India is a land of countless creatures and living beings on earth. The ancient history of India along with the social organizations explain the importance of each and every person, place, or thing that is present in any form. Thus, to preserve and to offer our respect & responsibility for the elements like mountains, rivers, etc., we human beings have inculcated them into our culture of worship by one or the other means. Snakes are one of such creatures of God that are worshipped following some spiritual facts of the past. Naag Panchami Celebration is the sacred Hindu festival dedicated to snakes.
The snakes are worshipped on the 5th day of moon light in the month of Shravana (July or August). They are worshipped with great devotion and fed with milk. People even travel to snake temples where they worship the metal icons of snakes to offer prayers for saving their family from snakebites. The Jainism also had a spiritual faith on snakes as it is believed that once a Cobra snake saved the life of Lord Buddha and Muni Parshavnath Ji.
Reason behind Naag Panchami Celebration
Once the Hindu God, Lord Krishna, in this childhood falls into the river while playing with his friends. The Kaliya Naag use to live in that river and harasses people whoever enters the river. The same he tried to do with young Krishna & attacked him. Lord Krishna bravely fought with Kaliya Naag and after a long fight, Kaliya realised that he is not an ordinary child. He started pleading Lord Krishna to spare him & finally Krishna did the same on the condition that he will no more harass the people coming in the river. Hence, Naag Panchami is celebrated as the Victory of Krishna on Kaliya Naag, one of the most dangerous snakes.
Origin and Significance of Naag Panchami Celebration
Hindu Mythology is filled with fables and stories that describe the importance of snakes in Hindu tradition. Although, the exact origin of celebration of this day is not known, the snakes are known to be associated with many Hindu Gods. Mainly, the day is considered the festival of Snake God, Sheshnaag. He is a six hooded snake who is the vehicle of Lord Vishnu. According to Hindu mythology, the earth rests on the head of Sheshnaag and when he shakes his head, we have earthquakes & other natural calamities. Lord Vishnu reclines on Sheshnaag while sleeping in the sea water.
It has been described that Balraam was the incarnation of Seshanaag. The spiritual belief for snakes is also high because it is the ornament of Lord Shiva around his neck.
In Ajanta caves and many other ancient Hindu temples, you can find the paintings and carvings of snakes on the walls. The Hindu Puranas like Bhagvata or Markandeya Purana describes the Nagas & Sarpas. It mentions about the marriage story of beautiful Naag Princess with King. It also mentions about the prominent Cobra snakes named as Anant, Vasuki, Takshak, Dhritrashtra & the famous Kalia Naag. The holy epics Mahabharata and Bhagvad Gita also visualise their holy presence and importance.
With these conclusions and beliefs, we can understand that why this festival is celebrated as Naag Panchami by honouring snakes.
