Samudra Manthan

                     SAMUDRA MANTHAN 

HISTORY

The Samudra Manthana (churning of the ocean of milk) is one of the best-known episodes in the Hindu philosophy narrated in the Bhagavata Purana, in the Mahabharata and in the Vishnu Purana. The Samudra Manthana explains the origin of Amrita.

STORY BEHIND SAMUDRA MANTHAN

Indra, the King of Swarga, while riding on the elephant Airavata, came across Sage Durvasa who offered him a special garland given to him by a nymph. Indra accepted the gift and placed it on the trunk of the elephant as a test to prove that he was not an egoistic deva. The flowers on it had a scent that attracted some bees. Annoyed by the bees Airavata threw the garland on the ground. This enraged the sage as the garland was a dwelling of Sri (fortune) and was to be treated as a prasada or religious offering. Durvasa cursed Indra and all devas to be bereft of all strength, energy, and fortune.

                                              

The churning of the Ocean of Milk, in a bazaar art print, c.1910s; the Suras or gods are on the right, the Asuras or demons on the left.

In battles following the incident, the Devas were defeated and the asuras, led by bali, gained control over the universe. The Devas sought Lord Vishnu's help, who advised them to treat the Asuras in a diplomatic manner. The Devas formed an alliance with the Asuras to jointly churn the ocean for the nectar of immortality and to share it among themselves. However, Vishnu told the Devas that he would arrange for them alone to obtain the nectar.  

The Samudra Manthana process released a number of things from the Ocean of Milk. One of them was the lethal poison known as Halahala. However, in some other variations of the story, the poison escaped from the mouth of the serpent king as the demons and gods churned. This terrified the gods and demons because the poison was so powerful that it could destroy all of creation. In the variation, Lord Vishnu knew that Vasuki would vomit poisonous flames when twisted and pulled, and therefore advised the Devas to hold the tail end of the snake, without telling them the reason. First, the Devas held the head end of the snake, while the Asuras held the tail end. The Asuras were enraged by this, as the lower part of an animal is impure, or less pure, than the part that contains the head. They insisted on holding the head side of the snake. Lord Vishnu had an inkling that his reverse psychology would work. The Asuras demanded to hold the head of the snake, while the Devas, taking advice from Lord Vishnu, agreed to hold its tail. When the mountain was placed in the ocean, it began to sink. Vishnu, in the form of Kurma (lit. turtle), came to their rescue and supported the mountain on his shell. The Asuras were poisoned by fumes emitted by Vasuki. Despite this, the Devas and the Asuras pulled back and forth on the snake's body alternately, causing the mountain to rotate, which in turn churned the ocean.

The Devas then approached Lord Shiva for protection. Shiva consumed the poison to protect the three worlds and which in the process gave a blue hue to his throat. In some versions as Lord Shiva drank the poison, he was suffering intense pain, but could not die, as seen by Parvati, his consort. She immediately places a hand on his throat, stopping the poison to flow any further, and by her Maya stopped it forever. As a result, his throat turned blue and he was henceforth called Neelakantha.

THINGS FROM SAMUDRA MANTHAN

* RATNAS

# Lakshmi

#Apsara

#Varuni

#Kamdhenu

#Airavata

#Uchhaishravas

#Chandra

#Shankha

#Airavatha

#Giloy

#Amrit

  

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