🌼 Nag Panchami 🌼

💐Nag Panchami Significance:💐

             Nag Panchami the Panchami of the bright half of the month of Shravan is when Vrat, or fasting, is celebrated. Paintings of “Nag” ought to be worshipped and placed on either side of the home’s entry, according to Garuda Purana. “Bhitti Chitre Nag Puja” is another name for this. Women provide Brahmins with food, laddoos, and kheer, a traditional delicacy made with rice, milk, and sugar. Snake charmers and snakes are also given similar food. 

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🍀Significance Of Milk on Nag Panchami Festival:🍀

           The Samudra Manthan is an important tale about giving milk to snakes that is still relevant today. A lethal toxin called alakatoom burst from the seas as devas and asuras searched for amrit. The entire cosmos could be destroyed by it. To save the universe, Lord Shiva took poison. His snakes ate the drips that dropped to the ground as he was drinking. To lessen the effects of poison, the Devtas gave snakes and Neelkantha Ganga Abhishek. Thus, the entire mythological process is represented by the nag panchami. 

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🌻 Naag Panchami Puja Vidhi:🌻 
               
           

                  The rules of worship on Naag Panchami are different for everyone; there are many beliefs. One type of Naag Panchami Puja Vidhi is given here: 

• First, one wakes up before sunrise and takes a bath. Wear clean clothes.  
  
  

• Everyone has different rules for food, and the offering is made according to them. In many houses, dal baati is made. In many people’s houses, kheer puri is made. In many people’s houses, making rice is considered wrong. Many families do not light the stove on this day, so they have a rule of eating stale food at home. In this way, everyone prepares the offering according to their own.  
  
  

• After this, for worship, a wall of the house is purified by applying ochre, which is a special stone. This wall is the entrance of many people’s houses and the kitchen wall of many. On this small part, a square box is made with a paste like Kajal made of coal and ghee. Small snakes are made inside this box. This type of shape is made and worshipped.  
  
  

• In many families, the shape of a snake is made of paper.  
  
  

• Many families make the shape of a snake with sandalwood at the entrance of the house and worship it.  
  
  

• After this worship, a snake charmer is brought to the house who has a snake in a basket, which has no teeth, and its poison has been removed. He is worshipped. He is offered rice, flowers, and kumkum and milk and food.  
  
  

• On this day, there is a tradition of feeding the snake milk. Also, donations are given to the snake charmers. 
   

• Many people free the snake from the snake charmer’s bondage by paying money on this day.  
  
  

• On this day, bamboo is also visited. The bamboo is the place where the snake lives. It is made of mud and has small holes in it. It looks like a mound.  
  
  

•  In this way, Nag Panchami is worshipped. Then everyone eats food together with family members.  

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🍀Mantras of Nag Panchami:🍀

 

सर्वे नागाः प्रीयन्तां मे ये केचित् पृथ्वीतले। 

ये च हेलिमरीचिस्था येऽन्तरे दिवि संस्थिताः॥ 

ये नदीषु महानागा ये सरस्वतिगामिनः। 

ये च वापीतडगेषु तेषु सर्वेषु वै नमः॥ 
 

sarve nāgāḥ prīyantāṃ me ye kecit pṛthvītale। 

ye ca helimarīcisthā ye’ntare divi saṃsthitāḥ॥ 

ye nadīṣu mahānāgā ye sarasvatigāminaḥ। 

ye ca vāpītaḍageṣu teṣu sarveṣu vai namaḥ॥ 

  
Mantra Translation – May the snakes who are staying in this world, sky, heaven, sunrays, lakes, wells, ponds etc. bless us and we all salute them. 

अनन्तं वासुकिं शेषं पद्मनाभं च कम्बलम्। 

शङ्ख पालं धृतराष्ट्रं तक्षकं कालियं तथा॥ 

एतानि नव नामानि नागानां च महात्मनाम्। 

सायङ्काले पठेन्नित्यं प्रातःकाले विशेषतः। 

तस्य विषभयं नास्ति सर्वत्र विजयी भवेत्॥ 

anantaṃ vāsukiṃ śeṣaṃ padmanābhaṃ ca kambalam। 

śaṅkha pālaṃ dhṛtarāṣṭraṃ takṣakaṃ kāliyaṃ tathā॥ 

etāni nava nāmāni nāgānāṃ ca mahātmanām। 

sāyaṅkāle paṭhennityaṃ prātaḥkāle viśeṣataḥ। 

tasya viṣabhayaṃ nāsti sarvatra vijayī bhavet॥ 

Mantra Translation – The names of nine Nag Devtas are Ananta, Vasuki, Shesha, Padmanabha, Kambala, Shankhapala, Dhritarashtra, Takshaka and Kaliya. If chanted regularly every day in the morning, it will keep you protected from all evils and make you victorious in life. 

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💐Conclusion 💐
              

           Nag Panchami is a festival that embodies devotion and reverence towards serpent deities. Through prayers, rituals, and fasting, devotees seek the blessings and protection of the serpent gods, ensuring the welfare and prosperity of their families. Whether through traditional offerings or regional variations, the essence of Nag Panchami remains a testament to the deep-rooted cultural and spiritual practices of Hinduism. 

             The Tale of King Janamajeya’s Sarpa Yagna emphasizes the importance of reverence and harmony with these creatures rather than hostility. The story serves as a reminder of the consequences of anger and the need for compassion towards all living beings, encouraging devotees to honor and protect snakes rather than seek their destruction. 

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