Churning the Ocean - Samudra Manthan as a Roadmap for Sadhana

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Churning the Ocean - Samudra Manthan as a Roadmap for Sadhana

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Even the most hardhearted of persons would step away from a

flower lying on his/her way, being wary of crushing it under one's

feet, even though they would think nothing of kicking away the

hardest of stones. The Indian tradition believes that a flower is

the abode of Goddess Lakshmi, its almost divine softness and

beauty being but an expression of aspects of the goddess herself.

In fact, the proud god Indra who once showed disrespect to a

garland of flowers had to undergo a lot of distress resulting from

it.

 

It so transpired that the great sage Durvasa once offered Indra a

garland made of beautiful blooming flowers. The vain king of gods

placed it on the head of his elephant, who immediately threw it

down and trampled it under his feet, prompting sage Durvasa to

place a curse upon Indra that since he had disrespected Lakshmi

(living in the flower), she would soon desert him.

 

Very soon the gods began to loose their vigor, and the demons,

seeing their chance defeated them in battle and drove them out of

heaven. The gods then repaired to Lord Brahma, seeking his advice.

 

The nature of Lord Brahma is such that he can give only specific

boons, but never lasting relief from distress. Therefore he

suggested that all of them, together with Lord Shiva, should go

to Shri Vishnu asking for his intervention.

 

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The Great God Vishnu however made it clear that the present time

was favorable to the demons, and the only immediate recourse was

to go ahead and make peace with them. After securing this

semblance of friendship, the gods and demons should then strive

to churn the ocean together, from which would result the nectar

of immortality (amrita). Towards this end they could use the

mighty mountain 'Mandara' as a churning rod and the serpent

Vasuki as the rope. Before beginning the actual churning, the

gods must pour plants, grasses, herbs etc into the ocean. The

Lord then finally promised that he would ensure that only the

gods, and not the demons would get to drink this nectar.

 

The gods faithfully obeyed Lord Vishnu's instructions and poured

herbs into the ocean. This symbolizes that our spiritual journey

has to be preceded by the hearing of the divine words of the

Vedas (Upanishads, Vedanta etc), only when these scared uttering

are poured into our ears are we ripe enough to undertake the

actual journey (sadhana).

 

They then went ahead and made peace with the demons. The two

groups agreed to churn the ocean to obtain amrita. Together they

uprooted the huge mountain named 'Mandara,' and started carrying

it to the ocean. However, though it is not too difficult to pick

up a heavy object, carrying it a distance is another matter. The

gods and demons found its weight difficult to carry and abandoned

it midway. Seeing their dejection, Lord Vishnu appeared seated on

Garuda and effortlessly placed the mountain on Garuda's wings,

mounted the bird himself, and thus carried over the mountain

effortlessly to the seashore.

 

The mountain Mandara here is symbolic of our mind (manas), its

stability representing the determination of our resolve. Our mind

has to be brought over to the shore of sadhana. However, this is

not possible without grace of god (bhagavat kripa). It needs

also to be remembered that though there was no need for God to

create the whole complicated paraphernalia of churning the ocean

when things could have happened by his mere resolve. The whole

purpose was to bring home the fact that effort is the vehicle of

divine grace. Also, the bird Garuda is symbolic of the Vedas with

the flapping of its wings representing the rhythmic chanting of

Vedic hymns. The Shrimad Bhagavata says:

 

'The three Vedas are called Garuda.' (12.11.19)

 

Thus only when we have placed our mind on the wings of the Veda,

reposing our full faith in the divine word, can we said to be on

the path of sadhana.

 

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The next requirement was a churning rope and for this purpose the

mighty serpent named Vasuki was patronized with the promise of a

share in the nectar. The snake was wound round the mountain and

Lord Vishnu, accompanied by the gods, walked over to the serpent's

mouth taking position there. This action was not appreciated by

the demons who insisted that the tail being a 'impure organ', and

they being from an exalted lineage, they would not work from that

end. The Lord smilingly left the head and with the gods in tow,

walked over to the tail.

 

The two sides then began the actual process of churning. However,

due to its weight, the mountain began sinking in the ocean.

Seeing their efforts thus go waste the churners became dejected.

The Lord then incarnated as a giant tortoise and dived into the

waters, lifting the mountain on his back. When the churning

started again, the movement of the massive mountain on the back

of the tortoise made God feel as if someone was pleasantly

scratching his back.

