Nag Panchami (नाग पंचमी): 7th August, 2016 (Sunday)

Reminder for Nag Panchami (नाग पंचमी): 7th August, 2016 (Sunday)

Nag Panchami Puja Muhurat = 05:49am to 08:28am
Duration = 2 Hours 38 Mins

According to Vedas, Kashyapa, son of Lord Brahma, the creator had four consorts and the third wife was Kadroo who belonged to the Naga race of the Pitru Loka and she gave birth to the Nagas; among the other three, the first wife gave birth to Devas, the second to Garuda and the fourth to Daityas.

Kadru was mother of one thousand Nagas. Some prominent names being Sesha,Vasuki, Takshaka, Anant, Kanwal, Karkotak, Kalia, Aswatar, Padma, Mahapadma, Shankh, Kulik, Pingal etc.

♥***LEGEND OF NAG PANCHAMI
In the Mahabharata epic story, Astika, the Brahmin son of Jaratkarus, who stopped the Sarpa Satra (Snake sacrifice) of Janamejaya, king of the Kuru empire who had ascended to the throne of Hastinapura upon the death of his father Parikshit who died of snakebite (Takshaka), is well documented.

Janamejaya bore a deep grudge against the serpents for this act, and thus decided to wipe them out altogether. He attempted this by performing a great Sarpa Satra – a sacrifice that would destroy all living serpents, to avenge for the death of his father Parikshit due to snake bite of Takshaka, the king of snakes. The day that the yagna (fire sacrifice) was stopped, due to the intervention of the Sage Astika, was on the Shukla Paksha Panchami day in the month of Shravan when Takshaka, the king of snakes and his remaining race at that time were saved from decimation by the Sarpa Satra yagna. Since that day, the festival is observed as Nag Panchami.

♥*** On the Nag Panchami day Nag, cobras, and snakes are worshipped with milk, sweets, flowers, lamps and even sacrifices. Images of Nag deities made of silver, stone, wood, or paintings on the wall are first bathed with water and milk and then worshipped with the reciting of the following mantras.–

अनंतो वासुकि शेषः पद्मनाभश्च कंबळः
शंखपालो धार्तराष्ट्र तक्षक काळियस्तथ
एतानि नव नामानि नागानां च महात्मानां
सायंकाले पठेन्नित्यं प्रातःकाले विशेषतः
तस्य विषभयं नास्ति सर्वत्र विजयी भवेत्

MEANING OF NAG PANCHAMI MANTRA : In this mantra, the nine important snakes that appear in the purana stories are listed out - Anant, Vasuki, Shesh, Padmanabh, Kambal, Shankhapal, Dhrutrashtra, Takshak and Kalia – if prayed daily in the morning will keep one protected from all evils and helps to become victorious in life.

And the snake is heralded as the reclining bed of Lord Mahavishnu (Padmanabha).

Typically, the puja is performed either in Nag temple or at home. During the puja, sankalpam is done for fast (vrat) and puja. The main part of the vrat is offering a holy bath to the Nag devta idol made of soil. Milk is the main material used for this holy bath. Sandal paste, turmeric and vermilion are applied on the idol. Offerings are done and camphor is waved in front of the idol. Fast is observed on this day and Brahmins are fed. The piety observed on this day is considered a sure protection against the fear of snake bite. At many places, real snakes are worshipped and fairs held. On this day digging the earth is taboo as it could kill or harm snakes which reside in the earth.

At the end of the puja Nag Gayatri Mantra is recited:

ॐ नव कुलाय विध्महे विषदन्ताय धी माहि
तन्नो सर्प प्रचोदयात ll

♥***MANASA DEVI IS ALSO WORSHIPED ON NAG PANCHAMI
Mansa Devi, is mentioned in Atharva Veda as a snake goddess, also worshipped on Nag Panchami mainly in Bengal and other parts of North and northeastern India, chiefly for the prevention and cure of snakebite and also for fertility and prosperity. Manasa is the daughter of sage Kashyapa and Kadru, sister of Vasuki, king of Nagas (snakes) and wife of sage Jagatkaru. She is also known as Vishahara (the destroyer of poison),

The Mahabharata tells the story of Manasa's marriage. Sage Jagatkaru practiced severe austerities and had decided to abstain from marriage. Once he came across a group of men hanging from a tree upside down. These men were his ancestors, who were doomed to misery as their children had not performed their last rites. So they advised Jagatkaru to marry and have a son who could free them of those miseries by performing the ceremonies. Vasuki offered his sister Manasa's hand to Jagatkaru. Manasa mothered a son, Astika, who freed his ancestors. Astika also helped in saving the Naga race from destruction when King Janamejaya decided to exterminate them by sacrificing them in his Yajna, fire offering.

ॐ ~ψ~ || नाग प्रीता भवन्ति शान्तिमाप्नोति बिअ विबोह्
सशन्ति लोक मा साध्य मोदते सस्थित समः || Let all be blessed by the snake goddess, let everyone obtain peace
Let all live peacefully without any turbulence || ~ψ~ ॐ