This year, Naga Panchami falls on August 14. Naga means snake or serpent. Naga Panchami is celebrated to remove the curses resulting from maiming or killing a snake or snakes in your current life or earlier lives. It is an auspicious day for this purpose. These curses can be pretty powerful and are responsible for yogas like the Kala Sarpa Yoga in your birth chart.
We need to please the two shadow planets, Rahu and Ketu, who, between them form the head and tail of the snake in your birth chart. When they are present in a malefic pattern, they can cause horrible death-like agonies and also cause delays in important events like marriages and also affect marital relationships. The deities that are invoked to overcome these planets are Durga and Ganesha. One should pray to Rahu and Ketu and Durga and Ganesha to overcome obstacles created by these planets. Rahu, in some cases can be tremendously beneficial, as in the case of J K Rowling (the creator of Harry Potter). However, most of the time Rahu and Ketu create troubles.
Worshipping snakes this day is the main remedy for alleviating the influence of Rahu and Ketu. People bathe the snake in milk (symbolically) and, in fact, in villages and wherever snakes are present, people offer milk. This is done on the fifth day of the bright fortnight of Shravan.
Families are protected when such prayers are offered.
One legend associated with Naga Panchami is that it is celebrated to mark the victory of Krishna over the terrible snake Kalliya. Another legend is that originally they were one being who were cut into two by Lord Vishnu. He found out that they had disguised themselves as a God to steal some Amritam (immortal elixir).
Interestingly, Rahu represents intelligence and Ketu represents liberation. Praying to them on the Naga Panchami day is therefore considered to be rewarding for you.
In Indian puranas and legends, Ananta, the thousand-headed snake, forms the couch for Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva wears the snake as his ornament.
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