 

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The tortoise here represents the state of sadhana where all sense

organs have been withdrawn and it is with such a support that the

mind progresses in sadhana. The Bhagavad Gita says:

 

'Like the tortoise, which withdraws its limbs from all sides, the

person who withdraws his senses from all sense objects, obtains a

steady wisdom.' (2.58)

 

The slight scratching on the mighty Lord's back indicates that

he takes note of our spiritual endeavors, and our sadhana gives

him pleasure.

 

Not only did the Lord incarnate as a tortoise, but also entered

into the demons as their 'demonic nature', supplementing their

essentially 'rajasic nature' by strength and energy. He also

entered into the gods as their 'godly (sattvic) nature',

increasing their power and then finally permeated the snake

Vasuki as sleep, which was but a manifestation of its essentially

tamasic nature (it is well known that a snake is one the most

tamasic creature). The slumber not only made it trouble free for

the serpent itself but also ensured a smooth operation of the

churning rope.

 

The serpent Vasuki symbolizes desire and its slumber indicates

that only when all our desires go to sleep (by god's grace) can

any spiritual progress be said to have really begun.

 

To ensure complete stability, the Lord then pressed the mount by

placing a hand over it. Thus, even though this enterprise was

undertaken with a 'worldly motive,' namely the victory of one

group over the other, it was made truly divine what with the

Supreme Lord pressing the churning rod from above, supporting it

from below in the form of a tortoise, entering not only into the

bodies of the gods and demons, but also the mountain

(representing its stability and determination), and finally in

the serpent too.

 

With the churning in progress, a deluge of poisonous fumes began

issuing forth from the nostrils of Vasuki. The demons who had

insisted that they be allowed to hold on to the serpent's head

were now the one's facing the heat.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/vasuki.jpg

 

The gods, who had faithfully followed the directions of God, were

not only safe but the same fumes tormenting the asuras on rising

in the air became clouds and carried over to the gods showered

their cooling waters over them.

 

When even with the combined effort of both sides, no nectar

turned out, the Great Lord began to churn the sea himself. With

this invincible support, the first by product of the churning of

the ocean emerged - namely the hot and deadly poison named

Halahala, which immediately began to torment the worlds. The

frightened creatures of the world wondered where to seek solace

from this plight. They came to the realization that Lord Shiva,

with all those poisonous serpents entwined playfully about his

body was the only one who could perhaps resolve their distress,

plus the hot poison would be an ideal drink for him living in the

sub zero peaks of Mount Kailash.

 

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They then went over to Lord Shiva and brought to his notice the

fact that the world was being threatened with dissolution, and

since he was the 'Lord of dissolution' he must to something stop

this untimely annihilation of the world.

 

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Seeing their distress Lord Shiva was overwhelmed with compassion.

However, before he proceeded to initiate any drastic remedial

measure, like a good husband, he took his beloved wife into

confidence, informing her that he wished to drink away this

poison. The Great Goddess, sharing her husband's compassion and

very well knowing his prowess, agreed to it.

 

Lord Shiva then took the poison in his palm and swallowed it. The

same deadly venom that was threatening to end the worlds now

became a beautiful ornament of Lord Shiva, turning his throat a

light blue, a monument to his supremely compassionate and

sacrificing nature. Truly says the Shrimad Bhagavata Purana in

this context:

 

Compassionate ones generally undertake a lot of trouble to

relieve others of their suffering. However, this is no pain at

all, because relieving others of their suffering is the highest

worship of god. (Shrimad Bhagavata Purana 8.7.44)

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/neelkanth.jpg

 

The emergence of poison as the first product of the churning

indicates that obstacles inevitably come up whenever any good

work is undertaken, whether they be in form of suffering or

physical impediments blocking the goal. The bigger the job you

set out to do, the stronger is the poison that will turn up.

Those on the path of God do know that once they have set out on

their way, the negative tendencies kama, krodha (anger) lobha

(greed) etc. start tormenting one with surprisingly strong vigor.

Only the one, who like Lord Shiva, bears of the Ganga of

knowledge on his head can survive, nay even come out stronger

after encountering them. Therefore, whenever any bitter poison,

be it in the form of suffering or a negative tendency, surfaces

in our lives, it is to Lord Shiva we should look up to.

