---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The ultimate dreamer is Vishnu floating…"
description: "\"The ultimate dreamer is Vishnu floating on the cosmic Milky Ocean, couched upon the coils of the abyssal serpent Ananta, the meaning of whose name is U..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e75/joseph-campbell-300_brother_the-ultimate-dreamer-is-vishnu-floating_1448037.jpg"
---

#  The ultimate dreamer is Vishnu floating on the cosmic…

![“The ultimate dreamer is Vishnu floating on the cosmic Milky Ocean, couched upon the coils of the abyssal serpent Ananta, the meaning of whose name is Unending. In the foreground stand the five Pandava brothers, heroes of the epic Mahabharata, with Draupadi, their wife: allegorically, she is the…” quote by Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e75/joseph-campbell-300_brother_the-ultimate-dreamer-is-vishnu-floating_1448037.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e75/joseph-campbell-300_brother_the-ultimate-dreamer-is-vishnu-floating_1448037.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e75/joseph-campbell-300_brother_the-ultimate-dreamer-is-vishnu-floating_1448037.jpg)

> “The ultimate dreamer is Vishnu floating on the cosmic Milky Ocean, couched upon the coils of the abyssal serpent Ananta, the meaning of whose name is Unending. In the foreground stand the five Pandava brothers, heroes of the epic Mahabharata, with Draupadi, their wife: allegorically, she is the mind and they are the five senses.”

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote uses cosmic imagery to symbolize Vishnu as the ultimate dreamer, with the Pandavas as senses and Draupadi as mind, illustrating unity of consciousness and the universe.

**In simple terms:** Vishnu as dreamer, senses as brothers, mind as wife, showing unity of self and cosmos.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the mind‑body‑spirit unity.

Themes

mythology spirituality consciousness

Mood

reverent inquisitive

Type

mythological symbolic

When to use this quote

- Meditation
- study of myth
- creative visualization

Key Concepts

Hindu cosmology symbolism psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How does this imagery affect your sense of self?
- What does the serpent symbolize?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) [Dreamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreamer/) [Epic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epic/) [Five senses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five-senses/) [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) [Mahabharata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mahabharata/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Ocean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ocean/) [Serpent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serpent/) [Unending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unending/) [Vishnu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vishnu/) [Wife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wife/)

## Related quotes

> [“Like numerous river-currents that rush towards the one ocean, those heroes of the world of men enter your flaming mouths; like moths that fly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vyasa-dvaipayana/like-numerous-river-currents-that-rush-towards-the-one-ocean-those/)

Vyasa Dvaipayana

> [Who is the ultimate dreamer? Call it as you will: God, higher consciousness, Krishna, spirit, whatever pleases you. .. One dream, one dreamer, billions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/who-is-the-ultimate-dreamer-call-it-as-you-will-god-higher/)

[Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/)

> [Just think, Vishnu sleeps in the cosmic ocean, and the lotus of the universe grows from his navel. On the lotus sits Brahma, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/just-think-vishnu-sleeps-in-the-cosmic-ocean-and-the-lotus-of-the/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [I feel Arjun is one of the central characters of 'Mahabharata' and people have lots of expectations from me when I started working on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaheer-sheikh/i-feel-arjun-is-one-of-the-central-characters-of-mahabharata-and/)

[Shaheer Sheikh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaheer-sheikh/)

> [“The Hindi phrase ‘chandal chaukdi’, or menacing foursome, comes from the villainous quartet of the Mahabharata: Duryodhana, Dusshasana, Shakuni and Karna.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-hindi-phrase-chandal-chaukdi-or-menacing-foursome-comes-from-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“...leaving no doubt he was the Chosen One. Chosen for what precisely, no one bothered to ask.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gourav-mohanty/leaving-no-doubt-he-was-the-chosen-one-chosen-for-what-precisely-no/)

Gourav Mohanty

> [“They say every dog has its day, Ganapathi, but for this terrier twilight came before tea-time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shashi-tharoor/they-say-every-dog-has-its-day-ganapathi-but-for-this-terrier/)

