Naga Darshan at Bhaktivedanta Ashram on Naga Panchami

Jahnava Nitai Das · 08-21-2007, 06:20 PM

From: http://www.bvashram.org/articles/138/1/

Dear friends and devotees,

Jaya Sita Rama. Please accept my humble pranams.

Quite unexpectedly, on the auspicious occassion of Naga Panchami (the traditional day for worshipping snakes and Nagas), a divine Naga appeared at our Sri Jagannatha temple in Bhadrak, to bless devotees.

The cobra was first seen early morning, around 5 a.m., inside the hollow of a Kadamba tree next to Sri Jagannatha's altar. At first the devotees could not identify that it was a Naga and thought to chase it away, as there are several other types of poisonous snakes in this area. There were many attempts to tap it softly with a long stick so that it would leave and not endanger anyone, but it did not react at all. Even after trying to chase the snake away for more than half an hour, repeatedly tapping it with a long pole, it remained silently coiled in the tree, completely ignoring attempts to get it to leave.

After many attempts, a 90 year old traditional snake expert came and confirmed that the snake was a Naga and would not harm anyone. He approached the tree and bowed his head against the opening in the tree, just inches away from the cobra. The cobra was not at all disturbed by his presence and did not react even though his head was just a few inches from the snake.

He informed us that today was Naga Panchami, and that this snake must not be an ordinary snake. Frank incense was then brought to offer to the snake to see if it was truly a Naga. As soon as the large pot of frank incense (sambrani/jhuna) was offered to the snake, it immediately stood up and opened it's hood wide, making a large hissing sound. After a few minutes it again lowered its hood and sat silently inside the Kadamba tree, sitting peacefully throughout the entire day and night.

As word spread, more than 1,000 villagers arrived throughout the day and night, bringing offerings of milk and deepams, to receive the blessings of the Naga. In Orissa, Nagas are considered as signs of Lord Shiva (Akandalamani). With the recent installation of Sri Vimala Devi (Durga), the Naga is seen by the villagers as the divine presence of her husband Lord Shiva.

By nightfall, when the temple was closed, the Naga was still sitting inside the hollow of the Kadamba tree. The next morning when priests went to awaken the deities of Lord Jagannatha, the Naga was no longer present. He came only for the occassion of Naga Panchami, and sat silently the entire day and night to give darshan to all of the visiting devotees.

In Lord Jagannatha's temple in Puri, Nagas are said to guard the deity's treasure chamber. Below the temple there are secret rooms that no one is allowed to enter, and these are used to store the Golden Dress (Suna Vesh) as well as many other jewels that belong to the deity. These chambers are filled with divine Nagas who guard the Lord's treasury. Only one person will be allowed to enter this treasury, and he can do so only after fasting, performing specific austerities, and offering prayers. Once the nagas have been satisfied, the pujari is then allowed safe passage to collect Lord Jagannatha's jewels and dresses. Thus the celestial Nagas have been tied to the service of Lord Jagannatha for thousands of years.

Yours in service,

Jahnava Nitai Das,
Bhaktivedanta Ashram &
Bhaktivedanta International Charities
http://www.bvashram.org
http://www.foodrelief.org

[ Devotees offering milk to the divine Naga on Naga Panchami ]

Guruvani · 08-21-2007, 06:45 PM

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: The Nectar of Instruction 4 purport,

Quote:

There is no benefit in feeding a snake milk and bananas because the snake will never be satisfied. On the contrary, by taking milk and bananas the snake simply becomes more poisonous (kevalaḿ viṣa-vardhanam). If a snake is given milk to drink, it's poison simply increases.

Guruvani · 08-21-2007, 06:47 PM

There is a story about a cobra that entered a Gaudiya Matha temple and Srila Saraswati Thakur orderd the brahmacaries there to take a stick and kill it.

Guruvani · 08-21-2007, 07:05 PM

But, if the snake doesn't have to be killed and goes away, then that seems to me like a better result.

