Nawada, Bihar: In Hindu culture, efforts have been made to establish sacred relations with animals, birds, trees and plants. For this reason, we also have a tradition of snake worship. Nag Panchami is a major festival of Hindus while other culture snakes are considered not so pure.
According to the Hindu calendar, Panchami of the Shukla Paksha(second half) of the month of Sawan is celebrated as Nag Panchami.
This year the festival of Nag Panchami will be celebrated on 21 August 2023, Monday. Monday is dedicated to Lord Shiva, so the importance of the festival of Nag Panchami has increased. On this day the worship of Nagdevta and Mahadev is important.
Pandit Vidyadhar says that this year Sawan Shukla Panchami Tithi will start on August 21, 2023 at 12.21 pm and will end on August 22, 2023 at 2 pm. In such a situation, Nag Panchami will be celebrated on August 21 only.
According to Pandit Vidyadhar, this year the auspicious time of Nagpanchami will be from 05.53 am to 08.29 am on June 21.
In Hinduism, the tradition of worshipping snakes has been going on for centuries. It is a belief that offering milk to the snake god on the day of Nag Panchami brings good fortune. On the day of Nag Panchami, the deity snakes named Anant, Vasuki, Padma, Mahapadma, Takshak, Kulir, Karkat, Shankha, Kalia and Pingal are worshipped. Offer water, milk, curd, honey, sugar on Shivling on this day. Keep in mind that water should be offered from a brass pot only.
For Nag Panchami worship, make a shape of a snake on both sides of the door of the house and offer it with ghee, milk and water. Along with this, worship duly with lamp, incense, garland, flowers etc. After this offer bhog of wheat, milk, paddy slag etc. By worshipping Nag Panjami, even the clans get freedom from snake defects.
According to religious belief, milk is offered to the serpent god on this day. It is believed that by doing this on this day one gets his blessings. Due to which it is believed to get freedom from defects like Kalsarp. That’s why snakes are considered worshipable in Hinduism. It is said that the serpent god is present somewhere in the vast form of each deity. Lord Shiva is wearing a snake necklace around his neck. Lord Ganesha is wearing a snake in the form of his sacred thread, while Lord Vishnu rests on the cot of the snake. Apart from this, the serpent god also had an important role during the churning of the ocean. In fact, it is believed that the earth rests on the hood of the serpent deity Sheshnag.
By the way, in the district, people celebrate the festival of Nag Panchami on Shravan Krishna Paksha Panchami and start the work of paddy planting. There is no worship on Shukla Paksha Panchami.
Apart from the religious beliefs, Nag Panchami festival is a proof of the deep relation humans have with nature and the deep rooted philosophy of coexistence with nature that western countries are now promoting as western and philosophy.
