The serpent who held the earth
Shesha, son of Kashyapa and Kadru, leaves his brothers to do penance, and Brahma asks him to support the earth on his head.
SerpentIconography
Shesha: Origin
शेषShesha, also called Adishesha and Ananta, is the thousand-hooded king of serpents on whose coils Vishnu rests in the ocean of milk. He holds the earth on his hoods, stands for time that remains after dissolution, and is born on earth as Lakshmana and Balarama.
Borne byविVishnu
Where did it come from?
The texts tell different stories.
The couch of Vishnu
Between the ages Vishnu sleeps on Shesha in the ocean of milk, and the lotus of creation grows from his navel.
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