Naag Panchami - 5th August 2019 - Dipika

Naag Panchami - 5th August 2019
Naag Panchami or The Festival of Snakes is a unique festival and one of the oldest and
auspicious festivals dedicated to honour the Serpent deva or Naag Deva. This festival
day falls on the fifth day of the waxing phase of the Moon on the Hindu month of
Shravan (July/August) and this year it falls on the 5th August.

      Lord Krsna dancing on the head of the Kaliya demon who He just subdued.
Lord Vishnu's couch is the green, thousand-headed snake (Ananta or Sesha) Who holds
up the entire material creation. Lord Krishna is called "Kaliya Mardan" to
commemorate His victory over the giant snake, Kaliya. Offerings of popcorn, milk,
ghee, sweets, water and rice are also made at the sites of snake holes (Pithu). Devotees
consider themselves fortunate if snakes drink offered milks. The Naag culture is quite
common in India. Snakes are worshipped in many forms may they be made of metal,
stone or even in the form of a drawing. Then offerings of milk, ghee and water are made
even to the image of a snake. It is believed that in reward for this worship, snakes will
never bite any member of the family.
Naag Panchami has prevailed ever since Lord Krishna killed the Kaliya demon and
liberated the people. The best-known serpent is Lord Ananta Shesh Naag because Lord
Vishnu reclines on Him.

Nageshwari Devi’s Gayatri Mantra
                            Om Naagath-vajaaya Vidmahe

                              Kanni Roopaaya Dheemahi

                           Tanno Naaga Devi Prachodayaat

Benefits of chanting the Nageshwari Gayatri Mantra: Nageshwari Devi is also referred
to as Naga Devi, Naga Thai, Nagamma, and Naga Amman among others is the all
powerful serpent goddess. The Nageshwari Gayatri Mantra is a divine mantra which
provides protection for the worshiper who recites this mantra with utmost devotion.
The Nageshwari Gayatri Mantra is also chanted to avoid as well as negate all kind of
ill effects, curses, spells, and black magic. Apart from that, the Nageshwari Gayatri
Mantra is also a very powerful mantra to remove as well as negate all kinds of Naga
Dosha, Kala Sarpa Dosha, Sarpa Dosha as well as the malevolent shadowy planets
Rahu’s and Ketu’s Dosha. The Nageshwari gives one the ability to win over one’s
enemies and rivals. It also gives you the strength and courage to face your enemies.
Besides that, chanting of the Nageswari Gayatri Mantra also prevents ill luck, evil-
eyes, nightmares, and protection from evil spirits and curses. Jealousies, rivalries, and
destructive competitors too will be vanished by chanting the Nageshwari Gayatri
Mantra. Moreover, constant chanting of the Nageshwari Gayatri Mantra religiously is
also said to bless a person and his/her family with success, victory, good fortune, good

health, lot’s of wealth, and peace. According to the various Puranas, when the mantra
of Goddess Nageshwari are constantly chanted, the chanter will be bestowed with all
kinds of spiritual powers.

Pregnant ladies can also chant the Nageshwari Gayatri Mantra for the protection of the
fetus/foetus in the womb and for a safe baby delivery. Childless couples that are trying
for a baby can also seek the blessings and grace of Goddess Nageshwari by chanting
this mantra with utmost devotion.

Young and single individuals can also benefit greatly by chanting the Nageshwari
Gayatri Mantra on a daily basis. Single ladies can pray to Goddess Nageshwari for to
get married quickly at an appropriate age as well as for a compatible life partner.
Single men can also pray to Goddess Nageshwari for a compatible wife as well as for
getting married to a beautiful lady with good characters.

When this mantra is uttered and you have gained siddhi, you will not be harmed
and/or attacked by any serpents. Apparently, the Nageshwari Gayatri Mantra is also
said to relieve one from poisonous snake bites (quick recovery after getting treated for
snake bites).

*Please be noted, that you should never offer eggs (regardless of boiled egg, half-
boiled egg, or uncooked egg) to Goddess Nageshwari or to any snakes in the
temple or in snake pits, or anywhere else as this is considered as a dosha (is the
condition that has flaws, un-favorable or not good).
Best Days To Chant This Mantra:- (If you are unable to chant on a daily basis):
Tuesdays, Fridays, Panchami tithi days (the 5th waning or waxing lunar days),
Amavasya (New Moon Days), and on Purnima (Full Moon Days).

Best Time To Chant This Mantra: Early morning and evening

Number of Times to Chant : 9, 11, 21, 108, or 1008 times

Who Can Chant This Mantra: Anyone regardless of gender and age

How To Worship: You can either use the Nageshwari / Nagamma Yantra/photo of murti
of Mother Nageshwari devi.

