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. Nagpanchami falls on August 9, 2024, this year. People celebrate this day with great feelings and faith in the eight Gotra (clans) 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 pictures 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 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 Nag Panchami if they make 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 play in protecting the environment. The snakes absorb toxins from the atmosphere and provide fresh air to humans. There is also the scientific fact of the use of snakes as 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 and 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 in 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, and all snakes other than Taqsha were burned out by such a powerful fire. However, the Taqsha sent Indra to heaven and came 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 received 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, are also considered the incarnations of Shishnag, king of the serpent.
The Nagpanchami festival is a blend of spirituality, culture, and ecological awareness, honoring the relationship between humans and nature.
