The Snake (Nag), The Serpent, Religion and Spiritual Awakening

Serpents are common symbols in many religions, belief systems and mystical traditions. Their meaning is translated variously as everything from the most evil to the most holy. The Serpent is either a deity or important symbol in Hindu, Ancient egyptian, Ancient Mesopotamian, Ancient Semitic, Ancient Hittite, Ancient Babylonian, Ancient Assyrian, Ancient Greek, Ancient Minoan, Ancient European, Ancient Iberian, Ancient Norse, Ancient African, Ancient Aztec, Ancient Peruvian, Hopi, Ancient Mound Builders, and many other religions, mystical traditions and cultures. How did a common symbol become widespread? It must have had a common origin or understanding.

In fact, there are numerous contemporary sects including Christian sects that either worship or treat the serpent as an important positive symbol.

      In some mystical traditions, the rising serpent is symbolic of rising kundalini energy. Rising kundalini energy is a Spiritual awakening that can bring forth healing, empowerment, knowledge and wisdom. The rising serpent has nothing to do with a reptile or animal. Rather, it is symbolic because the rising energy would appear as a serpent wrapped around and ascending a staff. Activated kundalini energy and the power that accompanies it does not make a person more ethical or moral. Rather, choices are always there and it is the responsibility of the individual to use all of their power of all kinds wisely and compassionately.

      It seems obvious that ancient priests and wise men must have had access to knowledge about Spiritual awakening, kundalini energy, what it means and how it works. Those who didn't have access to the information or were incapable of understanding it, may have been tempted to worship the symbols rather than the substance of this ancient knowledge. Thus, a distortion was introduced and serpent worship and serpent cults came into existence.

      The Christian Bible contains several references to serpents, or to creatures often interpreted as serpents, using different Hebrew terms. The most common term is "nahash". It is found at least 30 times in the Old Testament, and means "to make a hissing sound," as well as a "venomous reptile with deadly fangs." Another term is "tannin", which can also be translated "monster", "dragon", "sea serpent", or "crocodile" and can mean any large sea creature or reptile. It is sometimes translated as "serpent" and sometimes as "sea-monster" and, at other times, it is apparently ignored. "Saraph" is another term that is translated to mean "fiery serpents". The point here is that translating from one language to another and from one cultural context to another, especially across thousands of years of time and without loosing the meaning and intent of the original authors is very challenging.

The Symbolism of snakes and Serpents in Hinduism

The Snake Gods are adorned and celebrated in all the Hindu temples of the world. From many centuries the Snake Gods have been given prominence in the life of most of the Hindu people. The Female Snake God is called as Nagarani and the Male God as Nagarajan.and idols of both Gods are placed in all the major Hindu temples of India. In some villages of South India, they have been adorned in the live form and their shelter, termite nest, is also kept in many temples of the country. Pariticularly on Fridays they are given raw eggs and milk. The devotees of them put the raw eggs and the cup of milk nearby their shelter and if the snakes are really living there, they will come out in night times to drink the eggs and milk.

Lord Shiva , The Great God of Hinduism, is wearing the God Nagarajan on his neck and Lord Krishna has made the Snake God Adhisheshan as His bed in His home.

The Hindu people are believing that Snake Gods are associated with wealth and healthy life and they will act as great securities when the people meet difficulties in their life. It is also believed that Snake Gods are having separate world and Shri Nagarajan and Shri Nagarani are ruling that world. However The Snake Gods and other Holy Snakes are under the control of major Gods like Lord Shiva and Lord Krishna.  

Why do some Christians handle snakes?

In the Christian religion, snake handling is an extremely rare activity practiced by a very small number of Pentecostal churches - most in the southern, rural United States - on the basis on Mark 16:17-18: "And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;  they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover" (ESV).

It is important to note that the originality of the last 12 verses in the book of Mark are highly disputed, even by many Christians.

Yet, even those who advocate for the passage's inclusion into the Gospel, don't also argue that snake-handling is present-day application of the text for Christians, Pentecostal or not.

The practice of snake-handling

Practitioners believe snake handling is a demonstration of their faith in God. While advocates of snake handling come out of Pentecostal churches, no major Christian denomination, Pentecostal or otherwise, supports the practice.

One of the original leaders of snake handling in the United States, George Hensley, broke away from the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee), because of his allegiance to the doctrine.

Most snake handlers are found in Alabama, Georgia, and Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Some states such as Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee, have made the activity illegal, punishable by fine, but it still occurs because practicing churches are mostly in rural settings.

