Shesha

Shesha (Sanskrit: शेष, romanised: Śeṣa, lit. 'Remainder'), also known by his epithets Sheshanaga (Sanskrit: शेषनाग, romanised: Śeṣanāga, lit. 'The snake Shesha') and Adishesha (Sanskrit: आदिशेष, romanised: Ādiśeṣa, lit. 'First Shesha'), is a serpentine naga (serpent deity), and king of the serpents (Nagaraja), and a primordial being of creation in Hinduism. In the Puranas, Shesha is being described as holding the planets of the universe on his hoods while singing the praises of Vishnu from all his mouths. He is also known as Ananta (Sanskrit: अनन्त, lit. 'Without end') or Ananta Shesha (Sanskrit: अनन्त शेष, romanised: Ananta Śeṣa, lit. 'Endless Śeṣa/Remainder').

Vishnu, in his Narayana form, is traditionally depicted as resting on Shesha alongside his consort Lakshmi. Along with Garuda, Shesha is regarded as one of Vishnu's primary companions and mounts (vahana). Shesha is traditionally believed to have incarnated on Earth as Lakshmana, the younger brother of Vishnu's incarnation Rama during the Treta Yuga, and as Balarama, the elder brother of Vishnu's incarnation Krishna during the Dvapara Yuga. According to the Mahabharata (Adi Parva), his father was the sage Kashyapa and his mother was Kadru, although other traditions describe him as a primordial being created by Vishnu.

His name translates to "he who remains", derived from the Sanskrit root śiṣ, referring to how Shesha endures unchanged even when the universe is dissolved at the end of each kalpa (cosmic cycle).

Form

Shesha is generally depicted with a large coiled form floating through cosmic space or upon the Ocean of Milk, forming the bed upon which Vishnu rests. In iconography, he is depicted with multiple hoods—often five, seven or ten—though classical texts frequently describe him with one thousand crowned heads.