Naga Panchami
Naga Panchami is a day of traditional worship of nagas or snakes observed by Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists throughout India & Nepal, and other countries where Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist adherents live. The worship is offered on the fifth day of bright half of lunar month of Shravana, according to the Hindu calendar. Some Indian states, such as Rajasthan, Bihar and Gujarat, celebrate Naga Panchami on the dark half of the same month. As part of the festivities, a Naga or serpent deity made of silver, stone, wood, or a painting is given a reverential bath with milk and their blessings are sought for the welfare of the family. Live snakes, especially cobras, are also worshipped on this day, especially with offerings of milk and generally with the assistance of a snake charmer.
In the Mahabharata epic, the sage Astika stops King Janamejaya from sacrificing and eventually decimating the serpent race. This sacrifice was performed by Janamejaya to avenge the death of his father Parikshita, who was killed by Takshaka, the king of the snakes. The day that the sacrifice was stopped was on the Shukla Paksha Panchami day in the month of Shravana. During this sacrifice, the Mahabharata as a whole was first narrated by the sage, Vaisampayana. That day has since been observed as Naga Panchami.
Etymology
is the fifth day among the fifteen days of the moon's waxing and/or waning. This special day of the serpent worship always falls on the fifth day of the moon's waning in the Lunar Hindu month of Shravana July/August. Hence this is called Naga Panchami.Legends
There are many legends in Hinduism and folklore narrated to the importance of worship of snakes. According to Hindu Puranas and the Mahabharata, Kashyapa, grandson of the universal creator Lord Brahma, married two daughters of Prajapati Daksha, Kadru and Vinata. Kadru then gave birth to the race of Naga, while Vinata gave birth to Aruna, who became the charioteer of the sun god, Surya, and also gave birth to the great eagle Garuda, who became the carrier of Vishnu. Naga Panchami is also a day when Akhara, traditional Indian wrestling gyms, hold special celebrations to honor the mystical symbolism of the snake as a symbol of virility and kundalini energy.History
Indian scriptures such as Agni Purana, Skanda Purana, Narada Purana and the Mahabharata give details of history of snakes extolling worship of snakes.In the Mahabharata epic, Janamejaya, the son of King Parikshita of the Kuru dynasty was performing a snake sacrifice known as Sarpa Satra, to avenge for the death of his father from a snake bite by the snake king called Takshaka.
File:Snakesacrifice.jpg|thumb|Sarpa Satra, the snake sacrifice where Astika, young Brahmin stops the yagna
A sacrificial fireplace had been specially erected and the fire sacrifice to kill all snakes in the world was started by a galaxy of learned Brahmin sages. The sacrifice performed in the presence of Janamejaya was so powerful that it caused all snakes to fall into the Yagna kunda. When the priests found that only Takshaka who had bitten and killed Parikshita's father and had escaped to the nether world of Indra seeking his protection, the sages increased the tempo of reciting the mantras to drag Takshaka and also Indra to the sacrificial fire. Takshaka had coiled himself around Indra's cot 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 Goddess Manasa, the queen of the snakes, 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 Sarpa Satra yagna. Astika impressed Janamejaya with his knowledge of all the Sastras who granted him to seek a boon. It was then that Astika requested Janamejeya to stop the Sarpa Satra. Since the king was never known to refuse a boon given to a Brahmin, he relented, despite protests by the rishis performing the yagna. The yagna was then stopped and thus the lives of Indra and Takshaka and his other serpent race were spared. This day, according to the Hindu Calendar, happened to be Nadivardhini Panchami and since then the day has been a festival day of the Naga as their life was spared on this day. Indra also went to Manasadevi and worshipped her.
According to the Garuda Purana, offering prayers to snakes on this day is auspicious and will usher good tidings in one's life. The day also carries a message of victory of good over evil, as snakes are considered divine and protective, as seen in Shesha, and Vasuki. This is to be followed by feeding Brahmins.
Worship
On the day of Naga Panchami, Naga, cobras, and snakes are worshipped with milk, sweets, flowers, lamps, and even sacrifices. Naga or serpent deities made of silver, stone, wood, or paintings on the wall are first bathed with water and milk and then worshipped with the reciting of the following mantras.Fasting is observed on this day and Brahmins are fed. The piety observed on this day is considered a sure protection against the fear of snake bite. At many places, real snakes are worshipped and fairs held. On this day digging the earth is taboo as it could kill or harm snakes which reside in the earth.
