Serpents: Guardians of knowledge & of the secret to immortality

Padmanabhaswamy temple vault, guarded by Naga, is said to contain treasures worth more than a trillion dollars

Serpents are quite misunderstood creatures and the mystery surrounding them and their involvement in humans’ spiritual journey has been pondered upon by occultists and spiritual practitioners throughout centuries. Naga (the higher race of serpents) have a very important place in the realm of occult and spiritual practices as they are the guardians of knowledge and by gaining their favour one can access higher esoteric and spiritual knowledge. The race of Naga is undoubtedly very powerful and their connection with the human race up until a certain point in time is widely accepted in India by scholars and sadhakas of different paths; although there is a difference of opinion regarding the present-day involvement of Naga within our realm.

Spiritual practice is an internal process and spiritual growth, although having external symptoms, has its internal manifestation as the predominating means to assess where one is situated on the spiritual path. The serpent symbolises deceit/manipulation – manipulating our external appearance (mannerisms, speech, activities, dress…) to appear spiritually advanced. But the other aspect of the serpent shows saintly qualities being internalised and kept hidden like a treasure rather than exposed for others to see and judge. Therefore, the serpent is a being of duality and this is evident both materially and spiritually. The serpent inflicts poison but also has healing qualities, and the Naga are known to hold the secret to immortality, only revealing it to the few who gain their favour by force of sadhana.

In the churning of the milk ocean (Samudra Lathana) Bhagavan manifests as the great naga Vasuki and is used as the churning rope around the Mount Mandara. The churning produces many treasures, the main one being Amrita, or the nectar of immortality. First however, poison emerges which is consumed by Shiva, because the poison of identification with the false limited ego has to be taken out in order to achieve immortality. Both poison and amrita are significant in this Lila so it is not surprising that the naga manifestation of divinity is at the center of it being pulled on the one side by the asuras (demons) and on the other by the devas (gods). Although the serpent is itself detached from good and evil, he is being pulled by these two opposite forces and becomes the cause of the emerging of these two qualities in men. Therefore in astrology, the Naga-ruled nakshatra Ashlesha has the Shakti to inflict poison which insinuates that it can attack, kill and destroy its enemy. What the spiritual practitioner has to consider now is who is his enemy and whether he will side with his limited personality or the unlimited divine personality.

This duality is an important aspect of the Great serpent Shakti Kundalini, who resides within our subtle body, as She is the cause of our bondage but also the cause of our liberation. She is the reason we identify with a false ego but it is also Her who breaks the chains of identification with that false personality. When Kundalini is asleep, we too are asleep, and we slowly awaken as she rises within our body. Kundalini is Herself knowledge, She is the knowledge to be realised and it is She who reveals to us that secret knowledge. When Kundalini awakens, she rises in the shushumna nadi (the subtle channel within our astral body) and moves through the various points of confluence of nadis known as chakras which get progressively subtler. As She passes through them, She unlocks the realms associated with each chakra and the spiritual practitioner can experience these realms which lead him progressively closer to his deity who resides in the Sahasrara chakra. It is in this union that the false ego is lost and the sadhaka is said to attain immortality.

Samudra Lathana, the Churning of the milk ocean