watch-woman-escapes-cobra-bite-after-snake-sits-her-for-hour

WATCH: Woman Escapes Cobra Bite After Snake Sits on Her for an Hour

A woman in India suffered the most terrifying Ophidiophobia nightmare this week when a massive cobra slithered onto her back and remained there for the longest hour of her life.

A clip of the harrowing tale has been making its rounds on the internet and has unsurprisingly brought in over 37,000 views. In it, the near-victim, Bhagamma Hanamantha, a farmer who lives in the state of Karnataka, lies on a cot, motionless, as she chants prayers in her native language. The deadly snake perches on her with its hood up. For those who don’t know, cobras only reveal their hoods when they feel threatened and are considering an attack.

Luckily, the cobra eventually left without biting Hanamantha. It also left a calf that was standing beside the cot unharmed.

Indian Forest Service officer Susanta Nanda shared the video and asked how others would have reacted. In our case, we’d like to think that we’d remain as rationally calm as Hanamantha did. But we can’t say we’d handle ourselves as well if the situation were to arise.

However, as many of the commentators shared, staying calm and still is exactly why Hanamantha survived. Cobras are considered the most deadly snakes on the planet. If someone is bitten and not treated immediately, they will likely die. So if Hanamantha or the calf had moved an inch, it probably would have been a “fatal” mistake.

People Living in Rural India Know How to Handle Themselves Around a Cobra

@Peacelover65 shared that this horrific situation isn’t uncommon in the rural areas of the country. People learn early to “stop your movement” if a cobra is near. And Hanamantha pulled that “mantra” off perfectly. Despite being on a metal cot and in and seemingly uncomfortable position, she only moved enough to speak her prayers to mallaih, nagaraj swamy.

Another user, @chaluchacha, shared that they used to hear stories of cobras coming into houses back when the houses had “thatched roofs” and “firewood stores.” Usually, they’d be hunting for rats or frogs. But they always left the people alone as long as they were unprovoked.

“That lady did well! Of course drenched in fear but did not panic, [didn’t] threaten the snake in any way,” @Sumoz41 praised. “…needs patience ..any sign of threat, snake would have gone for a lil.”

But while countless people commended Bhagamma Hanamantha for handling herself so perfectly under pressure, one commenter wrote what we are all thinking. If we were in that situation, the cobra wouldn’t be the only threat to our lives.

“I will die with heart attack if I am in that situation,” wrote @susantananda3.