This Ananta Chaturdashi let us understand the unique position and divine characteristics of Lord Anantadeva through this blog article.
In the vast and timeless expanse of the spiritual and material worlds, one figure stands as a testament to the boundless service and unwavering devotion to the Supreme Lord. His presence spans across universes, His form embodies strength and humility, and His service knows no end.
That is Lord Ananta, the eternal servant of Lord Krishna, whose glories have been sung since time immemorial. As we approach Ananta Chaturdashi, let us delve into the divine mysteries and profound lessons that His pastimes and divine character offer to all sincere seekers of truth.
Lord Sri Krishna manifests through various incarnations and expansions, as described in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.3.26, 28). These expansions serve His divine pleasure in the spiritual realm and fulfil crucial roles within the material universes.
He reveals in the Bhagavad-gita (4.9):
janma karma ca me divyam
evaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti so ’rjuna
One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.
The Lord, His incarnations and pure devotees appear from His abode from time to time to remind us in this material world of our real nature as servants of the Lord. Hence, we celebrate the days connected to the appearance of the Lord and His devotees.
Table of Contents
Lord Ananta: His Significant Role in the Universe
Lord Ananta is an expansion of Lord Krishna’s first expansion, Lord Balarama. Lord Balarama assists Lord Krishna in His activities.
In the Bhagavad-gita (10.29), in the chapter known as “Vibhuti-yoga” or “The Opulence of the Absolute”, Lord Krishna mentions Lord Ananta as follows:
anantaś cāsmi nāgānāṁ
Of the many-hooded Nagas, I am Ananta.
Ananta means unlimited. He is called Ananta because He assists the Supreme Lord in His unlimited expansions by performing an unlimited variety of services. He is also called Sankarshana, Shesha, Ananta Shesha, Shesha Naga and so on. Lord Balarama expands Himself in five forms:
The following forms are responsible for the cosmic manifestations and their maintenance.
(1) Maha-sankarshana
(2) Karanodakashayi Vishnu
(3) Garbhodakashayi Vishnu
(4) Kshirodakashayi Vishnu
Shesha is the form responsible for personal service to the Lord.
Lord Ananta becomes angry at the time of destruction, and from between His eyebrows, a three-eyed form carrying a trident emerges to destroy the creation.
Let us explore
Lord Ananta’s Advent
Daksha Prajapati, Lord Brahma’s son, had sixty daughters. Seventeen of them were married to Kashyapa Prajapati. It is explained in the Adi-parva of the Mahabharata that Ananta appeared as the eldest son of Kashyapa and Kadru, the mother of the Nagas or serpents. She also gave birth to Vasuki, Iravati, Takshaka and others.
Kadru was envious of her sister and co-wife Vinata. She hatched a scheme to cheat Vinata into slavery.
Once, Kadru began an argument about the heavenly white horse, Ucchaisravas. Kadru falsely said that its tail was black, while Vinata said it was also white like the rest of its body. Kadru challenged Vinata, saying that whoever could prove their statement the next day would earn the right to be served by the other for life.
She secretly asked her sons to wrap themselves around the horse’s tail, so Vinata would lose. Ananta stood in opposition. Vasuki attempted diplomacy to sway Kadru, but she grew enraged and cursed her sons to perish in a sacrificial fire for their disobedience, so all her children except Ananta agreed.
Like this, Kadru and her other sons were always cruel to Vinata and her son Garuda, which Ananta did not approve.
Renunciation and Redemption
Feeling detached, Ananta left His family to perform severe austerities. He lived on air and visited places like Gandhamadhana, Badrikashrama, Gokarna, Pushkara, and the Himalayas. His penances were so severe that His flesh, skin, and muscles dried up and merged with His frame.
Lord Brahma was pleased with Him and asked why He performed such severe austerity. Ananta was too embarrassed to say that He was ashamed of Himself. Understanding His predicament, Lord Brahma smiled and assured Him He didn’t have to feel ashamed.
Lord Brahma added that He would not suffer the curse as He was kind and meant for great things. Brahma said He would hold up the universes on His hoods and always serve Lord Vishnu as His bedstead. Ananta was unable to believe what He had heard and felt inexplicable bliss. He, a serpent, would always be with Lord Vishnu, the Supreme Lord.
The Many-Hooded Carrier of the Cosmos
Srila Sukadeva Gosvami, the renowned sage and son of Srila Vedavyasa, reveals in the Srimad-Bhagavatam (5th Canto, Chapter 25) that Lord Ananta resides approximately 240,000 miles beneath Patala-loka, the lowest of the 14 planetary systems in this universe. The residents of Patala-loka all offer their respects to Him with great reverence.
