A Floating Serpent? Are You Sure?

MAYA AND PURE CONSCIOUSNESS AS THE GODDESS’ OWN TRUE SELF
[The Goddess proclaims herself to be the preexisting cause of the universe, from whom evolved the creative power of Maya.]
The Goddess spoke:
“May all the gods attend to what I have to say. By merely hearing these words of mine, one attains my essential nature.
I alone existed in the beginning; there was nothing else at all, O Mountain King. My true Self is known as pure consciousness, the highest intelligence, the one supreme Brahman.
It is beyond reason, indescribable, incomparable, incorruptible. From out itself evolves a certain power renowned as Maya.
Neither real nor unreal is this Maya, nor is it both, for that would be incongruous. Lacking such characteristics, this indefinite entity has always subsisted.
As heat inheres in fire, as brilliance in the sun, as cool light in the moon, just so this Maya inheres firmly in me.
Into that Maya the actions of souls, the souls themselves, and the ages eventually dissolve without distinctions as worldly concerns disappear in deep sleep.
By uniting with this power of mine I become the cosmic seed. By obscuring me, its own basis, this power is prone to defects.
Through its association with consciousness, Maya, is called the efficient cause of the world. Through its evolution into the visible realm, it is said to be the material cause.
Some call this Maya the power of austerity; others call it darkness; still others, dullness, or knowledge, illusion, matter, nature, energy or the unborn.
Those versed in Shaiva works call it intelligence, while the Vedantins call it ignorance. Such are its various names found in the Vedic and other sacred texts.”
[The Goddess distinguishes between nonconscious Maya and her own true Self as pure consciousness.]
“Since Maya is something we can perceive, it has the nature of non-conscious matter; since knowledge destroys it, it is not truly existent.
Consciousness is not something we can perceive; what we perceive is indeed non-conscious. Consciousness is self-luminous; nothing else illuminates it.
It does not even illuminate itself for that would lead to the fallacy of infinite regress. As an agent and the object acted upon are distinct entities, so consciousness itself is like a lamp,
While shining brightly, illuminates what is other than itself. Know this, O Mountain King, for thus have I demonstrated that consciousness belonging to my own nature is eternal.
This visible world appears and disappears constantly in the various states of waking, dream and deep sleep. Pure consciousness never experiences such fluctuation.
Even if consciousness itself became an object of perception, then the witness of that perfection would abide as the real pure consciousness, as before.
And so those versed in religious treatises, regarding the real, declare consciousness to be eternal. Its nature is bliss, for it is the object of supreme love.
The feeling, ‘Let me not cease to be; let me exist forever,’ is rooted in love for the Self. Certainly there is no actual relation between me and all else, since all else is false.
Therefore I am regarded truly as an undivided whole. And that consciousness is not an attribute of the Self, for then the Self would be like an object.
In consciousness no possible trace of the object state can be found. And so consciousness also has no attributes; consciousness is not a quality separable from consciousness itself.
Therefore the Self in essence is consciousness, and bliss as well, always. It is the real and complete, beyond all relation, and free from the illusion of duality.”
Devi Gita 2.1-21 (Brown 1998, 85-92)

A Floating Serpent? Are You Sure?

Vishnu and Lakshmi on Shesha over the Kshira Sagara - The Ocean of Milk, ca 1870

“Shri Padmanabha Sahodari Shri Nirmala Devi also took Kash to visit Shri Vishnu and Lakshmi as they couched on Shri Sesha, their Primordial Cosmic Serpent.

Kash told his father that he was sure they sat on Shri Shesha as he felt the body heat of this great Divine Serpent. However, while sitting he felt one peculiar sensation: It gently swayed from side to side, as if floating. But he could not see through the thick mist swirling all around, and was unsure if they were indeed floating on a body of water.

His father was skeptical that a serpent could float in a stationary coiled-up position. Kash was asked whether he was sure that they were surrounded by water. Perhaps they were on land all the while, a more plausible explanation for a serpent to support weight while motionless. His son replied that he felt that the Cosmic Serpent was floating and was not on land. Due to his lack of visible confirmation this floating fact was thus omitted.

