Churning of the Ocean
episode of Hindu mythology explaining the origin of amrita, the nectar of immortality
Churning of the Ocean is a mythical story of Hinduism and Hindu mythology. It is described in many Hindu scriptures, especially in the Mahabharata and the Puranas. The story tells about the churning of the ocean by the gods and the demons. From this churning of the ocean, several things came out of the ocean. Some of them were:
- Surabhi: She was a cow. She was called the cow of plenty.
- Varuni: He was the goddess of wine.
- Parijata: It was a tree. The story tells that this tree granted all the wishes of the person standing below it.
- Apsaras: They were beautiful women. They would never grow old. They used to dance in the court of Indra, a god of the Indo-Aryan period.
- The moon: The Hindu scriptures name the moon as the Chandra. It rose from the ocean when the gods and the demons were churning the ocean.
- Kalakuta: It was a dangerous poison. When it came out of the ocean, Shiva drank it.
- Dhanvantari: He was the first physician of Ayurvedic system of medicine and medication.
- Lakshmi: She came out of the ocean seated on a lotus. She is a goddess of Hindus.
- Uchchaishravas: It was a horse with seven heads. The legend states that it pulls the chariot of the sun-god, Surya.
- Airavata: It was a three-headed elephant. It was taken by Indra.
- Kaustuba: It was a very important gem. God Vishnu kept it.
The Hindu scriptures and the Hindu mythology tell that all the above things came out of the ocean for the good of human beings.
References
change- Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0500510881) by Anna Dallapiccola
