Nag Panchami Festival 2012
72Significance of Nag Panchami Festival
Nag Panchami is an important Hindu Festival celebrated in the month of Shravan. Nag Panchami Festival is observed on the fifth day after Amavasi in Shravan month.This year Naga Panchami falls on Sunday, 8th of July 2012. This festival is also known as Nagarapanchami. Apart from Shravan Month this festival is also celebrated in some parts of India on the fifth day after Purnima in Ashar Month. This festival is also known as Mansa Devi Ashtanag Puja as the Snake Goddess Manasa Devi and Ashta Nag are worshipped on this day. Nag Panchami is known as Guga Navami in Punjab. On this day a huge snake is made from flour and worshiped. The Snakes are worshiped on this day to seek their blessings and protection from snake bites. The Snake Poison is deadly and it is also believed that snakes remember the faces and they take revenge with the whole family even if one of the members harms it. On the day the Snake God Shesha Nag and other nagas are revered. According to the Puranas, Brahmas son Kashyapas third wife is the mother of all Nagas. This is also a day to remember Lord Krishnas victory over Kaliya Snake.
According to Hindu mythology two of the most Popular Hindu Gods, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva, are closely associated with serpents. While Lord Vishnu rests on the several hooded Snake Ananta as his bed, Lord Shiva wears a snake around his neck as an ornament. One may also remember that for churning the milky ocean and getting the divine nectar of immortality the Snake Vasuki was used as a rope. On the day of Nag Panchami, devotees and visit snake temples and snake pits and offer prayers to the snakes. Shiva temples are also crowded during this festival. In many places live cobras or their pictures or idols are worshiped and religious rites are performed to please them by offering them milk, turmeric, saffron, rice etc.
There is a popular belief that unmarried women who undertake Nagpanchami Vrat and Puja and feed the snakes will get good husbands apart from protection from snake bites. Many devotees fast from sunrise to sunset and after sunset eat food without salt or frying. In many parts of South India, Women decorate the doorsteps with Snake Kolams on this day. Paintings of Naag are also drawn on either side of the entrance of the home and worshiped. Nag Panchami Festival day is a good day to do Pujas like Naag Puja in any Shiva Temple and KaalSarp Dosh Nivarana Puja at Trayambakeshwar in Nashik District, especially if you are affected by Kaal Sarpa Dosha.
Nag Nagini Mantras
A Nag is male while a Nagini refers to a female snake. The Nag Panchami day is an excellent day for Naga – Nagini worship for physical and spiritual healing. The Nagas along with their consorts are worshipped and mantras are chanted. The mantra is Om Puuh Swaahaa where Puuh is the beeja for Naga or Nagini. One can add the name of the naga or nagini to get their separate mantras for chanting.
Nag Gayatri Mantra
Om Navkullaya Vidmahe Vishdantaaye Dhimahee Tanno Sarpah Prachodayat.
Mannarassala Nagaraja (Snake God) Temple near Alleppey in Kerala
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Strangely enough, the past couple of days I've been doodling on a piece of paper while talking on the phone. I just realized I've been drawing snakes over and over again. It's not usual in me and while snakes are not one of my favorite animals, I don't dislike them either and I'm not afraid of them. I think they are interesting creatures.
I don't believe in coincidences but I'm not a psychiatric case who is constantly looking for signs everywhere. I think there is a reason why I had to read this article, since I started reading it out of curiosity and not knowing it was about snakes. :-) I had no idea about this festival. Beautifully written. I enjoyed the video as well. Thank you!
Thanks for the visit jayb23.
Uma07 : I agree with you. Force feeding Snakes and killing them are indeed cruel deeds. I know that married people celebrate it too. What I meant was that this festival has special significance to unmarried women looking for groom.
Good coverage on the festival, Anamika.Married people celebrate this too with great devotion.As for feeding the cobras is concerned it is believed feeding snakes can be harmful to the creatures and the saperas kill many snakes in their process of presenting them alive before the devotees which is cruel.I go to Shiva temple on this day but have never seen any snake that drank up the whole milk.Some say this is mere superstition.
Thanks for the mantra.Gayatri mantra is very soothing when chanted.Great hub!
Anamika thanks for sharing this info. I always wanted to know the details about nagpanchami and I got it here. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for dropping in an retweeting the Hub. There are many people who touch snakes. But they are normally fed without touching them. I have never done it as snakes scare me to death.
I saw this when you Tweeted it yesterday and dropped by to learn more. Its so interesting and I wonder if people are allowed to touch the snakes... The unmarried women feed the snakes but you can feed a snake without touching it.
Hope you enjoyed the Festival.
Best wishes.
Thanks HappyHer! In South Indian villages one can see a lot of action happening on this day. Other than going to the Shani Temple and keeping a morning to evening fast as this day falls on a Shravan Shanivaar and drawing a Swastik on the doorstep of my flat, I have done nothing to celebrate the festival. I wrote this hub based on the email request I received to write about the significance of nag panchami festival.
It sounds like a wonderful festival. I'm not sure how I would make best wishes for it, but I certainly do hope it's an amazing time.
Midhun M T 2 months ago
It like a wonderful festivel but i dont beleve it