Naag Panchami (नाग पंचमी) is the day to worship snakes (नाग) and serpents and snake like waveforms of energy. It falls on the fifth day of the waxing moon (शुक्ल पक्ष) in the month of Shravan (श्रावण) or July/August (Naardeeya Puraan, Poorv Khand, part 4). Sage Kashyap's wife Kadru (कद्रू) was the mother of all snakes (Mahabhaarat, Aadi Parv).
Snakes appear frequently and are revered throughout the vedic literature. Lord Vishnu rests on Sheshnaag (शेषनाग) and snakes adorn Lord Shiva's neck. Vaasuki (वासुकि), the lord of serpents, played a prominent role in the churning of the primordial ocean or Samudra-manthan (समुद्र-मंथन).
Vedic literature is full of symbolism. Snakes and serpents mentioned in the vedic literature are perhaps representations of snake like waveforms of energy. The yogic concept of Kundalini (कुंडलिनी) or a coil of energy residing at the base of the human spine is an example of this symbolism. A coil is a store of energy that can be released later. The molten metal residing in the interior of earth not only has wavelike movements (see geodynamics) but it is also a store of energy and is believed to generate the earth's magnetic field. Volcanic eruptions are one form of release of this energy and look very similar to the release of venom by a snake. Naag Panchami, on a broader level, is the day to reflect upon these waveforms of energy and praying for the understanding to harness serpent like coils of energy, for the benefit of self and others.
Snakes appear frequently and are revered throughout the vedic literature. Lord Vishnu rests on Sheshnaag (शेषनाग) and snakes adorn Lord Shiva's neck. Vaasuki (वासुकि), the lord of serpents, played a prominent role in the churning of the primordial ocean or Samudra-manthan (समुद्र-मंथन).
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| Vaasuki, the great snake, being pulled by demons: Bangkok Airport Source: I, Sailko [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons |
According to Vishnu Puraan (part 2, chapter 5), snakes live in the seven underworlds beneath the surface of earth. These seven underworlds are Atal (अतल), Vital (वितल), Nital (नितल), Gabhistaman (गभस्तिमान), Mahatal (महातल), Sutal (सुतल), and Pataal (पाताल). These underworlds have material that is black, white, red and yellow in color. Each of these seven regions is ten thousand yojan deep making the earth seven thousand yojan deep in total. At the end of these underworlds, lives Shesh (शेष), the content and lethargic (तमोगुण युक्त) form of Lord Vishnu. It is also called Anant (अनंत) or endless because its properties cannot be described. It has a snake like form and holds the earth on its thousand hoods. It is clad in blue robes and adorned with white garlands. At the end of a cycle of the universe (कल्पांत), venomous fires called Sankarshan Rudra (संकर्षण रूद्र) emanate from Shesh's hoods and dissolve everything.
Vedic literature is full of symbolism. Snakes and serpents mentioned in the vedic literature are perhaps representations of snake like waveforms of energy. The yogic concept of Kundalini (कुंडलिनी) or a coil of energy residing at the base of the human spine is an example of this symbolism. A coil is a store of energy that can be released later. The molten metal residing in the interior of earth not only has wavelike movements (see geodynamics) but it is also a store of energy and is believed to generate the earth's magnetic field. Volcanic eruptions are one form of release of this energy and look very similar to the release of venom by a snake. Naag Panchami, on a broader level, is the day to reflect upon these waveforms of energy and praying for the understanding to harness serpent like coils of energy, for the benefit of self and others.
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