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 & stotrasR.Srinath srinath_atreya Want to

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