Last Updated on October 30, 2024 by Tejaswini

The Chaturmaas is the 4 months of the year where the energy is on an all time high. Those of us who act mindfully during this time frame can actively harness this energy to gain prosperity in life. The Chaturmaas begins on Ashadh Shukla Ekadashi or Devshayani Ekadashi and is till Kartik Shukla Ekadashi, Devutthan Ekadashi. So it is composed of part Ashadh, entire Shravan, Bhadrapad, Ashwin and part Kartik months.

The Naagpanchami is the Shravan Shukla Panchami and on this day we worship the Naag. These are beings like the Devata, Gandharva and the Kinnar. Their energies are represented by the snakes in this world. In this year, 2024, Naagpanchami occurs on 9^th Aug, Friday. The time for the puja is in the early morning.

(Watch my video on Nagpanchami – link here)

First on the very material level. The Naags are the legendary custodians of wealth, so doing pujas on Naagpanchami brings in wealth. The Naags represent the ancestors so the pujas also pleases the ancestors in the Pitrulok. And the Naags also represent the descendants, the continuation of the lineage. So this puja, adds positive energy to your children and ensure health and happiness in the family. And most importantly, the Naagpanchami puja helps reduce the negative karmic burdens, ie, it removes the poison from your life.

Pujas on Naagpanchami can be as elaborate a you wish. You can call a Brahmin or do elaborate pujas as per your resources. Here I have detailed the basic puja process. If you can do sincerely with positive intentions will give you the same merit as the elaborate ones. This is the simplified puja with the basic minimum activities. 

On this day of Naagpanchami, every follower of Sanatan Dharma is required to do pujas of the Naagdevata. And this is done in a natural wilderness area, preferably a forest area. This is the ideal location which might be accessible for some of us, but not all of us can actually go to such a location. So I have given options for both types of pujas. One for the a natural area and the second for in the city home/temple. 

Option 1 – If you have access to a wilderness area.

1. Go to the wilderness area in the morning. Choose a silent spot where you can give your offerings to the Naagdevata here.
2. Face east. Begin by sprinkling water from the Devi Ganga / or clean water with the intention that the Devi Ganga cleanses the area and protects you with her energy. 
3. Then light a small deepak, a lamp. You can use either oil or ghee in the lamp. I prefer using ghee. Keep the lamp on the ground.
4. Light the incense – Try to get the actual dhoop if you can. it will look like a black lump or black sticks, like dough. Roll a small piece of the dhoop in your palms, and mentally recite the mantra of your choice. (You can recite Mahamrutyunjai mantra if you want.) Once the dhoop gets slightly warmed up, fashion it into a stick-like shape and light it. 
5. Then do your basic prayers to the Kuldevata, Istadevata or Guru dev for help, protection and blessings. You can say them in Sanskrit if you know the shlok. Or, you can simply say them in the language of your choice. Just a few lines to acknowledge their presence and seek their blessings. But do it from your heart.
6. Then is to request the deity of the place, the Sthan devata for his blessings. (I currently live in a small town in the Himalay, so I request him for his blessings. I think of him with gratitude for allowing me to do this puja here. I also request the Devi Aryanyani for her blessings. She is the Goddesss of the Forest.)
7. Then call on the Naagdevata and request him to come for the puja and to bless you. Try to feel the presence of the Naagdevata deity before you in these natural surroundings. Try to visualise his image in your mind. If you are able to sense auras, you will feel the change in the energy around you. 
8. Then offer flowers, unbroken rice grains, turmeric powder, sandalwood powder etc whatever you have with you with full intention. This means that you will just put them on the forest floor near the lamp. And visualise them being at the feet of the Naagdevata. Visualise all these being accepted by the deity.
9. Keep a bowl of unboiled milk for the deity. If you can get genuine milk from a desi cow it would be best. Otherwise whatever you have is fine. 
10. Then light a small piece of camphor as an Arti offering to the deity. 
11. Recite this small Navnaag stotra for the deity. (I have recited this on my vlog, link here)
    • Om Anantam Vasukim Shesham, Padmanabham cha Kambalam,
    • Shankhapalam Dhratarashtram cha, Takshakam Kaliyam Tatha,
    • Etani Nava Navaani Naganam cha Mahatmanah,
    • Sayamkaale pathe nityam Prathahkaale Visheshatah,
    • Tasya Vishabhayam Naasti Sarvatra Vijayi Bhavet.
12. Then do the namaskar to the deity, request his blessings. Be sincere about this. If you wish, you can do some Dhyan in his presence for a few minutes. 
13. Then thank the deities for their energy and request forgiveness for any errors you may have done. 
14. If you have any specific prayers you can say them. All this is recited mentally, in your mind. 
15. And after you are done, turn around and walk away. 
16. Do not look back. 

 Just remember one very important point here. Do not offer red coloured kumkum, or red flowers or red anything to the Naagdevatas. The red colour angers them and it will cause problems for you later. 

This was the ideal and simplest naagdevata puja. and try to do it in the early morning on 9^th Aug, 2024, Friday.

Option 2 – If you live in a city.

If you do not have access to a natural area or a forest area, then here is the second option. You can either do the puja in a temple or at your home.

1. Puja at Temple – Look for a temple near you which has a Shivlingam adorned with a Naagdevata. Go to this temple in the morning and do this exact same puja at the temple. The same offerings can be arranged nicely in a puja plate / ‘pooja thali’. And you can simply give this to the Brahmin in the temple. And he will put it on the Shivlingam and Naagdevata on your behalf .

2. Puja at home – Here you will need some soil from a termitoria. Or if you do not have this soil available then take some soil from your tulsi plant planter. 

Make a small 1 inch tall pindi /a lump of this soil. You can use some water to moisten the soil. Shape it roughly like a snake hood. And keep this in your puja ghar on a small piece of yellow cotton cloth. Think of this as the Naagdevta himself. Visualise his presence in this lump of pure soil. Consider this to be a moorti of the naagdevata. Request the Naagdevata to occupy this moorti made of pure soil. And do the same puja as above. And after you do the puja, on the next day, you will have to do visarjan of this moorti. For this you will have to simply place it back in the tulsi plant. Thus the mantra and puja charged soil will merge back into the planter. 

These is the simplest puja you can perform. Karma kaand is infinite so there can be unlimited pujas, anushtans etc. But this simplest puja, done mindfully, with single focussed intention /Sankalp, will give you the same merit, punya, shreyas.

The Naagpanchami puja is a high energy activity and everyone must make use of this energy. Request the blessings of the Naag devata, for wealth and prosperity. Request the blessing of your ancestors. And pray for the protection of the descendants. Doing this will ensure continuation of the lineage and grant harmony in the family. Additionally, use its power to reduce negative karmic influences, remove the metaphorical poisons from your life. Be sincere and focused as the Naag also represent self realisation. 

Dr. Tejaswini Arvind Patil