Poison givers are one of the invaders that are authorized by Vedic injunction to be killed.

Killing snakes is not forbidden in Vedic culture.

In many parts of the world snakes are killed and eaten for food.

Murali_Mohan_das · 08-21-2007, 07:28 PM

Well, let's (you and I) be very careful not to give poison here on the forums, eh?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guruvani

But, if the snake doesn't have to be killed and goes away, then that seems to me like a better result.

Poison givers are one of the invaders that are authorized by Vedic injunction to be killed.

Killing snakes is not forbidden in Vedic culture.

In many parts of the world snakes are killed and eaten for food.

Guruvani · 08-21-2007, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murali_Mohan_das

Well, let's (you and I) be very careful not to give poison here on the forums, eh?

Nectar is poison to some, so you can't please all the people all the time.
The Vedas are refering to poisonous creatures, not people who don't buy into organized aparadha.

Jahnava Nitai Das · 08-21-2007, 07:51 PM

There are two classification of snake like beings, the sarpa and the naga. Sarpa refers to snakes and nagas refer to celestial demigods who also possess snake like bodies.

Krishna speaks seperately of each in the Gita (10.29, 10.28):

anantas casmi naganam
varuno yadasam aham
pitrnam aryama casmi
yamah samyamatam aham

"Of the celestial Naga snakes I am Ananta; of the aquatic deities I am Varuna. Of departed ancestors I am Aryama, and among the dispensers of law I am Yama, lord of death."

ayudhanam aham vajram
dhenunam asmi kamadhuk
prajanas casmi kandarpah
sarpanam asmi vasukih

"Of weapons I am the thunderbolt; among cows I am the surabhi, givers of abundant milk. Of procreators I am Kandarpa, the god of love, and of serpents I am Vasuki, the chief."

Among the Nagas Lord Krishna is represented by Ananta, and among the snakes (sarpas) He is represented by Vasuki.

Killing of Nagas is always prohibited in the scriptures, and in Vedic astrology "Naga Dosha" is considered one of the geat sinful afflictions in a chart. Naga Dosha is the result of having killed a Naga in a previous life.

In one conversation Srila Prabhupada speaks of his own experience with a snake:

Prabhupada: There was a snake. He was living under my bed. So you know katiya (?) The rope, katiya? So I saw something is hanging like snake tail. So I called my servant, "There must be some snake. Some tail is hanging." So the servant, they called all their friends. They came with stick, about a dozen. And as soon as the mattress was taken, there was snake. So I told them, "Don't kill it. No, no." "Nei saheb, yei nei hatya." (?) Ah, immediately killed.

"Do not kill it", that is the compassion of a saintly person. In India there are countless scorpions and snakes. You can either spend your time killing them out of envy, or you can learn to see Krishna in them like the Gita reminds us. Even though the Bhagavatam says modeta sadhur api vriscika-sarpa-hatya ("...even saintly persons take pleasure in the killing of a scorpion or a snake..."), the same Bhagavatam says:

mrigoshtra-khara-markakhu-
sarisrip khaga-makshikah
atmanah putravat pasyet
tair esham antaram kiyat

"One should treat animals such as deer, camels, asses, monkeys, mice, snakes, birds and flies exactly like one's own son. How little difference there actually is between children and these innocent animals."

Srila Prabhupada has also stated on many occasions the same point:

Prabhupada: And in the Vedic conception of grihastha, householder, it is recommended there that a householder shall see that even a lizard living in the room or even a snake living in that house should not starve.

Prabhupada: Even there is a snake in the house, the householder is to see whether the snake has got his food.

Prabhupada: Even there is a snake—nobody likes snake—but a Vedic householder has to call the snake and give him food. He also may not remain hungry.

Prabhupada: Even a snake is there, he should not also starve. He must have food.

Prabhupada: Srimad-Bhagavatam instructs that even if there is a snake or lizard in the house, it is the duty of the householder to see that they are also eating, not starving.

