What is the meaning or importance of snakes in Hinduism?
Snakes are very important in Hinduism. There are many reasons for this; snakes shed their skin, and grow it back later. This represents "rebirth", while also representing death and mortality. 1/n
Not just that - snakes cannot be tamed; hence, they represent freedom. Another reason is given :
All nagas are considered the offspring of the Rishi or sage, Kasyapa, the son of Marichi....
...Kashyapa is said to have had by his twelve wives, other diverse progeny including reptiles, birds, and all sorts of living beings.
They are denizens of the netherworld city called Bhogavati. It is believed that ant-hills mark its entrance.
Also, the same source tells:
The Indian mahasiddha, Nagarjuna, received his illuminating insights and tantric empowerment with the help of the nagas in the lake beside which he meditated.
khandro.net/mysterious_nag…
This article has subtle reasoning about iconography of snake in Hinduism.
This article says , According to the Hindu Scriptures, Naga live in the Netherworld called Naga-Loka or Patala-Loka with unimaginable richness.
hubpages.com/education/myth…
When the Naga were over populated on the earth, Brahma, the Creator, banished them to the underworld. Naga are the children of Kashyap Rishi who married Brahma 13 daughters. Their mother’s name is Kudra. Kashyap is also the father of gods, demons and animals.
Snakes are Lord Shiva’s garland, anklets and armlets. Hindu gods like Bhairav and Mahakala are protected and decorated by snakes. Thousand-headed Naga called Ananta protects Goddess Kali. Like Lord Vishnu, many gods rest on Naga or are protected by Naga.
Naga guard Hindu temples and shrines. Naga are depicted on the doors, windows and the walls of the temples. Naga are also the seat of the deity.
Tantra and Yoga, which are the esoteric practices in Hinduism, philosophize about serpent power inside human body. This serpent called Kundalini, depicted as a coiled snake, would be evoked by mysterious yogic practices or tantric rituals.
When this serpent power is awakened ignoramus humans are said to be liberated from worldly vices. Literal meaning of Kundalini is coiled Naga.
Why does the snake have multiple heads?.....
The Puranas tell that Shesha holds all the planets of the Universe (we now know it is in the solar system) on his hoods. A possibly non-spiritual explanation for the number of heads is said here:
The seven-headed Naga serpents depicted as statues on Cambodian temples such as Angkor Wat possibly represent the seven races within the Naga society.
So this answer was given by user140, 4 years and 4 months ago at Hinduism stackexchange.
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.