Naga
From The Book of THoTH (Leaves of Wisdom)
Naga
Description
Serpent beings that summoned feelings of both reverence and fear from the cultures that immortalized them in their songs and epics, the Naga is an almost universal feature of myth in both the Indian sub-continent and the lands of S.E Asia where the fundamentals of Indian culture and spirituality were quick to spread and thrive. Both regions have birthed numerous legends about the fabled race of Nagas and their sometimes benovalent, sometimes wrathful, interactions with the creatures of both heaven and earth.
Ancient Hindu myths hold that four distinct kinds of nagas exist:namely The Heavenly, the Divine, the Earthly and the Hidden. The first viligantly ward the palaces of heaven, the second bring fertility to the world by by summoning the life giving rains, and the third take it upon themselves to preserve the mineral riches found deep in the earth's bowels from the grasping hands of greedy pillagers.
Nagas are said to take various forms. Often described as giant serpents with multiple heads or humanoid beings with the lower bodies of vast snakes, they were extremely gifted shape-shifters, able to assume any appearance that suited their needs. (Burmese Nagas were even said to resemble crocodiles.) Dwelling in the watery nether-region of Patalas, they resided there in great splendour and opulence, ruling from massive gem encrusted palaces and mansions. Relegated to that particular region by the creator god Brahma who had grown displeased with their alarming fecundity, they nevertheless led a comfortable existence in that submerged place, free from misery or poverty of any kind. Unfortunately, their good fortune often attracted great envy, especially from some of the other divine beings that craved to possess the wonderous riches of the Nagas. In one of their most bitter rivalries and feuds, the Nagas were temporarily driven from their city by an order of celestial immortals known as the Ghandavaras. Defeated and humbled , their chieftains were forced to flee to Vishnu who restored their seized riches back to them by routing the conquering Ghandavara host with his awesome might. Perhaps this explains why the Naga king, Adi Sesha, is content to rest on the surface of the endless cosmic ocean, his coils serving as a bed for the sleeping Vishu as the god dreams our very existence into creation.
The Nagas were the brood of the primordial sage Kaspya. Husband to two sisters, he promised both of them, prior to his departure to retire into seclusion as a true hermit should, that he would grant them anything that they desired. The first Kadru, appealed to him to grant her a progeny of a thousand and one that would make her proud of them. In this, he did not dissapoint for it was Kadru's honour to become the mother of the Naga race. Her co-wife and rival Vinata, emboldened to outdo Kadru, only asked for two children that would be superior to their cousins in every way. The younger of Vinata's two offpsrings, would prove to be the formidable and terrifying eagle-god Garuda, hated foe of the Nagas. For it was fated that his mother through a cruel turn of fortunes, would end up as the slave of the Naga matriach, earning the undying enmity of this ferocious being. Driven to steal the nectar of immortality from the the strong-hold of Indran ,king of the demi-gods himself, Garuda managed to buy the freedom of Vinata in exchange for giving the Nagas the opportunity to imbibe of eternal life. But it was not to be. Determined to reclaim that which was rightfuly his, Indran soon stole it back almost as quickly as it had been plundered from him, prompting a rush among the Nagas for the few drops of nectar that the god spilled during his flight from their lair. During this fracas, their skins developeded the propeties of regeneration as the spilled nectar soaked their scales, explaining why snakes shed their skins to this day. But their efforts to lap up and consume this priceless elixer proved to be less successful, with the Nagas splitting their tongues on the sharp-bladed grass, giving them a distinctive forked shape. But even this spectacular misfortune did not sate Garuda's thirst for vengeance, with his vendetta becoming a great bane and terror to their race.
Though the Nagas were often dangerous to men if attacked or insulted when their waters were polluted and in some less common cases, when forced to see their friends subject to great humilation , they were peaceble enough, using their deadly venom to only slay those found guilty of grave sins as well as others pre-destined to die an untimely death, in keeping with the dictate imposed on them by Brahma. True danger lay in incurring their wrath by refusing to offer them the proper obsieances owed to these granters of the vital rain. A king that once declared an end to Naga worship in his kingdom, was quickly forced to rescind his decree when a great drought befell his land, an obvious sign of the wrath of the Nagas.
More often than not, the Nagas were not portrayed as maloveant monsters. On the contrary, they were reknown for their wisdom, with some of them imparting great wisdom to mankind. They were also devoted friends to men of exemplery virture. When the Buddha entered a trance for several days, a great prince among the Nagas sheltered him from the ravages of the elements by raising his vast hood to raise a protective halo over the Boddhisvatta. Other great teachers that followed in the Buddha's footsteps, were given a similiar honour.
The Nagas were also known to develop feelings of great intensity for certain humans that inspired tender feelings. The beautiful females of their race, the Naginis, are known to seduce men into accompanying them to the watery depths of Patalas. Such liasons were not uncommon with the most famous example, being the seduction of the great Vedic hero Arjuna by the beguiling Nagini princess Uulopi. The ancient Cambodians for their part, claim a king among the Nagas as their primeavel patriach, for it was he who wedded the mother of their people.
It was also believed by the Burmese that the precious gem-stones embedded in the throats or fore-heads of the Nagas, that contained their amazing powers, would be given freely to any human that the Naga had developed a great fondness for.
To this day, the Naga cult remains powerful in Southern India and enclaves of S.E Asia, with numerous festivals and rituals conducted in their honor. As powerful symbols of fertility, they still retain a powerful hold on the minds of believers.
Orgin
A sacred animal to the pre-Vedic aboriginal cultures that inhabited India prior to the Aryan arrival, the Naga myth was inspired by the cobra that evoked great awe with its lethal venom. To this day, the deadly snakes are known as as nags, an extremely old Sanscript term for them. This myth would have also been reinforced by raiding pirates from the outside world that would strike the coasts, only to mysteriously vanish and hide in the ocean, lending credence to the old legends.
