Churning Of The Ocean: Great Hindu Story Of Creation From Mahabharata And Purana

A. Sutherland - AncientPages.com - The Churning of the Ocean (Milky Way) is a story that explains how the gods finally defeated the demons and became immortal.

It is a great Hindu story known from the epic Mahabharata, one of the two greatest epics of India, and also from the Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana.

Half-human and Half-Tortoise depiction of Vishnu. In his upper right hand is the chakra (discus), in his upper left the shankha (conch), his lower right hand is in abhaya mudra and his lower left hangs loose at his side. As in 1993,0806,0.5, a blue strip at the bottom of the painting suggests the sea. Image credit: Author unknown - source

A long time ago, the gods had been weakened when their most precious treasures were lost beneath the primordial ocean due to the great deluge.

The most precious treasures included, for example, Amrita, the nectar of immortality; Lakshmi, the Goddess of Fortune and Wealth, Uchhaishravas, the divine 7-headed horse, Kamadhenu, the first cow and mother of all other cows, Kalpavriksha, the wish-granting tree, Airavata, the elephant of Indra, Kaustubha, the most valuable jewel in the world, Parijat, the divine tree, Chandra, the Moon, Sura, goddess, and creator of alcohol, Apsarases, various divine nymphs, Dhanvantari and the doctor.

A deadly poison, Halahala, also accompanied the treasures.

Two of these treasures - the elixir of immortality and Lakshmi - were particularly important; they would enable the gods to conquer the demons who had taken over the universe successfully.

It was essential to act quickly, so Vishnu, the preserver god of the Hindu Trimurti  (the Trinity), advised the gods to churn the ocean and recover all the treasures.

Vishnu knew the gods would be unable to do this alone, so he struck a deal with the demons. He promised them a share of the treasures, including the elixir of immortality, if they would help churn. The demons agreed to the deal.

Mount Mandara Was A Churning Stick

Vishnu told the gods and demons they should use Mount Mandara (Mandhara) as a churning stick and the giant king of the serpent, Vasuki, as a rope.

Churning of the Milky Ocean. Asuras are depicted with Dravidian features. Credit: Wikimedia Commons  - CC BY-SA 4.0

He also persuaded the demons to hold the snake's head, spitting furiously, while the gods held the tail end. The serpent was then coiled around the mountain. Each side alternately pulled the rope and then allowed it to relax, causing the mountain to rotate in the water.

To regain the treasures, they worked very hard, and there were many problems they had to face.
The demons (asuras) were poisoned by fumes emitted by Vasuki's breath that grew very hot, and the demons almost suffocated.

Still, they all continued their work by repeatedly pulling back and forth on the snake's body. The churning continued, but Mt Mandara began to sink into the soft sand bed of the sea.

At once, Lord Vishnu assumed the form of a turtle and held the mountain from sinking. Then, he placed the mountain on his back to act as a foundation stone, thus allowing the churning to continue.

Finally, several wonderful treasures sprung out of the ocean. Still, before that happened, the deadly poison, halahala ('black mass' or 'time puzzle')), appeared and began to threaten the very existence of all.

Some versions of the story say that halahala came from Vasuki's mouth. It was crucial to remove it as it could contaminate the Milky Ocean and destroy all creation.

The churning of the ocean of milk, Cambodia, Prasat Phnom Da. Credit: sailko - CC BY-SA 3.0

On the advice of Lord Vishnu, the gods approached Lord Shiva for help and protection.  Shiva inhaled the poison in the act of self-sacrifice. It cost him much, but he successfully stopped the poison from spreading. The color of Lord Shiva's neck turned blue, so he is often called 'Nilakanta' (the blue-throated one).

Some sources of this incredible creation story say the churning of the ocean ('ksheer sagar') was a long process lasting a thousand years before any lost treasures emerged.

Long Lost Treasures Appear

When the elixir of immortality finally rose to the surface, the demons rushed to grab it. Now, it was
Vishnu had to help. He assumed the form of Mohini, a beautiful woman who captivated all the demons.
She changed the elixir for alcohol by sleight of hand and returned the precious liquid to the gods.
Thus, the Amrita was secured only for the gods.

However, one of the cunning demons, Rahu, disguised as a god, finally managed to get a taste of Amrita. The Sun and the Moon warned Vishnu, who immediately severed Rahu's head, but the demon had already consumed some of this elixir to make him immortal.

Ever since, his head, known from myths as Rahu, and his corpse Ketu became Sun and Moon's most potent enemy. As a result, sun and Moon eclipses occur because Rahu and Ketu swallow Sun and Moon when they come close to each other.

Soon the ocean revealed all other precious treasures, and among them was Lakshmi, a beautiful woman standing on a lotus flower. Seeing all the gods before her, she chose the god she felt most worthy of her, the great Vishnu.

Lakshmi and Vishnu became inseparable - forever.

Written by – A. Sutherland AncientPages.com Staff Writer

Updated on October 31, 2022

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