A young man had been bitten by a cobra. His dead body lay on the ground. A
crowd surrounded him. Suddenly a snake charmer arrived. He laid five white
shells on the ground at even distances. He then placed milk in one pot and
turmeric water in the other and began chanting mantras. The shells began to
shake and vanish one by one. He asked the crowd to stand aside. He said, "A
serpent is coming."
A minute later, everybody saw a dreadful black cobra coming fast with his hood lifted up. One of the shells was sticking on his head. He stood before the snake charmer who continued reciting mantras non-stop.
The snake then moved to the corpse and bit it again right where he had bitten the living man before. Now the shell fell off from his hood and the snake fell down as if powerless.
The charmer's mantras echoed. He moved and drank milk and went away. Now the corpse began to shake on its own. Soon it stood up fresh and alert.
"I felt as if a heavy intoxication took me over and now it is gone," the young man said, talking to the crowd.
As long as the mantra-spelled shell is on the cobra's hood great pain keeps torturing him. The shell falls off only when it sucks the injected poison back.
Fair complexioned, tall -- wearing lots of beads and bangles, the snake charmers of India always fascinated me ever since my childhood. Carrying snakes in baskets and clarinets in bags, a special shine in their eyes, smart-talking, they call themselves "Jogis" -- not yogi or Isvara. They identify themselves as disciples of the great Guru Gorakh Nath. Therefore they add "Nath" after their name. Snakes are like their family members. They keep crawling all around their homes. Their kids play with them as if they are strings or plastic toys.
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As soon as the rainy season comes in July and August, they walk out in groups, holding their clarinets and baskets in search of snakes. Since rainwater enters their holes, the serpents go out in search of some other safe place. Clay is wet, so marks are made when they crawl. Snake charmers follow these marks and reach the exact place they desire. Then they play music with their clarinet and lo, filled with joy, the snakes come out and begin to dance.
The Jogis watch for an opportunity. At an appropriate moment -- in a fingersnap and with a quick jerk -- the charmer lifts the snake up by his tail. Then slowly lands him down. As the snake's head touches the ground, the charmer blocks the snake's mouth with full pressure on a rod or cane.
As the snake charmer reaches home, the first thing he does is to drain out all the poison. This poison is the most valuable medicine to increase eyesight. That's why you'll never find a Jogi with spectacles on or visiting a dentist.
When the Jogis go for snakehunt, they also look for plants and herbs. Most valuable of them are arrabuti, nagdon, asapuri, nauras, chittapulla, etc. They heal even incurable diseases, which may cost millions of dollars in the USA and still have no benefit.
I often go for a walk on a certain street in Sector 17 when I am in Chandigarh. Some Jogis sit there with their medicine shops. I talked to them and found they indeed have so much mystery in their life. They have secret medicines, the effects of which are inconceivable by even big successful doctors in the USA.
The Jogis I talked with catch about sixty snakes a year. But they keep just one pair. The rest are freed after six months.
A special snake called "lotus snakes" are their favorite. They even offer them to their daughters on the occasion of dowry with clarinet, gem of a serpent, fox horn, wolf claw and man mohani. These are worth one million dollars if you just know how to use them.
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There are 3890 kinds of serpents throughout the world. Almost three-quarters of them are found only in India. Serpents lengths vary from one inch to 25 meters. Only 52 kinds of them are poisonous.
Serpents are one of the most ancient species. Almost all religions mention snakes. In Hindu Tantra, the serpent is the symbol of Kundalini -- the atomic energy within. The full-blast awakening of it represents Enlightenment. Freud says the serpent is the symbol of sex.
Serpents rejuvenate themselves into new youthfulness every time they drop off their outer skin. Thus, they prolong their lifetime for hundreds of years. They have no ears. They receive sound waves through their eyes, which inspired the invention of the camera lens.
It is said when a serpent becomes five thousand years old, it develops the ability to assume any form at will. These serpents are known as Icchhachari Nagas. These Nagas have very advanced civilizations as humans in certain parts of this very same world. Those who are not evolved to this level are found protecting hidden treasuries such as those found with Egyptian mummies in the pyramids. They take horrifying revenge and protect children. Their speed is faster than Arabian horses. Serpents love cold food and raw milk.
Every year in August's dark 5th, the ladies in India worship five serpents with wet garbanzo beans, sugar, raw milk and ghee. The story they tell is very interesting.
Just like elephants and tigers can smell their girlfriends' smell from miles away and dogs can feel oncoming death, serpents too have special ESPs.
