KING COBRA AND SNAKE TEMPLES OF KERALA- CAPT AJIT VADAKAYIL

KING COBRA AND SNAKE TEMPLES OF KERALA-  CAPT AJIT VADAKAYIL

During my honeymoon three decades ago we were at Mysore zoo. There I saw a King Cobra in a enclave. The particulars of the snake indicated that it was 18.1 feet long.

At that time my wife remarked, our snake is bigger than that.

Naturally I demanded to know " What the hell do you mean by our snake?" 

Then she told me that in her tharavadu ancestral house at Kannur, they had a resident pet King Cobra. Nobody knew how old it was. It made weekly rounds at a particular time , and those days they kept the external scuppers clean.

The huge bungalow was set in 6 acres of land, and 1 acre in one corner , went to the snake , living inside the roots of a huge tree, which had an Nagakal idol. That entire grove was full of dense bushes creepers, vines and plants. Nobody went that side. Sometimes he used to come inside the house in the back area, and nobody disturbed it. The lore was that the snake was guarding a manikyam ( precious stone ). If the snake comes and gives this stone to you voluntarily, then you are blessed, as this luminous stone had extremely high value. 

Then when my wife was about to deliver my elder son, she went to her home at Kannur, as per our customs and culture. One day I had gone to meet her. She told me to watch out for the King , as his weekly rounds was due. So there I was in the verandah keeping a hawks eye for a slithering reptile. And suddenly there he was,  taking his rounds , like the lord of all he surveys, along with a sudden increase of twitter of birds. It was easy to identify the huge guy, as its tail was truncated by about 3 inches, and was not pointed. 

At that time I told my wife " I am gonna kill the guy" --more to see her reaction. And I found she got red faced and hoppin' mad with me, and told me never --ever-- ever --never to talk that way.

Then few days before she delivered the baby , she went to the Sarpa Kavu ( Snake Temple ) of Kannur to offer eggs and milk to the Cobras there. The King Cobra does NOT belong to the genre of Cobras, as he eats them for breakfast.  

This episode I have mentioned in one of my posts.Punch into Google search GRATITUDE, THE NOBLEST OF ALL VIRTUES- VADAKAYIL. 

100 years ago, Kerala had 30000 Snake temples. Today hardly 5000 are left. All these Snake Temples have been destroyed and the land used for building houses. Usually a Hindu will never build his house in an area which had a snake temple. So usually this land was sold to Muslims and Christians.  Subdivision and fragmentation of huge plots of land, at the time of dividing property between children of deceased parents, had done so much of harm to Kerala. 

These snake temple lands were left alone. Nobody went that side for thousands of years, even to collect firewood. When people wanted rare herbs they kept a piece of Kayam/ Hing/ Asafoetida in their pockets , collected the stuuf in the daylight and came out in a jiffy. The ground is fungus laden and full of rare ferns. Snakes of Kerala do NOT bite you unless you step on them or corner them. So these green pockets all over Kerala, usually with a waterbody or pond,  has the richest of flora and Ayurvedic herbs.

I would suggest to the Kerala Government of Kerala NOT to allow destruction of Hindu snake temples.

The atheist communists and the Christian and Muslim MLAs and Ministers make fun of the superstitious Hindu. I do hope they understand the environmental impact, and look at it from this perspective. The mountain soil and climate of Western Ghats cannot sustain the Ayurvedic medicinal herbs , which require the soil and climate of the plains. 

The huge forest at the borders of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu was full of Sandal wood trees. The smugglers made merry and literally eliminated the Sandal Wood tree, till a dreaded and violent bandit by the name of Veerappan , took refuge in these forests. For two decades nobody had the guts to steal Sandalwood, with deadly Veerappan and his vicious gang on the prowl. The Sandal wood forests became lush and abundant all over again. Now that Veerappan is dead and gone, same old story. If you view this with commonsense the snakes in a Sarpa Kavu , are the equivalent of Veerappan. 

The venomous snakes  kept the greedy man away and did NOT allow him to rape that virgin grove of eco-system. 

The vast multitude of medicinal herbs found in Kerala cannot be found even in the rain forests of Africa and South America or the Far east. These ecological havens are a legacy left behind by our wise ancestors .

The rat snakes ate the rats which destroyed crops. The King in turn ate these snakes to maintain the eco-balance. 

