Vasuki (Sanskrit: वासुकि, romanized: Vāsuki) is the king of the nagas in Hinduism. He is described as having a gem called Nagamani (serpent's ornament) on his head. Shesha, another king of the nagas and the bed on which Vishnu rests, is his elder brother,[3] and Manasa, another naga, is his sister. In Hindu iconography, he is generally depicted coiling around the neck of Shiva, who is believed to have blessed and worn him as an ornament.
He is known in Chinese and Japanese mythology as being one of the "eight Great Dragon Kings" (八大龍王 pinyin: Bādà lóngwáng; Japanese: Hachidai Ryūō),[4] amongst Nanda (Nāgarāja), Upananda, Sāgara (Shakara), Takshaka, Balavan, Anavatapta, and Utpala.
He is accorded a significant role in the legend of Samudra Manthana. He is described to have allowed both the devas and the asuras to bind him to Mount Mandara, so that they could use him as their churning rope to extract the amrita from the Ocean of Milk.[6]
Vasuki being used to churn the ocean during Samudra Manthana
In the Mahabharata, Vasuki is stated to have been cursed by Kadru. He refused to aid her in her scheme of hanging to the tail of the divine horse Ucchaishshravas with his other siblings to cause it to appear black, so that she could cheat in her wager against her sister Vinata. Condemned to burn with numerous brothers in King Janamejaya's snake sacrifice, he sought refuge with the devas, participating in the churning of the ocean.[7]
Having retreated to the netherworld, but wishing to save his brothers from the snake sacrifice, Vasuki sought the counsel of his siblings. One of them, Elapatra, stated that he had overheard Brahma informing the other deities that the son born to their sister named Jaratkaru and a sage who shared the same name would be their saviour. Vasuki made the arrangements to marry his sister to the sage. The son born to them, Astika, was able to successfully put an end to Janamejaya's persecution of the nagas.[8]
Buddhismedit
In the Buddhist religion, Vasuki and the other Naga Kings appear in the audience for many of Gautama Buddha's sermons. The duties of the naga Kings included leading the nagas in protecting and worshipping the Buddha, as well as protecting other enlightened beings. Vasuki's naga priest is Tatig Naga.[citation needed]
Venerationedit
The Vāsuka/Vāsuca temple is located near Haripad, Mannarasala Illom in Kerala and the Visakha district in Andhra Pradesh. According to the regional legend of the Kukke Subramanya temple in Karnataka, the deity Kartikeya is regarded to have offered protection to Vasuki from the attack of Garuda, the mount of Vishnu.[9]
^Social History of Kerala: The Dravidians By L. A. Krishna Iyer p.003
December 12, 2023
vasuki, sanskrit, romanized, vāsuki, king, nagas, hinduism, described, having, called, nagamani, serpent, ornament, head, shesha, another, king, nagas, which, vishnu, rests, elder, brother, manasa, another, naga, sister, hindu, iconography, generally, depicted. Vasuki Sanskrit व स क romanized Vasuki is the king of the nagas in Hinduism He is described as having a gem called Nagamani serpent s ornament on his head Shesha another king of the nagas and the bed on which Vishnu rests is his elder brother 3 and Manasa another naga is his sister In Hindu iconography he is generally depicted coiling around the neck of Shiva who is believed to have blessed and worn him as an ornament VasukiKing of the Serpents 1 Vasuki depicted around the neck of Shiva in Karnataka Venerated inShaivismAffiliationNagaAbodeKailashaSymbolsNagamaniPersonal informationParentsKadru mother Kashyapa father SiblingsManasa SheshaConsortShatashirsha 2 For other uses see Vasuki disambiguation He is known in Chinese and Japanese mythology as being one of the eight Great Dragon Kings 八大龍王 pinyin Bada longwang Japanese Hachidai Ryuō 4 amongst Nanda Nagaraja Upananda Sagara Shakara Takshaka Balavan Anavatapta and Utpala Contents 1 Legend 2 Buddhism 3 Veneration 4 See also 5 Bibliography 6 ReferencesLegend editVasuki is one of the sons of the sage Kashyapa and Kadru 5 He is accorded a significant role in the legend of Samudra Manthana He is described to have allowed both the devas and the asuras to bind him to Mount Mandara so that they could use him as their churning rope to extract the amrita from the Ocean of Milk 6 nbsp Vasuki being used to churn the ocean during Samudra ManthanaIn the Mahabharata Vasuki is stated to have been cursed by Kadru He refused to aid her in her scheme of hanging to the tail of the divine horse Ucchaishshravas with his other siblings to cause it to appear black so that she could cheat in her wager against her sister Vinata Condemned to burn with numerous brothers in King Janamejaya s snake sacrifice he sought refuge with the devas participating in the churning of the ocean 7 Having retreated to the netherworld but wishing to save his brothers from the snake sacrifice Vasuki sought the counsel of his siblings One of them Elapatra stated that he had overheard Brahma informing the other deities that the son born to their sister named Jaratkaru and a sage who shared the same name would be their saviour Vasuki made the arrangements to marry his sister to the sage The son born to them Astika was able to successfully put an end to Janamejaya s persecution of the nagas 8 Buddhism editIn the Buddhist religion Vasuki and the other Naga Kings appear in the audience for many of Gautama Buddha s sermons The duties of the naga Kings included leading the nagas in protecting and worshipping the Buddha as well as protecting other enlightened beings Vasuki s naga priest is Tatig Naga citation needed Veneration editThe Vasuka Vasuca temple is located near Haripad Mannarasala Illom in Kerala and the Visakha district in Andhra Pradesh According to the regional legend of the Kukke Subramanya temple in Karnataka the deity Kartikeya is regarded to have offered protection to Vasuki from the attack of Garuda the mount of Vishnu 9 See also edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vasuki Snake worship Manasa SheshaBibliography editHanda Om Chanda 2004 Naga Cults and Traditions in the Western Himalaya Indus Publishing ISBN 978 8173871610References edit Handa 2004 p 91 The Mahabharata Book 5 Udyoga Parva Bhagwat Yana Parva Section CXVII Jones Constance Ryan James D 2006 Encyclopedia of Hinduism Infobase Publishing ISBN 978 0 8160 7564 5 Eight great dragon kings Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia Dikshitar V R Ramachandra 1995 The Puraṇa Index From A to Ṇ Motilal Banarsidass Publishe p 218 ISBN 978 81 208 1273 4 Jones Constance 2007 Encyclopedia of Hinduism New York Infobase Publishing p 300 ISBN 978 0 8160 5458 9 The Mahabharata Volume 1 Book 1 The Book of the Beginning University of Chicago Press 4 May 2011 p 115 ISBN 978 0 226 21754 3 Vyasa s Mahabharatam Academic Publishers 2008 p 38 ISBN 978 81 89781 68 2 Social History of Kerala The Dravidians By L A Krishna Iyer p 003 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Vasuki amp oldid 1189038364, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
