GOOD MORNING.......HAPPY NAGARA PANCHAMI Naga Panchami is one of the most ancient fasts in India and also finds mention in the Puranas. It is believed to be one of the most auspicious days of the entire year. According to the Bhavishya Purana, when men bathe the snakes Vasuki, Takshaka, Kaliya, Manibhadra, Airavata, Dhritarashtra, Karkotaka and Dhananjaya with milk, on the fifth day of the bright fortnight of Shriven, they ensure freedom from danger for their families. As per a legend, on the day of Naga Panchami, ploughing a field is forbidden. There are a number of legends associated with Naga pancahmi. One has it that on this day, while tilling his land, a farmer accidentally killed some young serpents. The mother of these serpents took revenge by biting and killing the farmer and his family, except one daughter, who happened to be praying to the Nagas. This act of devotion resulted in the revival of the farmer and the rest of his family. Since then, Nag Panchami has been celebrated in India. It is believed that in reward for worship, snakes will never bite any member of the family. In India, snakes are so revered that temples have also been erected in their honor. There is a particularly famous one in Mysore, at a place called Subramania (Sheshnaga). The Naga culture was fairly widespread in India before the Aryan invasion, and continues to be an important segment of worship in certain areas. After the invasion, the Indo-Aryans incorporated the worship of snakes into Hinduism. The thousand-headed Ananta is Vishnus couch and also holds up the earth, while snakes play an ornamental role in the case of Shiva. Naga panchami is another form of honoring the snakes. In Dakshina Kannada, Naga is like a family deity… Each of the families have their Kutumba Bana (family Sacred Grove) where they visit one time of the year to anoint the Naga Kallu (Naga Stone) with turmeric, tender coconut water and milk. People travel miles together to reach their family groves to do the ritual. It also facilitates rejoining of families who have lost their ties in modernity…
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 01:54:13 +0000
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