Vishnu, for example, can be Narayan, floating on the primeval ocean or lying on a bed of snakes.
Vishnu can be Narayan floating on an ocean or lying on snakes. 
mnli hypothesis: Vishnu can be Narayan floating on an ocean or lying on snakes.  premise: Vishnu, for example, can be Narayan, floating on the primeval ocean or lying on a bed of snakes.