Kerala was created by warrior saint Parashurama , the 6th incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who threw his axe ( scalar weapon ) and reclaimed the land from the Varuna , the Arabian sea. Kerala is a narrow strip of land between the sea and the Western ghat mountains. This land which was reclaimed was salt laden and not fertile.

Parashurama went into a severe penance and Lord Shiva advised him, that the venom of the Cobra snake is requires to desalinate the soil, and for this he has to seek the help of Nagaraja, the King of King Cobras..To cut a long story short, the flaming Kalakuda venom was spread out and there rose God's own Country, this planet's most beautiful land.  good deed done , Parashurama struck his axe into the ground and clear water spouted and he took a bath.  

This is the spot where the Mannarshala Snake Temple is today. Set in 16 acres of land, it is a tourist spot, as well as a spot for Hindu pilgrims,especially women unable to conceive. For all want to see the 6000 years old granite Nagaraja idol, and his consort Sarpayakshi made of white quartz,  installed by Lord Parashurama.

After this deed Parashurama retired to Mahendra mountains to do tapasya and after that has never been seen. That whole area has white fragrant Mandara flowers. There are 30000 snake idols in this grove. The Turmeric paste given as prasad by this temple has healing powers. 

Parashurama then advised that every home should dedicate a grove on the SW coner ( Kanni Moola ) for a Sarpa kavu. Though this is NOT possible in modern time, Vaastu Shastra does NOT allow any toilet or garbage dump at the Kanni Moola. this idea has been copied by Feng Shui recently..  

Tipu Sultan kept way from this temple, as he was afraid of getting Leprosy. 

So few years ago, my ship was in Cape Town and I had one of the Charterers directors in my cabin, trying to convince me that the Black Mamba of Africa is the deadliest snake in the world. I pricked his bubble when I told him that the king Cobra of my home state , has Black Mambas for breakfast. 

In Kerala nobody kills a King Cobra. Rather this regal snake is worshipped as a God. If a King Cobra is killed accidentally, it is cremated with ghee. A king Cobra can curse a man. I have seen this happening. Our school was the house of a very rich man ( Sadanandan of Calicut . This building is now Calicut telephones ) . When he made his house he was advised by astrologers to leave the Sarpa kavu at the corner of the plot alone. He himself took his gun and blasted off a lot of snakes and set fire to the area.

His entire family went to ruin within a couple of years. Some contacted incurable skin diseases, some went raving mad. The last was a forlorn woman who used to sit outside the gates of our school , all alone like a beggar, with her cloth bundle. You could make out that she was quite fair and attractive in her young age.

In the Mahabharata 4000 BC, Arjuna and Lord Krishna set fire to the great and ancient Khandava forest , so that they could build their Indraprastha palace .

Everything living in the forest died, except Maya Danava ( he was saved and then arm twisted to show gratitude by designing the amazing Indraprasta hall . He also designed the Mayan calendar later ) , 4 birds ( Sarngakas ) and Aswasena, the son of the Naga king Takshaka.

Aswasena later tried to take revenge for his mother, and hid in the quiver of Karna who was fighting Arjuna still like an arrow, but Arjuna's charioter Lord Krishna prevented this dart from hitting Arjuna by causing the horses to bend down thus sinking the chariot wheels. .

60 years after the Mahabharata war, Takshaka had his revenge by killing Parikshit, Arjuna's grandson. Parikshit was forewarned and so he build a tower in the midle of a lake, with every hole and crevice plugged. But Takshaka coverted itself into a worm and bore into a mango, which was to be taken in a basket as food. Parikshit was engulfed in flames due to the potency of the venom--as a poetic justice , as Takshaka's wife was killed in the Khandava forest fire.

Picture above shows King Cobra Takshaka , his wife who dies in the Khandava forst fire and his son Aswasena

The Peralassery Subramanya Temple, is located 15 kms from Kannur . Lord Subrahmanya is the son of Lord Siva. 6300 years ago, Lord Ram along with Lakshman halted on their way to free Sita from Ravana in Lanka. The temple  has a shrine for the serpent God and has a number of bronze and copper idols of snakes . In Pappinissery Kannur, there is a snake park.

The King Cobra does NOT have the spectacle mark on the hood like other Cobra snakes. It is the longest venomous snake in the world. They are very sensitive to vibrations and can locate the prey 120 metres off. You are told in your Biology text books that the Cobra is deaf and the snake charmer gets the Cobra to rear its hood, by moving the flute. Well, Well!! 

