Nag Panchami 2024: Meaning, Significance and Rituals!

The Nag Panchami 2024 is around the corner. Did you know about the festival that honours snakes? In India, there is a festival that does exactly that, and it is known as Nag Panchami.

People seek blessings from snakes and snake dieties for their well-being and their families. Let’s learn more about it.

Nag Panchami 2024: Date and Time

Nag panchami 2024 date: 09 August 2024 (Friday)
Naga Panchami 2024 Puja Muhurat: 06:14 AM to 08:50 AM
Tithi Begins: 12:36 AM on Aug 09, 2024 (Friday)
Tithi Ends: 03:14 AM on Aug 10, 2024 (Saturday)

What is Nag Panchami?

Nag Panchami, the festival of snakes, is also called Nagula Panhami or Nagara Panchami. The word ‘Nag’ means ‘snakes’, whereas ‘Panchami’ means ‘the fifth day’ as the festival falls on the Panchami tithi of the Shukla Paksha of the auspicious lunar month of Shravan.

During Nag Panchami, snakes leave their houses searching for new ones. This is because monsoon rain fills their caves with water. Therefore, people offer prayers and offerings to snakes and deities, conduct pujas, and chant various mantras to seek the blessings of snake gods.

Nag Panchami 2024: Significance

The significance of the Nag Panchami festival relates to Lord Krishna’s victory over Kalia Nag. Let’s read about this mythology in detail.

The Legend of Nag Panchami

Kalia Nag was causing havoc in Vrindavan by releasing its venom into the river Yamuna. Krishna, in his Baal form, defeated Kaliya and left his footprints on his head. Therefore, Nag Panchami celebrates Kaliya’s transformation and Lord Krishna’s divine qualities. Additionally, Nageshwar coils three times around Lord Shiva’s neck.

The serpent deity represents the three phases of time, and the coils around Shiv Ji’s neck represent his nature of overcoming ego and governing it. This day is the day to worship the Naga gods and seek their blessings. Therefore, people perform various rituals to please the snake gods and pray for their eternal support.

Also Read: Margashirsha Purnima 2023: Significance, Rituals And Vrat Katha

How to Celebrate Nag Panchami 2024

Every festival is incomplete without its interesting rituals. In India, each festival is celebrated differently in each state. However, there are certain common rituals that people perform in order to make these festivals even more spiritual.

1. Preparations of Pooja

To begin with, let’s talk about the Nag Panchami Pooja preparations. On this auspicious day, people gather with their families to perform poojas honouring the snake gods. To prepare for this, people wake up early in the morning in Brahma Muhurat. Furthermore, they clean their houses and set up an altar for the snake gods.

2. Preparing Offerings for Nag Dev

Preparing the offering is one of the most important parts of the Nag Panchami Pooja. People prepare a mix of milk, honey, jaggery, gangajal and other holy ingredients to make Panchamrit. Panchamrit is a holy liquid that we offer to gods and then consumed by the family members as prasad.

3. Nag Panchami Vrat

Vrats are a famous way of showing love and devotion to our beloved deities. On the Nagara Panchami festival, people observe a day-long fast. They either do not eat for the entire day or only eat fruits. Afterwards, they break the fast by eating the prasad offered to the Naga gods.

4. Naga Panchami Rangoli

Nag Panchami Rangoli is a fun and interesting aspect of the Nag Panchami celebrations. On Nagula Panchami, people make rangolis in their homes. The rangolis are graceful drawings that we made with turmeric or Chandan and flowers. Some people also make the five-faced naga at the entrances of their houses.

5. Naga Panchami Pooja

To perform the Nag Panchami Pooja at home, people keep idols or photos of Nag devta on their altars. They light a diya and keep it towards the right of the murti or photo, offering Ganga Jal, rice, and Sindur to the gods. You can recite the Nag Panchami Mantra.

Also Read: Kali Chaudas 2023: Understanding The Significance And Rituals

Nag Panchami 2024: Story

According to Hindu mythology, the legend of Nagula Panchami goes back to the epic Mahabharata. The epic says that there was a king named Takshak. Takshak is one of the incarnations of the snake deities, and many people offer prayers to him. Once, Arjun’s grandson Parikshit threw a dead snake at lord Takshaka, which angered the serpent God and, therefore, led to his demise.

1. The Father’s death and rage for revenge

King Parikshit has a son named Janamejaya. Janamyejaya was devastated upon learning about his father’s demise. Therefore, he decided to perform a yagna to sacrifice snakes for revenge. He gathered many priests and started performing the Yagyas. The power of the yagya forced snakes to come out of their houses. Afterwards, all of them were burnt in the fire of the yagya.

The effect of this ritual reached Takshak, too. To avoid getting into the holy fire, Takshak wrapped his body around Lord Indra’s bed. This led to both of them being dragged into the Yagna. The gods were distressed, and hence, they went to goddess Manas to ask for her help.

2. Astik Saved the Snakes

The motherly goddess had a son named Astik, who was a great sage. Therefore, Astik went to convince Janamejaya to stop the Yagya. He explained that killing innocent snakes would not bring him any good. Astik’s immense knowledge deeply touched Janamejaya, and therefore, he stopped the Yagna. As a result, he saved many snakes from the sacrifice, and Nag Panchami is the day to celebrate this mythology event.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is Nag Panchami is an auspicious day?

Yes! Nag Panchami is an extremely auspicious day. It is a time to gather with your family and pray to the serpent gods to ask for their blessings for harmony and fortune in your life.

2. What to avoid on Nag Panchami?

You should pay attention to not harming a single living organism on this day. Therefore, many people do not consume leafy vegetables on Nag Panchami. Furthermore, you should not cut trees or dig the ground as it may harm snakes residing there.

3. Do we eat rice on Nag Panchami?

Yes, rice is a popular offering for Nag Devta. Many households prepare various items of rice to offer to the deities on this day. Therefore, after offering it to the gods, you can consume rice.

4. What are the rules for Nag Panchami?

There are various traditions that people across India follow during Nagula Panchami. However, you should not consume any non-vegetarian food, fried or salty food and keep a fast till sunrise to sunset to gain maximum benefits.

5. What is the benefit of Nag Panchami?

There are countless benefits of Nag Panchami. Performing a vrat and Puja on Nagula Panchami gives one relief from Kaal Sarp Dosha in their Kundli. Furthermore, snakes have been the protectors in Hindu mythology, so performing these rituals gives you protection against evil.