#shesha

[thedivergentrealities]

Ouroboros Sisyphus

[barnsburntdownnow]

Vishnu with the King of Snakes, Shesha 17th century; Nepal Copper alloy

[imhaley]

Some fun pictures of Shesha in and around various parts of her enclosure.

(She is only allowed outside of her enclosure in the evenings when her heat lamp has cooled, under close supervision to ensure she's not going anywhere dangerous. I try to let her decide where she's going outside of her enclosure as much as possible.)

[h0bg0blin-meat]

this hasnt left my mind while travelling so uh

what if sheshnag avatars have fangs bc well fucking snake (so like lakshman, balaram, and nityananda) and they all have different vibes to them

for lakshman theyre more fierce and menacing looking, balaram's is more cheeky and playful looking, and nitai's is more puppy and sweet looking

(also side note lakhan and dau would totes find it weird how nitai is so sunshine and calm unlike both of them lol but theyd totes claim him like the kill everyone and then myself meme that floats on tumblr)

Theyre literally this meme

[yoga-onion]

Legends of the humanoids

Reptilian humanoids (9)

Naga 2 – Shesha, the king of the serpents [Part 1]

The Brahma Purana describes the reign of Shesha as the king of the serpents in Patala:

During the night the light of the moon is not utilised for its coolness but only for illumination.

Since that passes away is not taken notice of by the Nāgas who enjoy with gaiety the foodstuffs and the edibles they consume and the great beverages they drink. 

Nor are Danujas and others aware of it.

O brahmins, the forests, rivers, lakes, and lotus ponds, the cooing of the cuckoo and other sweet birds, the pleasing skies, the unguents and the continuous notes and sounds of musical instruments such as the lute, flute and Mṛdaṅga drums, O brahmins—all these and other beautiful things are enjoyed by virtue of their good luck by Dānavas, Daityas and Nāgas residing in Pātāla. The Tāmasī form of Viṣṇu, named Śeṣa (Shesga) beneath the lower regions.

Daityas and Dānavas are not capable of recounting his good qualities. He is honoured by Devas and celestial sages. He is spoken of as Ananta. He has a thousand hoods and he is clearly bedecked in Svastika ornaments devoid of impurities. He illuminates all quarters by thousand jewels on his hoods.

— Brahma Purana, Chapter 19

伝説のヒューマノイドたち

ヒト型爬虫類 (9)

ナーガ 2 〜 蛇の王、シェーシャ(難陀竜王) （その1）

『ブラフマ・プラーナ』には、冥界 (ﾊﾟｰﾀｰﾗ)における蛇の王としてのシェーシャの治世が描かれている：

夜の間、月の光は涼しさのためではなく、灯りとしてのみ活用される。

月明かりが過ぎ去ってしまわないので、ナーガたちは、彼らが食い潰すことを許された食材や食べ物、そして彼らが飲む格別な飲み物を歓喜して楽しむが、そのことに注意を払わない。また、ダヌージャたちもそれに気づかない。

バラモンたちよ、森、川、湖、蓮池、カッコウなどの鳥の鳴き声、心地よい空、香油、リュート、フルート、ムリダンガム太鼓の楽器の絶え間ない響きや音、これらすべての美しいものは、パーターラに住むダーナヴァ、ダイティヤ、ナーガたちの幸運によって享受されている。シェーシャという名のヴィシュヌの魔性形は、下界の下にいる。 

ダイティアとダーナヴァは、彼の善良な資質を語ることができない。彼はデーヴァと天界の賢者によって尊ばれている。彼はアナンタとして語られる。彼は千の頭巾を持ち、不純物のないスヴァスティカの装飾品ではっきりと飾られている。彼は頭巾の上の千の宝石によってすべての四方を照らす。

- ブラフマ・プラーナ第19章

[bhrm555]

Lord Balaji by Giampaolo Tomassetti

[uwmspeccoll]

Publishers’ Binding Thursday

This week for Publishers’ Binding Thursday I am sharing Indian Fairy Tales, selected and edited by New South Wales-born folklorist and writer Joseph Jacobs (1854-1916) with illustrations by English painter, illustrator, and printmaker John D. Batten (1860-1932). Jacobs is best known for popularizing well-known versions of classic children’s tales like “Jack and the Beanstalk” and “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” Batten illustrated a series of books by Jacobs, all focusing on folk and fairy tales. 

The binding features an illustration of who I think may be the Hindu goddess of snakes, Manasa, resting in a lotus flower on the 7-headed snake demigod Shesha printed in red on tan book cloth. According to good old Wikipedia, Manasa is often pictured under the hoods of 7 cobras, not necessarily the multi-headed Shesha. On the reverse is the god Ganesha also printed in red with a little mouse at his feet. I believe the cover illustration to have been done by Batten, as there is a B near the bottom left of the cover image and the image of Ganesha is featured on the Wikipedia page for Batten. Of course, please take this information with a grain of salt, as most of this was researched on Wikipedia and we all know things on the internet can be wrong.

This book is from our Historical Curriculum Collection, which features books for children. I’ve included illustrations and details from the book that I personally love, like the little historiated letter O with a mouse in it, the serpent in the shape of the letter N, the kitty cat, and of course, the old hag. 

View more Publishers’ Binding Thursday posts.

View more posts from our Historical Curriculum Collection.

-- Alice, Special Collections Department Manager

[grapeagata]

I like shesha okay it is a kitty cat to me it's so cute!!!!