kadru

Kadru is a figure in Hindu mythology, one of the two principal wives of the sage Kashyapa. She is regarded as the mother of the naga, or serpentine, beings, and is often described as the matriarch of the naga race. In many accounts, Kadru’s union with Kashyapa produced the naga lineage, while her sister Vinata bore the birds.

Kadru’s offspring include several prominent serpents, such as Vasuki, Shesha (also known as Ananta), and Takshaka. Through these and other naga lines, Kadru appears in a wide range of scriptures, including the Mahabharata and the Puranas. Serpent deities descended from Kadru figure in major episodes, such as Vasuki’s role as the naga king who served as the rope during the churning of the ocean, and Shesha’s eternal presence on Vishnu’s serpent bed.

In mythological narratives, Kadru’s relationship with Vinata is sometimes framed as rivalry between snakes and birds within Kashyapa’s extended family. These stories contribute to the broader naga lore in Hindu tradition, emphasizing themes of progeny, cosmic order, and the interactions between gods, humans, and nature. Kadru is typically referenced more as a progenitor than as a central deity of ritual worship.

Kadru’s representation varies across texts and regions, but she is generally recognized as the mother of the nagas and the ancestress of a vast serpent lineage that figures in many legends and iconographies within Hinduism.