Nag Panchami date 2020: The day is dedicated to the Nag devta or the serpent god
Nag Panchami 2020: As the name suggests, the day is dedicated to the Naga Devta or the serpent god. It is one of the important days of Sawan, the auspicious month of the Hindu calendar. It is also one of the oldest festivals celebrated in India. Sawan or Shravan, in the high rainy season, is dotted with vrats and pujas.
Sawan is dedicated to Lord Shiva and devotees observe “Sawan Somwar” every Monday of the month which corresponds to July-August of the Gregorian calendar.
Nag Panchami is also known as Nag Chaturthi or Nagul Chavithi. In Gujarat, Nag Panchami is observed within days of most states and this year it will be observed on August 8th. In Andhra Pradesh, the puja is done right after Diwali.
Nag Panchami schedule
Panchami Tithi starts at 2:34 p.m. on July 24
Panchami Tithi ends at 12:02 p.m. on July 25
(Source package: drikpanchang.com)
Nag Panchami vrat or puja
Many devotees quickly observe and feed the poor on this day. People offer milk to Nag Devta or the serpent god as part of the rituals. People also decorate their homes with rangolis and make kheer as a prashad or an offering to the god. In India, devotees pray to several snake gods on Nag Panchami. Some of them are Ananta, Vasuki, Shesha, Padma, Kambala and Kaliya.
Nag Panchami and mythology
In Sanskrit, “Nag” means serpent and people worship the serpent god to protect their families from evil. According to mythology, a deadly serpent ‘Kalia’ had poisoned the waters of the Yamuna, making it difficult for the brijwasis (residents of Brij, Uttar Pradesh), to drink water. Lord Krishna (an avatar of Lord Vishnu) destroyed Kalia and the serpent god was forced to take back the poison from the river. Krishna had blessed him and said, people who pray and offer milk to the serpent god on Nag Panchami will always be protected from evil.