 

Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita:

 

'That which begins like poison, ends up like nectar (amrita); and

that which at first seems like nectar ends up as poison. " (18.37-38)

 

After Lord Shiva had partaken the poison, the gods and demons

began to churn the ocean again with renewed effort. Next to

emerge was the cow Kamadhenu, who provides us with the necessary

materials for Vedic sacrifices (milk, ghee etc).

 

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The Brahmins laid a claim on her saying that Brahmins had a right

to the first thing that emerged. To the query that the first item

to emerge was the deadly poison, the Brahmins became at a loss

for words. However, since both the gods and the demons equally

revered the Brahmins, they were respectfully allowed to have their

way.

 

Next emerged the beautiful horse named Ucchaihshravas, radiant

like the white moon. Indra had already been instructed by God

not to ask for it, so he kept quiet. The king of the demons

expressed his desire for it and was allowed to take possession of

the horse.

 

The horse Uccchai (high) Shrva (praise) signifies the lofty

praise and adulation that is initially heaped on those on the

spiritual path. Like a swift steed it carries away the adept from

the correct path. The true seeker must always resist its appeal.

 

Here it must be realized that gods and demons are both born of

the same father, the sage Kashyapa. However, their mothers are

different. The gods are born of Aditi, meaning without duality

(A-diti). Aditi symbolizes the non-dual perspective of seeing

things, wherein each and everything is recognized as an equal

part of the universal divine whole.

 

The mother of the demons is however Diti, meaning taking a dual

perspective of things not recognizing the inherent and essential

unity underlying all manifested existence. For the sadhak it is

necessary to utilize both these tendencies in hisher spiritual

journey. It is not that we have to direct only our positive

tendencies towards God, all the inclinations of the mind -

whether good or bad need to be directed towards God.

 

Next came Airavat, the majestic white elephant. Since the demons

had taken the horse, it was now the turn of the gods, hence Indra

took the unique elephant as his vehicle. The elephant, with its

eyes much smaller in proportion to its large body, is a symbol of

minute (sukshma) perspective, meaning the capacity to see the

essential, 'hidden' nature of things.

 

Then there came out the jewel called Kaustubha (pure

consciousness), which the great Lord Vishnu took as an adornment

for his chest. Thereafter arose the wish-fulfilling tree Parijata

and nymphs known as apsaras, both of which ultimately became the

delight of heavens. Next emerged none other than Goddess Lakshmi

herself, the very embodiment of affluence and prosperity. Seeing

her beauty par excellence, the hearts of all those present there

(except Lord Vishnu) became agitated, kindling in all a desire to

make her their own.

 

Indra fetched a seat for her with his own hands, Vishwakarma gave

her many splendid ornaments and Lord Brahma a lotus. Thereafter

Goddess Lakshmi, shining like a creeper of gold, holding a

garland in her arms, set out in search of a suitable spouse, who

was without blemish and would prove to be an eternal companion.

She laid her eyes on all the three worlds critically scrutinizing

all her suitors, saying to herself:

 

1). Some are high quality ascetics, but have no control over

their anger (like sage Durvasa).

 

2). Though some are extremely knowledgeable, they are not above

attachment (like Shukracharya).

 

3). Some are truly great but have not been able to win over kama

(physical desire), like Lord Brahma.

 

4). Some are extremely prosperous (like Indra), but what use is

such affluence when one has to depend on another for protection?

 

5). Some, though scrupulous in performing their dharma, lack

compassion (like Parashurama).

 

6). Some are prone to sacrifice (like King Shibi), however mere

sacrificial nature (tyaga) is not sufficient enough for mukti

(final liberation).

 

7). For those free from attachment (like the eternal celibate

brothers - Sanak etc.), they will have never have anything to do

with the 'other', e.g. one's wife etc, and therefore no

relationship will be possible.

 

8). For those (like sage Markandeya) who have managed to gain a

very long life (chir ayu), they do not possess the amiable nature

preferred by women. For those who are amiable, they but possess a

limited life span only.

 

9). The one who possesses both (longevity and amiability like

Lord Shiva), lives inauspiciously.

 

10). Finally, the one who is totally auspicious, eternal and

infinitely amiable, is indifferent to me (Lord Vishnu).

 

Coming to this conclusion, Devi Lakshmi finally chose as her

spouse the Supreme Lord Vishnu, the eternal abode of all

auspicious qualities, untouched by the three gunas, absolutely

independent, and not expecting anything from anybody (nirpeksha).