Chant This Mantra Facing: East

Naivedya/Prasadam (Food Offerings): Cow’s milk (without sugar or jaggery)

Flowers offerings: Any fragrant flowers and/or Neem or Syringaberry leaves.

Japa Mala: You can use rosary beads made out of clear quartz (spadika mala) or
Rudraksha mala or Neem mala (rosary beads made out of Neem bark) or rosary beads
made out of serpentine (a type of semi-precious stone).

Shree Lakshman (Lord Raam's brother) and Shree Balarama (Lord Krishna's brother)
are incarnations of Shree Ananta Shesh Naag. The universe is balanced on Shesh
Naag's head. Nagas (snakes) are people as well as Snakes. Snakes are believed to be
living in their own world 'Nagaloka or 'Patala'. There is many an 'old' story which
mentions humans as marrying snakes or/and their progeny.
Indians (Hindus) worship snakes as their Benefactor Deities. Snakes help good harvest
because they eat pests and they are considered symbols of sexual energy and are
guardians of wealth. There is no specific fasting on this day (of course no meat should
be consumed) but one should visit one's local temple that has a Pithu (snake pit). One
can first offer one's prayers to Naga Devata asking for guidance and protection and
then pour milk in a bowl and leave. Some offer unsalted popcorn, sweet rice and so
forth. If there is more than one Pithu then you can offer milk to all. I don’t recommend
offering the milk into the pithu as how can Naga Devata drink the milk if it’s in the
sand.
Now many will say why are we promoting snake worship we should rather just killed
them. Well naturally to the primitive mind any sophisticated and advanced knowledge
would be indistinguishable from the masses and be naturally scorned upon and
ridiculed. This worship may seem rather strange but to the advanced soul this prayer is
so important. Remember that the little intellect cannot understand many things in this
universe. One should be very respectful rather than critical.
Lord Shiva also wears snakes on his body. From the Srimad Bhagavatam 3 rd canto
chapter 26 states Lord Sankarshana (Lord Krishna) controls that false ego and in order
to become free from it one is advised to worship Lord Sankarshan. He is worshipped
through Lord Shiva; the snakes, which cover the body of Lord Shiva, are
representations of Lord Sankarshan, and Lord Shiva is always absorbed in meditation
upon Shree Sankarshana (Lord Krishna).
In the Shiva-Ashtakam verse 16 composed by Shree Caitanya Mahaprabhu says “I offer
my obeisance’s to you O Shree Shiva, whose form is brilliantly illuminated by the
jewels of Ananta-deva, the king of snakes.”
A few years ago Jahnava Nitai Das reported this. In the Hare Krishna Temple in the
state of Orissa, East India on Naag Panchami a wonderful event happened. A divine
Naga (snake) appeared at the Shree Jagannath temple in Bhadrak, to bless devotees.
The cobra was first seen early morning, around 5 a.m., inside the hollow of a Kadamba
tree next to Shree Jagannath’s altar. At first the devotees could not identify that it was
a Naga and thought to chase it away, as there are several other types of poisonous
snakes in this area. There were many attempts to tap it softly with a long stick so that

it would leave and not endanger anyone, but it did not react at all. Even after trying to
chase the snake away for more than half an hour, repeatedly tapping it will a long pole,
it remained silently coiled in the tree, completely ignoring attempts to get it to leave.
After many attempts, a 90 year-old traditional snake expert came and confirmed that
the snake was a Naga and would not harm anyone. He approached the tree and bowed
his head against the opening in the tree, just inches away from the cobra. The cobra
was not at all disturbed by his presence and did not react even though his head was
just a few inches from the snake. He informed us that today was Naga Panchami, and
that this snake must not be an ordinary snake.
Frankincense (Lobhan/samarani/jhuna)was then brought to offer to the snake to see if
it was truly a Naga. As soon as the large pot of frankincense was offered to the snake,
it immediately stood up and opened its hood wide, making a large hissing sound. After
a few minutes it again lowered its hood and sat silently inside the Kadamba tree,
sitting peacefully throughout the entire day and night. As word spread, more than
1,000 villagers arrived throughout the day and night, bringing offerings of milk and
deepams (clay lamps), to receive the blessings of the Naga. In Orissa, Nagas are
considered as signs of Lord Shiva (Akandalamani). With the recent installation of
Shree Vimala Devi (Mother Durga), the Naga is seen by the villagers as the divine
presence of her husband Lord Shiva.

