Shesha Naag

The Serpent King of The Nagas

Nagaraja

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Shesha

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shesha 

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Shesha (Sanskrit: शेष, romanized: Śeṣa), also known by his epithets Sheshanaga (Sanskrit: शेषनाग, romanized: Śeṣanāga, lit. 'The snake Shesha') and Adishesha (Sanskrit: आदिशेष, romanized: Ādiśeṣa, lit. 'First Shesha'), is a serpentine demigod (naga) and Nagaraja (King of all serpents), as well as a primordial being of creation in Hinduism.

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In the Puranas, 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.

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The Narayana 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. 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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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 (Underworld) his perennial residence.

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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.mNarayana, Vāsudeva or in later Puranic Gaudiya Vashnaivism, Mahavishnu.

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In the Bhagavata Purana, Shesha is named Saṃkarṣaṇa, the tamasic energy of Narayana 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.

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Churning of The Ocean

Churning of the ocean is in Hindu mythology, a term used for the cosmic struggle between the Demons and gods over the Amrita, the water of life, often identified with Soma juice.

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Durvasas (ill-clothed), a Hindu sage and an incarnation of the god Shiva, offered Indra a garland as a gift, which Indra ignored. Because of this affront, Durvasas cursed Indra, saying that “his sovereignty over the three worlds should be subverted.” Under the curse Indra and the gods grew weak and were on their way to destruction. The Asuras, or Demons, seeing an opportunity, used all of their powers to finish off the gods and gain control of the three worlds.

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In desperation some of the gods fled to Brahma, asking him for protection. He advised them to seek the aid of Vishnu. “I will restore your strength,” Vishnu replied, “but you must do as I command you. Cast into the Milky Sea some magic herbs, then take Mount Mandara for a churning stick, the serpent Shesha for a rope, and churn the ocean to obtain the Amrita, the water of life. To do this you will need the help of the Asuras. Promise them some of the Amrita, but I will make sure they have no share of it.”

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The gods listened to Vishnu and entered into an alliance with the Asuras, the Demons, to set about the task of obtaining the Amrita. They cast the magic herbs and took Mount Mandara for a churning stick and Shesha the serpent for a rope. (In India a churning stick is a stick with a long rope twisted around it. The rope, held at both ends, keeps the stick in a vertical position, while the turning caused by pulling the rope accomplishes the churning.) The gods grabbed the serpent’s tail while the Asuras pulled its head. Vishnu took the form of Kurma, a tortoise, his second avatar or incarnation, and became a pivot as the mountain twirled around.

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Vishnu was also present but unseen among the gods and Demons pulling the serpent back and forth, as well as present on top of the mountain. Vishnu thus sustained the gods with his powerful energy. When the venom from the serpent Shesha burned the faces of the Asuras, Vishnu protected the gods from the same fate by sending up clouds with rain that drifted toward the serpent.

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First, the wish-bestowing cow, Surabhi, arose from the sea. Next came the goddess of wine, Varuni, with rolling eyes. Suddenly the magic tree Parijata appeared. It was “the delight of the nymphs of heaven, perfuming the world with its blossoms.” (Later the tree was kept in Indra’s heaven and was the pride of one of his wives, Sachi. When Krishna visited Indra he carried away the tree, causing a war between the two, which Indra lost. After Krishna’s death, however, the tree was returned to Indra.)

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After the appearance of the Parijata there came the Apsaras, water nymphs, then the moon, which Shiva took and placed on his brow. Next came a draft of deadly poison, which Shiva drank lest it should destroy the world. The bitter poison turned the god’s throat blue, earning for him the epithet Nilakantha (blue throat). Next came Dhanvantari, physician of the gods, holding in his hands a cup of the Amrita. Then the goddess Sri appeared seated on an open lotus. She came to the god Vishnu’s breast to rest. A fabulous jewel, Kaustubha, also appeared, which Vishnu placed on his breast.

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The Demons now took the opportunity to steal the cup from Dhanvantari and were ready to drink the water of life. Vishnu then appeared as a ravishing woman, Mohini (the enchantress), which made the Demons so lustful that they forgot to protect the cup of Amrita. While they disagreed among themselves, Vishnu took the cup and gave it to the gods.

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The Amrita, or Soma, as it is identified in some tellings of the myth, has been interpreted as the life-giving genital semen produced by the rubbing of the snake (phallus) at the base of the mountain.

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