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{{Infobox deity <!-- | {{Infobox deity <!--Bharatpedia:WikiProject Hindu mythology--> | ||
| type = Hindu | | type = Hindu | ||
| image = [[File:Shiva 01.JPG|230px]] | | image = [[File:Shiva 01.JPG|230px]] | ||
| caption = Vasuki depicted around the neck of Shiva in Karnataka. | | caption = Vasuki depicted around the neck of Shiva in Karnataka. | ||
| name = Vasuki | | name = Vasuki | ||
| affiliation = [[Nāga|Naga]] | | affiliation = [[Shaivism]], [[Nāga|Naga]] | ||
| abode = [[Kailasha]] | | abode = [[Kailasha]] | ||
| weapon = | | weapon = | ||
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{{use Indian English|date=February 2016}} | {{use Indian English|date=February 2016}} | ||
'''Vasuki''' ({{ | '''Vasuki''' ({{Langx|sa|वासुकि|translit=Vāsuki}}) is the [[Nagaraja|king of the nagas]] in [[Hindu religion|Hinduism]]. He is described as having a gem called ''[[Nagamani]]'' (serpent's ornament) on his head. [[Shesha]], another king of the [[Nāga|nagas]] and the bed on which [[Vishnu]] rests, is his elder brother,<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Jones |first1=Constance |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OgMmceadQ3gC&dq=vasuki+Adishesha&pg=PA300 |title=Encyclopedia of Hinduism |last2=Ryan |first2=James D. |date=2006 |publisher=Infobase Publishing |isbn=978-0-8160-7564-5 |language=en}}</ref> 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 (art)|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 language|Japanese]]: Hachidai Ryūō),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.chinabuddhismencyclopedia.com/en/index.php/Eight_great_dragon_kings|title=Eight great dragon kings - Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia}}</ref> amongst Nanda (Nāgarāja), Upananda, Sāgara (Shakara), [[Takshaka]], Balavan, Anavatapta, and Utpala. | 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 language|Japanese]]: Hachidai Ryūō),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.chinabuddhismencyclopedia.com/en/index.php/Eight_great_dragon_kings|title=Eight great dragon kings - Tibetan Buddhist Encyclopedia}}</ref> amongst Nanda (Nāgarāja), Upananda, Sāgara (Shakara), [[Takshaka]], Balavan, Anavatapta, and Utpala. | ||
==Legend== | ==Legend== | ||
Vasuki is one of the sons of the sage [[Kashyapa]] and [[Kadru]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dikshitar |first=V. R. Ramachandra |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z7bFwZhfSOsC&pg=PA218 |title=The Puraṇa Index: From A to Ṇ |date=1995 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass | Vasuki is one of the sons of the sage [[Kashyapa]] and [[Kadru]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Dikshitar |first=V. R. Ramachandra |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z7bFwZhfSOsC&pg=PA218 |title=The Puraṇa Index: From A to Ṇ |date=1995 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers |isbn=978-81-208-1273-4 |pages=218 |language=en}}</ref> | ||
He is accorded a significant role in the legend of [[Samudra manthan|Samudra Manthana]]. He is described to have allowed both the [[deva (Hinduism)|deva]]s and the [[asura]]s to bind him to [[Mount Mandara]], so that they could use him as their churning rope to extract the [[amrita]] from the [[Kshira Sagara|Ocean of Milk]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Jones|first=Constance|title=Encyclopedia of Hinduism|year=2007|publisher=Infobase Publishing|location=New York|isbn=978-0-8160-5458-9|page=300}}</ref> | He is accorded a significant role in the legend of [[Samudra manthan|Samudra Manthana]]. He is described to have allowed both the [[deva (Hinduism)|deva]]s and the [[asura]]s to bind him to [[Mount Mandara]], so that they could use him as their churning rope to extract the [[amrita]] from the [[Kshira Sagara|Ocean of Milk]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Jones|first=Constance|title=Encyclopedia of Hinduism|year=2007|publisher=Infobase Publishing|location=New York|isbn=978-0-8160-5458-9|page=300}}</ref>[[File:Kurma, the tortoise incarnation of Vishnu.jpg|thumb|''Vasuki being used to churn the ocean during Samudra Manthana'' |320x320px]]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 [[Uchchaihshravas|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 [[Sarpa Satra|snake sacrifice]], he sought refuge with the devas, participating in the churning of the ocean.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pPVJCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA115 |title=The Mahabharata, Volume 1: Book 1: The Book of the Beginning |date=2011-05-04 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |isbn=978-0-226-21754-3 |pages=115 |language=en}}</ref> | ||
Having retreated to the [[Patala|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 [[Manasa|Jaratkaru]] and a [[Jaratkaru|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 (sage)|Astika]], was able to successfully put an end to Janamejaya's persecution of the nagas.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HkUQYvw2HGkC&pg=PA38 |title=Vyasa's Mahabharatam |date=2008 |publisher=Academic Publishers |isbn=978-81-89781-68-2 |pages=38 |language=en}}</ref> | |||
Having retreated to the [[Patala|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 [[Manasa|Jaratkaru]] and a [[Jaratkaru|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 (sage)|Astika]], was able to successfully put an end to Janamejaya's persecution of the nagas.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HkUQYvw2HGkC&pg=PA38 |title=Vyasa's Mahabharatam |date=2008 |publisher=Academic Publishers |isbn=978-81-89781-68-2 |pages=38 |language=en}}</ref> | |||
== Buddhism == | == Buddhism == | ||
In the [[Buddhist religion]], Vasuki and the other Naga Kings appear in the audience for many of [[ | In the [[Buddhist religion]], Vasuki and the other Naga Kings appear in the audience for many of [[Buddha]]'s sermons. The duties of the naga Kings included leading the [[nāgas|nagas]] in protecting and worshipping the [[Buddha]], as well as protecting other enlightened beings. Vasuki's naga priest is Tatig Naga.{{citation needed|date=November 2022}} | ||
==Veneration== | ==Veneration== | ||
| Line 39: | Line 36: | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
{{Commonscat|Vāsuki}} | |||
*[[Snake worship]] | *[[Snake worship]] | ||
*[[Manasa]] | *[[Manasa]] | ||
| Line 49: | Line 46: | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{Reflist}} | {{Reflist}} | ||
{{HinduMythology}} | {{HinduMythology}} | ||
[[Category:Nāgas]] | |||
{{authority control}} | {{authority control}} | ||
Latest revision as of 18:55, 13 March 2026
| Vasuki | |
|---|---|
King of the Serpents[1] | |
 Vasuki depicted around the neck of Shiva in Karnataka. | |
| Venerated in | Shaivism |
| Affiliation | Shaivism, Naga |
| Abode | Kailasha |
| Symbols | Nagamani |
| Personal information | |
| Parents | Kadru (mother), Kashyapa (father) |
| Siblings | Manasa, Shesha |
| Consort | Shatashirsha[2] |
Vasuki (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.) 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.
Legend[edit | edit source]
Vasuki 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]
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]
Buddhism[edit | edit source]
In the Buddhist religion, Vasuki and the other Naga Kings appear in the audience for many of 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[edit | edit source]
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]
See also[edit | edit source]
Bibliography[edit | edit source]
- Handa, Om Chanda (2004), Naga Cults and Traditions in the Western Himalaya, Indus Publishing, ISBN 978-8173871610
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 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 Publishers. 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
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