The Creation of the Universe: Vishnu and Lakshmi on Sesha, the Cosmic Serpent (Primary Title)
Unknown (Artist)
To his devotees, Krishna is not merely one of Vishnu’s earthly avatars, but he is the entirety of Vishnu. This splendid painting of one of the most essential myths of Vishnu fittingly shows the great god and his consort Lakshmi as Krishna and Radha. Hinduism contends that the universe passes through infinite cycles of creation and destruction, between which the cosmos is inundated by the primordial waters. At the bottom of this watery abyss lies Vishnu, asleep on the coils of the cosmic serpent, Sesha. When the time for universal regeneration arrives, Vishnu wakes. From his navel will grow a lotus, throne of the god Brahma, who will create the four quarters of space. Shown here is the moment when Lakshmi/Radha, stirs Vishnu/Krishna from his slumber by tenderly massaging his feet. Sesha’s thousand heads, appearing like a school of teeming fish, suggest creation’s limitless possibilities.
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