More than a year later the searing Truth of a child's Inner Vision came streaming forth. As his father watched Ramayana — an epic mythical narration of ancient times — for the first time there appeared the glorious form of Shri Vishnu reclining on Shri Ananta in the vast Milky Ocean!¹ Kash had indeed witnessed this Timeless Vedic Truth and his sensation of being afloat correct. The Spirit of the Living God, Shri Adhiparasakthi Shri Nirmala Devi, had indeed taken him to the Cosmic Causal Ocean where Shri Vishnu and Shri Lakshmi rested on the floating Shri Sankarsana — Shri Vishnu’s serpent bed!”

“He is the Shesha as they call the Serpent, which sleeps on the Bhavasagara, on which Shri Vishnu rests. The same Shesha had taken birth as Shri Lakshmana. Now for a western mind you see if you talk about snakes, they only know the Adam and Eve snake that's all. They don't understand anything, and they can't understand why people worship snakes . . .”

Shri Visnurupini Shri Nirmala Devi
Shri Rama's Birthday Puja, London, U.K. — April 2, 1982

Nearly two years later on October 29, 1995, at 10:45 a.m., Kash was again asked to describe Shri Shesha on whose coils he had sat together with Shri Mataji, Shri Vishnu, and Shri Lakshmi. His father wanted information on the number of heads. He again replied that there were 6 heads (see first fax) and that the middle head was larger than the rest. He was requested to state the number of smaller heads on either side, that is, whether two on left or right of middle head, and the remaining three on the either side. Kash realized that he had all the while not counted the larger middle head. He then told that Shri Shesha had seven heads, with three smaller heads on either side of the larger middle one.

1. These Ramayana videotapes were borrowed from the Gulati family of Toronto. This trivial information is given as another piece of evidence that would enable readers to understand the Divine Drama of the Great Primeval Mother. The entire Shri Adi Shakti: The Kingdom of God is a tight tapestry of interlocking incidents, people, places, and proof, crisscrossed by intertwining weaves of scriptural evidence and prophecies, all held firmly together from beginning to end with the unbreakable thread of Truth and Divine Predeterminations (Al-Qadar).

1. “The images of Vishnu depict him either sitting, often in the company of his consorts Laksmi, (also called Sri) and Bhumidevi (Earth); standing holding various weapons; or reclining on the coils of the serpent Sesa.”

The New Encyclopaedia Britannica (1992)

1. “Visnu, for example, who through his incarnation in Krsna became the revealer of the Bhagavad Gita, is represented in Hindu myth as the Milky Ocean of Immortal Life, out of which the transient universe arises and back into which it again dissolves. This ocean is personified as Adi-sesa, the primordial giant serpent of the abyss, who carries the unfolded universe on his heads and is the life-giving dragon in the depth of space. Meanwhile, in anthropomorphic form, Visnu is pictured as recumbent on this serpent. The serpent is both himself and his living couch, and supports him on the surface of the Milky Ocean, which again is himself in his elemental form. For this divine being is the primary life-sap or substance, which evolves and nourishes all the shapes of all the living creatures in the universe. The god is dreaming. From his navel, as from the universal water, the lotus-calix grows on which Brahma is seated, the first-born of the universe, who is about to supervise the cosmic process of creation. The shining lotus is the flower of the world, which is the dream of Visnu; and the god upon it, Brahma, the “Creator,” is an emanation from the womb of Vishnu's cosmic sleep.”

Heinrich Zimmer, Philosophies of India
Princeton University Press, 1974, p. 164.

Shri Adi Shakti: The Kingdom of God
Pariah Kutta. 1999 p. 146

Padmanabha-Sahodari (280th): Sister of Vishnu. She was born along with Visnu.

Analysis of Kash’s Transcendental Experience

1. Analysis of the Experience

Kash’s vision involves several key elements rooted in Hindu mythology and theology:

