Why Does Lord Shiva Wear Snake Around His Neck?

 Vasuki the Snake around Lord Shiva’s Neck

Everything around us can symbolize something if you try to find the symbolism significance behind it. And things might signify different meanings depending on how the perceiver wants to perceive and what the interpreter wants to interpret. In simple words, you can derive meaning from every possible thing if you communicate with it. Take the colour red- it might be more than a colour if you want to see it that way. It can represent passion, love, or devotion.

On the other hand, it can represent infidelity. Wait, the colour red can also signify blood. Yes, you thought right, it can also indicate communism. Thus, it might just be a colour. But, at the same time, it might symbolize something or different things depending upon its link with the subject.

Let’s dive into a deeper ocean of symbols and things with more profound symbolism significance. In different religions, there are a number of symbols and metaphors holding considerable meanings. These symbols and metaphors certainly convey a message or lesson that can be valuable in human life. You have seen both gods and goddesses carrying and wearing something with a significant story attached to it.

But hey did you know they not merely enclose stories but also denote some insightful meanings? Is there anything more delightful than digging into the symbolic meaning of the Great God Shiva’s snake around his neck? I think not! So, let’s swim with it. As an added bonus, the article also has a bunch of popular stories about Shiva’s snake. Enjoy!

Have you ever wondered why does Lord Shiva wear snake around his neck? What does it symbolize?  Vasuki (that’s the name of the snake) symbolizes ego. A snake is always ready for attack whenever someone pokes it. There is something in humans that reacts the same way upon being poked or threatened. And, my dear readers, that’s ego.

But, it is believed that Shiva has no such phenomenon in him. Ego has no power over him. It does not rule him as it does to humans. Since ego bows before Shiva and cannot reside within him, he wears the snake as an ornament to reflect his power. It’s the ego that makes us the humans hollow from within. But if we overpower the ego, peace shall come.

All of us are familiar with the fact that snakes shed their skin when they grow. And a snake goes through this process endless time during its lifetime. The second belief resembles this occurrence. According to the belief, the snake around Lord’s neck signifies the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth of life. If one wants to be free from this malicious endless circle, surrender to Shiva with full piety.

Another belief says that Shiva’s Vasuki personifies passion and desire. The Lord wears it around his neck to convey that he has conquered all his desires. He is above the mundane world; he fears nothing and is above all emotions. Also, he has complete control over illusion.

According to another belief, Vasuki has three rounds which represent past, present, and future. It denotes that Shiva is beyond time and wheels it. He is the Mahakaal (above and beyond kaal. Interestingly, Vasuki is always depicted looking towards his right side. It signifies that Shiva’s eternal laws of reason and justice preserve natural order in the universe.

We should now turn our attention to the stories depicting the snake of Shiva. One of the stories says that once the snake species was on the verge of extinction. At such a time they went to Shiva for protection. He allows the snakes to take shelter in Kailash. It’s obvious that the cold weather of Kailash is not meant for snakes. To seek the warmth of Shiva’s body they approached him. To be able to provide warmth, he decided to wear them around his neck.

The second story tells about the Samudra Manthan. Gods and demons used Vasuki as a rope to churn the ocean. As a result, so many things came out of its mouth including halahala (the lethal poison).  This poison could abolish the whole creation. Now the gods and demons were terrified thinking what would happen and who would consume the poison. They reach to Lord Shiva for help who drinks the poison to save the universe.

Well, there are two versions to the rest of the story. According to the first version, snakes also drank the poison along with Shiva. This pleased the Lord and he decided to wear them around his neck. Whereas the second version states that goddess Parvati (Shiva’s wife) grabbed his throat so that he would not swallow the poison. Apparently, she used the snake to tie around his neck for the purpose. And since the poison remained in his throat, it turned blue and he’s now been known as Neelkantha.

In the third story, the snake reflects the supremacy of Kundalini. It is defined as a looped serpent lying asleep in the Muladhara Chakra of the human species. It slopes upwards when one starts on the spiritual path and becomes progressively divine oriented. This snake around Shiva’s neck states that Kundalini has arisen completely in him. Furthermore, it is actively engaged in divine activity.

Author: Simran K Parmar

A post graduate in English Literature, secular humanist, critical thinker, an outspoken atheist, follower of equality and a lover of philosophy. craftedfashion94@gmail.com

Add to favorites