Shesha

(“remnant”) Mythical thousand-headed serpent upon which the god
Vishnu reclines, as on a couch;
Shesha is also considered to support
the various regions of the earth, particularly the underworlds. His name
comes from the fact that he is considered a partial incarnation of Vishnu
and is thus related to Vishnu, both as
incarnation and through his status as
Vishnu’s couch. As with most of the
gods’ animal associates, Shesha does
not play a prominent role in his own
right. The one mythic episode in
which he does play an important part
is that of churning the Ocean of Milk
in which Shesha serves as the churning-rope to turn Mount Mandara,
with all the gods pulling from one
side, and the demons pulling from the
other. Yet here too he is only instrumental, necessary for the episode to
unfold but with the main focus lying
elsewhere. Shesha is seen as having a
protective role. In Hindu astrology
(jyotisha) he is identified as the protective deity for the fifth day of each
half of the lunar month. See also
Tortoise avatar.