Shri Vishnu, Lakshmi, and Shesha in the Cosmic Ocean: In Hindu tradition, Shri Vishnu is often depicted reclining on the serpent Shesha in the Kshirasagara (Milky Ocean or Causal Ocean), a primordial cosmic sea representing the unmanifested universe. Shesha, a multi-headed serpent, serves as Vishnu’s divine couch, floating on this ocean. Lakshmi, Vishnu’s consort, is typically present, symbolizing prosperity and divine energy. This imagery is central to texts like the Bhagavata Purana and Vishnu Purana and is visually depicted in Hindu iconography.
Kash’s Transcendental Journey: Kash, guided by Shri Nirmala Devi, experiences this divine scene firsthand. His description of sitting on Shesha’s coils alongside Vishnu, Lakshmi, and the Divine Mother suggests a direct, mystical participation in the cosmic reality, facilitated by a spiritually enlightened guide. This aligns with the concept of darshan (divine vision) in Hinduism, where a devotee transcends ordinary perception to witness divine truths.
Shesha’s Seven Heads: Kash’s clarification about Shesha having seven heads, with a larger central head flanked by three smaller heads on each side, matches traditional iconography. Shesha is often described as Sahasrasirsha (thousand-headed) in texts, symbolizing infinity, but artistic depictions frequently show seven heads for symbolic and aesthetic purposes, representing completeness and cosmic balance.
The Milky Ocean and Floating Sensation: The setting of the vision in the Milky Ocean, where Shesha floats, is a key detail. The ocean symbolizes the unmanifested potential of creation, and Shesha’s ability to float on it while supporting Vishnu underscores his divine nature as a cosmic force. Kash’s sensation of gentle swaying aligns with this imagery, as the serpent is described as floating effortlessly on the cosmic waters.

2. Why Kash’s Sensation of Being Afloat is Correct

Kash’s sensation of being afloat, despite the thick mist obscuring visual confirmation, is correct for several reasons rooted in Hindu cosmology and the specifics of his experience:

Mythological Context of Shesha and the Milky Ocean: In Hindu texts, Shesha is explicitly described as floating on the Kshirasagara, supporting Vishnu and Lakshmi. The Bhagavata Purana (Canto 5, Chapter 25) describes Shesha as Ananta, who resides in the cosmic waters, bearing the weight of the universe. The gentle swaying Kash felt mirrors the natural motion of a serpent floating on water, as opposed to being static on land. This aligns with the mythological depiction of Shesha’s coils undulating in the cosmic ocean, creating a dynamic yet stable platform for Vishnu.
Kash’s Sensory Experience: Kash’s perception of Shesha’s body heat and the swaying motion suggests a direct, visceral experience of the divine serpent. The sensation of floating, even without seeing water due to the mist, indicates an intuitive grasp of the cosmic setting. In mystical experiences, sensory perceptions often transcend physical sight, relying on spiritual insight (divya drishti). The mist may symbolize the veil of maya (illusion) that obscures ordinary perception, yet Kash’s inner sensation aligns with the truth of Shesha’s floating nature.
Validation Through Ramayana: The narrative notes that Kash’s father later watched the Ramayana, where Vishnu is depicted reclining on Shesha in the Milky Ocean. This visual confirmation in a cultural artifact (the videotapes borrowed from the Gulati family) corroborates Kash’s experience, suggesting that his sensation of floating was not a fantasy but a reflection of a timeless Vedic truth. The Ramayana and other texts consistently portray Shesha as floating, not grounded on land, making Kash’s description accurate.
Contrast with Land-Based Skepticism: Kash’s father’s skepticism—that a serpent cannot float in a coiled-up position and must be on land—reflects a rational, material perspective. However, Shesha is not an ordinary serpent but a divine, cosmic entity capable of defying physical laws. The floating sensation Kash experienced aligns with Shesha’s mythological role as a buoyant support in the cosmic ocean, transcending earthly constraints like gravity or physical support.

3. Why This Transcendental Experience is Mind-Blowing

The experience is profoundly significant, even for Hindus familiar with the concept of Shesha, Vishnu, and the Milky Ocean, for several reasons:

