When the monsoons roll around in India, one can witness a quaint ritual among Hindus, which involves worshipping idols of snakes, pouring milk, and offering eggs at anthills (where snakes dwell). One can also see snake charmers on the streets in rural areas carrying live cobras in wicker baskets and seeking alms. These rituals are usually enacted in the Hindu lunar month of Sawan/Shravan (July-August), which is the monsoon season. Such rituals are commonplace during the festival of Naga Chaturthi, a festival of snake worship among Hindus in India. Other festivals related to snake worship include Nag Panchami and Nagula Chavithi.
The 4th day of the waxing moon (Shukla Paksha) is Naga Chaturthi. While ‘Naga’ denotes ‘snake’, Chaturthi is the 4th day of the lunar month. The festival comes a day before Nag Panchami and honors the Nag Devtas (Serpent gods and goddesses). It is celebrated mainly in North India, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. Some states celebrate it in the Tamil month of Karthigai (Nov-Dec).
Snake Worship in Different Cultures
In India, it is common for Hindus to worship animals like cows, elephants, and snakes. Westerners may look askance at such forms of snake worship, but a look at ancient history reveals that snake worship was common in many cultures, including those of Africa, Japan, Europe, the Americas, etc. One reason for this could be that before organized religions came into being, people worshipped the things that surrounded them in nature and had some relevance to their existence. This was called Animism, and it still exists in tribal communities.
The ancient Mesopotamians believed that snakes were immortal as they could shed their old skin for a new one. The Sumerians had a serpent god called Ningishzida. Snake cults existed in Canaan during the Bronze Age, before the Israelites arrived..
The ancient Egyptians worshipped the cobra, which was associated with the Sun god Ra and other deities. The serpent goddess Meretseger evoked both veneration and fear In many parts of Africa, the serpent is seen as the incarnation of deceased relatives. One important center of snake worship was the Kingdom of Dahomey (in present-day Benin),
The Hopi, an indigenous race in the Americas, worship the rattlesnake as the grandfather and king of snakes who gives fair winds and causes tempests. They worshipped the rattlesnake in the Natchez temple of the Sun.
In Cambodia, serpents, or nāgas, feature prominently in mythology. A popular story explains that the Khmer people emerged from the union of Indian and indigenous elements ( Nagas).
In India, snakes represent rebirth, death, and mortality, as they shed their skin and are symbolically “reborn”. In many parts of India, one can find carved representations of cobras or nagas. People offer food and flowers to them and light lamps before such shrines. Among some communities, if a cobra is accidentally killed, it is burned like a human being. A celibate priestess carries the serpent god’s image in an annual procession.
Bengalis worship the serpent goddess, Manasa. The Khasi tribe of Meghalaya also has a tradition of snake worship. People also worship Nagas in many parts of India, like Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. In a village called Sironja Gadariya in Katni district, MP, people worship the Naga as a god of their ancestry. They are mainly Brahmins who worship Shiva also.
In this village, people worship the snake deities during important ceremonies like birth, marriage, etc. They believe that snakes are their ancestors who have been cursed due to some wrong deeds.
Snakes or Nagas enjoy high status in Hindu mythology. Nāga is the Sanskrit word for a deity or being in the form of a very large snake in Hinduism and Buddhism. The term nāga may also refer to a human tribe called Nāgas, elephants, and ordinary snakes.
Significance of Naga Chaturthi
Women observe the Naga Chaturthi vrat or fast for the longevity and well-being of their husbands and children. Worshipping the snake deities on this auspicious day eliminates many negative effects in life.
Rituals of Naga Chaturthi
On this day, women arise early and take a head bath without any soap or shampoo. They observe vrat/fast for the entire day. The fast is from morning to evening. They take only light meals once a day. Others observe fast during the day and eat after sunset or after completing the Pooja.
Devotees offer prayers to snakes and offer milk and eggs at anthills or snake pits. During the Pooja, people offer incense sticks, fruits, and flowers. They also perform aarti.
The Pooja is done by women only. In Vedic astrology, the snake represents Rahu, a malefic planet, and worshipping snakes can reduce the effects of Rahu.
People also offer prayers at temples and bathe the idols of the snake deities with water and milk. They apply turmeric powder and dots of kumkum (vermilion powder) on the idols and offer agarbattis (incense sticks) and prasad.
Some also chant Mantras and Sarpa Suktam (hymns praising the Naga Devtas). These Mantras can help one gain the blessings of the nine important snake Gods – Ananta, Vasuki, Shesha, Padmanabha, Kambala, Dhritarashtra, Shankhapala, Takshaka, and Kaliya.
Worshipping the Nag Devtas on Naga Chaturthi can bring prosperity and wealth. Observing a fast on this day helps reduce the effects of Sarpa Dosha (Rahu affliction in the horoscope) that causes problems in one’s birth chart.
Nag Chaturthi 2023 is on August 20.
