In Hindu (Vedic) tradition, Shesha (Śeṣa in IAST transliteration, Devanagari: शेष) or Sheshanaag (Shesha the Naga) (Śeṣanaaga in IAST transliteration, Devanagari: शेषनाग) or Adishesha (AdiŚeṣa in IAST transliteration, Devanagari: आदिशेष) is the king of all nagas, one of the primal beings of creation, and according to the Bhagavata Purana, an Avatar of the Supreme God[1] known as Sankarshan. 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 which means endless Shesha or as Adishesha which means the first Shesha. It is said that when Adishesha uncoils, time moves forward and creation takes place. When he coils back, the universe ceases to exist. "Shesha" also means remainder: that which remains when all else ceases to exist.
A dasa (servant) and also a manifestation of Lord Vishnu, he is said to have manifested in two human forms or Avatars: Lakshmana, brother of Lord Rama, and Balarama, brother of Lord Krishna. Maharishi Patanjali the major compiler of yogic traditions is also considered to be an incarnation of the great Shesha.
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Shesha is generally depicted with a massive form that floats coiled in space, or on the universal ocean, to form the bed on which Vishnu lies. Sometimes he is shown as five-headed or seven-headed, but more commonly as a many thousand-headed serpent,[2] sometimes with each head wearing an ornate crown.
His name means "that which remains", from the Sanskrit root śiṣ, because when the world is destroyed at the end of the kalpa, Shesha remains as he is.
In the Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10, Krishna while describing 75 of his common manifestations, declares, "anantas cha 'smi naganam": Of the nagas, I am Ananta.
As per the Mahabharata, Sesha was born to sage Kashyapa and his wife Kadru. Kadru gave birth to a thousand snakes, of which Sesha was the eldest. After Sesha were born Vasuki, Airavata and Takshaka, in order. A lot of Sesha’s brothers were cruel in nature and were bent upon inflicting harm on others. They were even unkind to Garuda, who was Kashyapa’s son through Vinatha, sister of Kadru. (Kadru and Vinatha were daughters of Daksha). Sesha, 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 various places including Gandhamadhana, Badrikāshrama, Gokarna, Pushkara and Himalayas. His penances were so severe that his flesh, skin and muscles dried up and merged with his frame. Brahma, convinced of his Sesha's will, asked Sesha to request a boon. Sesha 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 Sesha – to go beneath the unstable earth and stabilize it. Sesha agreed and went to the netherworld, and stabilized her with his hood. He is known to support her even today, thus making Patala his perennial residence. (Mbh, Adi Parva)
Sesha with Vishnu and Mahalakshmi
Sesha is also depicted as floating in the ocean of the changing world, forming the bed of Vishnu. He is also known as Adisesha (the foremost of snakes) and Anantasesha or just Ananta (endless, as he is known to remain in existence even after the end of the Kalpa, when the whole world is destroyed)
Balarama, Lakshmana, Ramanuja and Nityananda Prabhu, are considered avatars of Shesha (or vice versa). Patañjali is also considered an emanation or incarnation of Shesha and is iconographically depicted in naga form with naga canopy.
In a story from the Puranas, Shesha loosens Mount Mandara, to enable it to be used in the churning of the ocean by the devas and asuras.[3]
According to the Mahabharata (Adi Parva), his father was Kashyapa and his mother Kadru.[4]
The city of Thiruvananthapuram is named after him as the "City of Lord Ananta."
"Encyclopaedic dictionary of Purāṇas" quotes,[5]
| “ | This is the region of Nagas (many-hooded Serpents). At the out-place of this region there is a particular place having an area of 30,000 yojanaas. Vishnu Kala who has the attribute of 'Tamasa' lives there under the name "Ananta." The real Ananta or Aadishesha as the radiant embodiment of this Kala. History says that the Nagas were the early indigenous inhabitants of Kerala. The ancient word "Ananta" denotes "Thiruvananthapuram". The temple of Anantapadmanaabha at Thiruvananthapuram answers to this description. On the whole the description of Pathaala fits well with that of Kerala. So it is not wrong to infer that the description of Pathaala in Puranas is entirely about Kerala in all its aspects.[6][7] | ” |
The Nair clan in southern part of Kerala is considered to be the descendants of The Great Serpent Ananta.
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