Unknown Facts about Nag Panchami 2023

श्रावण मासी हर्षमानसी | हिरवळ दाटे चोहिकडे |

क्षणात येती सरसर शिरवे | क्षणात फिरुनी ऊन पडे |

This is my favourite poem written by Balkavi. The first rain of the season notifies us that Shravan month is approaching. By that time, the earth dresses up in Green Saree. The hide-and-seek between rain and sunlight makes us happy. But this was the fun of our childhood. Now the scene has changed,

श्रावणमासी खेद मानसी | हिरवळ गेली कुणीकडे?

शहरें भरली इमारतींनी | डांबर फरश्या चहुकडे।।

We are changing and changing the nature and the environment. During this change, we are forgetting our festivals and their importance. Shravan month is called as the month of festivals. This is the best month to worship the nature and the creatures. Worshipping is a way of showing gratitude. Nature and every creature are important for the human being to maintain the chain and balance. And this importance is shown through festivals.

Nag Panchami

The fifth day of Shravan month is celebrated as Nag Panchami. Nag means Cobra / Serpent and Panchami means Fifth day. It is said that Lord Krishna fought with Kaliya Nag on this day.

Now the question is if Kaliya Nag was evil then why do we worship snakes? For the very same reason, we must know the importance of snakes in the environment, in our religion and in spirituality.

Importance of Snakes in the Environment

Each species is important in Food Chain to keep balance in nature.

The above example of the Food Chain shows the importance of snakes in nature. Human beings are afraid of snakes due to their poison since ancient times. There was no known immediate remedy for snake bites at that time. Therefore, people used to beat the snakes with sticks and stones though about 85-90% of snakes are non-poisonous. Our ancestors knew what will be the harm to nature if snakes will be killed by people. There will be an increase in the number of rats and frogs if snakes will be missing from the above Food Chain. These rats eat grasshoppers which spoil grains but if not eaten by snakes then these rats eat and destroy grains produced by the farmers. In this way, snakes are actually friends of the farmers. The rats spread certain diseases to humans and cattle. So their growth must be under control.

Importance of Snakes in Hindu Religion

The easy way to convince people is to connect snakes with God so they will start worshipping them and will not kill them. The story of Lord Krishna and Kaliya goes in the same way. Kaliya was harassing people but then also Lord Krishna spared it and did not kill it. Same way, we need to spare the snakes and they will go away. It is believed that Lord Krishna defeated Kaliya on the day which is celebrated as Nag Panchami. Generally, snakes come out of their holes in the monsoon season as water goes into their holes. So this is the ideal time when people should not kill them and protect them. So Nag Panchami comes accordingly in Shravan month 😂 So clever our ancestors were!

Lord Vishnu is connected with Sheshnag and Lord Shiva wears Vasuki (a snake that was used to churn the sea in Amrit Manthan) around the neck. People started worshipping the snakes and in this way, snakes are still in our nature. Otherwise, who knows they would become extinct by this time.

Following Myths are false about Snakes,

1. Snakes do not drink milk. They are reptiles and not mammals so they cannot digest it properly.

2. Snakes' partners do not take revenge. They do not have developed brains.

3. Nag does not carry any Nagmani on its head. It is just a fantasy story.

4. Snakes do not dance to any tune. They simply follow the movement of the been.

5. Snakes cannot fly in the air. Few can glide in the air for a short distance.

Following practices are forbidden on Nag Panchami,

1. Do not Dig or Plough : The snakes which live in the holes in the soil can be harmed/killed because of digging and ploughing.

2. Chopping, Cutting, Stitching, frying etc are forbidden : There are no scientific reasons behind this. In olden times, these actions were forbidden to hide sharp objects that could be used to cause harm to snakes on this day. Nowadays, it could be superstitious to follow this practice.

Importance of Snakes in Spirituality

A Snake symbolizes transformation, rebirth and new life due to its shedding of the skin. The coiled snake symbolizes dormant energy (Kundalini) in spirituality which is resting at the base of our spine in Muladhar (Basic) Chakra. Kundalini can be safely awakened under the guidance of the right teacher through spiritual practices such as Yoga, Pranayam, Meditation, Prayers/Chanting Mantras, Purification etc. Awakened Kundalini can be then channelized to Sahastra (Crown) Chakra to expand the state of consciousness and spiritual enlightenment.

The baseline of the Blog is Snakes are very important in our environment and we must protect them. On this Nag Panchami show gratitude that they are helping farmers and working as natural pest control by eating rats. There are many Sarp-Mitra (सर्पमित्र) who catch snakes and leave them in nature. Find out one in your locality and save his number in your mobile.