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Manasa-Naga Goddess
Figure 6.1
“I am Manasa, the sister of Vasuki, the King of the Nagas. I have been protecting from snake bite those
who respect me for thousands of years. You will find me sitting quietly in a
corner of the gallery just like I sit quietly and unnoticed in the corner of
courtyards in village houses all over northern Bangladesh.
As a Mother Goddess I have been here in Bangladesh longer
than the Hindu gods and Buddhism. First, they tried to deny me my power but
eventually both Hinduism and Buddhism had to create stories of my marriage to a
Hindu god or Buddhist saint and recognize my power to cure people of snake
bite.
As you move through the galleries of Hindu and Buddhist art,
you will meet many of my friends and relatives. You will find the king and
queen of the Nagas supporting the feet of Varahi as he rescues Prithvi, the
earth, and lifts her up from the flood. You will find Nagas protecting the Jain
Saints and the Buddha, hanging around the neck of Lord Shiva, and providing a
bed for Lord Vishnu when he slept on the Cosmic Ocean before creation.
Be sure to set out milk for us at the time of Nagpanchmi. And don’t do anything to anger us or we will go deep underground, shake our bodies in anger, and cause an earthquake that could bring down you house!
Last updated by admin at 10 September, 2020