The cobra here is not carved in a moment of strike, nor frozen in aggression. It is gathered into itself- coiled, alert, inwardly awake. The hood rises gently, not flared in warning but held with restraint, as though awareness itself has taken form. This is a serpent that knows its power and therefore does not need to display it.
The body curves with measured economy, each loop deliberate, creating a sense of contained energy rather than motion. Fine incisions across the surface suggest scales, but they also recall the patient labour of time: mark after mark, repetition without haste. The marble’s pale tone softens the form, shifting the cobra away from fear and toward contemplation.
In Indian visual thought, the serpent often stands at thresholds: between sleep and awakening, earth and transcendence, danger and protection. This carving leans decisively toward the inward register of that symbolism. It feels closer to the naga as guardian, as keeper of hidden knowledge, as presence at the base of sacred spaces.
The square frame anchors the form, giving it the quality of an emblem rather than a scene. What remains is a subtle tension- life held in stillness, vigilance without violence. The cobra does not confront the viewer; it watches, waiting, complete in its own awareness.
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