Shesha

Shesha, also known as Ananta or Ādiśeṣa, is the king of the nāgas (serpents) and a foremost devotee of Lord Vishnu. In Vedic literature, the serpent is first hinted at in the Rigveda (1.32) as the cosmic serpent Vritra, but the full concept of Shesha emerges in the Puranas. The Bhagavata Purana (10.1.16) describes Shesha as the couch and bed of Vishnu, floating on the causal ocean (Kāraṇa Samudra). He supports the entire cosmos on his thousand hoods, each hood bearing a planet or realm. The Mahabharata (Adi Parva) recounts that Shesha, weary of bearing the earth, was granted the boon of serving as Vishnu's resting place. Iconographically, Shesha is depicted as a giant serpent with a thousand hoods, often coiled in the form of a bed upon which Vishnu reclines in yoga nidra (cosmic sleep).

In human form, he appears as a sage with a serpent hood, holding a plough and a pestle, as the elder brother of Balarama in Vaishnava tradition. Symbolically, Shesha represents eternity (ananta), infinity, and the foundational support of the universe. His name means 'that which remains' after the cosmic dissolution, signifying the residual essence that persists through cycles of creation and destruction. In Hindu cosmology, Shesha is the bed of Vishnu during the intervals between kalpas, and also serves as the rope used by the devas and asuras to churn the ocean of milk (Samudra Manthana), as narrated in the Bhagavata Purana (8.6). Regional worship traditions include Naga Panchami, a festival dedicated to serpent deities, where Shesha is venerated along with other nāgas. Temples in South India, such as the Adi Shesha temple in Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu, honor him.

Shesha's role in the cosmic order is that of the eternal foundation, embodying the principle of dharma and unwavering service to the divine. His thousand hoods symbolize omniscience and the infinite expanse of time and space. The mantra 'Om Śeṣāya namaḥ' is chanted for stability and protection. Shesha is also considered the patron of serpents and a guardian of treasures hidden in the underworld (Patala). In the Vaishnava tradition, he is an eternal associate of Vishnu, appearing in every avatar, such as Lakshmana in the Ramayana and Balarama in the Krishna avatar, as per the Bhagavata Purana (10.2.8). Thus, Shesha is a multifaceted deity representing the cosmic serpent that upholds the universe and serves as the divine couch of the Supreme Lord.

Giant serpent with a thousand hoods, floating on the cosmic ocean. Vishnu rests upon him. Sometimes depicted with human form holding a serpent.