[Shashi Tharoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shashi-tharoor/)

> [“Mahabharata author’s motivation for noting down specific astronomy observations during and around the time of Mahabharata War was to create records of Mahabharata War.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nilesh-nilkanth-oak/mahabharata-author-s-motivation-for-noting-down-specific-astronomy/)

Nilesh Nilkanth Oak

> [“Therefore, perform your allotted duty; for action is superior to inaction. Desisting from action, you cannot even maintain your body. (Chapter-III, Shloka- 8)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gita-press/therefore-perform-your-allotted-duty-for-action-is-superior-to/)

Gita Press

> [The 'Mahabharata' is a more complex and longer saga than the 'Ramayana,' which is like a fairy tale. It's much lighter and more fun,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-farr/the-mahabharata-is-a-more-complex-and-longer-saga-than-the-ramayana/)

[David Farr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-farr/)

> [“There are many Arjunas in Kalyuga; they are focused, bright, hard-working, loving, righteous young men who want to change the world. Their patience and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-narayan-sharma/there-are-many-arjunas-in-kalyuga-they-are-focused-bright-hard/)

Vivek Narayan Sharma

> [Great stories like the Mahabharata don't belong to any one culture, they belong to the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharad-devarajan/great-stories-like-the-mahabharata-don-t-belong-to-any-one-culture/)

Sharad Devarajan

> [The Bhagavad Gita is not as nice a book as some Americans think…Throughout the Mahabharata ... Krishna goads human beings into all sorts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-doniger/the-bhagavad-gita-is-not-as-nice-a-book-as-some-americans-think/)

[Wendy Doniger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-doniger/)

> [“Eklavya Jayanti is celebrated along with Mahashivratri in Blessing of lord Shiva and Honor of King Eklavya ; Who was the Most Exemplary Student,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pradip-bendkule/eklavya-jayanti-is-celebrated-along-with-mahashivratri-in-blessing-of/)

[Pradip Bendkule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pradip-bendkule/)

> [“You see, that's the thing with conquerors, they cannot stop conquering, for then they would have to start ruling, and my guess is Jarasandh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gourav-mohanty/you-see-that-s-the-thing-with-conquerors-they-cannot-stop-conquering/)

Gourav Mohanty

## More by Joseph Campbell

> [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [The last act in the biography of the hero is that of the death or departure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-last-act-in-the-biography-of-the-hero-is-that-of-the-death-or/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-privilege-of-a-lifetime-is-being-who-you-are/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [The eternal principle, which never was born, never will die: it is in all things: it is in you now. You are the wave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-eternal-principle-which-never-was-born-never-will-die-it-is-in/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [How do you find the divine power in yourself? The word enthusiasm means 'filled with a god,' so what makes you enthusiastic? Follow it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/how-do-you-find-the-divine-power-in-yourself-the-word-enthusiasm/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [What we're learning in our schools is not the wisdom of life. We're learning technologies, we're getting information. There's a curious reluctance on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/what-we-re-learning-in-our-schools-is-not-the-wisdom-of-life-we-re/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [ The fall \[of your soul\] from perfection into duality...was naturally followed by the discovery of the duality of good and evil...This is the Biblical… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-fall-of-your-soul-from-perfection-into-duality-was-naturally/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [So that's what destiny is: simply the fulfillment of the potentialites of the energies in your own system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/so-that-s-what-destiny-is-simply-the-fulfillment-of-the-potentialites/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [Your ego is your embodiment and your self is your potentiality and that's what you listen to when you listen for the voice of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/your-ego-is-your-embodiment-and-your-self-is-your-potentiality-and/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [When you follow your bliss a kind of track opens up, that's always been there, waiting for you. And the life that you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-follow-your-bliss-a-kind-of-track-opens-up-that-s-always/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [The best we can do is lean towards the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-best-we-can-do-is-lean-towards-the-light/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [I think of mythology as the homeland of the muses, the inspirers of art, the inspirers of poetry. To see life as a poem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/i-think-of-mythology-as-the-homeland-of-the-muses-the-inspirers-of/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [When you are falling --- Dive!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-are-falling-dive/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [We're all seeking...the rapture of being alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/we-re-all-seeking-the-rapture-of-being-alive/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [Both the artist and the lover know that perfection is not loveable. It is the clumsiness of a fault that makes a person lovable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/both-the-artist-and-the-lover-know-that-perfection-is-not-loveable-it/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