The Jogis say that the king cobra, lotus cobra, karait and kala gandech are the most dangerous serpents. The king cobra stands up even on its tail. Kala gandech gets you even on your bed. Its smell is so strong that other snakes run away. Karaits live up to seventeen hundred meters in tree tops. They eat rats, flies, water snakes and their own babies.
All of them have their own security measures such as hissing, stretching their neck and trunk or even lying down like they are dead, emitting a stink or thrusting their tails.
When snakes bite, eyes darken and go blind, and a strong sensation enters the body. The charmer then rushes to apply the herb or turn the snake's gem on the affected area or whatever is appropriate.
The Jogis say they used to be vagabonds or gypsies. but now they are settling down in cheap suburban areas in hilly spots. They are very poor and not educated. Their children get married at age 18 to 20. Years of long training and interest teachs them to be snake charmers and medicine men. They say their wisdom comes from Yogi Matsyendra Nath who still lives in the astral plane of existence like Mahavatar Babaji from Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahansa Yogananda. (For further information listen to the Nine Tough Yogis lecture series by Swami Shyam on his "Audio Tapes" link above.) These Jogis celebrate all Hindu festivals. On Mondays they worship Lord Shiva.
They marry in their own tribes. For their disputes, they never go to the police or court but to the five aristocracies of their tribe who nicely take care of their problems.
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Jogis say the times of the monarchy was their best time. They were rewarded full well for their services, contributions, healing and entertainment. They would receive millions of dollars in a single show. But now is the worst time in heir history. They get hardly two dollars or fifty rupees for their day's work. The government has long closed its eyes to their existence and this wonderful wisdom of India. Now they are leaving their profession. They want their children not to be snake charmers anymore, but to get jobs in Botanical Gardens.
Their hopes lie in adventurers and multi-dimensional knowledge-seeking individuals of the West who might try to regenerate this age-old tribe's secret of life.
They claim nobody dies of snakebite for seven days. If anyone does, they claim/guarantee to resurrect them before this time is over. Even if dead, the body must be wrapped in banana leaves and dropped into a river. It might then resurrect.
If you have uncontrollable wrath, desire revenge, or experience extreme attachment to wealth, you have the possibility to be reborn as a regular cobra.
The Mahabharatam, Bhagavat and Galactic Chronicles are full of the amazing culture of the Icchhadhari Naga race. Krishna, Arjuna, and Buddha had to deal with many warriors of this race and the mermaids.
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If you wish to receive a mystic diagram mantra and herbs which are antidotes to the cobra's unwanted interference, poisons, etc., you are cordially invited to write to Swami Shyam at: Swami Shyamanand Paramhansa, Sudden Enlightenment Cozy Cavern, Laxman Jhula 249302 Himalayas, INDIA
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"HI,
SO DELICIOUS TO SEE YOU"
Part Two of "The Snake Charmers of India" by Swami Shyam Paramahansa
Tantra is a great science. It is divided into 16 different subjects. Each part has its own science and formulas. Each of them have four mystic wisdoms. All these 64 mystic wisdoms are known as the 64 Yoginis. One of these is the Cobra Mesmerizing Wisdom.
We have already discussed the fact that there are about 300 varieties of serpents spread out through the world. Africa is the wild land. African snake charmers say the Mamba serpent is very peculiar and a highly dangerous one.
The Sanskrit snake charmer wisdom book tells us that the original name of the Mamba is Mambaksa. And it goes on to describe how to mesmerize the dreaded cobra and use it to kill and destroy your enemies. But the problem is that, if for any reason, the enemy becomes able to escape this death, the cobra will come back to you and bite you until you are dead. The book tells us that through mantras a snake becomes so much empowered that it can reach all the way to the USA from India and kill the enemy no matter how secretely he is hiding. They can find a person even if they are under the protection of the army and kept underground. The Mambaksa would still get you. This is provided that the sender knows your appearance, your image, very well.
The book then talks about another horrible serpent named Kalaksa. It is said that Karaits, King Cobras and other powerful serpents are descendents of this one serpent. As soon as it completes its age of 1000 years, its will and vitality becomes so strong that it assumes the desired human form. This Sanskrit literature explains how to subdue, control and hypnotize even this dreaded cobra and use it for your high objectives...provided your objective is a noble one. In favor of the welfare of the righteous.
The technique is very secret, mysterious and very dangerous. Once you succeed you got him. He comes in a most handsome human form. The form has shining eyes like a ruby and the snake in human form is still, calm and quiet. This snake in human form can even listen with its eyes which are highly charismatic.
Varanasi or Kashi is a beautiful city. Now-a-days you will see very many Indian and Western tourists. They stay in all kinds of places and live in all kinds of ways. To the educated world it is just another dirty old Indian city. The reason I love Varanasi is completely different. It is because while wandering there, I have always found some extraordinary Wiseman.
