Nagarjuna, Who Rose Among Serpents to Illuminate the Void

Arya Nagarjuna, important in Buddhist philosophy, was also a spiritual being, a mystic, and a reformer. Because so many Mahayana Buddhists follow his teachings, he is often referred to as the “Second Buddha.” He explained that emptiness and the Middle Way helped to make things clearer. So, he returned Buddhism to being centered on being unattached, interconnected, and free of all extreme beliefs. It is believed that Nagarjuna went to the land of the Nagas, holding the key Mahayana text known as the Prajnaparamita Sutras. The span of his life combined clever ideas, strong faith, orderly thought processes, and a vivid worldview. His ideas remain present today in the teachings of Zen teachers, Tibetan monks, and guides who teach meditation.

Early Life and Spiritual Calling

Nagarjuna was born in the first century BCE in the Indian region of Vidarbha, which covers parts of Maharashtra and Telangana. According to the Lankāvatāra Sūtra and the Mahāmegha Sūtra, which are part of the Buddhist canon, he was destined to bring new energy to the Dharma in times of decline.

According to legend, a Brahmin living in Vidarbha had a dream that a divine child would be born to lead the people. With a strong commitment to making it happen, the Brahmin directed many sacred rituals and invited one hundred Brahmins to help. Soon after Nagarjuna was born, someone predicted that the child would not survive past seven days unless his parents did something worthy. By serving food and shelter to a hundred Buddhist monks as the sailors advised, they increased the merchant’s life to seven years and extended it further by maintaining their devotion.

Journey to Nalanda and Spiritual Awakening

Nagarjuna, a prominent Buddhist monk, was sent to Nalanda, a prestigious Buddhist learning center in Bihar, after a heavenly vision of Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha (Arya Loksvara). This vision motivated him to focus on spiritual growth and break away from earthly things. Shrimanta received teachings from Acharya Saraha, a master who helped start tantric Buddhism. She taught him the Amitabha mantra, meaning endless light and limitless compassion, and called him Shrimanta. He achieved high spiritual insight through his study and meditation. His strong character and wisdom led him to be named abbot of Nalanda, where he reformed the monastic order and expelled around 8,000 monks who acted against spiritual rules, restoring order and spiritual energy among the monks.

Why is the Title “Nagarjuna”?

Nagarjuna was greeted by two children, whom he recognized as the sons of Naga King Taksaka, semi-divine serpent beings responsible for secret wisdom and treasures. The Naga youths asked Shrimanta to help establish a temple for Tara, a bodhisattva related to protection, care, and enlightened activities. They brought him a sacred sandalwood box and rare clay for the temple's construction. He accepted the invitation and secured the Prajnaparamita Sutra, a 100,000-verse sutra detailing the Mahayana philosophy on emptiness.

After teaching the sutra, he rose to prominence and was known as Nagarjuna, as he "arose among the Nagas" or was closely connected to them, or had a stable spiritual position.

Iconography of Nagarjuna

In Buddhist art, sculptures and thangka paintings, Nagarjuna appears with many symbols that display his spiritual influence, thoughtful teachings, and mystical attachment to Nagas, wisdom, and compassion. His form happens to differ among Indian, Tibetan, Chinese, and Japanese styles; even so, some aspects are always present:

1. Seven-Headed Cobra Hood (Naga Canopy)

Marks his relationship with the Naga and their spirits, and his work as the protector of secret scriptures.

2. Monk’s Robes (Kasaya):

Observed strict ethics and was honored as a respected Buddhist monk and reformer.

3. Prajnaparamita Manuscript:

Held by or shown to be on a lotus near him; reflects the fact that he taught and revealed the Perfection of Wisdom sutras, which lie at the heart of Mahayana philosophy.

4. Lotus Throne:

Shows purity of the spirit and knowledge, putting these things above material things and not knowing.

5. Teaching Gesture (Dharmachakra Mudra):

Making hand gestures while teaching allows a master to spread the Dharma and explain the truths of philosophy.

6. Calm Expression:

Includes the wisdom of inner emptiness, balance, and is free from dualistic thinking.

7. Aura or Halo (Prabhamaṇḍala).

Rings the head or body, representing sudden insight and wisdom's brilliance.

8. Naga Sons or Attendants:

Sometimes depicted next to him, these stand for his first encounter with snake knowledge and his commitment to show the world concealed facts.

