The story of Amritamanthana Copy

The story of Amritamanthana

The Devas (good people) and the Asuras (wicked people) once churned the ocean of milk to get the various treasures from it. They used the Mandara mountain as the rod and the serpent king, Vasuki, as the rope to churn. First came the Kamadhenu (the wish fulfilling cow), then the kalpavriksha (the fulfilling tree), Laxmi (the Goddess of wealth and plenty) and also the deadly Halahala poison. This poison threatened to destroy the world. The people prayed to Lord Shiva to save them. In response to their prayers, Shiva who is “Karunya Sindhu”, Ocean of Mercy and Compassion, Consumed the poison. The heat of the fumes was unbearable even for Him. So it is said Ganga was poured uninterruptedly on his matted locks (this is the significance of the “Abhisheka” which is offered in all Shiva temples for hours on end and in some places uninterruptedly).

Story (related to Stotra)

When the demons and the God churned the Ocean, they found fourteen jewels coming out of the sea, one after another. At one stage, there came out a cup full of poison. The poison was so strong, that even a drop of it would have burnt the whole world. Now the problem was how to get rid of it! Where to keep such a deadly thing? Gods and demons approached Lord Vishnu, who was their only supporter. In order to show how mighty Lord Shiva was, Lord Vishnu directed them to him. They all reached the Kailasa mountain, carrying the cup of poison in their hands very carefully. The Lord was seated in His meditative mood. They all pleaded to Him and explained to Him what they had come for Lord Shiva smiled and assured them. With one gulp, he swallowed the poison. There it started going down this throat. But Shiva knew that, if the poison got mixed with His blood, then with the contact of His feet to the earth, the whole world would burn to ashes. So he did not allow the poison to go down the throat. He kept it in his throat. The poison scorched Him so much that he tried all remedies to cool the burning effect of the poison.

First, he kept the moon to cool it, but it could not reduce the burning. He then put Ganga upon his matter hair, yet it had to effect. At last, Lord Shiva began to chant ‘ Rama Nama’, and at once it cooled the scorching of the poison. That is why the Lord has the moon on His forehead. He is the ocean of mercy, because he took mercy upon His devotees and swallowed the poison for them.

[Source : Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas Guru Handbook]