Sesha Narayana

SESHA NARAYANA: This is a form of Vishnu which is called Adi-Murti. The Vishnu-dharmottara describes Vishnu as lying on a serpent bed. The serpent, Ananta is to have five or seven heads. If Vishnu reclines on the Sesha, he is called Sesha-Sayi and when he is seated on the serpent, he is called Adi-murti. The latter is the form of Vishnu prior to creation.

This print from the Ravi Varma Press derived from a painting by Raja Ravi Varma depicts Vishnu in the form of Adi-murti. He has four arms. The primary hands hold a lotus and mace (gadha) and the other hands hold the conch (shank) and discus (chakra). The consorts are Sri-devi (Lakshmi) and Bhu-devi (Earth).