One time, I stumbled across a Wiseman who had really done some great research on Cobra Charming Wisdom.
We met many times. Dined together. Walked and talked together for weeks. I would like to tell you just one story he told me in the mood of our open talks.
He told me he was doing intensive research on "naaga mohini vidya" in 1953. And, by chance, found a huge amount of books from many sources. One of the books was wonderful. It described all the cobra specialists of the time and included their pictures. The pictures were drawn with the ink of gems. They were shining as if they were just drawn.
He was looking at each of them and reading about the specialists. Suddenly, he was amazed to see a picture of a bewitchingly beautiful girl of age 22. Her hypnotic ruby eyes, moon-like face, rosy lips and golden complexion were impressive. She was dazzling in her thin silk sari that only half-covered her. Her large breasts were open and they had a picture of a cobra couple together. She was a snake charming wizard. Her name was Mohini. Next to the picture was Madhav, a person who had mastered a Kalaksa cobra and this girl was the cobra's beloved. After living for a thousand years with her cobra lover, she had assumed this youthful human form. It is unbelievable. But that is how things are beyond our phgysical dimension of existence: mystical, magical and amazing.
The year written underneath the picture was 1750. That means about 200 years since Mohini had resurrected herself into that young girl form.
The wise man told me he had begun to wonder if she was still somewhere in the same bewitchingly beautiful form. He wondered if it was possible to see her and speak to her.
Shortly after that, he boarded a train for Deharadun. He was acquainted with a passenger he saw on the train named Amar who happened to be a high class snake charmer. Amar was wearing a shiny black suit with a red tie. There was a sort of peculiar artistic graphic of a dancing cobra on his necktie. As the train moved on, both men were lost in a long mysterious conversation. Then, suddenly, the wiseman asked Amar if he knew Madhav.
"Yes, I know him," Amar
replied.
"Then you might also know Mohini?" queried the holyman.
Amar was startled but admitted that he knew her too and told the holyman that
she still existed in her same youthful form.
The holyman asked Amar, "Can you show her to me?"
Amar replied, "Not only that, I can introduce you to her. You may speak
to her yourself."
"But when and how?"
"You'll have to wait for an appropriate time. I will inform you where
you can meet me," replied Amar and got off of the train at Lucknow station.
"I will be waiting for your letter," the Wiseman said, bidding Amar
goodbye.
After eight months, a letter was received which requested him to come to Patiala immediately. My friend was excited with joy. Amar received him with great warmth at the train station. Both of them sat in the cab and headed towards Amar's bungalow. It was a beautiful mansion in the woods outside the town. They dined, rested and talked till late night.
Amar said he will have to arrange for a music concert for the assemblage of the King Cobra and his party. Usually, it takes place in a dense jungle. In that special secret meeting Mohini will come and dance for the King Cobra.
"When will that happen?"
asked my friend, the holyman.
"After 10 days on a full moon night of Kartika month," Amar replied.
On the correct night both men arrived at Jammu. Outside the city, on the bank of a river, there was a colorful flower-filled perfuming garden. On thick, green grass a white sheet was spread out. Several musicians were sitting there fixing their instruments. A bright soft milky light was shining intensely due to special reflector rocks and stones all around the area.
Soon about 400 cobras came from different directions. All the musicians stood up and saluted them with respect. All of the snakes sat coiled on the ground with their hoods upraised. Innumerable colors shone in that moonlight. Then came a long, big fat python-sized cobra. On his head sat a blood red six inch long (with thumb) hood. He was wearing a bright gold and gemmed crown.
All the cobras and people stood up and greeted him with great honor. He was the Emperor of the cobras. The lover of one thousand girl cobras. His age was one thousand years. He accepted everyone's greetings and ordered the concert to begin.
Soon Amar sang a loud sweet artful hum called "alaap" and the song began. Together with the song, the music echoed. Drummer, sitarist, flutist, sarangi and been players filled with insurmountable enthusiasm and played with the utmost musical perfection.
All the cobras were sitting adorably. During some nice tune and at the completion of the raga, they would wave or shake their heads and sometimes whisper to the snake nearest them.
The assembly continued for many hours. Amar then completed the music festival. Everybody sat in silence.
Suddenly a strong perfume spread all around. As if thousands of bottles of Itra (a herbal scent) were opened at once. As if thousands of flowers bloomed suddenly.
Right then, there appeared a red girl cobra surrounded by dozens of other female cobras respectfully. She came straight to the Emperor and offered a tribute of a milky diamond ejecting it from her mouth...and saluted him. Suddenly, there blazed forth a rainbow-like light and, in an instant, the red cobra turned into a young bewitchingly beautiful human girl.
