“तस्य मूलदेशे त्रिंशद्योजनसहस्रान्तरेऽस्ते या वै कला भगवतः तामसी समाख्या अनन्त इति सात्वतीयाः।”
“At the very root‑place of that (Brahmanda), at a distance of thirty thousand yojanas, there exists an aṃśa (portion) of the Lord, known as the tāmasī (tamasic) aspect, called Ananta; so say the Śātvatas. - Bhāgavata Purāṇa 5.25.1
This watercolour presents Adi Shesha as the tamasi murti of Vishnu himself, as articulated in the Bhagavata Purana. Within Vaishnava iconography, Shesha is Sankarshana, one who draws in, the force that withdraws creation back into Narayana at dissolution or Pralaya.
The figure is organised along a singular vertical axis. The serpent's body extends across the ground in measured coils before rising into a fully expanded, multi-hooded canopy. From within this serpent structure emerges the anthropomorphic torso, bearing the chakra and lotus, unmistakable markers of Vishnu.
These attributes anchor the image within the Vaishnava tradition, affirming that this is not merely the serpent as support, but the Lord manifesting through the principle of depth and withdrawal. The chromatic balance is deliberate. The dark tonality of the serpent's body absorbs and stabilises the composition, while the red drapery introduces a measured articulation of presence. The landscape remains restrained: low hills, a distant expanse of water, and a muted sky, allowing the figure to hold the entire visual field without interruption.
In this rendering, tamo-guna is presented as the foundation of divine activity rather than its absence. The wide, unblinking eyes of Shesha introduce a crucial tension: an alertness sustained even within withdrawal, suggesting that dissolution is neither inert nor unconscious, but a state of contained awareness. Shesha does not move toward action; he establishes the ground in which action can arise, holding the weight of existence in a state of continuous, unbroken support for cycles of creation and dissolution.
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