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[[Category:India |S ]]
[[Category:Religion |S ]]

=A backgrounder=
[https://epaper.indiatimes.com/article-share?article=17_09_2024_016_005_cap_TOI  Satish K Kapoor Sep 17, 2024: ''The Times of India'']


The snake or serpent stands for subliminal nature or innate wisdom, trickery or temptation, evil power or fertility, sexuality, spirituality, death or rebirth, fear, fascination or both, in different religious traditions. In tantra, the image of two snakes entwined around a central staff, shows the reconciliation of opposite strands in a person, typifying the basic form of DNA, the building blocks of life, called nucleotides.

 Adi Shesh or Shesh Nag, the thousand-headed snake, is said to represent kal purush, eternal time. He sustains the world at the time of mahapralay, the great dissolution, so that new creation can take place. 

Adi Shesh is also called Anant, limitless and endless. It is emblematic of maha-kundalini shakti, great serpent power, that keeps existence wrapped in its fold. In human beings, this power is rolled up in three-and-a-half coils at the base of the spine, and is called prankundalini, individualised energy, or agni-sarp, fire-snake. It remains dormant in muladhar chakra, the lowest of seven psycho-energetic centres in the subtle body. When awakened by yogic, tantric or other spiritual practices, it reaches sahasrar chakra at the crown of the head. 

In esoteric anatomy, sahasrar is the abode of Shiv just as muladharis the abode of Shakti. Shiv is sarvabhutatma, Self of all beings. In mundane presentations, he has snakes all over his body. None bites him because all forms are His forms. He wears the long, writhing Vasuki, snake as necklace. Vasuki is said to rule the region of patal under the earth. His services were used by gods and demons at the time of mythical churning of the ocean.
 The power of the Supreme works at both micro and macro-levels in the body – the upward current is symbolic of Anant, the downward of the poisonous snake Vasuki. Krishn says in the Bhagwad Gita – ‘Of serpents I am Vasuki…Of the Nagas, I am Anant.’

 Anant is also a symbol of prakriti, nature, comprising five elements. The Earth is said to be supported by Adi Shesh. Under his majestic hood, rests Vishnu, with his consort Lakshmi, goddess of beauty, prosperity, and good fortune. Garud, Vishnu’s mount, symbolises the human spirit that tames five instinctive vices – lust, anger, greed, infatuation and pride – represented by the five ugly heads of Kaliya Nag which Krishn, Vishnu’s incarnation, crushed. Shesh Nag’s popular incarnations are Balaram, elder brother of Krishna, Lakshman, younger brother of Ram, and Patanjali, compiler of ‘Yoga Sutra’, who is depicted as half-man and half-serpent. 

In religious lore, both the Buddha and Guru Nanak were protected by snakes during meditation. The symbol of Parshavanath, 23rd Jain tirthankar, is a snake. He is called Panibhushana, one who is adorned by snakes. 

Snakes are the progeny of sage Kashyap and his wife Kadru. Many Hindu temples have snake, Naga images for worship, or snake-motifs on main entrance because it is believed that they have a divine purpose in creation of which we are not aware. Expiatory rites are prescribed in the Dharmashastras so that one can relieve oneself of sin caused by killing a snake.

 Snakes preserve the balance of nature and symbolise renewal of life. They shed worn-out skin as a part of the growing process, called ecdysis. Most snakes are non-poisonous.