 

Thus, much like the Hindu Marriages today, The Goddess Lakshmi

placed a garland of flowers round the neck of Lord Vishnu, and

stood by him silently waiting for his grace. She made the bosom

of Lord Vishnu her permanent abode, thus ensuring that he would

never embrace anybody other than Goddess Lakshmi. Actually, the

one who is completely free from desire, not coveting any form of

material prosperity is truly the 'richest.' All others, wandering

here and there, tormented by the desire to possess material

objects, are the poorest.

 

From her cosy niche on her beloved God's chest, Goddess Lakshmi

bestowed her grace on the gods, since they were the objects of

her husband's affections. The gods thus were endowed with all

virtuous qualities, She ignored the demons however and they

became dispirited, unenterprising, shameless and greedy.

 

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Next arose from the ocean a girl with lotus eyes, she was Varuni,

the presiding deity of wine. She was taken by the demons.

 

At last there emerged from the ocean a wonderful person with long

and muscular arms, holding in his hands a vase brimming over with

the nectar of immortality. This was none other then Dhanvantri,

the founder of Ayurveda.

 

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The demons, first to break the terms of agreement, forcibly took

away the vase, intending to deprive the gods of their rightful

share. Thus cornered, the gods once again took refuge with Lord

Vishnu. The Lord consoled them saying that he would ensure that

the demons would not get to drink the nectar.

 

Meanwhile, a quarrel had ensued between the demons themselves,

each clamoring to get a share of the nectar first. At this moment

Lord Vishnu took on the form of a bewitchingly beautiful woman

named Mohini. Her color was slightly dark, and her body taut and

highly attractive. The sari falling over her big island like

hips, the melodious tinkling of her anklets, her bashful amorous

smile and dancing eyebrows, set ablaze the demon's hearts with

desire.

 

Captivated by her charms, the demons addresses her thus:

 

" Lady, who are you? Where have you come from? Tell us whose

daughter you are. It is pretty clear that your beauty is

untouched. You have come here at an opportune moment. Right now,

we demons, even though we are the sons of the same father, are

fighting each other for the nectar of immortality. We request you

to distribute the nectar on our behalf, so that we do not again

fight between ourselves. "

 

To this Mohini replied:

 

" How can you high bred people place faith in a wanton woman like

me? Certainly no wise person would do so. " By such jocular and

enticing remarks she made the demons trust her all the more.

Laughing aloud they handed over precious vase to her. Taking the

pot in her hands, Mohini said in a sweet voice: " You will have to

accept whatever I do, whether right or wrong, only then will I

distribute the nectar. " The demons, their intelligence clouded by

the dark clouds of infatuation, did not fathom the depth and

significance of her words and agreed to her condition.

 

The two groups then sat in a big hall. After a while Mohini

entered the premises, wearing a very beautiful sari. Burdened by

the weight of her hips, her gait was slow and deliberate, her

eyes swimming as if inebriated. Looking at the gathered assembly

with side-glances and captivating smiles, she enchanted all by

her persona, helped in so small measure by the slight slipping of

the cloth covering her nubile chest. She arranged the mesmerized

assembly into two separate rows of gods and demons. Mohini then

started feeding the gods first with the nectar of immortality,

even though all the while her gaze was directed at the demons,

beguiling them with the charming movement of her eyebrows and the

alluring smile dancing on her cheeks.

 

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The demons were abiding by the pledge made to her, and out of

affection for her and feeling it below their dignity to quarrel

with a woman they kept quiet. They were wary of affecting their

bond of attachment with her. Mohini continually fed their

self-esteem even as she continued to feed the gods, saying, " let

these niggardly gods drink first, sensible people like you can wait a

bit. "

 

Illustration:

http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/mohini_with_the_nectar.jpg

 

The demon Rahu saw through the Lord's actions and disguising

himself as a god, stealthily entered their row, seating himself

between the sun and the moon. However, no sooner had he partaken

the amrita, he was exposed by the duo he was sitting between.

Lord Vishnu immediately cut off Rahu's head with his discus. His

torso, where the amrita had not reached fell to the ground while

the head, which had been touched by the amrita became immortal.

 

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Cherishing this old enmity, Rahu to this day, periodically

assails the sun and moon. Here the message is amply clear - one

who backbites or complains, has to face eclipses. Also, the

recognition of God in his true form is bound to yield at least

some lasting effect, exemplified in the partial granting of

amrita to Rahu.