By nightfall, when the temple was closed, the Naga was still sitting inside the hollow of
the Kadamba tree. The next morning when priests went to awaken the deities of Lord
Jagannatha, the Naga was no longer present. He came only for the occasion of Naga
Panchami, and sat silently the entire day and night to give darshan to all of the visiting
devotees.
In Lord Jagannath’s temple in Jagannath Puri, India, Nagas are said to guard the
Deity's treasure chamber. Below the temple there are secret rooms that no one is
allowed to enter, and these are used to store the Golden Dress (Suna Vesha) as well as
many other jewels that belong to the Deity. These chambers are filled with divine
Nagas who guard the Lord's treasury. Only one person will be allowed to enter this
treasury, and he can do so only after fasting, performing specific austerities, and
offering prayers. Once the Nagas have been satisfied, the pujari (priest) is then allowed
safe passage to collect Lord Jagannath’s jewels and dresses. Thus the celestial Nagas
have been tied to the service of Lord Jagannath for thousands of years. For the full
story and the pictures of this divine and inspirational story please click on this web-
link. http://www.harekrsna.com/sun/news/08-07/news1438.htm
Six worlds below the Earth lies the world of Mahatala which is of the descendants of
Kadru who have a name as a bunch of ever angry, many hooded, cruel snake types, as
there are the notorious Kuhaka, Takshaka, Kalya, and Sushena. Greatly sensual they
are constantly afraid of the king of all birds [Garuda], the carrier of the Original
Personality Lord Vishnu, who sometimes infuriates them when they are sporting being
together with their wives, children, friends and relatives.
Seven worlds below the Earth lies the world of Rasatala that is of the daityas and
Danavas [the evil minded sons of Diti and Danu] named the Panis, the Nivata-kavacas,
the Kaleyas and the Hiranya-puravasis; they are from birth so said the very cruel and
greatly powerful enemies of the devas and are inevitably defeated by the might of the
Supreme Lord Hari so favorable to all the worlds. Living like the snakes are they in
truth afraid of the King of Heaven through the words of a mantra of Saramaya, a
female votary of Indra. The last and at the bottom of the 14 planetary systems in this
Universe is called Patala, the world of the master snakes; headed by Vasuki are there
Sankha, Kulika, Mahasankha, Sveta, Dhananjaya, Dhritarashthra, Sankhacuda,
Kambala, Asvatara and Devadatta and so on. With the shortest temper do they all live
very enslaved to material happiness and have they verily indeed five, seven, ten, a
hundred or a thousand hoods, with on their crests fixed the most valuable gems of
which the effulgence disperses the vast darkness of the caves of Patala.
In Srimad Bhagavatam 5th canto Chapter 25 Shree Shukadeva Goswami said to
Maharaj Pariksit: My dear King, approximately 240,000 miles beneath the planet
Patala lives another incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Shree Krishna.
He is the expansion of Lord Krsna known as Lord Ananta or Lord Sankarshana. Lord
Shiva, the deity of tamo-guna or darkness, worships Lord Sankarshan. Lord Ananta is

the predominating Deity of the material mode of ignorance as well as the false ego of all
conditioned souls. This great universe is situated on one of Lord Anantadeva's
thousands of hoods. It is infinitesimal compared to the hood of Lord Ananta. When the
leaders of the snakes offer their obeisances to Lord Sankarshana with great devotion,
they become very joyful upon seeing their own beautiful faces reflected in His toenails.
Shukadeva Goswami continued: The devas, the demons, the Uragas [serpentine
entities], the Siddhas, the Gandharvas, the Vidyadharas and many highly elevated
sages constantly offer prayers to Lord Ananta.
Other well-known 'Naags':
Vaasuki: When devas and demons were churning the cosmic ocean to obtain Amrita
(nectar), they selected Mandara Mountain as their churning axle. But they could not
find a string large enough that would go round the mountain and whose opposite ends
they could pull to rotate the mountain. So they approached Vasuki, king of the Nagas,
who agreed to be the rope. When the ocean was churned, 13 jewels emerged from it,
along with Amrita. The katha on Vaasuki is narrated in the Srimad Bhagavatam 8th
canto chapter 5-10. To read the full katha please click on the link below from the
Srimad Bhagavatam. http://www.srimadbhagavatam.org/canto8/c8-contents.html
Takshak: This king of Nagas was responsible for ending the life of King Pariksit, the
descendant of Pandavas. Maharaj Pariksit once insulted a great sage while he was in
meditation. The sage's son cursed Maharaj Pariksit by saying that he will die of a
snakebite. When Maharaj Pariksit was bitten and thus killed by Takshak, Maharaj
Pariksit’s son, Janamejaya, was so angry that he performed a huge snake sacrifice. His
priests chanted powerful mantras, which made all snakes, fall into the sacrificial fire.
Takshak sought Lord Indra's help. But the mantras were so powerful that both
Takshak and Lord Indra began to fall into the fire. Then Astik, a wise sage, intervened
and stopped the sacrifice before all snakes were annihilated. To read the full katha
please click on the link below from the Srimad Bhagavatam.
http://www.srimadbhagavatam.org/canto1/c1-contents.html
http://www.srimadbhagavatam.org/canto12/chapter5.html
http://www.srimadbhagavatam.org/canto12/chapter6.html
Kaliya: This gigantic snake lived in river Yamuna near Mathura, India. He was so
poisonous that the river water became unfit for drinking. People living in Mathura,
Vrindavan and Gokul could not approach the river for fear of the snake. So Lord
Krishna, who was a small child at the time, was playing with his friends near the river
bank. All of a sudden, their ball fell into the river. Everyone was scared to approach the
river but Lord Krishna jumped into the waters to retrieve the ball. His friends panicked
as Lord Krishna disappeared under the water surface. Kaliya was enraged at this
violation of his territory. In the ensuing fight, Lord Krishna subdued the giant snake
and compelled him to vacate the river stretch near Mathura. To read the full katha
please go onto the link below from the Srimad Bhagavatam.
http://www.srimadbhagavatam.org/canto10/chapter16.html

