Churning the ocean in search of the pot of the nectar of immortality.

Churning the ocean in search of the pot of the nectar of immortality.

 

The stories and the messages of Shiva शिव are innumerable; however, one of the most important is the story of how He – for the sake of humanity – swallowed the poison which emerged from the ocean.

 The Churning of the Ocean This Pic was taken from The Swaran Bhoomi International Airport, Bangkok (THAILAND)

The story says that the Devas देवता and their brothers, the Demons, were churning the ocean in search of the pot of the nectar of immortality. However, after a great deal of effort, what emerged was not nectar, but poison!! The Devas देवता and Demons knew that in order to continue churning, and ultimately to unearth the Divine nectar, they could not simply toss the poison aside. Someone had to drink it. But, naturally, no one was willing to drink the poison. Everyone had some excuse for why he or she was too valuable to be sacrificed. Finally, Shiva शिव came forward, very calmly and with serene poise. He said “I will drink the poison if it will preserve peace in the family and enable my brothers and sisters to attain the nectar of immortality.＂After drinking the poison, and thereby enabling the churning to continue, Shiva शिव held the poison in his throat – hence the name Neelkanth नीलकंठ which means Blue Throat – and sat peacefully in meditation for eternity.

 

This happens frequently in life as well. When we embark upon a divine plan or when we undertake a noble challenge, frequently before the nectar comes, before our effort bears fruit, we face failure or condemnation or seemingly insurmountable hurdles. Poison always comes; obstacles always come. We wait and wait for the divine nectar to emerge. As we worship Bhagwan Shiva भगवान शिव, we must pray for the strength to take his message to heart! Let us not only worship him, but let us emulate him. He who is willing to peacefully swallow the poison, he who is willing to sacrifice for the family, for the community and for humanity is the true Mahadeva महादेव. Shiva शिव went to the Himalayas हिमालय, to the land now called Neelkanth नीलकंठ to meditate after he drank the poison. The message is that when poison emerges in the home, when poison emerges anywhere in our lives, when we feel like if we swallow it we will die, but if we don’t drink it then the fight will continue – the secret is to meditate! You don’t have to go to the Himalayas हिमालय. Just create your own Himalayas हिमालय wherever you are. First, be the one to accept the poison. Be the one to sacrifice and concede humbly. Then go, sit and meditate peacefully. This is not weakness, but strength. The night of Shivratri शिवरात्रि is especially auspicious for winning this same battle within ourselves – the battle between good and evil, between right and wrong, between poison and nectar, between death and immortality “Don't seek God in temples. He is close to you. He is within you. Only you should surrender to Him and you will rise above happiness and unhappiness.”