Bhagwan Vishnu known as the Ananta Sayana rests on the thousand hooded Sesh Naag who is the foremost and the constant companion of Bhagwan Vishnu and also his aide in destructing the evil forces and retains Dharma. The story of how he became to be the resting place of Bhagwan Vishnu in the Milky Ocean is a less known, but interesting one.
Daksh Prajapati, the son of Brahma Ji had fifty daughters out of which Vinata and Kadru were married to Rishi Kashyap. Vinata was the mother of Arun and Garud while Kadru was the mother of the snakes. Sesh Naag was the eldest son among the snakes who right from birth was powerful, yet gentle in nature. Unlike his brothers, he respected his step mother Vinata as his own and his brothers Arun and Garud immensely and cared for them.
One day Kadru comes and orders her sons to help her win a bet over Vinata by covering the tail of the heavenly horse Ucchaisrava and making it look black to make Vinata and Garud her slaves. Though Seshnaag dislikes this idea, bound by his mother’ command follows her order with which Vinata and Garud become the slaves of Kadru and her sons. Sesh Naag feels bad for their situation, but out of respect for his mother and brothers does not say anything. Although Kadru and her sons treated Vianta and Garud disrespectfully, Sesh Naag never took any liberties and respected them as before.
Once Garud becomes tired of the behaviour of the snakes and decides to leave them. But Kadru demands that if only Amrit was bought from the heavens, then only could the mother and son be free of their slavery. With this demand, Seshnaag loses all respect on his mother and brother and breaks his ties with them forever. Garud understanding their evil scheme accepts her condition, but warns the snakes that once he is out of bondage, he would kill all his brothers for their ill treatment.
Meanwhile, Seshnaag repents that he spent his life in the company of his evil brothers and decides to purify himself through penance. When Brahma Ji appears and asks him for a boon, Sesh Naag is embarrassed because of his mother’s deeds and feels bad about his birth as a snake which by their natural instinct is on the dark side. But Brahma Ji mentions that Sesh Naag was born for many great purposes and need not feel bad about what has happened. He then asks Sesh Naag to balance Mother Earth on his hood to retain her balance and help her stand stable for life to go on. Sesh Naag agrees willingly and then Brahma Ji says that the most important cause for which he was born was to be the resting place of Bhagwan Vishnu. Sesh Naag feels overwhelmed that a venomous and a dark natured snake like him was chosen to be the aide of Bhagwan Vishnu and feels blessed for his life.
Sesh Naag reaches Vaikunth and Bhagwan Vishnu welcomes with great warmth and affection and begans to rest on him since then. Sesh Naag goes on to be the gentle couch of Bhagwan Vishnu and also the aide of Bhagwan Vishnu with his ferocious strength in killing the evil doers and retaining Dharma. Later he is joined by Garud who becomes the vehicle of Bhagwan Vishnu and both the brothers devote their life since then in serving the all-pervading Bhagwan Vishnu.