 SNAKES: Represent
Energy
Snake worship is one of the most ancient cults of human civilization and prevailed in
Syria, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Mexico and is still found in many African and Asian
countries. In the mythological lore of all these countries, snakes are credited with
magical powers over gems and treasures. They are repositories of wisdom and also control
human fertility.
Early Sumerian, Egyptian and Greek seals show serpents as symbols of healing. In all these
cultures serpents are citizens of the netherworld where gems and jewels of unparalleled
radiance are said to be stored. In the Indian artistic and cultural heritage, the serpent
is symbolic of the wealth and power of underworld treasures, while also having certain
sexual connotations and is worshipped as the deity which bestows progeny on human beings.
In Indian mythology too, Ananta or Shesha the king of snakes, lies coiled in cosmic ocean
and is the abode of the meditating, the god who maintains and nurtures the universe.
Each god of the Hindu pantheon is linked in myths with snakes. Krishna, the most popular
incarnation of Vishnu, is shown as the conqueror of Kaliya, the snake king of the river
Yamuna. In the case of Shiva, the ascetic god of destruction, the snake is wound round his
matted hair or his throat. Thousands of sculptures and paintings show him with the coils
of five hooded serpents wound around his body. Ancient Buddhist and Jain monuments too,
depict the cult of serpent worship.
The most imaginative symbolism of a coiled serpent, however, is found in later art forms
where the coils represent the kundalini as the dormant energy in every human being.
Serpents are known in mythology as guardians or Digpalas of various directions. They are:
Ananta for the east; Abhoga for the southeast; Padmaka or Padmanabha for the south;
Shankhapala for the south-west; Kulika for the north-west; Vasuki for the south and
Mahapadma for the north-east.
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