Difference between revisions of "India: Nagas of the Underworld by Jan J.M"
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::could travel about at her will and was now within those waters. Holding onto | ::could travel about at her will and was now within those waters. Holding onto | ||
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::snakes. I saw you, Kaunteya, when you went down into the waters to take your | ::snakes. I saw you, Kaunteya, when you went down into the waters to take your | ||
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::"Ulupi said: "I understand, son of Pandu, how you are wandering the earth, and | ::"Ulupi said: "I understand, son of Pandu, how you are wandering the earth, and | ||
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::the act of giving life. I come to you now for shelter, for you are an ideal | ::the act of giving life. I come to you now for shelter, for you are an ideal | ||
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::Mahabharata. Yadu, the founder of the Yadava family, went for a trip to the | ::Mahabharata. Yadu, the founder of the Yadava family, went for a trip to the | ||
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::husband who was equal in glory to the Prajapati. Being pleased with his | ::husband who was equal in glory to the Prajapati. Being pleased with his | ||
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::his mind fully blossom in the pleasure of sense gratification. There are many | ::his mind fully blossom in the pleasure of sense gratification. There are many | ||
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::diseases. They have no experience of grey hair, wrinkles or invalidity, their | ::diseases. They have no experience of grey hair, wrinkles or invalidity, their | ||
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Revision as of 09:35, 31 December 2012
- The Nagas are a race of serpent beings. Most often they manifest themselves
- with half-man, half-serpent bodies, although sometimes they assume the shape
- of a dragon, or appear in the guise of a cobra. They can take many different
- forms including snakes, humans with snake tails and normal humans, often
- beautiful maidens. A precious gem is embedded in their heads endowing them
- with supernatural powers including invisibility. Some are demoniac, some
- neutral or sometimes helpful.
- Nagas are divided into four classes: heavenly, divine, earthly or hidden,
- depending upon their function in guarding the heavenly palace, bringing
- rainfall, draining rivers or guarding treasures.
- In Burma, the Nagas combine elements of the dragon, snake and crocodile. They
- have guarded and protected several royal Burmese personages. They also give
- rubies to those they favor.
- They inhabit lakes and rivers, but their real domain is a vast underground
- region called Bila-svarga, or subterranean heavens. There they guard great
- amounts of jewels and precious metals. Here they dwell with their seductive
- mates, the Naginis who sometimes seduce humans.
- One such account is to be found for example in the Mahabharata. Arjuna, the
- son of King Pandu, was "abducted" by Ulupi, the Naga princess who enamored
- him, into the parallel realm in the river Ganges near Hardwar. After spending
- a night with her and begetting a son called Iravan, he returned back. This
- incident is also mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana 9.22.32. R. Thompson in his
- book "Alien Identities" uses this account to give an example of parallel
- dimensions.
- The Mahabharata story follows:
- "When his residence was thus crowded with divinity, the darling son of Pandu
- and Kunti then went down into the Ganges water, to be consecrated for holy
- rite. Taking his ritual bath and worshiping his forefathers, Arjuna, happy to
- take his part in the rite of fire, was rising out of the water, O king, when
- he was pulled back in by Ulupi, the virgin daughter of the serpent king, who
- could travel about at her will and was now within those waters. Holding onto
- him, she pulled him down into the land of the Nagas, into her father's house.
- "Arjuna then saw in the most honorable house of the Naga king, whose name was
- Kauravya, a carefully attended fire. Dhananjaya Arjuna, son of Kunti, took
- over the duty of the fire, and without hesitation he made the offering and
- satisfied the sacred flames. Having done the duty to the fire, the son of
- Kunti then said laughingly to the daughter of the Naga king, "Why have you
- acted so boldly, O shy and beautiful woman? What is the name of this opulent
- land? Who are you and whose daughter are you?"
- "Ulupi said: "There is a serpent named Kauravya, born in the family of
- Airavata. I am his daughter, O Partha, and my name is Ulupi, lady of the
- snakes. I saw you, Kaunteya, when you went down into the waters to take your
- ritual bath, and I was stunned by Cupid. O Kuru child, now that the god of
- love has stirred me up so, you must welcome me, for I have no one else, and I
- have given myself to you in a secluded place."
