Naga Panchami

Naga Panchami is a popular Hindu festival celebrated in India. It is celebrated in most parts of the country, significantly in Bengal, Maharashtra and Southern states. On this day the Snakes are worshipped and treated as Snake Gods. The tradition of worshipping snake is very ancient even before the arrival of Aryans in India. Interestingly it is also termed as Garuda Panchami– as Garuda or the royal eagle is the natural enemy of the Snakes and serpents. Worshiping Garuda on this day also grants a protective shield against all snake related destructive conditions in one’s birth chart. The abode of snakes is believed to be Patala loka (the seven realms of the universe located below the earth) and lowest of them is also called Naga-loka and their blessings are sought for the welfare of the family.

Naga Panchami is observed on Panchami tithi which comes in Sukla Paksha during Sravana month. Naga Panchami falls in month of July and August in English calendar.

Legend

In the Mahabharata epic, Janamejeya, the son of King Parikshit of Kuru dynasty was performing a snake sacrifice to avenge the death of his father from a snake bite by the snake king called Taksaka. A sacrificial fireplace was specially erected for the fire sacrifice to kill all snakes in the world. The sacrifice performed was so powerful that it was causing all snakes to fall into the Yagna kunda (sacrificial fire pit). The priests performing the sacrifice found that Takshaka had escaped and gone to Lord Indra seeking his protection. They increased the tempo of reciting the mantras (spells) to drag Takshaka and also Indra to the sacrificial fire. Takshaka had coiled himself around Indra’s bed but the force of the sacrificial yagna was so powerful that even Indra along with Takshaka were dragged towards the fire. This scared the Gods who then appealed to Manasadevi to intervene and resolve the crisis. She then requested her son Astika to go to the site of the yagna and appeal to Janamejaya to stop the yagna. Astika impressed Janamejaya with his knowledge of all the Sastras (scriptures) who granted him to seek a boon. It was then that Astika requested Janamejeya to stop the sacrifice. Since the king was never known to refuse a boon given to a Brahmin the yagna was stopped and thus the life of Indra and Takshaka and his other serpent race were spared. This day according to the Hindu calendar happened to be Nadivardhini Panchami (fifth day of bright fortnight of the lunar month of Shravan during the monsoon season) and since then the day is a festival day of the Nagas as their life was spared on this day. Indra also went to Manasadevi and worshipped her.

Another legend is that the celebration of Naga Panchami is the victory of Lord Krishna over the mythical Kaliya, a monstrous black serpent that was killed by Lord Krishna in the Yamuna River. Kaliya had terrorized the villagers and Lord Krishna saved the villagers from Kaliya. When Lord Krishna defeated Kaliya (the serpent) he stood on the hood of the snake and the snake acquired the feet impressions of the Lord as a mark indicating that Kaliya has submitted to Lord Krishna. The story is called as the “Kaliya Mardan”. It is also believed that seeing the footprints of Lord Krishna, Garuda (the eagle) who is the natural enemy of the serpent, does not harm it.

Significance of Naga Panchami

As per Hindu mythology, Nagas (serpants) are children of Kasyapa Prajapathi and his third wife Kadruva. The Nagas lived in Patala Loka and they are the rulers of the Patala Loka. The prominent Nagas in the Puranas are Anant, Vasuki, Shesh, Padma, Kanwal, Karkotak, Kalia, Aswatar, Takshak, Sankhpal, Dhritarashtra and Pingal. On the Naga Panchami day people go to the fields and worship the Snakes with flowers, fruits etc. and offer milk to snakes. People worship the anthill where the snakes are known to reside. They also collect soil-dust from the snake pits as prasadam and keep the soil dust on the top of ears, with an impression that it helps in lessening the hearing impairment. The festival is celebrated in the month of Sravana (July-August), which falls in rainy season and the crops are sown in this month. There are hundreds of cases of snake bites and death of people and farmers because of the snake bites. Hence our ancients developed this ritual of worshiping the snakes to appease them and request them not to bite people. Some devotees do fasting on Naga Panchami day. According to Garuda Purana offering prayers to snake on this day is auspicious and will usher good tidings in one’s life. Anyone suffering from Kalasarpa Dosha does special prayers to the Snake God and to the Shivlingam. Kalasarpa Dosha can cause lot of hardship in one’s life. However, one can pacify the Kalasarpa dosha on Naga Panchami with Naga Panchami puja as it is the most auspicious day to appease the Snake God. It happens when the horoscopes are generally in the grasp of the Rahu and Ketu nodes. By worshipping the Naga Devatas one is freed from the fear of snakes and it is also believed to protect us from all evils.

Spiritual Significance of Naga Panchami

It is evident from the Hindu mythologies that how snakes have been associated with Lord Krishna, Shiva and Vishnu in various stages of their existence. The existence of snakes in the ancient Hindu puranas and texts also prove the long association of Human race and the snakes. A snake adorns the neck of Lord Shiva and has a lot of spiritual significance. The three coils around Lord Shiva is also the indication of the past, present and the future. It also signifies that the Shakti / kundalini energy finally dances around Shiva, while Shiva the omnipresent is static. A five hooded Snake also surrounds the Shivlingam again indicating the culmination and protection of the yin and yang energies- the materialistic and the spiritual combination. Some people compare the worshiping of snakes as awakening of Kundalini (sleeping serpent) energy located at the base of spine for purpose of reaching spiritual enlightenment. Kundalini awakening is said to result from deep meditation, and consequently enlightenment and bliss. The activation of the kundalini is signified by the coiled serpent rising up from the root chakra or the Mooladhara chakra physically moving up the central channel to reach within the Sahasrara Chakra at the top of the head. Many systems of yoga focus on awakening Kundalini through meditation, pranayama breathing, the practice of asana and chanting of mantras. In physical terms, the Kundalini experience is frequently reported to be a feeling of electric current running along the spine. As the meditator/ Sadhak evolve spiritually, and as the energy rises up opening up more and more energy centres, snakes appear in their visions signifying their spiritual progress.