Naga Panchami is to be celebrated on the 9th of August in 2024.
Naga Panchami is a popular festival in India and Nepal. It falls on the 5th day of the ascending moon fortnight (shukla paksha) in Shravana month. Snakes are worshiped on this day.
People keep celibacy on this day and worship snakes offering them flowers and milk.
They eat vegetarian food, visit temples, and maintain pureness of body and mind throughout this day in reverence of Manasa Devi and Shiva. Lord Shiva wears a snake on his neck. Lord Vishnu is depicted sleeping on Adi Seshu, a huge and noble serpent.
The Story of Snakes & Takshaka
Snakes are believed to be the children of Kadruva, a wife of Kashyapa Prajapati, per legends. Takshaka, Vasuki, etc. were famous among them. Another wife of Kashyapa was Vinata who gave birth to Garuda, the carrier of Lord Vishnu. Kashyapa Prajapati's noble wife Aditi gave birth to the angels like Indra, Surya, Chandra, Agni, etc. Another wife, Diti, gave birth to the demons.
Manasa Devi is the protector of snakes. So, snakes are considered Gods and worshiped as such by the devotees on this day. They are believed to be deities of the Naaga Lok (Paatal Lok).
There is a story behind the celebration of this festival.
After the great war of Mahabharata was over, Parikshit (Grandson of Arjuna) was born to Abhimanyu and Uttara. He was a renowned and powerful king. One day when he was on his usual horse ride along with his attendants through the forests, he gets tired and thirsty. So he went to the hermitage of a sage (named Samika, perhaps), and requested for water. But, the sage was in deep meditation and didn't notice his presence. Parikshit felt frustrated and threw a snake over his neck and returned. The sage's son got angry and cursed him to be bitten by a snake.
Due to the influence of the curse, Parikshit dies bitten by a powerful snake called Takshaka. As Parikshit was residing in a single-towered building amid the sea, Takshak entered the building through the fruits carried by his attendants who were taking care of his security. So, Parikshit's son organized a ritual of Snake Sacrifice to avenge his father's death.
In that sacrificial ritual, while the priests were uttering mantras, the snakes began to fall into the sacrificial fire, one by one. Most of the snakes get killed in that sacrifice. Fearing death, Takshaka runs to Indra for help. Indra was afraid and did not want to help him. The mantras were getting powerful and began to drag Takshaka towards the fire. So, Takshaka coils himself around Indra and holds him tightly. But, the power of the mantras is so strong that even Indra gets dragged toward the fire. Fearing calamity, the angels along with Brahma go to Manasa Devi, the Goddess of Snakes, and pray for the stoppage of the sacrificial ritual. She sends her son Astika to impress Janamejaya with his knowledge and thereby get the sacrifice stopped. Janamejaya is a great scholar and he admires the astounding wisdom of Astika. He asks him to seek something worthy of him as a gift. Astika seeks for the stoppage of the ritual and Janamejaya could not refuse because he is a keeper of his words. Thus, the Sarpa Yaga (the sacrificial ceremony) was stopped.
From that day, Snakes were regarded as forms of angels. This incident took place on a Panchami Day of the Shravana (month). So, snakes were worshiped each year on this day remembering Manasa Devi and Takshaka.
Takshaka was only an instrument in the death of Parikshit as it was fate. Nobody can escape fate. So, the Sacrificial Ceremony performed by Janamejaya was unwarranted.
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