Snakebite Culture Series: a look at the role of the serpent in Hinduism

Credit: Times of India

The first instalment of our Snakebite Culture Series presented a positivistic and potted overview of attitudes toward snakes and why humans may or may not hold feelings of fear, ambivalence, and wariness towards them. This time, we take a closer look at the role of the serpent in worship and its practice in Hinduism.

Every year, Naag Panchami is celebrated across predominantly India and Nepal in accordance with the Hindu calendar. This translates in the Gregorian calendar as falling around the months of July and August. The festival is deemed as ‘highly auspicious and is one of the significant days in Hindu religion’ where Hindus venerate both serpent gods and living snakes.

In the context of culture and religion, Nāgas are prominent Hindu deities and assume often cobra-like forms. In both ancient and modern depictions, they are often ‘real’ snakes ‘i.e., members of the animal kingdom – only bigger, shape-shifting or multi-headed and, curiously, thirsty for milk’. A common practice is therefore to offer milk, fruits and flowers to serpent gods and snakes in return for ‘health, wealth and prosperity of their family members.’ The potentially fatal effect this can have on living snakes has not gone unnoticed.

The manner in which Nāgas are engaged with by worshipers is in fact very broad; one ethnographer has noted that devotees’ engagement with these deities is more or less as pluralistic as there are number of interviews conducted. Accordingly, there are a number of tales proffered to account for the festival’s origin.

There are a number of prescriptions for religious observers: fasting on the day will ensure that devotees are protected from the fear of snakebite; recitation of Naag Panchami mantras (below); and anything that may harm a serpent (such as ploughing or cutting of trees) is prohibited.

It is also customary to recite one of many mantras: ‘all the snakes who are staying in this world, sky, heaven sun-rays, lakes, wells, ponds etc. bless us, we all bow to you.’

Visit hamishogstonfoundation.org/snakebite for more information on our support of snakebite research as well as our Snakebite Awareness Day Competition 2020.