Worshipping the serpents
Piety is seeing and experiencing godly power in every living being on earth. Since the Vedic period, serpents have been treated with compassion and respect in India. Sacred groves were set apart for them where they were fed and worshipped. In many temples their idols were placed and worshiped.
Even today, serpents evoke a feeling of awe and their worship continues in many parts of the country, as do ceremonial rites like Naagakkalam and Pattu to pacify the wrath of the serpent and to attain grace.
There are references to great serpents in Puranas and mythology — Ananthan, Vasuki, Thakshakan, Karkkodakan, Kaaliya etc. Lord Vishnu lies in yogic slumber over Ananthan, who is believed to have a thousand hoods. Vasuki was used as a rope to churn the ocean in pursuit of Amrit, the elixir of life.
We are familiar with the picture of Lord Shiva who wears serpents as ornaments. The dancing steps of Lord Krishna upon serpent Kaaliya’s hood and serpent Karkodaka biting the epic character Nala, all reveal to us a world of legends where serpents were accorded equal importance with man.
In tantric rituals, the floor is decorated with figures of serpents in powders of various colours, accompanied by songs in praise of the deities and their heroic deeds in all the three worlds. On the day of the ritual, immediately after dusk, Lord Ganesh is worshipped before Kalamezhuthu can begin.
In either coconut shells or small containers, powders in various colours are kept. These are used to make two serpents twisted around each other on the floor. Sometimes the figure of the serpent king alone is depicted. The head is drawn first and the tail, last.
Kalamezhuthu is accompanied by the rendering of songs in praise of the deity. A complementary ritual is Sarppam Thullal, rhythmic trembling as if possessed of the deity. Pious maidens from the families of the devotees perform this. They start trembling to the rhythm of the song, while shaking the flower bunch of an areca nut tree. As the rhythm of the song intensifies, the trembling and swaying also increases. Later the women spread their hair on the floor and wipe off the image. Their movements and sounds resemble those of serpents, and it is believed that they are possessed of the deities while they are on the floor.
Apart from this ritual, the serpent deities are given noorum paalum offering, a ceremonious feeding of the deity with milk mixed with turmeric powder, while chanting spells to please them.
Turmeric is used to alleviate the intensity of poison. Hence, symbolically, this ritual is intended to tame the serpents and ensure a peaceful co-existence.
Sarppa kroora khala kroora
Sarppat krooratara khala
Mantroushadhivasa sarppa
Kimu dushto bhayankara
This shloka says that crooks are more poisonous than the serpents. While the effect of the serpent’s poison can be removed using medicine or spells, the poison of the evil ones cannot be removed.
Dr Venganoor Balakrishnan is the author of Thaliyola, a book on Hindu beliefs and rituals.
He can be reached at drvenganoor@yahoo.co.in
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