Thread on Nag/Naagara Panchami
In the Vedic way of life, every single act from eating to sleeping has a spiritual significance. We have a number of festivals that are celebrated all through the year in which the Spiritual component is given the primary significance.
1/18
In the Vedic way of life, every single act from eating to sleeping has a spiritual significance. We have a number of festivals that are celebrated all through the year in which the Spiritual component is given the primary significance.
1/18
Every festival has something to offer for our spiritual growth. This festival is celebrated on Panchami (5th Day) of first half of the month ShrAvaNa in Lunar calendar. There is a reason why we celebrate this festival on this particular tithi of this particular month.
2/18
2/18
On this day, we see people go near an ant hill for doing puja & offer milk as nivedana, supposedly to the snake residing within. Some people even go as far as inviting snake charmers & pour milk on the poor snake. Is this the way Nag Panchami is supposed to be celebrated?
3/18
3/18
What Spiritual significance can there be in pouring milk over the snake, supposedly living in the ant hill?
Deterioration of Vedic Spiritual Knowledge -
In the recent times, knowledge behind why we do what we do has been lost, hence things have turned into mere rituals.
4/18
Deterioration of Vedic Spiritual Knowledge -
In the recent times, knowledge behind why we do what we do has been lost, hence things have turned into mere rituals.
4/18
When things are done mechanically without understanding the Spiritual knowledge behind it, there is no benefit from it & it is a matter of time for these acts to be termed superstition & disregarded. Let us examine the thought behind the action in observance of Nag Panchami
5/18
5/18
Decoding Naagara Panchami
Symbolism & Numerology play an important role in understanding the Spiritual essence of a Vedic festival. Let us take the word โNagaraโ. Beauty of Sanskrit is in itโs etymology. We can split the word & find the root meaning based on the context.
6/18
Symbolism & Numerology play an important role in understanding the Spiritual essence of a Vedic festival. Let us take the word โNagaraโ. Beauty of Sanskrit is in itโs etymology. We can split the word & find the root meaning based on the context.
6/18
Nagara =Na + Ga + Ra
โGaโ means Gati refers to final destination that is Moksha.โRaโ means Ramayate refers to enjoyment, meaning enjoying the journey towards Moksha.โNaโ in the beginning means the place where you donโt find enjoyment in the journey towards Moksha is Nagara.
7/18
โGaโ means Gati refers to final destination that is Moksha.โRaโ means Ramayate refers to enjoyment, meaning enjoying the journey towards Moksha.โNaโ in the beginning means the place where you donโt find enjoyment in the journey towards Moksha is Nagara.
7/18
This is why spirituality is insignificant when immersed in busy city life. We are relaxed & interested in spirituality while in calm places far from city. Here we are calm mentally & have much higher chance of indulging in ShravaNa (listen/read) & manana (contemplation).
8/18
8/18
The Serpentine Energy โ Spiritual Symbolism
In cities Large number of people work hard every day in building the city. Now letโs take a look at an ant hill.
Large number of ants work very hard in building an ant hill. After itโs built, snakes go & reside in the ant hill.
9/18
In cities Large number of people work hard every day in building the city. Now letโs take a look at an ant hill.
Large number of ants work very hard in building an ant hill. After itโs built, snakes go & reside in the ant hill.
9/18
As millions of people are working hard to build a city, question is what goes & resides in it. Here, it does not literally mean snakes will reside in the city. Here comes the spiritual symbolism. In the Vedic tradition Serpents symbolize a particular type of energy.
10/18
10/18
So what is this energy that comes & resides in the city? Letโs consider a serpent. Among the jnyAnendriyAs, it does not have ears, symbolizing the lack of ability for ShravaNa (Listen/Read โ Capture Spiritual Knowledge) which is the first step in the spiritual process.
11/18
11/18
Among the karmendriyAs, serpent does not have legs. Can't move around easily, symbolizing lack of movement in inner Spiritual journey. Serpentโs movement is zigzag. Every moment it is pointed in different direction. This symbolizes the continuous shift of focus & clarity.
12/18
12/18
The serpent also sheds skin. All of us who live in cities can relate to this. Every day we work hard towards satisfying some desire. Once itโs done there is another desire. This chain continues forever in our lives as our desires keep changing & increasing in city life.
13/18
13/18
After some time, if we look back, we feel that we wasted so much of energy on something that did not really matter, & again start a new journey towards something else that appears important. In the end when we look back at our lives, time would have gone by very quickly.
14/18
14/18
The question of the true purpose of life haunts many of us. This is the symbolism behind the serpent shedding skin and its zigzag movement. Many people in cities can relate to the presence of this serpentine energy in their lives.
15/18
15/18
Why offer Milk to Naga Devata?
The Vedic scriptures say that everything in the Universe is controlled through specific Devata Shaktis (Demi-God) by the Universal God. The Devata Shakti that has abhimAna (Control) over forces that exhibit Serpentine Energy is Naga Devata.
16/18
The Vedic scriptures say that everything in the Universe is controlled through specific Devata Shaktis (Demi-God) by the Universal God. The Devata Shakti that has abhimAna (Control) over forces that exhibit Serpentine Energy is Naga Devata.
16/18
Why offer Milk to Naga Devata?
In the Vedas, they use the symbol of a Cow as Veda Mata. The Cow milk symbolizes the pure Vedic Spiritual Knowledge.
17/18
In the Vedas, they use the symbol of a Cow as Veda Mata. The Cow milk symbolizes the pure Vedic Spiritual Knowledge.
17/18
During Nag/Naagara Panchami devotees offer Milk symbolizing Vedic Knowledge as nivedana to Naga Devata hoping that this Devata Shakti will bless us by reducing the intensity of Serpentine energy affecting us.
18/18
18/18
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