Lord Shiva in Samudra Manthan And The Symbolism Behind It

Samudra Manthan is one of the most legendary incidents in Hindu mythology. Samudra means ocean in Sanskrit and Manthan means churning. Thus, Samudra Manthan is the churning of the ocean of milk. This was a significant event as after this the Devas, who were weakened by Durvasa’s curse before, were able to gain strength and defeat the Asuras, torestore order to the Universe.

The sage Durvasa offered a holy garland to Indra, who put it on the head of his vahana Airawat, who did not like the garland and threw it down. This enraged Durvasa and he cursed Indra and all the other Devas.

Refused forgiveness by Durvasa and weakened by the curse, Indra and the Devas were then defeated by the Asuras, who became the new rulers of the Universe. Indra then pleaded Lord Vishnu to find a solution, who asked him and the other Devas to be on good terms with the Asuras.

Lord Vishnu then said that the Devas and Asuras should work together to churn the ocean of milk, and share the divine nectar of immortality (Amrita) equally amongst both sides. But it was known to Devas that this was a false promise by Lord Vishnu, who vowed to not let the Asuras feast on the Amrita.

As the ocean was stirred, many valuable items were produced along with the Amrita. But Halahala, a dangerous poison which could destroy the entire Universe was also released from the ocean floor. Lord Shiva drank this poison to save the Universe and Goddess Parvati prevented the poison from going down his throat. As a result his throat turned blue and he gained the name of Neelkantha or ‘blue throated God’.

In celebration of the finding of the Amrita, Lord Vishnu took the form of Mohini and started distracting the Asuras with her divine charm and distributing the Amrita among the Devas, who were seated away from the Asuras. Rahuketu, an Asura who disguised himself as a Deva drank some Amrita, but Suryadev and Chandradev alerted Mohini about it who cut off Rahuketu’s head before he could swallow it.

After drinking the Amrita, the Devas regained their powers again and defeated the Asuras easily. Thus, the Samudra Manthan played a key role in destroying the forces of evil and restoring peace in the Universe.

Symbolic  Significance

1. The ocean is symbolic of the human consciousness, and the churning of this ocean signifies the journey of our conscience through different experiences.

2. The Mandaragiri Mountain which was used as a stick to churn the ocean represents our concentration, which can be negatively affected at times.

3. Vasuki, the snake represents our desires and the Devas and Asuras represent the good and bad in us.

4. Halahala, the poison represents our pain and suffering and the jewels which came out of the ocean represent materialistic pleasures, which we shouldn’t get distracted by.

5. The Samudra Manthan tells us that we have to keep our minds and body in good harmony, in order to achieve spiritual bliss.