Naag Panchami

Naag Panchami festival is celebrated by worshiping the snake on the Panchami date of Shravan Shukla Pakchya. On this day, Naags/snakes are worshiped in every house and milk, curd, white-rice, flowers, couch-grass (bermudagrass), with a coin are kept in the picture of the snake and pasted on the door or onto the door lintels of the house with the help of cow dung. There are eight families of snakes including Ananta, Vasuki, Padma, Mahapadma, Takshak, Kulir, Karkat, and Sankha. There is a religious belief that worshiping these eight families of snakes and pasting a picture of them on the main door will not cause lightning, fire, and no fear of snakes in the house. According to astrology, the lord of Panchami Tithi is the snake god. He lives in the land. There is a belief that plowing and digging of foundations should not be done on the day of Naag Panchami as there is a possibility of hurting and suffering the snakes while doing so.

On the day of Naag Panchami, special worship of snake is done. On this day, for the pleasure of the snake deity, it is customary to fast all day and offer kheer (rice pudding) to the snake deity after sunset and receive the offering/ prasad. There is a popular belief that worshiping a snake and pasting a picture of a snake on the door makes one unafraid of snakes. On the day of Naag Panchami, religious fairs are held in various lakes, ponds, and places where snakes live, including Taudaha and Nagpokhari in Kathmandu.

In Nepal, on the day of Naag Panchami, Brahmin priests or maidens prepare hand-drawn pictures of various snakes on paper and paste them in the house of their host. Along with the pictures of snakes made in this way, there are also pictures of the sun, moon, conch, wheel, mace, lotus, fish, scorpion, etc. The tradition of drawing all other animals with snakes is to prevent one from the fear of other poisonous creatures found in the fields. The snake worship mantra is also written in this paper. In the village, this image is worshiped as an idol of the snake deity and pasted on the door of the house.
Milk, couchgrass, kuz, sandalwood, flowers, akshata (white rice) and laddu (sweets) are offered to the snake deity. By worshiping in this way, the following sermon should be recited:

Naag Panchami – Shri Naag Stotram

अगस्त्यश्च पुलस्त्यश्च वैशम्पायन एव च ।
सुमन्तुजैमिनिश्चैव पञ्चैते वज्रवारकाः ॥१॥

मुनेः कल्याणमित्रस्य जैमिनेश्चापि कीर्तनात् ।
विद्युदग्निभयं नास्ति लिखितं गृहमण्डले ॥२॥

अनन्तो वासुकिः पद्मो महापद्ममश्च तक्षकः ।
कुलीरः कर्कटः शङ्खश्चाष्टौ नागाः प्रकीर्तिताः ॥३॥

यत्राहिशायी भगवान् यत्रास्ते हरिरीश्वरः ।
भङ्गो भवति वज्रस्य तत्र शूलस्य का कथा ॥४॥

अस्तिकस्य मुनेर्मातर्जगदानन्दकारिणी।
एह्येहि मनसा देवि !नागमातर्नमोSस्तुते ॥५॥

Naag Mantra

ब्रह्मलोके च ये सर्पाः शेषनागाः पुरोगमाः।
नमोऽस्तु तेभ्यः सुप्रीताः प्रसन्नाः सन्तु मे सदा॥१॥

विष्णु लोके च ये सर्पाः वासुकिप्रमुखाश्च ये।
नमोऽस्तु तेभ्यः सुप्रीताः प्रसन्नाः सन्तु मे सदा॥२॥

रुद्रलोके च ये सर्पाः तक्षकः प्रमुखास्तथा।
नमोऽस्तु तेभ्यः सुप्रीताः प्रसन्नाः सन्तु मे सदा॥३॥

खाण्डवस्य तथा दाहे स्वर्गञ्च ये च समाश्रिताः।
नमोऽस्तु तेभ्यः सुप्रीताः प्रसन्नाः सन्तु मे सदा॥४॥

सर्पसत्रे च ये सर्पाः आस्तिकेनाभिरक्षिताः।
नमोऽस्तु तेभ्यः सुप्रीताः प्रसन्नाः सन्तु मे सदा॥५॥

प्रलये चैव ये सर्पाः कर्कोटप्रमुखाश्चये।
नमोऽस्तु तेभ्यः सुप्रीताः प्रसन्नाः सन्तु मे सदा॥६॥

धर्मलोके च ये सर्पाः वैतरण्यां समाश्रिताः।
नमोऽस्तु तेभ्यः सुप्रीताः प्रसन्नाः सन्तु मे सदा॥७॥

इन्द्रलोकेषु ये सर्पाः तक्षकप्रमुखादयः।
नमोऽस्तु तेभ्यः सुप्रीताः प्रसन्नाः सन्तु मे सदा॥८॥

ग्रामे वा यदि वारण्ये ये सर्पाः प्रचरन्ति च।
नमोऽस्तु तेभ्यः सुप्रीताः प्रसन्नाः सन्तु मे सदा॥९॥

पृथिव्यां चैव ये सर्पाः ये सर्पाः बिलसंस्थिताः।
नमोऽस्तु तेभ्यः सुप्रीताः प्रसन्नाः सन्तु मे सदा॥१०॥

रसातले च ये सर्पाः अनन्तादि महाबलाः।
नमोऽस्तु तेभ्यः सुप्रीताः प्रसन्नाः सन्तु मे सदा॥११॥

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