Prabhupada: According to our Vaisnava philosophy even a snake or lizard is in the house shall not go without eating, what to speak of other living entities. The communists have an idea for feeding human society, but our idea is expanding. We want to see even a snake not fasting.

So over all:

1) We need to first understand the distinction between sarpa (snake) and naga. Nagas are never to be killed according to scripture. Killing a Naga brings great misfortune in this life and the next.

2) Both sarpas and nagas should remined us of Lord Krishna as mentioned in Gita.

3) Even the snakes should be shown compassion and treated as our own children, as mentioned in the Srimad Bhagavatam

4) From the personal example of Srila Prabhupada we see how he wanted compassion to be shown to a snake living under his bed.

I have heard a similar story of Gour Govinda Maharaja having three giant scorpions living under his bed (the size of your hand). This was 30 years ago when he was mostly alone in his hut. One devotee was cleaning his room and came across the scorpions. He panicked and went to Maharaj saying that he was cleaning the room and he came across these monster scorpions and he needed to get them out. Gour Govinda Maharaja replied, "Oh yeah, them. They have also been living in my room. They don't bother me. You can let them be there."

Maharaja could have quoted the verse from the Bhagavatam about how delighted saintly people become when they kill scorpions and snakes. But the reality is saintly people don't become delighted when scorpions and snakes are killed. It is a poetic verse meant to show how the world looks on envious demons like Hiranyakashipu. It is not a license for vaishnavas to go scorpion hunting and snake hunting.

I have seen cases where devotees enthusiastically have killed snakes, and I didn't see anything gained out of it. Rather I could feel it was an act of anger and passion due to a low level of consciousness. You have to first see Krishna in their hearts before you have any right to act in any way. If you can't see Krishna in the heart of an animal or human, then you shouldn't be interacting with them at all untill your consciousness is raised.

Jahnava Nitai Das · 08-21-2007, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Poison givers are one of the invaders that are authorized by Vedic injunction to be killed.

The actual Vedic injunction is that one who has administered poison may be killed. Of course this is an injunction in regards to humans, which is obvious from the other 5 injunctions that go with it. (one who steals your wife, one who sets fire to your house, one who attacks with deadly weapons, one who plunders riches...) These all refer to humans voluntarily hurting other humans, and thus they are fit to be punished.

Regardless, the injunction refers to one who has administered poison, not to one who has the potential to administer poison. If that was the case, for the other injunctions you would have to kill anyone who simply possessed a deadly weapon, regardless of whether they planned to use it against anyone or not.

Kulapavana · 08-22-2007, 07:39 AM

Nagas often take form of snakes when they come here to our world. There are many contemporary examples of Nagas visiting our world reported from various countries and continents.

Those who respect the Nagas are not bothered by ordinary snakes. When Naga appears, it is possible to communicate with them on the level of ether (through thoughts) - it is one of the signatures of Naga's presence.

Thank you for the great story JN Prabhu!

guru · 08-22-2007, 08:55 AM

Jaya Jagannatha!
Jaya to the most compassionate Srila Prabhupada!

daas ka daas · 08-22-2007, 01:19 PM

Jai Swaminarayan
Jai Jaggannath

Killing if Naag is definatley a huge sin. Naags are divine and spiritual.

Guruvani · 08-22-2007, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daas ka daas

Naags are divine and spiritual.

I don't agree that they are "divine and spiritual".
The story is that they are from another planet.
The Serpentine beings come from the subterranean heavens.
Lord Siva himself has a planet in the Subterranean realm.

That planet is Vitalaloka.