- "Arjuna said: "Dharmaraja Yudhisthira has instructed me to practice celibacy
- for twelve months, and I agreed; thus I am not my own master. I would like to
- please you, but I have never spoken an untruth. How can I avoid a lie and also
- please you, snake woman? If it could be done without hurting my religious
- principles, then I would do it."
- "Ulupi said: "I understand, son of Pandu, how you are wandering the earth, and
- how your elder brother has instructed you to practice celibacy: "There will be
- a mutual accord that if any one of us mistakenly intrudes upon the others
- during their time with Drupada's daughter, then he must remain in the forest
- for twelve months as a celibate brahmacari." That was the agreement you all
- made. But this exile you agreed upon is in regards to Draupadi. You all
- accepted the religious vow to be celibate in relation to her, and so your
- religious vow is not violated here with me.
- "Your eyes are very big and handsome, and it is your duty to rescue those who
- are in pain. Save me now, and there will be no breach of your religious
- principles. And even if there is some very subtle transgression of your
- religious principles, then let this be religious rule, Arjuna, that you gave
- me back my life. My lord, accept me as I have accepted you, for it will be an
- act approved by decent people; And if you will not accept me, then know that I
- am a dead woman. O strong-armed one, practice the greatest virtue, which is
- the act of giving life. I come to you now for shelter, for you are an ideal
- man.
- "Kaunteya, you always take care of the poor and helpless people, and I have
- gone straight to you for shelter and am crying out in pain. I beg you, for my
- desire is so strong. Therefore you must please me by giving yourself; it is
- proper for you to make me a satisfied woman.
- "Sri Vaisampayana said: "Thus addressed by the virgin daughter of the serpent
- lord, the son of Kunti, basing his actions on the religious law, did for her
- all that she desired. The fiery hero Arjuna spent the night in the palace of
- the Naga king, and when the sun rose he too rose up from Kauravya's abode."
- Similar story is recorded in the Harivansha, which is the addendum to the
- Mahabharata. Yadu, the founder of the Yadava family, went for a trip to the
- sea, where he was carried off by Dhumavarna, king of the serpents, to the
- capital of the serpents. Dhumavarna married his five daughters to Yadu, and
- from them sprang seven distinct families of people.
- Kumudvati, the Naga princess, married Kusha, the son of Rama, as described in
- the scripture Raghuvansha.
- The following account touches upon the issue of underground hominoid-sauroid
- conflicts.
- The Vishnu Purana speaks about the Gandharvas, descendants of sage Kashyapa
- and his wife Muni. Therefore they are also called Mauneyas. (According to
- Hindu Dictionary by Manurishi Foundation, the Mauneyas are a class of
- Gandharvas, who dwell beneath the earth, and are sixty millions in number.)
- They were fighting with the Nagas in the subterranean regions, whose dominions
- they seized and whose treasures they plundered. The Naga chiefs appealed to
- Vishnu for relief, and He promised to appear in the person of Purukutsa, son
- of King Mandhata, to help them. Thereupon the Nagas sent their sister Narmada
- to this Purukutsa, and she conducted him to the regions below, where he
- destroyed the Gandharvas. (According to the Ramayana similar Gandharvas were
- defeated by Bharata, the brother of Rama, and Hanuman.) The ninth khanda of
- the Bhagavata Purana also briefly mentions this story.
- The Bhagavata Purana narration is based on the incident which happened to King
- Pariksit. He was cursed by a young brahmana to die within seven days as a
- result of a snakebite. The boy thought the king had offended his father, who
- did not welcome the king in his ashrama being absorbed in deep meditation.
- Thus the king left after putting a dead snake on sage's shoulder. The king
- decided to accept the curse as a will of providence and sat down at the bank
- of Ganges to prepare for his death. At that time the great young sage Shuka,
- the son of Vyasa, arrived there and the king asked him to explain the most
- important knowledge meant for a person about to die. Thus the sage started to
- narrate the great Purana. As a result the king attained self-realization.
