Perceptions

PERCEPTIONS

INDIA-2001

encyclopedia

SAMUDRA MANTHANA

(CHURNING OF OCEAN)

The

Puranas

narrate this educative par-

able which occurred thousands of years ago.

The

Devas

(Gods) were in search of

Amrit

—

that ambrosial nectar which would make

them immortal so that they could reign for-

ever. To assist them in their search for this

elixir, they took the help of the

Asuras

(demons). They used Mount Meru as the

churning rod and the king of serpents,

Vasuki, as the rope.

They churned the ocean for years and

then the gifts began to appear :

Uccaihsrava,

the divine horse;

Kamadhenu,

the divine

cow,

Kalpavruksha,

the wish-fulfilling tree;

Airavata,

the six-tusked elephant.

Suddenly the ocean began to simmer and

erupt with a terrible poison — the

Garla.

The Devas and Asuras fled since neither of

them had any earlier knowledge of this ven-

omous poison, which was spreading rapidly

and threatening to annhiliate creation.

However due to Lord Shiva's divine in-

tervention the poison was effectively con-

sumed and integrated into His being. His

throat turned blue when the poison reached

there (Lord Shiva is also worshipped as

Neelkanth

...the black-throated Lord). At

that glorious moment, He began His

Tandav

Nritya

....so that the poison would remain in

His throat and not reach His heart where

Lord Vishnu resided (In this form Lord

Shiva is worshipped as

Nataraja

: the Lord

of the Dance).

After the venomous poison had been

effectively consumed, the

Devas

and the

Asuras

resumed the churning of the ocean

till the elixir emerged : the

Amrit Kalasa.

Though this parable occurred thousands

of years ago, yet it can be symbolically in-

terpreted in today's materialistic world. The

Devas

are exemplified as our good qualities,

thoughts, words and deeds. The Asuras are

reflected in our bad qualities, thoughts,

words and deeds. The churning of the ocean

is occurring in our mind - it is the churning

of our intelligence. Mount Meru - the

churning rod is our

viveka

— our power of

discrimination.

Vasuki

is symbolically rep-

resented by our endless trail of thoughts

which come and go..

Whenever a thought process occurs there

is a churning taking place. If our inherent

tendencies

(vasanas

and

gunas)

are

predominantly good, then our thought —

flow process creates good thoughts. As a

result good deeds are a natural outcome and

vice versa.

Awareness of the constant processes of

the

Samudra Manthana

taking place in our

minds is the first step. Very often, we make

decisions unconsciously, we act in igno-

rance. We get tossed on the waves of sorrow

and joy, pleasure and pain.

We have to learn from the

Samudra

Manthana

to throw out all evil tendencies,

bad qualities so that only

Amrit

remains.

(H.M.S.)

QUANTUM ROPE

Matter and anti-matter create the

quantum chatter, Action and counter

action make vectors change

directions, Forces and counter forces

influence the event's courses, Letter

and counter letter are needed to settle

the matter, Thesis and anti thesis you

look for the synthesis, You wonder at

the basis of the manthan and oasis,

You reach for new solutions and

ways of resolution, many long for

revolution from manthan's evolution,

Churning of the ocean By the

quantum rope Poison shows its

motion And nectar is the hope.

—

"Trikenu"

'Quantum Rope'

Shanka

or the Conch

: Vishnu is depicted

as holding the Conch in one of his four arms

as he sleeps in the primeval ocean on the

thousand-headed snake Shesha. From the

conch issued the primordial creative sound

OM, which is the Word made manifest.

The Conch is not only in the upper be-

nevolent left hand of Lord Mahavishnu, but

it is a child of the Ocean, like his consort

Lakshmi.

The Conch is such a marvel, that the

higher octaves of all the notes of

Shankar-abharana

and

Harikambhoji

figure

in various degrees.

The Conch is amazing, because it is built

in the form of an equiangular spiral, a

mathematical figure which shows up on its

top or head, as you look vertically down over

its head. Many seashells have this spiral

shape too.

Atom and the

Aatman

: A New

Samudra Manthana

"It seems to me that science and technology have similarly caused this great churning of human con-

sciousness. We have remarkable gifts; we can fly beyond the moon to the planets, beyond the planets to the

stars. There are marvellous miracles of technology ... at the same time the poison is there and it is beginning

to emerge, ... In the final analysis, the power of the atom and the power of the Aatman are pitted against each

other. If in the heart of the atom such tremendous destructive power can be found, cannot we find in the heart

of the Aatman an equally great and beneficent power which would help us to meet this tremendous

challenge?"

— Dr. Karan Singh

"Essays on Hinduism"

The Conch is also an essential part of

ritualistic

pooja.