Philosophical contributions

Nagarjuna is widely known for introducing the Middle Way school of Mahayana, which is designed to dispute absolute and essential views. Chandrakīrti devotes much of Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (Fundamental Verses on the Middle Way) to a discussion of emptiness (śūnyatā).  According to him, no event or thing matters because they lack the strength to exist independently.  They are created due to different causes and changes in circumstances.

In the analysis offered by Nagarjuna, our thoughts significantly affect how we construct the self, object, time, and causality ideas.  When the reader investigates the conceptions with dialectical tools, she realizes they highlight the actual nondual aspect of existence.

Mūlamadhyamakakārikā (Fundamental Verses on the Middle Way)

The Mūlamadhyamakakārikā is Nagarjuna’s main philosophical text, through which he started the Mahayana Buddhist school known as Madhyamaka. He disputes the idea that anything has a nature (svabhāva). He reveals through his teaching on motion, causation, time, and the self that everything is empty (śūnya) because it depends on causes and conditions rather than its nature. For this reason, they do not exist in and of themselves with dependent origination; things appear to be connected, without their own identity, which helps to break through the attachment and suffering that arise from lacking a feel for interrelatedness. 

The MMK (Mūlamadhyamakakārikā) explores the concept of the term mentioned in the introductory verse of it:

anirodham anutpādam anucchedam aśāśvatam |

anekārtham anānārtham anāgamam anirgamam ||

yaḥ pratītyasamutpādaņ prapañcopaśamam śivam |

deśayāmāsa sambuddhas tam vande vadatām varam ||

Other Works Attributed

• Ratnāvalī (Precious Garland) – A letter written like poetry, teaching a king how to behave ethically by combining practical politics with metaphysics. It helps leaders act according to Buddhist values in their decisions.
• Vigrahavyāvartanī (The End of Disputes) – A book where Nagarjuna debates and challenges other views on Madhyamaka.
• Suhr̀llekha – A guide in verse meant for a royal friend, encouraging the reader to live morally, show compassion, and practice spiritual activities. Many consider it a fine expression of engaged Buddhism.

Influence and Legacy

Many Tibetan Buddhists regard Nagarjuna as the main authority on Buddhist logic and metaphysics. Lama Tsongkhapa, whose school is called the Gelug, tried to make the teachings logical and practical, and this thinking inspired the Dalai Lama. His teachings spread among the Chan and Tiantai schools in East Asia, started to practice meditation and mindfulness to overcome dualities. His ideas play a role in today’s Buddhist practice because they invite people to let go of unnecessary attachment and have a more flexible image of who they are. He teaches that by abandoning any kind of ideas, liberation emerges and naturally leads us to be wise and compassionate.

Modern Relevance

1. The Relationship of Nagarjuna and Buddhism

Some academics and physicists have explored the similarities between Nagarjuna’s idea of dependent origination and the main ideas in quantum theory. The opinion that objects possess an enduring, independent nature is challenged by these viewpoints, which prefer a flexible and related view of existence.

2. The Positive and Negative Effects of Believing in Emptiness

Knowing about emptiness goes beyond philosophy and affects our morals. When someone understands that all beings are connected, compassion freezes in the mind. When discrimination, pride and egoism are removed through practice of emptiness, the result is a kinder and more equal society. Nagarjuna’s teachings give us ways to be ethical, aware of the environment and interact positively with people globally.

Conclusion

Arya Nagarjuna is remembered in Buddhist history for his work as a philosopher, mystic, reformer, and religious leader. What he said about the Middle Way and śūnyatā (emptiness) transformed common opinions about reality, identity, and knowing, replacing the first principles of Mahayana. The philosopher Nagarjuna opposed the beliefs that all exists forever or that all is meaningless, pushing for a new understanding that everything is linked and adaptable in life. Buddha’s philosophy is kept in Buddhist monasteries, Zen dojos, meditation halls, and now also in debates on science and philosophy.

He was not only academically trained; he reminded us that understanding and kindness play a central role in awakening. He returned Buddhist practice to its fundamental principles, gave up fixed beliefs, valued relations with people around him, and learned wisdom from personal experience. For many, his legacy means we should learn not from what we believe, but from recognizing the ways we are misled. In times when ideas are usually divided into clear sides, Nagarjuna guides us along a calm and steady way to freedom.