File:Nag at Nag pokhari.jpg|thumb|Naga at Nagpokhari, Naxal, Kathmandu
In some regions of the country milk is offered along with crystallized sugar, rice pudding. A special feature is of offering a lotus flower which is placed in a silver bowl. In front of this bowl, a rangoli of snake is created on the floor with a brush made of wood or clay or silver or gold with sandalwood or turmeric paste as the paint. The design pattern will resemble a five hooded snake. Devotees then offer worship to this image on the floor. In villages, the anthills where the snakes are thought to reside, are searched. Incense is offered to the anthill as prayer along with milk to ensnare snakes to come out of the anthill. After this, milk is poured into the hole in the anthill as a libation to the snake god.
On this occasion doorways and walls outside the house are painted with pictures of snakes, auspicious mantras are also written on them. It is believed that such depictions will ward off poisonous snakes.
Naga Panchami is also the occasion observed as Bhratru Panchami when women with brothers worship snakes and its holes, and offer prayers to propitiate Naga so that their brothers are protected and do not suffer or die due to snake bite.
Naga Panchami is also celebrated as Vishari Puja or Bishari Puja in some parts of the country and Bisha or Visha means "poison".
Folktales
Apart from the scriptural mention about snakes and the festival, there are also many folktales. One such tale is of a farmer living in a village. He had two sons and one of whom killed three snakes during ploughing operations. The mother of the snake took revenge on the same night by biting the farmer, his wife and two children and they all died. The following day the farmer's only surviving daughter, distraught and grieved by the death of her parents and brothers, pleaded before the mother snake with an offering of a bowl of milk and requested for forgiveness and to restore the life of her parents and brothers. Pleased with this offering the snake pardoned them and restored the farmer and his family to life.In folklore, snakes also refer to the rainy season - the varsha ritu in Sanskrit. They are also depicted as deities of ponds and rivers and are said to be the embodiment of water as they spring out of their holes, like a spring of water.
Regional traditions
As it is believed that snakes have more powers than humans and on account of its association with Shiva, Devi, Vishnu and Subramanya, a degree of fear is instilled resulting in deification of the cobra and its worship throughout the country by Hindus.Snake has connotation with the Moon’s nodes known in Hindu astrology. The head of the snake is represented by Rahu and its tail by Ketu. If in the zodiacal chart of an individual all the seven major planets are hemmed between Rahu and Ketu in the reverse order it is said to denote Kalasarpa dosha, which forebodes ill luck and hardship in an individual's life and therefore appeased by offering worship to the snakes on Naga Panchami day.
Central India
In Central India, in Nagapur, Maharashtra State snakes have special identity. The name of the city is derived from the word Naga which means snake as the place was infested with snakes. Nagapur was the homeland of 'Naga' people who embraced Buddhism, supported it with great efforts in its early period, and propagated it throughout India. Nagaoba Temple in Mahal is where worship is offered on Naga Panchami day; the temple was found under the neem tree known as “Nagaoba ka vota", under a platform. Another important event held on this occasion is an arduous trekking pilgrimage known as Nagadwar Yatra to Pachmarhi. On this occasion food prepared as offering to the snake god is cooked in a kadai.Naga Chandreshwar Ujjain
This is a sub temple located in the third floor of Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple in Ujjain. The speciality of this shrine is it is open only one day of the year on Naga Panchami day and remains shut on the rest of the year. The murthy of Nagachandreshwar is unique with Shiva and Parvati seated on ten hooded snake surrounded by Nandhi Ganesha and other murthies. It is believed that the great snake Taksha lives here and praying during Naga Panchami rids the devotee of various afflications and doshas such as Naga Dosha, Sarpa Dosha and any form of Doshas.North and Northwestern India
Naga Panchami is celebrated all over North India. In Kashmir, from historical times snakes have been worshipped by Hindus, and the places of worship are reported as 700.In north western India, in cities such as Benares, it is the time when Akharas as part of Naga Panchami celebrations are bedecked; on this occasion the ahkaras are cleaned up thoroughly and walls painted with images of snakes, priests preside, and the gurus are honoured along with the sponsors. Its significance is that the wrestlers stand for virility and Naga symbolizes this “scheme of virility”. Akharas are decorated with snake images showing snakes drinking milk.
In Narasinghgarh akhara in Varanasi there is special shrine dedicated to Naga Raja where a bowl is suspended above the image of the snake and milk is poured into it so that it trickle over the snake god as a form of an offering.
On this day snake charmers are everywhere in towns and villages displaying snakes in their baskets which will have all types of snakes such as pythons, rat snakes, and cobras mingled together. Some of the snake charmers hang limp snakes around their neck and crowds gather to witness these scenes. The snakes in the basket are also worshipped on the occasion.
However, in Punjab this festival is celebrated in a different month and in a different format, in the month of Bhadra and is called Guga Nauvami. On this occasion an image of snake is made with dough and kept in a “winnowing basket” and taken round the village. Villagers offer flour and butter as oblation to the image. At the end of the parade, the snake is formally buried and women worship the snake for nine days and give offering of curds.