[Explore all 711 Joseph Campbell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

## More Brother quotes

> [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/)

[Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/)

> [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/)

[John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/)

> [Luckily, the bullet that hit my chest never got to me. It was stopped by a silver case I got for my brother's wedding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-doohan/luckily-the-bullet-that-hit-my-chest-never-got-to-me-it-was-stopped/)

[James Doohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-doohan/)

> [“Yeah. You treat him like a son or a soldier, instead of like a brother. He wants you to like him and admire him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-hunter/yeah-you-treat-him-like-a-son-or-a-soldier-instead-of-like-a-brother/)

[Faith Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-hunter/)

> [“Your relationship with your brother will be, in many ways, the most complex and bewildering of all the interpersonal connections you will form. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-currie-jr/your-relationship-with-your-brother-will-be-in-many-ways-the-most/)

[Ron Currie Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-currie-jr/)

> [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/)

[Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/)

> [There's no publicist, no advertisements, and no one's pushing us. If people are buying our records, it's because big brothers and sisters or friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-moody/there-s-no-publicist-no-advertisements-and-no-one-s-pushing-us-if/)

Spencer Moody

> [The only way to make sure that the Hand didn't get to you would have been to kill your brother. I could've done it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/the-only-way-to-make-sure-that-the-hand-didn-t-get-to-you-would-have/)

[Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/)

> [“Your favorite son and brother, Shade. Like”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-aveyard/your-favorite-son-and-brother-shade-like/)

[Victoria Aveyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-aveyard/)

> [Sister + brother = a lovely family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sister-brother-a-lovely-family/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/)

[Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/)

> [Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/brothers-and-sisters-i-bid-you-beware-of-giving-your-heart-to-a-dog/)

[Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/)

> [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/)

[Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/)

> [Stephanie could see the greed seep into the watery eyes of her father’s other brother, a horrible little man called Fergus, as he nodded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-landy/stephanie-could-see-the-greed-seep-into-the-watery-eyes-of-her-father/)

[Derek Landy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-landy/)

> [I worked in a barbershop. I used to make the waves in the brother's hair, you know? Like, Nat King Cole, Sugar Ray Robinson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clinton/i-worked-in-a-barbershop-i-used-to-make-the-waves-in-the-brother-s/)

[George Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clinton/)

[Browse all 7,453 Brother quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The ultimate dreamer is Vishnu floating on the cosmic Milky Ocean, couched upon the coils of the abyssal serpent Ananta, the meaning of whose name is Unending. In the foreground stand the five Pandava brothers, heroes of the epic Mahabharata, with Draupadi, their wife: allegorically, she is the mind and they are the five senses.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Joseph Campbell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-ultimate-dreamer-is-vishnu-floating-on-the-cosmic-milky-ocean/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Brother"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-ultimate-dreamer-is-vishnu-floating-on-the-cosmic-milky-ocean/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e75/joseph-campbell-300_brother_the-ultimate-dreamer-is-vishnu-floating_1448037.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e75/joseph-campbell-300_brother_the-ultimate-dreamer-is-vishnu-floating_1448037.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e75/joseph-campbell-300_brother_the-ultimate-dreamer-is-vishnu-floating_1448037.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The ultimate dreamer is Vishnu floating on the cosmic Milky Ocean, couched upon the coils of the abyssal…” — Joseph Campbell",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Joseph Campbell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The ultimate dreamer is Vishnu floating...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-ultimate-dreamer-is-vishnu-floating-on-the-cosmic-milky-ocean/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-ultimate-dreamer-is-vishnu-floating-on-the-cosmic-milky-ocean/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