Quote:

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.24.17

tato 'dhastād vitale haro bhagavān hāṭakeśvaraḥ sva-pārṣada-bhūta-gaṇāvṛtaḥ prajāpati-sargopabṛḿhaṇāya bhavo bhavānyā saha mithunī-bhūta āste yataḥ pravṛttā sarit-pravarā hāṭakī nāma bhavayor vīryeṇa yatra citrabhānur mātariśvanā samidhyamāna ojasā pibati tan niṣṭhyūtaḿ hāṭakākhyaḿ suvarṇaḿ bhūṣaṇenāsurendrāvarodheṣu puruṣāḥ saha puruṣībhir dhārayan

The next planet below Atala is Vitala, wherein Lord Śiva, who is known as the master of gold mines, lives with his personal associates, the ghosts and similar living entities. Lord Śiva, as the progenitor, engages in sex with Bhavānī, the progenitress, to produce living entities, and from the mixture of their vital fluid the river named Hāṭakī is generated. When fire, being made to blaze by the wind, drinks of this river and then sizzles and spits it out, it produces gold called Hāṭaka. The demons who live on that planet with their wives decorate themselves with various ornaments made from that gold, and thus they live there very happily.

The Nagas have been rated as an asura species in Srimad Bhagavatam.

Quote:

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 5.24.31

tato 'dhastāt pātāle nāga-loka-patayo vāsuki-pramukhāḥ śańkha-kulika-mahāśańkha-śveta-dhanañjaya-dhṛtarāṣṭra-śańkhacūḍa-kambalāśvatara-devadattādayo mahā-bhogino mahāmarṣā nivasanti yeṣām u ha vai pañca-sapta-daśa-śata-sahasra-śīrṣāṇāḿ phaṇāsu viracitā mahā-maṇayo rociṣṇavaḥ pātāla-vivara-timira-nikaraḿ sva-rociṣā vidhamanti

SYNONYMS
tataḥ adhastāt — beneath that planet Rasātala; pātāle — on the planet known as Pātāla; nāga-loka-patayaḥ — the masters of the Nāgalokas; vāsuki — by Vāsuki; pramukhāḥ — headed; śańkha — Śańkha; kulika — Kulika; mahā-śańkha — Mahāśańkha; śveta — Śveta; dhanañjaya — Dhanañjaya; dhṛtarāṣṭra — Dhṛtarāṣṭra; śańkha-cūḍa — Śańkhacūḍa; kambala — Kambala; aśvatara — Aśvatara; deva-datta — Devadatta; ādayaḥ — and so on; mahā-bhoginaḥ — very addicted to material happiness; mahā-amarṣāḥ — greatly envious by nature; nivasanti — live; yeṣām — of all of them; u ha — certainly; vai — indeed; pañca — five; sapta — seven; daśa — ten; śata — one hundred; sahasra — one thousand; śīrṣāṇām — of those possessing hoods; phaṇāsu — on those hoods; viracitāḥ — fixed; mahā-maṇayaḥ — very valuable gems; rociṣṇavaḥ — full of effulgence; pātāla-vivara — the caves of the Pātāla planetary system; timira-nikaram — the mass of darkness; sva-rociṣā — by the effulgence of their hoods; vidhamanti — disperse.

TRANSLATION
Beneath Rasātala is another planetary system, known as Pātāla or Nāgaloka, where there are many demoniac serpents, the masters of Nāgaloka, such as Śańkha, Kulika, Mahāśańkha, Śveta, Dhanañjaya, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Śańkhacūḍa, Kambala, Aśvatara and Devadatta. The chief among them is Vāsuki. They are all extremely angry, and they have many, many hoods — some snakes five hoods, some seven, some ten, others a hundred and others a thousand. These hoods are bedecked with valuable gems, and the light emanating from the gems illuminates the entire planetary system of bila-svarga.

So, I am not of the school that Nagas are "divine and spiritual" beings.

Guruvani · 08-22-2007, 05:31 PM

But, if a Vaishnava has a temple in a part of India where Nagas are considered holy, then as a preaching device he might play off of the Naga legend for the purpose of attracting Naga worshipers to the movement of Mahaprabhu - The Golden Avatar.

That is very wise and very pragmatic and I find no fault in that.