Adishesha – The Divine Serpent

Lord Vishnu is one of the most important Hindu Gods to many devotees across the world. He is a part of the Trimurti of Hindu Gods along with Shiva and Brahma. While Brahma is known as the Creator and Shiva as the Destroyer; Vishnu is the Preserver of our Universe.

Throughout the ages Lord Vishnu has manifested in different Avatars either on earth or in heaven. His purpose has always been the restoration of Dharma or ‘the path of Righteousness’ and the destruction of evil. There are many legends associated with him that cement his status as the Swayam Bhagwan.

The most common form of Vishnu is him lying on a huge five-headed snake with Lakshmi sitting near his feet. Now most people consider Garuda to be the Vahana of Vishnu and that is accurate to some extent. But there is some underlying importance regarding Sheshnag the snake.

Why Does Vishnu Lie On A Five-Headed Snake

1. Sesha Naga is the king of all Nagas (snakes) and was one of the primary beings present during the Creation of the Universe.

2. He is an expression of Lord Vishnu himself which forms a coiled seat for Vishnu to rest on.

3. According to the Puranas, Shesh holds all the planets of the Universe under his hood and keeps singing the praise of Lord Vishnu with all his mouths.

4. This same snake had provided shelter to Vasudeva as he carried baby Krishna to Gokul through the waters of Yamuna during a terrific storm.

5. He is also known as Ananta-Shesha or Adishesha and signifies the moving forward of time. Ananta-Shesha is infinite and will exist even after the destruction of the Universe.

6. Shesha had manifested as Balarama, the bother of Krishna and Lakshman, the brother of Rama; both important characters in Hindu mythology.

7. Owing to the legends of Sheshnag, snakes are revered by most Hindus nowadays. Even Lord Shiva has a snake around his neck and Manasa Devi is worshipped a lot.

8. Shesha Nag’s brother Vasuki was used as the rope that churned the ocean of milk during Samudra Manthan; an important incident in Hinduism.