NHD7/1085

Spectacled or Binocellate Cobra

‘Naja naja’

Original inscriptions: ‘Naga Serpents. This Serpent is esteemed as God in our Hindoo religion which also says, if one has ignorantly or accidentally killed such a Serpents, his issue will be discontinued for many Generations and He should be obliged to perform the funeral rites for three days with milk and he is also obliged to make a Gold Serpent and keep it in his house and adore it like a God or to make Serpents form in Stones and establish it in the place of most sanctuary as Ramaswaram with usual Ceremonies and he should pray the God called Subramonia Swamy without eating his Victuals in the day called Sustee, but eat only 5 0r 6 peppers be fast all that day which is 12 days in the year. If he had punctually performed this Ceremony then it is said that He who killled the Serpents will be released from his Sin, and our religion says that all the serpents which is in the present age of the world are the issues of Sasha Bagavan, the King of the Serpents, who bears all World by one head out of His thousand and he is an Ornament to Shivah the destroying God and serves as bed and Umbrella to the Saviour God Vishnoo and all the different nations of Hindoos worships and adores the King of the Serpents Sashabagavan. This Serpents has no able to maketh a hole to live for themselves, but it seeketh the holes which were made by white ants an live in it, by this reason the Serpents is an usurper for the rights of others, and there are four casts among it Serpents, Brahmany is the first and white colour 2nd Shattra cast is red, 3rd Vysia cast is gold colour and the 4th the Sooder cast is black colour but at present there are only two casts Vysia and Soodra gold and black coloured. These Serpents has four poisoned teeth called Calee, Kalastree, Kalanamen, & Kalalooden. If the Man was bitten by these four teeth He will immediately die. If by two or three he will perhaps live by good application with medicine a Student Conjuror will make the Serpents to sip up the poison from the place which was dispelled and to left his Head and to play as he pleases. This Serpents are very fond to hear the hymen with tuned instruments. The foods to this Serpents are Rats, Frogs, and young birds Eggs and milk and espicially He swallowed the winds whenHe stayed in the Hole at Desert. The enemies of these Serpents viz a kind of Red dog in the wilderness chacing upon -------. Peccocks, Hedgehogs, Bears, Red Crows, Bramney Kites Owls Crocodils, the hoofs of Deer and Bullocks the lightnings and thunder and If the Serpents were escaped from these Enemies the Age is for the said four casts & coloured Serpents viz 1008 years for the white, eight hundred years for the Red five hundred for the gold Coloured and three hundred for the Black Coloured Serpents – this drawned Serpent is Vysia cast.’

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Medium: Watercolour

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