Day XXXIX - Mucalinda

Beneath the snake's hood,

Sheltered from the epic storm,

Buddha meditates.

In Buddhist legend, the Mucalinda makes its appearance in the story of Prince Siddhartha's Enlightenment, providing protection for the Buddha from a seven-day rainstorm. The great serpent king - often represented as having seven heads - is said to have risen up from the Earth and shielded the meditating Buddha from the elements by wrapping his coils around the revered figure's form, using its immense hood to provide shelter from the storm. Because of such benevolent actions beneath the Bodhi tree, the supreme nāgā (snake-being) has been venerated and appreciated across a wide range of art and sculptural works across Asia. Massive respect is due for the hooded hero that is the Mucalinda, ensuring that really bad weather doesn't obscure the path to nirvana.