Surasa

In Hindu mythology, Surasa is the mother
of all the Nagas, a class of minor
divinities conceived in the form of serpents. In the Ramayana, the earlier of
the two great Indian epics, Surasa takes
the form of a gigantic serpent to test the
fortitude of the monkey-god Hanuman,
who jumps over the sea to Lanka to
search for Sita, the god Rama’s kidnapped wife. Surasa tells Hanuman that
no one can go by without passing
through her mouth, and in response
Hanuman makes himself larger and
larger. Surasa in turn opens her jaws
wider and wider, and finally Hanuman
becomes very small and darts in and out
of her mouth. Surasa, pleased with
Hanuman’s ingenuity and courage, gives
him her blessing.