Panchami

The fifth day of the lunar fortnight is panchami. On this day, sour food should be avoided and snakes should be worshipped with offerings of milk. It is on this day that Brahma called the snakes together and sent them to the underworld.

Brahma created all sorts of poisonous and harmful snakes. Examples are snakes like Ananta, Vasuki, Karkotaka, Padma, Mahapadma, Kambana, Shankha, Kulika, Papa, Rajila and Aparajita. Their bites were full of poison and they could paralyse people with their glances. These snakes were destroying people and the gods resorted to Brahma to find a way out.

Brahma called the snakes to him and said, “As a punishment for destroying what I have created, you will be destroyed by your own mother. Your lives will be wiped out.”

The frightened snakes pleaded for mercy. “We are certainly not responsible for the nature you have bestowed on us,” they said. “Our nature was given to us by you and it is our nature that compels us to kill people. You have made us venomous. How are we to be blamed for that?”