The Wiseman saw this through unblinking eyes. She was Mohini. Yes, the same youthful Mohini who had lived for 200 years. The same beauty, the same charm. And now she was even more beautiful. With a fascinating gait, she began to dance. She danced like electricity, as if she was inside of a rainbow or light wave. The perfume followed her movements. Music resounded. An hour passed.
Dancingly, Mohini came close to Amar and looked at him and smiled. He pointed her towards his guest. She dancingly came closer and looked at him and gave him a big smile. The wiseman couldn't control himself. He leapt up and clasped her hand. Right then he felt as if hit by an electric shock. He released his grip and let her go.
"You must know the consequences of touching me," she mumbled.
"What could that be?" the Wiseman mumbled back.
Mohini did not say anything but resumed dancing and smiling. At last the light flashed again and Mohini was back in her red cobra form and vanished into thin air.
Amar gave a congratulation address and the musicians played a warm "Good-Bye" raga. Pleased, the Emperor cobra stood up and threw a piece of shining diamond. The python gave a gold piece and went into the jungle ... soon vanishing. After this, each cobra produced gold and pearls from their mouths and started throwing these items in front of Amar and the musicians.
When all the cobras had left, Amar gathered up all the shining wealth, worth millions of dollars and packed it all into his big suitcase. He paid all the musicians and workers and grabbed the hand of his guest. They walked back to Amar's mansion.
"Wow! This is how you live such an extravagant life and still do nothing?" The Wiseman looked at Amar. He smiled.
"You, too, can join us," he offered. "But perhaps you have a better opportunity. That fairy lady seems to have fallen in love with you."
"What?"
"I am positive. It takes a lot of courage to grab her hand like that. Her response was optimistic, otherwise she would have turned you into ashes in an instant."
"Is that so...?" The Wiseman gazed at Amar in disbelief.
One year later, the Wiseman told me, on the same full moon night of Kartik month, while he was sleeping soundly in his bedroom at Varanasi, Mohini came. She sat on the bed, placed his head in her lap and started playing with his hair and kissing him.
"Do you really love me, Mohini?" the Wiseman asked.
Mohini laughed and looked mischieviously at him. "Love!!! My God! Never heard the name of this bird. Where does it live, oh human? I just came to wrestle with you tonight." She embraced him all over. He became blissed and started passing out.
"Mohini," said the Wiseman, "please...I am just human. My capacities are limited. I feel like I am going crazy in your love. Please take me to where you live."
"If I did," replied Mohini, "you would really pass out in an instant. You know I am a cobra and a dancer for the Emperor cobra. Due to circumstances, it is only for one day a year that I assume the human form. So I can meet you only once a year. This is just for today."
"If that is what you want, I am going to die by jumping into the Ganga River," cried the Wiseman. "Okay. Forget about me. Enjoy your King cobra. I am going."
As he rushed out, Mohini ran down and grabbed him by his hand and said, "Please do not do that. I promise. I will come whenever you kiss the place on your hand where I held you. I will appear in human form. Okay, promise now that you will live to meet me, to take me in your ambrosial embrace."
The Wiseman told this to me as he looked around and stood up in the room. The room became fragrant with the same perfume he had smelt in the music concert with Amar. It stayed in the air for days and weeks. Everyone was surprized with this never before smelt perfume.
The Wiseman says, every year Mohini comes on Kartik full moon night and loves him all night long. Whenever he kisses the hand she touched, suddenly the surroundings start turning into an etherial dimension of existence, such as the realm you see after death or during astral projection or even during out of body experiences.
Then, he sees something as if a Himalayan fog had materialized in the room and he finds the beautiful Mohini floating and walking and smiling and saying with all the passion of the world put together: "Hi, so delicious to see you. Come with me. Have a nice trip with me. We are going to the Vatican, then to the Eiffel Tower, then we shall go to the Grand Canyon and Niagra Falls. We will be back in Varanasi by the evening. Come have a ride with me on this fog and watch how it turns into the latest brand new aircraft!"
And there they went.
Many times this Wiseman solves people's intricate complex problems with the help of Mohini. With her help he knows such mind boggling matters which makes us feel our parapsychologists and scientists are dwarfed, just belonging to a kindergarten class as far as the Truth of the world is concerned.
The Wiseman told me that Mohini feels the whole world is in her fist. She can reach anywhere in an instant. She can do anything to anybody.
Whenever Mambaksa, Kalaksa or Mohini assume human forms, they see and listen through their eyes only -- although they have ears. they express all sorts of feelings through their eyes. their eyes are almost hypnotic.
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This Page Updated In: April, 2004
