Shesha
Shesha | |
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King of the Serpents[1] | |
Other names | Sheshanaga, Ananta, Adishesha, Sankarshana |
Affiliation | Vaishnavism |
Abode | Vaikuntha, Kshira Sagara, Patala |
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
-
Narasimha, the man-lion incarnation of Vishnu seated on the coils of Shesha, with seven heads of Shesha forming a canopy. Statue at Vijayanagara.
-
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.[15]
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".[16]
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.
- ISBN 978-0-8160-7564-5.
- ^ Chenni Padmanabhan. Concept of Sri Andal's Tiruppavai. R.P. Publications, 1995 - Krishna (Hindu deity) in literature - 296 pages. p. 87.
- ^ Mbh, Adi Parva
- ISBN 978-81-87812-98-2.
- ^ Śrīgargasaṃhitā: Kīrtibhāṣāsārasahitā (in Sanskrit). Vyāsa Bālābakṣa Śodhasaṃsthāna. 2000.
- ^ www.wisdomlib.org (24 June 2012). "Urmila, Urmilā, Ūrmilā: 9 definitions". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
- ISBN 978-93-92834-21-9.
- ^ Revati. "Daughter of King Raivata and wife of Balarama."
- ISBN 978-81-8475-277-9.
- ^ "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