Snake worship; reconditioning the mind; post-meal walks

The Adiveda Weekly #11

Jul 31, 2022

Hari Aum Sadhakas!

It’s Nag Panchami on 2nd August this week and the very word ‘snake’ sends a shiver of fear up our spine. We always fear what we don’t know. Let us see if this fear has any base.

The Hindu way of life

The Sanatana Dharma has always told us to revere ‘all life’ since everything is Brahman alone. Hence, in our culture we worship even snakes which are considered evil in other cultures.

Almost all the main Hindu deities have a snake attached to them. Shiva wears a snake garland and allows them to crawl all over him. Vishnu sleeps on a snake, Ganesha wears a snake belt, Kartikeya has a snake beneath his foot and so on.

Reflection of the week

“Every creature has a right to live in this world till the end of its allotted life span. One who puts an end to that life before it reaches its end, is guilty of a great crime.”

For your everyday practice

Recondition your mind.

We have been conditioned from childhood to consider snakes as evil. Try to recondition yourself and see all poisonous reptiles as being parts of that Infinite Being who has created everything, both good and so-called evil. Hence, all our gods carry a snake on their bodies.

For your health and well-being

Take a walk post your meals.

A short 10-15 minutes walk after every meal is one of the cheapest and effective ways of balancing our post-meal rise in blood sugar. Not only is this a helpful tip if you are managing diabetes, or other metabolic issues, but it is a good habit to incorporate regularly for anyone looking to integrate lifestyle habits in the upkeep of health. Regulating one’s post-meal blood sugar can also help in mitigating the sleepiness and lethargy that can sometimes set in after eating a large meal.

By Dr. Poorna Menon, Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine

From Vanamali Mataji’s desk

No doubt fear must have been the start of snake worship since there are many venomous snakes in Bharat; the most feared is the King Cobra which is the one that Lord Shiva wears round his neck. It is said to possess many occult powers.

Hinduism has a unique way of overcoming the problems that nature places before us. Instead of dissecting nature and forcing her to bend to our will, we have always tried to woo her and get her to help and protect us. This idea essentially has its basis in the Hindu religion that teaches us to see everything in the world as an aspect of the divine.