Vasuki (snake)

Vāsuki
King of Nāgas
Kurma Avatar of Vishnu, below Mount Mandara, with Vasuki wrapped around it, during Samudra manthan, the churning of the ocean of milk. ca 1870
Affiliation Nāga
Abode Earth
Symbols Nagamani
Personal information
Parents Kadru
Siblings Manasa

Vāsuki is a nāgarāja, one of the King serpents of Hindu and Buddhist mythology. He is described as having a gem called Nagamani on his head. Manasa, another naga, is his sister. Vāsuki is Shiva's snake. 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),[1] amongst Nanda (Nāgarāja), Upananda, Sāgara (Shakara), Takshaka, Balavan, Anavatapta and Utpala.

Nagamani of narmatha

Vāsuki is famous for coiling around Shiva's neck, who blessed and wore him as an ornament.

Vāsuki took part in the incident of Samudra manthana by allowing 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 amṛta from the ocean of milk.[2] Vasuki is also mentioned in other Hindu scriptures, such as Ramayana and Mahabharata.

In the Buddhist mythology, Vāsuki and the other Nāga Kings appear in the audience for many of Gautama Buddha's sermons. The duties of the Nāga Kings included leading the nāgas in protecting and worshiping the Buddha, as well as protecting other enlightened beings.

Vāsuki's Naga priest is Tatig Naga.Nagamani

Descendants

Vāsuka/Vāsuca (or Vāsuki) is the name of a Nair and pedireddla clan found near Mannarasala in Kerala and also Visakha district in Andhra Pradesh. They claim that their ancestors were Nāga serpents spared when the Khandava Forest (modern day Delhi) was burnt and cleared by Krishna and the Pandavas to make way for their capital Indraprastha.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.chinabuddhismencyclopedia.com/en/index.php/Eight_great_dragon_kings
  2. ↑ Jones, Constance (2007). Encyclopedia of Hinduism. New York: Infobase Publishing. p. 300. ISBN 0-8160-5458-4.
  3. ↑ Social History of Kerala: The Dravidians By L. A. Krishna Iyer p.003
  • Cobra Pearl or Nagamani
  • Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend ( ISBN 0-500-51088-1) by Anna L. Dallapiccola
  • Indian Mythology, by ApamNapat
  • Nagas
  • Stories from the Ramayana
  • Hachi Bushu - The Eight Legions, Buddhist Protectors
  • Dragon in China and Japan ( ISBN 0-7661-5839-X) by M.W. De Visser
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