nAga – panchami (Part – 1: Sarpa yaaga – its significance to spiritualism)

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|| Jai Sadguru Dutta ||

 

 

KEYWORDS: Dhyaan, Gaayathri manthra upasana, MahaaBharatha,

Sarpa yaaga, third eye, Sarpa dOsha, Vedas, Raaja yoga,

Kundalinee yoga, SuShumnaa, moolaadhar, sahasraar, chakra,

debt of mothers milk, motherland, mantras

 

 

The festival of “nAga panchami” is celeberated on ShraavaN Shuddh

Panchami (the fifth day of the bright half of ShraavaN) every year.

It is the festival of the Snake Gods. This time, it falls on

Saturday, 2nd August, 2003. It is also celeberated as Garuda

Panchami. It is on this day that Shree Adi Shankaraachaarya

obtained Sanyaas.

 

During the month of ShraavaN, moon will be in ShravaN nakShatra

on Full-moon-day (PoorNimaa). On ShraavaN Panchami, Moon, transits

from 48 degree to 60 degree to the earth’s axis. (12 * 5 = 60).

This transition forms a triangle that spells maximum gravitational

force on water elements. Human body is composed of 80% water. Hence

this period has maximum effect on human mind:

 

|| Chandramaa manasO jaathah ||

( PuruSha Sooktha, yajurvEda)

 

Thus, in all respects, naaga panchami is very auspicious for

all spiritual activities.

 

We find the origin of this festival in the MahaaBharatha:

 

Once Emperor PareekShith, grandson of the greatest archer Arjuna,

had been into the forest for hunting. In his enthusiasm, he got

separated from his men. After long hours of hunting, he got tired

and felt immense thirst. When he looked for water, he saw a RShi

meditating under a tree. The king went to the Rshi and asked for

water. But the Rshi was so immersed in Dhyaan that even after

several requests by the king, he did not open up his eyes.

PareekShith felt insulted. He boiled with anger and lost his

sense of discipline. Forgetting that it was a RShi in front of

him, he lifted a dead snake which was laying on the ground nearby,

with his sword and put it around the RShi’s neck. In Bhaaratheeya

Sanskrthi, everyone, including the emperor is expected show great

respect to Braahmans, RShis, Sanyaasins and Gurus. In this

background, PareekShith had committed an unpardonable mistake.

The RShi’s son, Shrngi, who came there after a while, saw the

dead snake put around his father’s neck. Shrngi was then just 7

or 8 years old, but had amazingly great powers due to Gaayathri

manthra upasana. He cursed that the person who is responsible

for such a degraded behavior shall die of thakShaka’s (the king

of snakes in the Rudra lOka) bite within 7 days. The RShi, who

later learnt about the unhappy incident, sent the news of his

son’s curse to PareekShith.

 

In order to save his life, PareekShith constructed a very tall

tower amidst the deep waters of the Gangaa (present Haridwaar)

and himself started living in the topmost room in the tower.

He appointed watchful soldiers to guard it.

 

But a RShi’s curse can never fail. tahkShaka was bound to make

the curse come true. So he sought the help of the saptharShis.

He himself hid in a fruit in the form of a small worm. On the

7th day, the saptharShis went to PareekShith and gave him the

fruit. When PareekShith was about to eat the fruit, tahkShaka

came out of the fruit, grew big and bit the emperor, who died

within seconds.

 

JanamEjaya, son of PareekShith after assuming the throne,

decided to avenge the death of his father by stamping out the

entire snake lineage. So, he started the Sarpa yaaga in which,

every snake, be it wherever in this universe, would be spell

bounded with the power of mantras and sacrificed in the fire.

Many thousands of snakes fell into the yagna fire and died.

On learning this, thakShaka wound himself to the throne of

Indra – the king of Gods in order to save his life. The

PurOhith who saw this with his third eye, chanted the mantra

thus:

 

|| sahEndraaya thakShakaaya swaahaa(ha)||

 

The mantra’s power started dragging thakShaka along with Indra

sitting on his throne, to the place of sacrifice. Indra screamed

and sought the help of MaharShi Astheeka, who convinced JanamEjaya

to stop the snake sacrifice. In the end, Bhagavaan VEdavyaas

arrived and blessed everyone. It was ShraavaN Shuddh Panchami

on that day and the entire snake family got a new lease of life.

Since it is the day of rejoice for the Snake Gods, they are

worshipped with great reverence and devotion on that day. It is

widely believed that childless couples will be blessed with a

child if they practice the naaga panchami vratha. Those who

loudly reads this story from the MahaaBharatha on naaga panchami

after worshipping snakes, will be greatly releaved from the

problems due to Sarpa dOsha. Here worshipping means feeding the

snakes with eggs and milk

 

The main reason for the entire drama was the curse of Kadru –

the mother of nagas (snakes). Why she cursed her own children

is another story:

 

According to a legend, Kadru, once bet with her sister Vinata

about the colour of the tail of UChchaiShravas - Indra's horse.

She asserted that the tail was black even though the horse was

absolutely white. According to Vinata however, the tail of the

horse was as white as the rest of it. Kadru then asked her sons

the nagas to coil around the white tail of the horse so that

it appeared black. When they refused to participate in deceit,

Kadru cursed them to be consumed by fire for disobeying her.

 

Though the snake lineage was saved, the curse of Kadru was so

severe that, the snakes always feel a burning sensation. Hence

people offer cow milk to snakes, so that the snakes feel comforted

and they get blessed by the snake gods

 

The place where the sarpa yaaga was conducted is located in the

premises of KOdhanda Raama temple in Hiremagalur, 2 km from the

main city of Chikkamagalur district in Karnataka. A stone pillar

has been erected in that place. It’s darShan is said to beneficial

to people afflicted with Sarpa dOsha. This is also said to be

the place where Lord Shree Raam met ParaShurama in the thrEthaa

yuga.

 

In the Vedas, human backbone is described as “sarpa” (snake). The

backbone is of great importance from the view point of Raaja yoga

and Kundalinee yoga. All manifestations of human consciousness is

dependent on the backbone and the important nerves that originate

from it; the most important of them being the SuShumnaa, through

which the Kundalinee power raises from the moolaadhaar to sahasraar.

Hence esoterically, snake worship stands for the awakening of

kundalinee which is situated at the bottom most chakra – the

moolaadhaar, in the shape of a 3-coiled snake and raising it to

the topmost chakra – the sahasraara, piercing through the different

charkas on the way. This is symbolically represented by the ritual

of smearing milk with a flower, on the back of one’s brothers and

sisters on naga panchami.

 

This ritual also signifies the debt of mothers milk and reminds

an individual of his duty towards to the society in particular

and motherland in general.

 

In the Vedic literature, snakes also represent ariShadvarga –

6 enemies of an individual’s spiritual and overall development:

kaama, krOdha, lObha, moha, mada, maatsarya.Hence JanamEjaya’s

sarpa yaaga signifies the burning of the above mentioned

ariShadvargas.

 

PareekShith symbolizes our VivEka (intellect). The killing of

PareekShith by thakShaka signifies that all our desires when born

in the mind are initially small, but later they grow very big and

consume us. This leads to the destruction of our virtues (death

of PareekShith). Because of thakShaka, all other snakes met their

death. The moral of this is that, we should sacrifice all materials

and interests that encourage us for selfish deeds. We should do

so until pure devotion and knowledge comes to us (arrival of RShi

aastheeka and MaharShi VEdavyaasa). Only then, we will realize God.

 

 

PART – 2 : Rituals, mantras & stotras

 

R.Srinath

srinath_atreya