 

In this way even though the factors such as time, place,

apparatus, activity and the objective of both the gods and demons

were the same, there was a great divergence in the fruits the two

sides reaped. The gods easily obtained the fruits of their labor,

namely the nectar of immortality, because of taking resort of the

lotus feet of Lord Vishnu. However, looking away from these

grace-bestowing feet, the demons, even though having worked

equally hard, were excluded from the fruit.

 

The great sage Vallabhacharya says:

 

" A single lila of God achieves many objectives. " (Commentary on

Shrimad Bhagavata Purana 10.6, Karika 2).

 

Thus through the one act of samudra manthan (churning of the

ocean), the following objectives were achieved:

 

a). The positive forces in life gained the nectar of self-

realization.

 

b). Through the actual process of churning, a roadmap was laid

for all sadhakas (spiritual aspirants).

 

c). All in all it is a delightful lila of God for all to savor.

 

d). Establishes the inspiring 'nature' and supremacy of Lord Shiva.

 

e). Points out that it is the hand of God which is behind each

and everything that takes place in this world.

 

f). Lays down the principles of political expediency (for eg.

There are no permanent friends or enemies in politics).

 

g). The secret of success is surrender to god, meaning obeying

his will, and not in giving up action.

 

h). Drinking up other people's troubles is a permanent ornament

(for those like Lord Shiva) even though they may not be

well-dressed in the conventional sense.

 

i). The only perfect being in this world is Lord Vishnu, making

him the ideal suitor for Goddess Lakshmi, signifying that he has

the sole claim on all the world's prosperity, including the

miniscule portion we are lording over possessively. All of it

needs to be put into use as directed by God.

 

j). God has strange ways of bestowing his grace. What at first

may seem detrimental to our interests may turn out doubly

beneficial (as the gods experienced when they were made to hold

the tail end of the churning rope).

 

 

Conclusion:

 

It was God who inspired the whole process of samudra manthan. It

was he who informed the gods as to how to go about it. It was he

who carried the mountain over to the ocean. He as a tortoise

supported the mountain on his back. From the top he pressed the

mountain down giving it a firm stability. He was inside all the

gods and demons (as their strength) and inside Vasuki as sleep.

When nothing turned up for a while and the two groups became

dejected, he himself churned the ocean. Finally, it was the Lord

himself who made sure that it was only those who deserved it

(adhikari) received the nectar of immortality. Indeed, lot is

happening in the world, but behind all is working the one and

only shakti (power) of God.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/manthan.jpg

 

 

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This article by Sri Nitin Kumar

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References and Further Reading:

 

Chinmayananda, Swami. The Holy Geeta: Mumbai, 2002.

 

Devi, Shrimati Dayakanti. Shrimad Bhagavata Mahapurana (With Word

to Word Meaning in 8 Volumes): Allahbad, 1993.

 

Dogre, Shri Ramachandra Keshav. Shrimad Bhagavat Rahasya

(Collection of Discourses): Delhi.

 

Goswami, C.L. and Shastri, M.A. Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana

(English Translation in Two Volumes) Gorakhpur, 2005.

 

Puri, Swami Shantananda Puri. Srimad Bhagavatam Its Message for

the Modern Man: Mumbai, 2002.

 

Prabhupad, A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami. Srimad Bhagavatam (47

Volumes): Mumbai.

 

Saraswati, Acharya Bhagavatananda. Shrimad Bhagavat Parijat:

Varanasi, 2002.

 

Saraswati, Swami Akhandananda. Bhagawatamrit (The Elixir of the

Bhagwat) Mumbai, 2005.

 

Saraswati, Swami Akhandananda. Bhagavata Darshan (Collection of

Discourses in Two Volumes): Mumbai, 2003.

 

Saraswati, Swami Akhandananda. Bhagavat Vyanjan: Mumbai, 2006.

 

Saraswati, Swami Akhandananda. Bhagavat Sarvasva: Mumbai, 2005.

 

Saraswati, Swami Akhandananda (tr). Shrimad Bhagavata Purana (2

Volumes): Gorakhpur, 2004.

 

Tagare, G.V. (tr). The Bhagavata Purana (5 Volumes (Annotated)

Delhi, 2002.

 

Tejomayananda, Swami. Shrimad Bhagavata Pravachan (Discourses on

The Shrimad Bhagavata Purana): Mumbai, 2006.

 

Vallabhacharya, Shri. Subhodini (Hindi Translation in 13

Volumes): Jodhpur, 1968.

 

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