The Story Of Samudra Manthan To Obtain The Nectar Of Immortality

Let me tell you a story about how the Gods and the Demons churned the milky ocean to obtain the Nectar Of Immortality!


    Once upon a time, due to the curse of a Sage named Durvasa, the Gods had lost their strength and lost the battle with the Demons. The Gods then went to Lord Vishnu for help.

Lord Vishnu who always helps his devotees, instructed them to go to the Demons and ask them to join them to obtain the Nectar Of Immortality by churning the milky ocean and share it among themselves. Lord Vishnu told the Gods that he would make sure that only the Gods get the nectar.

When the Gods approached the Demons, they readily agreed since they were also eager to become immortal!

This process of churning the ocean to obtain this immortality nectar is called "Samudra Manthan".
For churning of the ocean they needed a churning rod and a rope. They used the "Mandara Mountain" as the rod and a snake named "Vasuki" which resides on Lord Shiva's neck as the rope.

Before the churning process began, they both fought for who should hold the head side of the snake. The Gods then agreed to hold the tail because Lord Vishnu had instructed them to do so. Then they started the churning process which was just like the game of "Tug Of War".

The Demons were poisoned by the fumes emitted by the snake and their strength decreased. Despite this, both of them pulled back and forth causing the mountain to rotate. But, the Mandara mountain kept sinking into the ocean. So, Lord Vishnu in the form of tortoise supported the mountain on his shell. This is nothing but the "Kurma" incarnation of Lord Vishnu.

This churning process released a number of things. The first thing that came out was the "Halahala" poison. This was so poisonous that it could destroy the entire creation! The terrified Gods then approached Lord Shiva for protection.

Lord Shiva who always helps his devotees, consumed the poison! The poison was stuck in his throat and his throat turned blue in color. Hence, Lord Shiva is called "Neelakantha".

Then the Gods and Demons started the churning process again. The following treasures were obtained which were divided between them:

• Goddess Lakshmi : She is the Goddess of Wealth who married Lord Vishnu.
• Apsaras : These were the heavenly damsels who were taken by Gandarvas (heavenly singers).
• Varuni: She is the Goddess of Wine who was taken by the Demons.
• Kamadhenu: This is a wish yielding cow which was taken by Lord Brahma.
• Airavata: This was an elephant taken away by Indra (King Of Gods).
• Uchhaishravas: This was a seven-headed horse given to Bali (King Of Demons at that time).
• Kaustubha Gem: This is the most valuable gem in the world worn by Lord Vishnu.
• Parijata Tree: The flowers of this tree never fade and this tree was taken by the Gods.
• Sharanga: A powerful Bow was taken by the Demons.
• Soma: The is the moon which was taken and adorned by Lord Shiva.
• Shankha: This was the conch of Lord Vishnu.
• An Umbrella : This was taken by Varuna who is the God of the Ocean.
• A Pair Of Earrings: This was given to Aditi (Mother of the Gods) by her son Indra.
• Dhanvantari: Finally, the Physician of the Gods arrived with the Nectar of Immortality in a pot.

A battle ensued between the Gods and the Demons for it. Then Garuda (which is actually a bird and also the vehicle for Lord Vishnu) took the nectar and flew away from the battlefield.

When the Gods went to Lord Vishnu for help, he took the form of Mohini, a beautiful damsel and distracted the Demons. She then took the nectar and started distributing it to the Gods.

A Demon named RahuKetu disguised himself as a God and drank it. This was noticed by the Sun and the Moon God and they informed Mohini (Lord Vishnu) about it. She became angry and cut the head of RahuKetu with Sudarshan Chakra (this is the discus of Lord Vishnu).

However, some of the nectar had managed to go down his throat and he did not die. From that day, the head was called "Rahu" and his body was called "Ketu".

Finally, after Lord Vishnu distributes the nectar to all the Gods, they become immortal and defeat the Demons.

The lesson we need to learn from this story is that, there is always a constant battle between the good and evil. If we take the side of the good and surrender to God, he will always help us no matter what and we will always win the battle!