Bhagavad Gita · Mahabharata Codex

Vasuki

वासुकि · vāsuki

King of the serpents

Gods pulled one end of him and demons the other.

Vasuki is king of the serpents. When the gods and asuras churned the ocean, they wound him around Mount Mandara as the churning rope. He is often shown coiled around the neck of Shiva. Krishna names him as chief of the sarpas, serpents, and in the next verse names Ananta as chief of the nagas; the two words are close in meaning.