Nag Panchami Story

Nag Panchami falls on the fifth day of the waxing moon fortnight in the holy month of Sharavana. Hence the appellation’Panchami.’ It is a day devoted to the worship of Nagas or Snake Deities. Hinduism is replete with snakes that hold significance. Ananta and his brother Vasuki are closely associated with Vishnu ji and Bholey Nath Ji respectively. The serpent Kaliya terrorised those who crossed the River Yamuna till Lord Krishna subdued him. Mansa Devi is worshipped and the faithful believe that she protects against snake bites. Carvings of snakes are crafted in stone and placed beneath pipal trees or banyan trees, or adjacent to temples in South India. Snakes as Nagas or the snake gods command much respect, particularly cobras.

On the day of Nag Panchami, snakes are offered milk, flowers and rice. These are placed at locations where snakes abound. Ladies draw the images of snakes on doors at the entrance of the house to attract good vibes and ward off evil. Fasting and prayers for the protection from evil are offered.

With so much positivity in favour of snakes, why do we kill them? The answer is fear - of being bitten, and suffering the consequences. Except in the month of Shravana when snakes are not harmed. This is irrational as snakes are more afraid of humans and prefer to avoid a confrontation. A snake will slither out of the way, rather than face a human. When it perceives a threat it strikes. The consequences for both are disastrous.

Snakes prey on rodents, frogs, lizards and are essential friends of man as they deplete agricultural pests. The significance of Nag Panchami, religion apart, is a strong message of conservation of snakes, as a world without snakes would be poorer. The rodent population would increase phenomenally. With this the diseases transmitted by them would increase - there would be a lot more leptospirosis, hantavirus and plague. Ecological changes would wreak terrible havoc across multiple layers of the food chain. The effect on humans would be reduction of food and worsening poverty.

The ancients had figured all this out long ago and preached the message of living in harmony with nature, rather than in antagonism. The festival of Nag Panchami dovetails neatly into this philosophy.

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