Lord Ananta supports the entire material universe with His hoods like a tiny mustard seed.
The Divine Servitor of the Lord
Ananta has a spiritual form uninhibited by the space and time of this material world. Hence, He also expands to serve the Supreme Lord in Vaikuntha and His incarnations in this material world.
In the Chaitanya-charitamrita, Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, a great acharya in the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya sampradaya, writes:
sei ta’ ‘ananta’ ‘śeṣa’ — bhakta-avatāra
īśvarera sevā vinā nāhi jāne āra
That Ananta Shesha is the devotee incarnation of Godhead. He knows nothing but service to Lord Krishna. (Chaitanya-charitamrita, Adi-lila 5.120)
Srila Vrindavana Dasa Thakura, the author of Chaitanya-bhagavata, also writes along the same lines:
nivāsa-śayyāsana-pādukāṃśuko- padhāna-varṣātapa-vāraṇādibhiḥ śarīra-bhedais tava śeṣatāṃ gatair yathocitaṃ śeṣa itīrite janaiḥ
Ananta Shesha serves the Supreme Lord by assuming various forms like residence, umbrella, slippers, bedding, pillow, garments, resting chair, throne, etc. (Chaitanya-bhagavata, Adi-khanda 1.46)
Ananta Shesha Sthapana
The Agama shastras, which are scriptures giving guidance on Deity worship in a temple, recommend installing a Deity of Ananta Shesha in the ground while laying the foundation of a temple of the Lord. This ceremony is called Ananta Shesha Sthapana.
Ananta Shesha is installed beneath the bhu-sparsha stambha (pillar touching the earth), made under the garbha-griha or the temple’s sanctum sanctorum. The ceremony signifies that the temple will be maintained on Lord Ananta’s hood and will be the Supreme Lord’s resting place.
Lord Ananta’s Divine Form
Srimad Bhagavatam provides a description of Lord Ananta’s form. Lord Ananta is white in complexion and talks with a sweet voice. His long arms, adorned with bangles, gleam like silver columns. He wears bluish garments, a single earring, a golden belt around his waist, and a vaijayanti garland of ever-fresh tulasi around His neck. He has reddish eyes and pink transparent toenails that look like polished gems.
Lord Ananta instructs King Chitraketu
Once, Chitraketu, the king of Surasena (Braj region of today’s Uttar Pradesh), had ten million queens but no son. The sage Angira agreed to help him but warned him that the result would cause happiness and lamentation. Angira blessed his first wife, Kritadyuti, to bear a son. The other queens became jealous and secretly killed the child by poisoning him.
Realising the child’s horrific fate, Chitraketu and his queens began to lament, including the murderers who felt guilty. Angira and Narada appeared and expounded transcendental knowledge regarding the temporary nature of material bodies and relationships, the eternality of the spirit soul, and one’s eternal and loving relationship with Krishna. Narada also brought the child back to life to explain to his father.
By the mercy of Narada, Chitraketu could also see Lord Ananta face to face and learn from Him.
The Glories of Lord Ananta
It is said in the Srimad-Bhagavatam that by meditating on Lord Ananta, one can wash away all the contaminations in one’s heart of wanting to dominate material nature by the grace of the Lord.
Narada Muni always glorifies Lord Ananta in the assembly of his father, Brahma, with his Tumburu.
Lord Ananta has been glorifying the Supreme Lord Krishna with His unlimited hoods since time immemorial. Yet, He has not completed them, demonstrating that the Lord has unlimited transcendental qualities and the unlimited scope of His service.
Lord Ananta at ISKCON Bangalore Temples
True to His nature, the Deity of Lord Ananta accompanies Sri Prahlada Narasimha at ISKCON Hare Krishna Hill, Rajajinagar and Sri Lakshmi Narasimha at ISKCON Vaikuntha Hill, Vasanthapura to serve Their Lordships.
The Deities are adorned with exquisite alankaras featuring delicately arranged flowers and stone-studded jewels—a sight that never fails to inspire awe.
Lord Ananta and Sri Prahlada Narasimha receive a Panchamrita Abhisheka at ISKCON Hare Krishna Hill at 5:30 AM every Saturday.
The Deities at both temples also receive a special abhisheka during the festival of Sri Narasimha Jayanti and a special Chandan alankara during the celebration of Chandan Yatra.
On this Ananta Chaturdashi, let us meditate on Lord Ananta’s divine qualities and pray to Him to bless and help us progress in our devotional service to the Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna.
