Serpent Lore Of India

In the next part of the Indian mythologies series, DEVDUTT PATTANAIK explores the different aspects of how serpents are perceived in India

IN the Bible, the serpent represents the Devil. That it is scaly and crawls on its belly makes it something negative. It is a symbol of temptation, something that tempts you and distracts you from the path of God, and makes you disobey God’s commandments.

However, in the Indian tradition, the serpent takes an altogether different form. The hooded serpent, or Naga, is an important creature in the mythological landscape. It is associated with fertility and wisdom. People visit serpent shrines seeking good harvests (fertility of the land) and children (fertility of the womb).

The earth, it is said, resides on the hoods of the serpent Shesha. On the coils of Shesha sleeps Vishnu, the preserver of the world. Another serpent is found around the neck of Shiva. The Goddess is often shown holding serpents in her hand. Not just in Hinduism, in Buddhism too, the serpent witnesses the enlightenment and transformation of Siddhartha Gautama into the Buddha. In Jainism, the serpent is closely linked with the teacher Parsvanath.

Nagas reside in a subterranean realm known as Bhogawati; ‘bhog’ means pleasure and ‘wati’ means land, indicating that the land of the serpent is the land of pleasure. The entrance to the land of the serpent is usually through a termite hill. It is said to be made of gold and gems, perhaps leading to the folklore where treasures are usually protected by hooded serpents.

The king of the serpents is called Vasuki. There are many folktales of Vasuki falling in love with human women and vice versa, leading to complications both in the human world and in the serpent world.

IN THE GREAT EPICS