Shesha
Shesha | |
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King of the Serpents[1] | |
Other names | Sheshanaga, Ananta, Adishesha, Sankarshana |
Affiliation | Vaishnavism |
Abode | Kshira Sagara |
Personal information | |
Parents | |
Siblings | Many including Manasa, Vasuki, and Takshaka |
Spouse | Nagalakshmi[2] |
Part of a series on |
Vaishnavism |
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Shesha (
The Narayana form of Vishnu is often depicted as resting on Shesha, accompanied by his consort Lakshmi. Shesha 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. 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
Form
Shesha is generally depicted with a massive form that floats coiled through space, or upon the
Origin
According to the
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.[4]
Vishnu and Shesha
Shesha is usually depicted as floating in the ocean of the changing world, forming the bed of a primordial form of Vishnu, i.e. Narayana, Vāsudeva or in later Puranic Vaishnavism, Mahavishnu.
In the
Sankarshana is also one of the four
.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
Avatars
Shesha is believed to have taken six 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, Shesha took birth as Lakshmana, as Vishnu's (as Rama) brother. Lakshmana is a very prominent character in the Ramayana, along with Hanuman and Sita.
During Dvapara Yuga, 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, where Balarama is also considered to be an incarnation of Vishnu.
During the Kali Yuga, according to Sri Vaishnava tradition, he was born as Patanjali, Ramanuja, and Manavala Mamunigal.[5] He was not accompanied by God during the Kali Yuga. Instead, he incarnated alone to spread devotion among the people, being a peaceful incarnation.
Literature
The Brahma Purana describes the attributes of Ananta:[6]
Daityas and Dānavas are not capable of recounting his good qualities. He is honoured by Devas and celestial sages. He is spoken of as Ananta. He has a thousand hoods, and he is clearly bedecked in Svastika ornaments devoid of impurities. He illuminates all quarters by thousand jewels on his hoods.
For the welfare of the universe, he deprives the Asuras of their prowess. His eyes whirl and rove due to intoxication. He has only one earring at all times.
Wearing a crown and garlands he shines like a white mountain aflame with fire.
He is clad in blue garments. He is intoxicated with pride. He is resplendent with white garlands. He is lofty like the mountain of Kailāsa where the celestial Gaṅgā falls. He has placed his hand on the plough-share; he holds an excellent iron club. He is attended upon by the embodied splendour of Varuṇa.
At the end of the Kalpa, Rudra in the form of Saṅkarṣaṇa comes out of his mouth, blazing like the flame of poisonous fire and devours the three worlds.
He holds the entire sphere of the world rising above like a peak.
— Brahma Purana, Chapter 19
The Brahmanda Purana also described Shesha in Patala:
With his two thousand eyes that have the reddish splendour of the rising sun and with his body that is white and glossy, he appears like the mountain. Kailāsa surrounded by clusters of flames. He has the white complexion like the Moon as well as the Kunda flowers. Hence the cluster of his eyes shines like the cluster of midday suns on the peak of the white Mountain (Śveta Parvata).
He has a huge terrible body. With it (resting) in his reclining pose on his couch, he appears like a thousand-peaked mountain of vast dimensions (resting) over the earth.
This (enormously) huge lord of serpents, himself of great splendour, is being attended upon by extremely wise and noble-souled great serpents of huge physique. He is the king of all serpents. He is Ananta, Śeṣa, of excessive brilliance.
— Brahmanda Purana, Chapter 20
The Bhagavata Purana equates Shesha and Balarama:
The foremost manifestation of Lord Vishnu is Sankarṣana, who is known as Ananta. He is the origin of all incarnations within this material world. Previous to the appearance of Lord Shri Krishna, this original Sankarsana will appear as Baladeva, just to please the Supreme Lord Shri Krishna in His transcendental pastimes."
— Bhagavata Purana, 10.1.24
In the
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Narasimha, the man-lion incarnation of Vishnu seated on the coils of Shesha, with seven heads of Shesha forming a canopy. Statue at Vijayanagara.
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Parsurameswar Temple, Bhubaneswar
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.[7]
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".[8]
Other names
- Sheshanaga (Shesha the serpent)
- Shesha (the first Shesha)
- Anantashesha (Endless Shesha)
- Ananta (endless/infinite)
- Alternative spellings: Sesa, Shesha, Śeṣa
- Shesha Sayana or Nagar Syana means Vishnu who sleeps (Sayana) on Sheshanaga
See also
References
- ^ Handa 2004, p. 91.
- ISBN 978-1-4384-2981-6.
- ISBN 978-0-674-91511-4. Archivedfrom the original on 15 June 2023. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
- ^ Mbh, Adi Parva
- ^ "Manavala Mamunigal". acharya.org. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
- ^ www.wisdomlib.org (17 March 2018). "The Magnitude of Netherworlds [Chapter 19]". www.wisdomlib.org. Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2022.
- ^ "Explained: What is a Palliyodam, and why a Kerala actor was arrested for photoshoot on it". thenewsminute. Archived from the original on 13 September 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
- ^ A Random Day; Ben "djkaktus" Sisson; Joreth (25 March 2017). "SCP-3000 - Anantashesha". SCP Foundation. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
Bibliography
- Handa, Om Chanda (2004), Naga Cults and Traditions in the Western Himalaya, Indus Publishing, ISBN 978-8173871610