It can rear 1/3 of its length. And it knows how to increase its striking distance, and many people have died because they misjudged he safe zone. An angry King Cobra does NOT hiss. It growls, and people shit in their pants. It has exceptional memory, and if you have wounded the guy, better go to some other place, or it will track you. Even if you kill it, the head must be crushed as it retains the image and its mate can visualise it. The modern Newtonian and Darwinian scientists will say bullshit. Let them say that.

Offerings by way of eggs are given to the sarpa kavu to attract egg eating rat snakes, which is staple food for the King. 

In Kerala we do NOT celebrate Rakshabandhan. On Nag Panchami day. This festival is observed on the fifth day of Shravana month of Hindu lunar calendar after the amavasya of Ashada month.

 Women fast the previous day. They then take bath at dawn and pray at the Sarpa kavu . They take the Thirtham milk home.  A Chembarathi Hibiscus flower is dipped in the milk and sprinkled on the brother's back and then do arthi.. Then a tread dipped in turmeric is tied on the right wrist of the brother. After that a feast is served. We all have a culture. Be proud of it. Unfortunately all this has been reduced to HAPPY NEW YEAR festivities. 

The Asura king was ruling Kerala in ancient times. During his rule all citizens were very happy. He was under Lord Vishnu's protection and often Vishnu used to leave Vaikuntam and his wife Lakshmi to live in beautiful Kerala.

Above Lord Vishnu ( preserver and mid point of yin-yang / Sattwa between Tamas-Rajas ) and his wife Lakshmi ( goddess of wealth )  , travelling on their Garuda Vimana --which is a mercury plasma expanding and imploding vortex flying saucer.

One day lonely Lakshmi disguised herself as a brahmin woman and sought shelter in King Mahabali's palace. Lakshmi tied a thread on Mahabali's right wrist, one day-- and then the King realised that she wanted to take her husband Vishnu home.

This was this planet's first Rakhabandhan done by a sister to her brother. Last year when they unearthed 23 billion US dollars worth of gold at SriPadmanabhaswamyy temple at Trivandrum, the heaviest piece was the statue of Vishnu in gold, resting on Anantha , the celestial King Cobra. 

Parashurama came in 4000 BC from Saraswati river along with the Brahmins. He drove away the sea warriors of that time, the Thiyyas. He then donated all lands to the newly formed class, Namboodiris- who would geminate and produce their own Kshatriya Nair class. The ordinary people of Kerala suffered from Vishnu’s two avatars. Vamana  avatar who killed the beloved Asura king ( Thiyyas were the Asuras ) Mahabali and later Parashurama , to grab the lands and donate it to Namoodiris.

During the reign of King Vikramaditya in 7000 BC, the people of Kerala called Thirayyar ( sea warriors ) did trade with the Island of Crete.  The patron saint of the Kerala Thirayyars  is  Rishi Therayar , the first disciple of Maharishi Agastya . Agastya , the greatest of the Sapt Rishis, also famous as the first of the Siddhas , who also founded the Kalari Payattu art of fighting.

There was a great tectonic shift and volcanic activity in 5000 BC ,  and then trade was abandoned.  Some settled down in Judea. They lived on the seaward side of Western Ghats of Kerala while the Malayyars being highlanders lived on the landwards side. Today these people are called Thiyyas in Kerala, with a matrilineal society which rest of India did NOT have.. Till Parashurama came there did not do Vedic worship. Today their Tantric worship forms called Theyyam can be seen in some temples of Kerala.

Now something about Nagamani.  A genuine Nagamani when in contact with a Hibiscus flower ( Chembarathi ) bud will cause it to bloom.

 
When this stone is dropped in water hydrogen is liberated.

 
The mani will emit flourescent light when in contact with a Hibiscus flower and changes colour with heat..

Mamba for breakfast!!

The King Cobra of Malabar,  Kerala ( my home state ) is the King of Kings.

  
In the video below, you see Vava Suresh from Kerala-- a professional King Cobra ,snake catcher. He releases the snake into the dense forest later.

When people get fatty liver disease the Ayurveda experts go to the snake grove and pluck off certain rare herbs , and within days you become OK.   Previously  the west comes to India to pick up liver herbs. Now they order it on the internet.  This is the true wealth of Kerala and we have snakes to protect them.