- His son Janamejaya, however, became angry at the serpents and to revenge his
- father's death he started a great sacrifice meant to destroy all the serpents
- but later he stopped it to please the sage Astika, their relative. (Astika's
- father was the sage Jaratkaru who married Manasa, the sister of the Naga king
- Vasuki.) The whole story is narrated in the Mahabharata, Adi Parva.
- The origin of the Naga race is described in the Mahabharata, Adi Parva:
- "Long ago, in the godly millennium, Prajapati Daksha had two brilliant and
- sinless daughters, amazing sisters who were gifted with great beauty. Named
- Kadru and Vinata, they both became wives of the primordial sage Kashyapa, a
- husband who was equal in glory to the Prajapati. Being pleased with his
- religious wive, Kashyapa, with much happiness, offered them both a boon.
- Hearing of Kashyapa's joyful intention to let them choose an extraordinary
- boon, the two excellent women felt an incomparable joy.
- "Kadru chose to create one thousand serpent sons, all of equal strength, and
- Vinata hankered to have two sons who would exceed all of Kadru's sons in
- stamina, strength, valor, and spiritual influence. Her husband awarded her
- only one and a half of these desired sons, knowing that she could not have
- more. Vinata then said to Kashyapa, "Let me have at least one superior son."
- "Vinata felt that her purpose was satisfied and that somehow both sons would
- be of superior strength. Kadru too felt her purpose fulfilled, since she would
- have one thousand sons of equal prowess. Both wives were delighted with their
- boons. Then Kashyapa, that mighty ascetic, urging them to carry their embryos
- with utmost care, retired to the forest.
- "After a long time Kadru produced one thousand eggs, O leader of brahmanas,
- and Vinata produced two eggs. Their delighted assistants placed the two
- sisters' eggs in moist vessels, where they remained for five hundred years.
- When the years had passed, the sons of Kadru hatched from their eggs, but from
- Vinata's two eggs her two sons were not to be seen. That austere and godly
- woman, anxious to have children, was ashamed. Thus Vinata broke open one egg
- and saw therein her son. Authorities say that the upper half of the child's
- body was fully developed, but the lower half was not yet well formed."
- This son was Aruna, the charioteer of Surya, the sun god. His brother was the
- powerful Garuda, divine eagle, who became the carrier of Vishnu. Garuda is an
- avowed enemy of serpents who are his food. Krishna mentions him among the most
- prominent representatives of His power: "Among the Daitya demons I am the
- devoted Prahlada, among subduers I am time, among beasts I am the lion, and
- among birds I am Garuda." (Bhagavad-gita 10.30)
- Nilamata Purana, the ancient history of Kashmir, is centered around the
- original inhabitants of Kashmir, the Nagas. In the verses 232-233 it mentions
- their capital: "O Naga, the dwelling of the Nagas is the city named Bhogavati.
- Having become a Yogi that Naga-chief (Vasuki) dwells there as well as here.
- But with his primary body, Vasuki, protecting the Nagas, shall live in
- Bhogavati. O sinless one, you (also) dwell here constantly." Bhogavati is also
- mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana 1.11.11. Its another name is Putkari.
- Bhagavata Purana gives the following description of Bila-svarga, the
- subterranean regions compared for their opulence to heaven (5.24.7-15):
- "My dear King, beneath this earth are seven other planets, known as Atala,
- Vitala, Sutala, Talatala, Mahatala, Rasatala and Patala. I have already
- explained the situation of the planetary systems of earth. The width and
- length of the seven lower planetary systems are calculated to be exactly the
- same as those of earth.
- "In these seven planetary systems, which are also known as the subterranean
- heavens [bila-svarga], there are very beautiful houses, gardens and places of
- sense enjoyment, which are even more opulent than those in the higher planets
- because the demons have a very high standard of sensual pleasure, wealth and
- influence. Most of the residents of these planets, who are known as Daityas,
- Danavas and Nagas, live as householders. Their wives, children, friends and
- society are all fully engaged in illusory, material happiness. The sense
- enjoyment of the demigods is sometimes disturbed, but the residents of these
- planets enjoy life without disturbances. Thus they are understood to be very
- attached to illusory happiness.
