Nepalese people have great respect for Nagapanchami Day which falls every year on the fifth day of the bright fortnight of Shravan (July) / Shravan Shukla Panchami. This year Nagpanchami falls on 21 August 2023. People celebrate this day with great feelings and faith in the eight Gotra (clan) of the Nagas, namely; Ananta, Basuki, Padma, Mahapadam, Taksar, Kulir, Karkat, and Shank Nag.
During Nagpanchami people wake up early in the morning and take a bath with precious water then make images of the serpent /Nag, Ganesh, and Kalash with cow dunk or white flour and worship. It is customary to visit serenely Naga’s, Pound, well, and Shiva temples and worship Serpent offering cow milk, sesame, barley, Doobo, and Kush (sacred grass) and burning Shrikhand (sandalwood) incense. It is said that the aroma of Shrikhand is the dearest thing of Nagadevata/Serpent. If we go to the nearby tree of Shrikhand, be too careful with the serpent.
Similarly, in this Puja (worship), there is a law to use white lotus flowers and Lava (parched paddy that is grown in the flower). Likewise, people draw the picture of Serpents and pass them at the main entrance of the house/door, offering Yogurt, Dubo, Kush, Sindur (a traditional vermilion red or orange-red colored cosmetic powder), Chandan, etc. for worship. People believe that there is no lighting in the house, no fear of firing, and snakes and other poisonous species from the worship of Nag on this day. This day is believed to have started the winter with the end of the rainy season.
Probably, you are wondering why you people are worshiping such venomous serpents.
According to astrological classical belief, Nag Panchami is an auspicious day to start any kind of new work or business. There is a religious belief that the Serpent will out of the newly built house by worshipping on Nag Panchami if they made the residents. This ritual is not a pretext for the law. Not superstition. It also has its own scientific significance.
Scientific research has proved that poisonous substances in nature are accepted by snakes, and make the environment clean. Snakes have a special role to protect the environment. The snakes absorb toxins from the atmosphere and provide fresh air to the Human. There is also the scientific fact of the use of snakes to become drugs for deadly diseases like cancer.
Therefore, we can survive and be healthy only if we have a snake. Not just people, but the balance of the whole world. Nag Panchami is celebrated to explain the glory of the serpent.
In the horoscope, those who are guilty of Rahu, Ketu also worship the religious lord Shiva today or chant the special mantra by worshiping the Nag deity and the religious belief that life will be relieved by the influence of Rahu and Ketu.
The real historical roots of the Nag Panchami are found in connection with the Mahabharata. The king named Parichhit was killed by the Taksha serpent. And his son Janmajay started the process of killing all the snakes of the world in retaliation for the death of his father, and for this, he started a great sacrifice. All the sages, saints, and scholars were invited to this Mahayagya, all snakes other than Taqsha were burnt out from such a powerful fire. However, the Taqsha asylum Indra to heaven and come back to Janmajay. Everyone is surprised to see this. Immediately, Astika the son of Mansdevi apologizes to Janamjaya for his father's death. All the serpents sacrificed in the sacrifice receive a rebirth.
Both Shiva and Vishnu are considered serpents, as Lord Shiva is wearing a garland of snakes and Vishnu is lying on the Serpent bedding on the water. Lord Ganesh, who has the right to first worship in Hinduism, has a snake in his hand. Shri Ramachandra's brother Lakshmana, who is considered an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and Balaram, Krishna's brother, is also considered the incarnation of Shishnag, king of the Serpent.
