Kadru

Kadru is a prominent figure in Hindu mythology, primarily known as the wife of the sage Kashyapa and the mother of the serpent race (Nagas). Her story is intricately linked with that of her sister Vinata, the mother of Garuda, and is detailed in the Mahabharata (Adi Parva, chapters 14–30) and various Puranas, including the Vishnu Purana and the Bhagavata Purana. According to the Mahabharata, Kadru and Vinata were both married to Kashyapa, who granted each a boon. Kadru chose to have a thousand serpent offspring, while Vinata desired two sons who would surpass all others.

Kadru gave birth to a thousand eggs, from which emerged the Nagas, including prominent serpents like Shesha, Vasuki, and Takshaka. Vinata, however, impatiently broke one of her two eggs prematurely, resulting in a deformed son (Aruna), while the other egg hatched later into Garuda, the mighty eagle. The rivalry between Kadru and Vinata is a central episode: Kadru, through a deceitful wager involving the color of the horse Uchchaihshravas, enslaved Vinata and her son Garuda. This led to Garuda's quest to obtain the elixir of immortality (amrita) to free his mother, a story recounted in the Mahabharata.

Kadru's iconography typically depicts her as a regal queen, often shown with a serpentine aura or surrounded by snakes, symbolizing her role as the progenitor of the Nagas. She represents the earthly, chthonic forces, in contrast to Vinata's celestial lineage. In Hindu cosmology, Kadru's offspring, the Nagas, inhabit the netherworld (Patala) and are guardians of treasures. Regional worship of Kadru is rare, but she is revered in serpent-worshipping traditions, especially in South India, where Nagas are venerated in rituals like Nag Panchami.

The Skanda Purana also references Kadru in the context of the origin of serpents. Her story underscores themes of jealousy, maternal ambition, and the cosmic balance between terrestrial and celestial beings.

Depicted as a queenly figure, mother of thousands of serpent children.