SERPENT’S GIFT: FORTUNE AND FATALITY

S NAKES have a bad name in Semitic mythology because the devil, in the guise of a serpent, tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, although it was scarcely the fault of actual serpents that their form came in handy for lurking about in trees.

- RENUKA NARAYANAN

However, Nagas or snakes are highly respected in the Indic culture of South and Southeast Asia, as wise and powerful beings who serve the greatest gods. This fortnight marks two major Nagacentred Buddhist festivals out East. Bang Fai Phaya Nak (Naga Fireball Festival) took place on October 7 in Nong Khai city, Thailand. This festival features a mysterious event where glowing fireballs rise from the Mekong River, which folklore attributes to the Naga spirits in the water. Coming up, Boun Lai Heua Fai on October 18 in Laos is a festival to honour the Nagas and to ask for good luck.

Nagas are considered affectionate, generous, and generally supportive of human beings, but they also need to be tiptoed around carefully because they can be moody and sensitive. They are also said to be most finicky about polite behaviour. In the old days, it was considered good training in the ways of the world to be taught how to address snakes properly in their shrines, which are commonly found in temples.

Here, an old story from the Panchatantra comes to mind about human beings and snakes. A poor farmer named Haridatt lay down one afternoon for a nap in the shade of a tree by his field. When he awoke, he saw a snake gliding out of an anthill nearby. Saluting the Nag Devta as the guardian of his fields from rats and mice, he left a bowl of milk for it before going home. The next day, he was amazed to see a gold coin left in the milk bowl.