- "My dear King, in the imitation heavens known as bila-svarga there is a great
- demon named Maya Danava, who is an expert artist and architect. He has
- constructed many brilliantly decorated cities. There are many wonderful
- houses, walls, gates, assembly houses, temples, yards and temple compounds, as
- well as many hotels serving as residential quarters for foreigners. The houses
- for the leaders of these planets are constructed with the most valuable
- jewels, and they are always crowded with living entities known as Nagas and
- Asuras, as well as many pigeons, parrots and similar birds. All in all, these
- imitation heavenly cities are most beautifully situated and attractively
- decorated.
- "The parks and gardens in the artificial heavens surpass in beauty those of
- the upper heavenly planets. The trees in those gardens, embraced by creepers,
- bend with a heavy burden of twigs with fruits and flowers, and therefore they
- appear extraordinarily beautiful. That beauty could attract anyone and make
- his mind fully blossom in the pleasure of sense gratification. There are many
- lakes and reservoirs with clear, transparent water, agitated by jumping fish
- and decorated with many flowers such as lilies, kuvalayas, kahlaras and blue
- and red lotuses. Pairs of cakravakas and many other water birds nest in the
- lakes and always enjoy in a happy mood, making sweet, pleasing vibrations that
- are very satisfying and conducive to enjoyment of the senses.
- "Since there is no sunshine in those subterranean planets, time is not divided
- into days and nights, and consequently fear produced by time does not exist.
- "Many great serpents reside there with gems on their hoods, and the effulgence
- of these gems dissipates the darkness in all directions.
- "Since the residents of these planets drink and bathe in juices and elixirs
- made from wonderful herbs, they are freed from all anxieties and physical
- diseases. They have no experience of grey hair, wrinkles or invalidity, their
- bodily lusters do not fade, their perspiration does not cause a bad smell, and
- they are not troubled by fatigue or by lack of energy or enthusiasm due to old
- age.
- "They live very auspiciously and do not fear death from anything but death's
- established time, which is the effulgence of the Sudarshana chakra of the
- Supreme Personality of Godhead.
- "When the Sudarshana disc enters those provinces, the pregnant wives of the
- demons all have miscarriages due to fear of its effulgence."
- 5.24.29-31:
- "The planetary system below Talatala is known as Mahatala. It is the abode of
- many-hooded snakes, descendants of Kadru, who are always very angry. The great
- snakes who are prominent are Kuhaka, Taksaka, Kaliya and Susena. The snakes in
- Mahatala are always disturbed by fear of Garuda, the carrier of Lord Vishnu,
- but although they are full of anxiety, some of them nevertheless sport with
- their wives, children, friends and relatives.
- "Beneath Mahatala is the planetary system known as Rasatala, which is the
- abode of the demoniac sons of Diti and Danu. They are called Panis,
- Nivata-kavacas, Kaleyas and Hiranya-puravasis [those living in Hiranya-pura].
- They are all enemies of the demigods, and they reside in holes like snakes.
- From birth they are extremely powerful and cruel, and although they are proud
- of their strength, they are always defeated by the Sudarshana chakra of the
- Supreme Personality of Godhead, who rules all the planetary systems. When a
- female messenger from Indra named Sarama chants a particular curse, the
- serpentine demons of Mahatala become very afraid of Indra.
- "Beneath Rasatala is another planetary system, known as Patala or Nagaloka,
- where there are many demoniac serpents, the masters of Nagaloka, such as
- Shankha, Kulika, Mahashankha, Shveta, Dhananjaya, Dhrtarashtra, Shankhacuda,
- Kambala, Ashvatara and Devadatta. The chief among them is Vasuki. They are all
- extremely angry, and they have many, many hoods - some snakes five hoods, some
- seven, some ten, others a hundred and others a thousand. These hoods are
- bedecked with valuable gems, and the light emanating from the gems illuminates
- the entire planetary system of bila-svarga."
- Indented line