Opposing forces Tamas and Rajas are connected through consciousness ( yin-yang ).  The middle prong of Shiva’s trident is Sattwa. It is about quantum possibility vortex vibrations, between two poles.. Together they express the great void at absolute peace with itself. To activate the third eye of Shiva, or to perceive higher dimensions, the pineal gland ( soul ) and the pituitary glands ( body ) must vibrate in resonance to create a field. This is represented by Samudra manthan in Hindu mythology, where mount meru is used to churn the oceans for Amrit or Ambrosia in a to and fro movement , representing vibrations.. The amrit of the ambrosia or Soma is the holy grail.  This is what the Templar knights got after excavating King Solomon's temple. Soma is a divine LSD-- rather a million times more powerful DMT. A 12 strand Maharishi with NIL junk DNA can produce it naturally, by resonating his pineal gland with his DNA, and achieve telepathy and psychic teleportation. The psychedelic journeys are accessed and experienced within the realms of the pineal gland. The pineal gland is the Shiva lingam. Serotonin has the same chemical structure as this hallucinogenic substance Soma. Serotonin is transformed into melatonin only in the pineal gland. Decline in melatonin is the trigger for the aging process, for Melatonin is the super-oxidant of nature. The hormone Melatonin, induces sleep, while Serotonin, keeps you happy and in a balanced mental state of mind. PROZAC raises serotonin. The pineal gland produces Pinoline, ( 6-methoxy-tetra-dydro-beta carboline, or 6-MeO-THBC ) . Pinoline also resonates with the very pulse of life 7.83 Hertz, the pulse the DNA uses to replicate, and which has been measured to be emitted from the brains and hands of all successful healers, regardless of belief or faith. OM king mantra is 7.843 hertz. Resonance can vibrate the pineal gland, to release Nuerotransmitter seratonin, melatonin, DMT, etc.  If you have a strong enough sense of consciousness you will taste a huge pituitary release in the back of your mouth and sinuses and throat, it is referred to as ambrosia ( amrit -- mental orgasm discharge ) . This is a result of DMT production . DMT is the spirit molecule that bends space-time. Pineal DMT is the chemical messenger which links body and spirit. Dimethyltryptamine, a psychedelic tryptamine Pinoline enables the threshold levels of DMT to become active in the brain, but it requires an instant bungee jump induced adrenaline burst.  DMT with Pinoline increases brain activation multi fold. You cant observe the quantum world without your Pineal gland -- the other 5 senses have too narrow bandwidths. Quantum physics has showed the ancient Indian Yogis were NOT mere dreamers of cosmic consciousness, where our bodies, our brain and its mind, as inextricably joined with other matter and the mega dipole of universe . There is indeed a connection between consciousness and tangled state quantum phenomena Indian Vedic maharishis had the inherent ability to go on either side of the narrow band of five human senses. THEY COULD TRANSCEND THE SENSES AND LIMITATION OF SPACE-TIME. They firmly believed that the invisible below the quantum screen gives rise to the visible. At the time of death Seratonin and Melatonin in the brain breaks down to Dimethyltryptamine or DMT, C12 N2 H16, just after the oxygen stops circulating. This is the moment for the ultimate DMT trip. You see your whole past life as FRACTAL dvine geometry. When you consume Soma, colours , sounds and numbers all show up as fractal geometry. What you have learnt in the past is of no use to you. As you breathe in the oxygen enters your brain and causes an explosion of fractal colours. To the spiritual eastern mind, the story of SAMUDRA MANTHAN produces amazing acts of faith like the Kumbh Mela , which has been going on for 6000 years. Tamas and Rajas are conscious of each other. Amrit reveals the fractal nature of consciousness. Amrit is NOT external, it is produced inside your head.  All you need to know is how to produce it by your own mind. 12 strand DNA which ancient Maharishis had, has now degraded to 2 strand DNA. These 12 strand DNA maharishis with raised Kundalinis , can read akashik records , convert them from fractal geometry, for daily life use. The cobra on Lord Shiva 's shoulders shows raised Kundalini and open third eye. This self realisation (of opening the third eye) , is the ultimate goal of consciousness. The timeless spiritual wisdom of the of the 7000 year old Vedas will roar to life after Dec 21st 2012- the veil of Maya or delusion over the third eye will be ripped asunder—as the first step towards upgrading the 2 strand 97% junk DNA to 12 strand nil junk DNA.. -- Capt Ajit Vadakayil

CAPT AJIT VADAKAYIL..