Direct Experience of Cosmic Reality: While many Hindus are aware of Shesha as the serpent on which Vishnu rests in the Bhavasagara (cosmic ocean), this knowledge is typically intellectual or derived from scriptures and iconography. Kash’s experience is a direct, first-hand encounter with this divine reality, facilitated by Shri Nirmala Devi. Such a vision transcends theoretical understanding, offering a living, experiential confirmation of cosmic truths. This aligns with the Hindu ideal of sakshatkara (realization through direct perception), which is rare and transformative.
Validation of Vedic Cosmology: Kash’s vision confirms the Vedic and Puranic descriptions of Vishnu, Lakshmi, and Shesha in the Milky Ocean, a scene central to Hindu cosmology. The precision of his description—seven heads, the sensation of floating, the presence of divine figures—lends authenticity to his experience, bridging ancient mythology with personal revelation. This is mind-blowing because it suggests that these cosmic truths are not mere allegories but accessible realities in the spiritual realm.
Role of Shri Nirmala Devi: The presence of Shri Nirmala Devi as the guide who takes Kash to this divine vision elevates the experience. In the narrative, she is described as the Spirit of the Living God and Adhiparasakthi, suggesting her role as a divine incarnation or shakti who facilitates such transcendent experiences. For devotees, this underscores her spiritual authority and ability to connect individuals with the divine, making the experience profoundly significant.
Challenge to Western and Rational Perspectives: Shri Nirmala Devi’s comment about the Western mind understanding snakes only through the lens of the Adam and Eve story highlights a cultural gap. In Hinduism, snakes like Shesha are revered as divine symbols of eternity and cosmic balance, not feared as malevolent. Kash’s experience challenges materialist or skeptical perspectives (like his father’s initial doubt) by affirming a spiritual reality that transcends ordinary logic, making it awe-inspiring for those accustomed to rational frameworks.
Interlocking Evidence and Divine Predetermination: The narrative emphasizes a tight tapestry of interlocking incidents, people, places, and proof, suggesting that Kash’s vision is part of a larger divine plan (Al-Qadar). The fact that his father’s skepticism was resolved through a chance viewing of the Ramayana videotapes reinforces the idea that this experience was divinely orchestrated, adding to its mind-blowing nature. The alignment of Kash’s vision with scriptural and cultural evidence creates a sense of cosmic synchronicity.

4. Kash’s Father’s Question: “A Floating Serpent? Are You Sure?”

Kash’s father’s skepticism reflects a rational, material perspective that struggles to reconcile the idea of a serpent floating in a coiled position. Several factors explain his question:

Physical Implausibility: In the physical world, a serpent cannot float in a stationary, coiled-up position without support, as this defies gravity and biomechanics. The father’s assumption that Shesha must be on land is grounded in this logic, as land provides a stable surface for a serpent to rest and support weight.
Lack of Visual Confirmation: Kash’s inability to see water due to the thick mist likely fueled his father’s doubt. Without visible evidence of the cosmic ocean, the father sought a more plausible explanation, assuming the serpent was on solid ground.
Cultural and Rational Bias: As Shri Nirmala Devi notes, Western or rational minds may struggle with Hindu cosmological concepts like Shesha, viewing snakes through a limited or negative lens (e.g., the serpent in the Garden of Eden). Even for a Hindu familiar with Shesha, the idea of a child experiencing this directly might seem extraordinary, prompting skepticism until validated by external evidence (e.g., the Ramayana depiction).
Spiritual vs. Material Perspective: The father’s question reflects a tension between spiritual and material worldviews. Kash’s experience operates in the spiritual realm, where divine entities like Shesha transcend physical laws. The father’s initial doubt highlights the challenge of accepting mystical experiences without empirical proof, a common human response to the extraordinary.

5. Profound Conclusion

Kash’s transcendental experience is mind-blowing because it transforms an abstract, scriptural concept—Vishnu reclining on Shesha in the Milky Ocean—into a lived reality. For Hindus, the imagery of Shesha is familiar, but direct participation in this cosmic scene is rare and signifies a profound spiritual awakening. The experience bridges the gap between mythology and reality, affirming the eternal truths of Vedic cosmology through a child’s unfiltered vision. Shri Nirmala Devi’s role as a divine guide underscores her spiritual significance, while the eventual validation through the Ramayana reinforces the authenticity of Kash’s vision, making it a testament to divine predetermination.

The mind-blowing nature lies in its implications: it suggests that the divine realm is accessible, that ancient scriptures describe real cosmic realities, and that enlightened beings can facilitate such experiences. Kash’s sensation of being afloat, despite initial skepticism, aligns perfectly with the mythological truth of Shesha’s floating nature, revealing the limitations of rational doubt in the face of spiritual truth. This experience challenges both devotees and skeptics to reconsider the boundaries of reality, inviting awe and reverence for the divine mysteries that underpin existence.