Kadru: Kadru was wife of the great sage Kashyapa. She gave birth to a thousand
snakes that are considered to be ancestors of all snakes. Thus snakes are semi-divine
beings. Kadru once won a bet with sage Kashyap's other wife, Vinata. As a result,
Vinata had to serve Kadru as a maid. Vinata gave birth to a mighty son, Garuda, who
became the king of birds. He relieved his mother from Kadru's bondage by getting
Amrita (nectar) from the heavens. However, in the process, the Nagas became his
permanent enemies.
Uloopi: Once when Shree Arjun was bathing in river Ganga, Uloopi, the Naga princess,
spotted him. She was so impressed by his personality that she dragged him to her
kingdom under waters. Here, she proposed to Arjun who agreed to marry and live with
her for a year. At the end of the stipulated time, Arjun left Uloopi. Years passed but
Uloopi never saw Arjuna again. Meanwhile, she had befriended Babruvahan, Arjun's
son by his other wife, Chitrangada. Uloopi was an expert warrior and taught all the
skills to Babruvahan, who later became the king of Manipur. When Pandavas
performed the Ashvamedha sacrifice, Babruvahan stopped the sacrificial horse when it
entered his territory. According to the rules, he had to fight the army led by Arjun.
During the fight, Arjun fell unconscious to an arrow from Babruvahan. Uloopi then
rushed to the battlefield and summoned the magical gem of the Nagas and revived
Arjun. Arjun was happy to reunite with his wife and to see that his son was an
accomplished archer.
Karkotak: When King Nal lost his empire in a game of dice, he had to go into the jungle
along with his wife Damayanti. However, he could not bear to see his wife suffering
hardships and one night, he walked away, thinking that Damayanti will then be forced
to return to her parent's home. Nal then roamed alone in the jungles. One day, he
heard cries for help and saw a huge snake trapped in fire. Without caring for his own
life, Nal saved the snake, who was none other than the divine Karkotak. The snake
helped Nal to disguise himself so that he could win back his kingdom and reunite with
his wife.
The Son of Shree Hanumanji:- We hear that Shree Hanumanji had a son. Yes! I know
how it sounds. So here’s the katha. It seems that after Shree Hanumanji had set every
single building in Lanka to fire, Shree Hanumanji landed on the beach and
extinguished the flames on his tail with the sea water. The tail was slightly scorched
but that obviously didn't mean a thing to him. Shree Hanumanji took off at wind speed
toward Shree Raam's camp across the sea, unaware of his burnt skin that had traveled
through the sea into paatala loka and then to Naaga Loka (the land of the serpents). It
is here that there was a certain serpent maid who, having been brought up on a steady
dose of Shree Hanumanji and his exploits and was in obvious awe of Shree Hanumanji.
So smitten was she that she impregnated herself with Shree Hanumanji’s ansh (yes
DNA is not new people)! The Naags (the serpent race) are very advanced in genetic
technology. They can morph and shape themselves into anything. Years later, Shree

Hanumanji meets a young Naag who resembles him every respect. Just one thing. He's
a Naag!
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