Miracle in India- Cobra praying to Lord Shiva with holy Vilva ( Aegle Marmelops) leaves,Southern Indian State of Tamil Nadu

A unique incident, call it a miracle, happened during the recent Solar Eclipse in a small village Thepperumanallur in Southern Indian State of Tamil Nadu. A Naga serpent (Cobra) had been observed visiting the Shiva Temple during Solar Eclipses. The temple priest and other locals in order to photograph these visits had offered milk during the last Solar Eclipse in July 2009 but failed to see the Cobra last time. But their abiding faith were amply rewarded during the recent annular eclipse on Jan 15th, 2010 when to the pleasant surprise of the priest on opening the Sanctum Sanctorum he saw the Cobra entwined on top of the Siva Lingam idol. He immediately called Mr. Thenappan the photographer who lives in Thrunagesvaram. Meantime a dozen or more people had assembled to witness this miracle. In front of their eyes the Naga went back to the “Vilwa tree" (Aegle Marmelops) plucked the leaves and came back all the way to drop it on the Siva Lingam. All these have been photographed by Mr. Thenappan (photos received directly from the photographer enclosed). Incidentally most men in the Agraharam (Brahmin’s colony) village are called Nagarajan (king of cobras) Nagalingam or Naganathan for a few generations now and the presiding deity in the nearby (1Km) ThiruNageshwaram is called Naganathaswamy. Perhaps there is a divine link between all these facts and happenings. Could it be a Siddhar? Wikipedia says “Siddhars are saints in India, mostly of the Saivaite denomination in Tamil Nadu, who professed and practised an unorthodox type of Sadhana, or spiritual practice, to attain liberation. Yogic powers called Siddhis are acquired by constant practice of certain yogic disciplines. Those who acquire these Siddhis are called Siddhas.[1] Siddhars are people who are believed to control and transcend the barriers of time and space by meditation (Yoga), after the use of substances called Rasayanas that transform the body to make it potentially deathless, and a particular breathing-practice, a type of Pranayama. Through their practices they are believed to have reached stages of insight which enabled them to tune into the powers hidden in various material substances and practices, useful for suffering and ignorant mankind” Some of the Siddhars are reputed to leave their body and enter any other body even dead ones to protect their identity.

I am also attaching of a translated article that appeared in the local Tamil Newspapers. (reproduced below for easy reference)

News seen in Tamil News paper “Dinamalar”. Please see Photo above.

You can see the Hood of the Cobra on top of the Sivalinga and the body on the left side.

 Dinamalar (Tamil daily) – Miracle on January 15, 2010 – Solar Eclipse day [Translation]

Kumbakonam: At the Siva Temple in Thepperumanallur, large numbers of devotees witnessed a miracle of a Cobra doing Archana for Siva Lingam with Vilvam leaves. In Thanjavoor district of Tamil Nadu, near Thirunageswaram, there is a Siva Temple at Thepperumanallur. Here Vedhanthanayagi [Sakthi] with Viswanathaswamy [Siva] are the main Deities. In this Temple, it has been customary to do archana with Rudhraksha only. Yesterday morning, just before Solar Eclipse, at about 10:30 AM Sivachariar Satish, priest of the Temple, noticed a Cobra lying on top of the Siva Linga. The snake slowly descended from there and went towards the Vilvam tree which is the Sthala Viruksham– (holy tree) of the temple. It climbed the tree and picked a Vilvam leaf and came back and entered the Sannadhi (sanctum). It hissed at any devotee trying to get near it. It climbed onto the Siva Linga and opened it hood and dropped the Vilvam Leaf. This miracle was witnessed by all devotees who were excited. Then the Cobra went again and again to do the same repeated 2 or three times. As the news spread all over the village, hundreds of villagers rushed to the Temple to have the Dharshan of this event of Cobra with Siva.

[ Note: Vilvam leaf is holy and special for Siva Pooja]

 News in Dinakaran (Tamil Daily) - Dated: January 16, 2010

Kumbakonam: People here got excited seeing a Cobra picking Vilva leaves and doing Archana / pooja for Siva Linga. There is a famous Temple for Sri Viswanatha at Thepperumanallur near Kumbakonam. Here, yesterday the priest opened the sanctum doors at about 10:30 AM and went to fetch water. At that time he noticed a Cobra descending from the Temple Vilva (Bilva) tree carrying a Vilva leaf in its mouth. It entered the Sanctum of Sivalinga, went around the Vigraha and dropped the leaf on top of the Linga. Then they saw the same being repeated one more time carrying a Vilva leaf and putting it on the Siva Linga. The Priest explained "It is doing the archana during the Solar Eclipse time to wash off its sins".

 It is sad the English print and visual media in India (including CNN-IBN) totally ignored this miraculous event and it seems to be a congenital habit involving such events be it the 2004 Tsunami or 1999 super cyclone. During the Tsunami of 2004 entire hamlets in all areas around the famed shore temple at Tiruchendur dedicated to Murugan were ravaged but the Sea dared not enter the precincts of this shore temple where the presiding deity is below the sea level (legend has it that the Lord of the Seas had promised the presiding deity Murugan that he will no cross the shore at this place). A miracle of a different kind happened at Orissa when the super Cyclone caused immense damage but not one ancient temple got destroyed even the ramshackle ones though nearby building were all felled! Could this be a conspiracy of the cults who are desperate to spread their poisonous tentacles in India and who are rumoured to fund almost every known English Print and visual media and hold their Editors in a manic grip? It looks very plausible after this event never got reported, Judge for yourself, if a cobra praying is not news what else is?