The fifth day of Shukla paksha in the month of Shravan is also considered to be the birthday of the serpent. Naag's birthday, Naag Panchami, is considered equally by both Hindus and Buddhists.
On this day, there is a religious tradition of making a good picture of a naag from house to house or bringing a picture of it and pasting it on the door. In the past, it was customary for Guru Purohit to draw a picture of a naag on Bhojpatra and stick cow dung in the host's house and the priest would bless it. But in recent days, there have been fears that this religious originality will be lost.
In Hindu culture, it is believed that the image of a naag is affixed to the main door of the house and worshiped with white lotus flowers, milk, dung, offerings, curd, sandalwood, dubo, bel leaves, lava, kush, vermilion, shrikhand, sandalwood, akshata, and incense.
Since the naag deity loves fragrance, it is also customary to worship Shrikhand sandalwood in naag worship. There is a religious belief that by worshiping in this way and sticking a naag on the head of the door, there will be no lightning in the house, no fear of fire, snakes and scorpions, no cloud, fire, and thunder.
Worship of the naag is believed to bring wealth and prosperity, to destroy divine, material, and natural calamities and misfortunes, and to destroy yoga-like kalasarpa. It is customary to go to the pond where the snake lives and to the well with water.
On this day, in some places, it is customary to celebrate the processions by placing pictures of milk given to a naag in a chariot. Among them are Ghodenag of Bhachakhusi, Meenag of Tundikhel, Harina of Galkopakha South Thamel, Tekunag of Gateku, Jalnag of Itumbahal, Nagdhunga of Thankotpari, Nagpokhari of Naxal, Todah, ornaments of Kalpana of Pashupatinath, Vasukinag of Dhapakhem. Some worship Ashtakul, namely Ananta, Basuki, Padma, Mahapadma, Kulir, Takshak, Karkat, and Shankhanag.
It is believed that the rainy season ended and winter started from this date.
According to the Matsya Purana, while describing the ancient mountain races, Gandharva, Kinnar, Rakshas, Vidyadhar, Kimpurush, Yaksha, Khas, etc., along with the Naag races are also mentioned. The Puranas mention that the naag race is related to Shiva. On the day of Naag Panchami, worship the image of naags by sticking it on the left and right side of the main door so that there is no fear of lightning, thunder, and water. It is also written in the Garuda Purana that one can get rid of other divine calamities and gain wealth.
In the Narada Purana, there is a provision to wish peace and happiness by sitting in the brat of a naag to avoid the bite of a snake. According to Buddhist scriptures, heaven is associated with Manjushri Devkul, Matryalok is associated with Padmapani Bodhisattva, i.e. Nath of Narkul, and Patal Nagalok is associated with Nath of Bajrapani Nagkul. In this religion, the snake is viewed positively. In various Buddhist scriptures and Jataka stories, the naag is presented as a symbol of human well-being, kindness, wisdom, and immortality.
According to astrology, the lord of Panchami Tithi is Nagdevata. It is believed that one does not have to visit the site to do good deeds on the day of Naag Panchami. There is a religious belief that if a naag deity resides in the land while constructing a house, one can get rid of the snake defect by worshiping the naag properly.
According to astrology, those who have the fault of Rahu and Ketu in the horoscope, worship Lord Shiva and the naag deity on the day of Nag Panchami and chant the mantra, it is believed that the effect of the fault of Rahu and Ketu will be removed. Yoga is important in astrology. There are four thousand 35 yogas in astrology, good and bad. Of these, 63 percent are good and 37 percent are bad.
One of the two worst places is yoga, Kalsarpa Yoga. Due to this, astrologers believe that human beings get only 30 percent of the good results that they should get from other good yogas. Therefore, it is customary to worship Kalsarpa Yoga on this day to calm it down.
The naag also has scientific significance. Scientists have confirmed that naags absorb the toxins in nature and do not allow humans and other species to be affected by the toxins. Similarly, naags have a special role in environmental protection. Scientific facts have also come out that the use of naags can be used to make medicine for deadly diseases like cancer.
Naag Panchami also has scientific significance as there are snakes(naags) on the earth so that human beings can live and stay healthy and the balance of the bird world can be found. Snakes(naags) clean our environment. The ecosystem in snakes is very strong. So the environment around us is clean. Snakes eat rats, insects, etc. which keeps the ecosystem strong. That is why it has scientific significance.
In Hindu mythology, the snake(naag) represents a variety of qualities. Somewhere in the scriptures, it is depicted as an incarnation of a deity. Since Lord Shiva wears a snake(naag) garland and Lord Vishnu sleeps on the water under the canopy of the remaining serpent, both gods are considered as snakes(naags). Lord Ganesha, who has the right of first worship, has a snake(naag) in one hand.
Sri Ramachandra's brother Laxman and Krishna's brother Balaram, who is incarnated as Lord Vishnu, are also considered incarnations of Sheshnag. In the same way, since an excellent statue of a snake(naag) has been made in the statues of Sheshashai Vishnu, it is clear from the statue of Seshashai Vishnu in Budhanilkantha even today.
Therefore, the importance of the snake(naag) is important from religious, social, scientific, and all points of view. The tradition of considering the serpent(naag) as the presiding deity of rain and crops is not limited to Nepal and India but has also affected some European countries. It is believed that the snake is not only a snake but also a species of human.
The culture of worshiping snakes(naags) as Nagpanchami has become the culture of the same snake-worshiping ancient castes. Pleased with this, Brahma told the human race that if they worship the serpent with reverence and devotion on this fifth day, evil will be averted and prosperity will be attained.
In Hindu society, snake(naag) worship is performed on the day of Shravan Shukla Panchami. Some people worship snakes because of their fear of snakes, scorpions, and other insects. In Hinduism, not only snake(naag) is worshipped but also overall nature is worshipped and is reflected as it has religious, cultural, and scientific significance.
