopy. statue at Vijayanagara.
File:Bishnu.jpg, Maha Vishnu sheltered by the five-headed Shesha, Parsurameswar Temple
Parsurameswara Temple (IAST: ') also spelt Parashurameshvara, located in the East Indian city of Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, India, is considered the best preserved specimen of an early Odia Hindu temple dated to the Shailodbhava perio ...
, Bhubaneswar.
File:Brahma give boon to Shesha and order to bear the Prthvi or Earth.jpg, Brahma gives a boon to Shesha and orders to bear the Prithvi or Earth
In popular culture
The
Palliyodam, a type of large
snake boat built and used by
Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple in Kerala for the annual water processions of
Uthrattathi Jalamela and
Valla Sadhya has the legend that it was designed by
Krishna and were made to look like Shesha.
The capital of
Kerala,
Thiruvananthapuram, is named after the King of the Serpents and is translated as "The Sacred City of Ananta".
On the
SCP Foundation wiki, the winning article for the SCP-3000 contest is titled ''Anantashesha''. The article features SCP-3000, a gargantuan serpentine entity swimming in the
Bay of Bengal with anomalous abilities, based on the fact that Shesha "would linger past the end".
Other names
* Sheshanaga ''(Sesha the serpent)''
* Adishesha ''(the first Sesha)''
* Anantashesha ''(Endless Sesha)''
*
Ananta ''(endless/infinite)''
* Alternative spellings: Sesa, Sesha,
* Shesha Sayana or Nagar Syana means
Vishnu who sleeps ''(Sayana)'' on Sheshanaga
See also
*
Vasuki
*
Ouroboros
*
Jörmungandr
*
Manasa
*
Nāga
*
Snake worship
*
Nagaradhane
*
Padmanabhaswamy Temple
References
Bibliography
*
External links
ananta supports the world (from mahAbhArata)The Glories of Lord Ananta (from Śrimad Bhagavatam)Ananta Sesha - The Legendary SerpentMaha-Vishnu & Ananta Sesha
{{HinduMythology
Nāgas
Hindu gods
Lokapala
World-bearing animals
Vaishnavism
Mythical many-headed creatures
Legendary serpents
Snake gods