Shesha is the cosmic serpent of Hindu myth — the great thousand-headed king of the Nagas (serpents) named “the endless” (Ananta), upon whose vast coils the god Vishnu reclines in cosmic sleep between the ages, and who supports the entire universe upon his hoods. The endless serpent, Shesha is the cosmic snake of infinity who upholds the universe and bears the reclining Vishnu.
The Endless Serpent
Shesha (Sanskrit Śeṣa, “the remainder” — that which remains when all else is dissolved; also called Ananta, “the endless, the infinite”) is the great cosmic serpent and the king of the Nagas (the divine serpents). He is a colossal, primordial serpent of immense, infinite length, with a thousand (or countless) hoods/heads, dwelling in the cosmic ocean and the depths. His name and nature express infinity and endurance: he is “the endless” (Ananta), the infinite serpent, and “the remainder” (Shesha), that which remains when the universe is dissolved at the end of an age, persisting through the dissolution into the next cycle of creation. He is one of the great primordial beings of the cosmos.
The Couch of Vishnu
Shesha's most famous and iconic role is as the cosmic couch of Vishnu. Between the ages of the universe — in the period of cosmic dissolution and rest before the next creation — the great god Vishnu reclines in yogic cosmic sleep upon the vast, coiled body of Shesha, who floats upon the cosmic ocean of milk, his many hoods spread above Vishnu like a great canopy. This image — Vishnu reclining serenely upon the endless serpent Shesha on the cosmic ocean, with the lotus growing from his navel from which Brahma is born — is one of the most beloved and profound images of Hindu cosmology, the preserver-god at rest upon the infinite serpent between the cycles of creation. Shesha is thus the resting-place and support of the supreme god in the cosmic interval.
The Supporter of the Universe
Shesha is the great supporter and upholder of the universe. He bears the entire universe (and the earth) upon his hoods, supporting all the worlds upon his vast coiled body and his many heads — the infinite serpent who holds up creation. It is said that when Shesha shifts or shakes his hoods, the earth quakes; and at the end of an age, the fire of dissolution issues from his mouths to destroy the universe. He is the foundation and support of the cosmos, the endless serpent upon whom all the worlds rest. He is also said to have incarnated on earth in the forms of Lakshmana (the devoted brother of Rama) and Balarama (the brother of Krishna), descending with Vishnu's avatars as their companion.
The Infinite Serpent of the Cosmos
Shesha endures as the cosmic serpent of Hindu myth — the great thousand-headed “endless” serpent, king of the Nagas, the couch of the reclining Vishnu, the supporter of the universe upon his hoods. He embodies infinity, endurance, the support and foundation of the cosmos, and the cosmic rest of the preserver-god; and he stands as the endless serpent — the infinite cosmic snake who bears the universe upon his hoods, who is the couch of Vishnu in cosmic sleep, and who remains, the “remainder,” through the dissolution and renewal of all the ages.
The thousand-headed "endless" cosmic serpent who bears the universe upon his hoods and is the couch of the reclining Vishnu — the infinite snake who remains through the dissolution and renewal of every age.