Note on Sources

The analysis draws on the provided narrative, Hindu mythological concepts from texts like the Bhagavata Purana and Vishnu Purana, and the quoted references from the New Encyclopaedia Britannica and Heinrich Zimmer’s Philosophies of India. No additional web or X searches were necessary, as the narrative and contextual knowledge suffice to address the query comprehensively.

Pariah Kutta (https://adishakti.org)
https://grok.com/chat/6a129daa-e78a-4d79-b311-d96cb5774d39

A Floating Serpent? Are You Sure?

The account of Kash’s transcendental journey with the MahaDevi (Shri Nirmala Devi) to the divine presence of Shri Vishnu and Shri Lakshmi resting on Shri Shesha is both spiritually profound and symbolically rich, deeply rooted in the esoteric and metaphysical truths of Hindu cosmology. It offers not just a glimpse into divine realms but affirms the accuracy of ancient Vedic revelations through the unconditioned purity of a child’s inner vision.

Why Kash’s “Sensation of Being Afloat” Is Correct

1. Scriptural Description of Shri Shesha and the Kshira Sagara

Shri Shesha (Ananta Shesha) is depicted in countless Hindu texts as floating on the Kshira Sagara, the Milky Ocean or Bhavasagara—a cosmic ocean symbolizing the primal substance and the churning ground of creation and dissolution. Shri Vishnu reclines on this serpent in a timeless sleep, with Shri Lakshmi at His feet, while Shri Brahma emerges from His navel on a lotus, signifying the beginning of creation.

2. Floating Serpent Paradox: Beyond Physical Logic

The question—“A Floating Serpent? Are You Sure?”—arises from a physical-world assumption that a coiled serpent cannot float while stationary. But Shri Shesha is not a physical being but a symbol of eternal time and the substratum of matter. Floating here signifies a state of existence on the causal ocean—spiritually real, but beyond material logic.

3. Shesha and the Ocean of Consciousness

“The serpent is both himself and his living couch... which again is himself in his elemental form.”
—Heinrich Zimmer, Philosophies of India

Kash’s sensation of floating was thus a correct interpretation of a higher spiritual reality. The swaying he felt was his subtle body's resonance with this divine fluidic substratum.

Why This Transcendental Experience Is Mind-Blowing

1. Validation Through Later Realization

Initially omitted due to lack of certainty, Kash's feeling of floating was later visually confirmed when his father saw a depiction of Shri Vishnu on Shesha in the Milky Ocean—matching Kash’s earlier sensation exactly. This external validation affirms the spiritual accuracy of the inner vision.

2. Esoteric Symbolism Realized Directly

While many may know of the Shesha symbolism, Kash lived it. This is not learned knowledge but direct spiritual gnosis—aparoksha anubhuti, where divine truth is revealed without intermediaries.

3. Seven-Headed Shesha Revelation

Years later, Kash correctly described Shesha as having seven heads with a larger central hood—an iconographic detail consistent with traditional depictions. His evolving memory shows how mystical insight can unfold in stages, revealing deeper layers over time.

Conclusion: The Divine Drama and the Thread of Truth

The MahaDevi taking Kash to Shri Vishnu and Lakshmi on the floating Shesha is not just a vision—it is a revelatory moment that confirms the eternal truth of Hindu cosmology. It reveals that:

Divine truth is accessible when ego is absent and heart is open.
Ancient symbols like Shesha and the Milky Ocean are metaphysical realities.
Skepticism is natural, but truth transcends rational constraints.

Kash’s journey, under the guidance of the MahaDevi, affirms that the Kingdom of God is real, within, and knowable—revealed by the Divine Feminine, Shri Adi Shakti Herself. This is not mythology—it is living proof of Sanatana Dharma’s eternal truths.

Pariah Kutta (https://adishakti.org)
https://chatgpt.com/c/683d7f76-e7f4-8002-9642-971aeb61e0c9

God Almighty Was Challenged Through Guru Gobind Singh: Kuch Bhol Prabhu Yeh Kya Maya
"This profound analysis presents the extraordinary spiritual challenge issued by Pariah Kutta (Jagbir Singh) to God Almighty through the sacred image of Guru Gobind Singh. Born from the emptiness of material success and the futility of sectarian religious seeking, Pariah Kutta's challenge represents one of the most audacious demands ever made to the Divine: to provide irrefutable evidence of His universal identity and to liberate the questioner from Maya (illusion)."