The Ocean of Milk, on which Vishnu permanently resides atop the Sheshnag, was once churned – this activity is also known as the Samudra Manthan. The churning brought with itself a big number of gifts and presents that were not anticipated by the Devas or the Asuras. Of course, every gift brought with itself a different level of excitement that could be seen on the faces of sides. In the following few sections, we will take a deep dive into the varied aspects of the Samudra Manthan and make an attempt to understand it closely.

Objective of Samudra Manthan in the First Place

Rishi Durvasa was one of the most feared priests in all realms. He had a history of getting angry fast and cursing people if they did not live up to his expectations. The story dictates that once Durvasa received a magical fragrant garland from a Nymph. This was no ordinary garland. The flowers were blessed to never wither, give a divine fragrance and were treated as a symbol of prosperity. 

Durvasa gave this garland as a gift to Indra in an attempt to please him. However, Indra did not give much importance to the gift and placed it in the neck of his elephant (his vahan named Airavata). As Indra started riding Airavata, the elephant threw the garland on the floor and crumpled it with his feet.

This sequence of events angered Durvasa tremendously. Then and there, he cursed Indra that he would lose all his splendour and prosperity in Swarga. 

Note: In some versions of the story, there is a saying that the objective behind the Samudra Manthan was not only to get Lakshmi out of the Ocean of Milk but also to get Amrit which could bestow immortality on the Devas. It was the most powerful weapon that the Devas could have against the Asuras (who were the pillars of evil). As the Asuras were getting equally powerful as Devas, an element for a permanent one-upmanship was needed for the ultimate objective of the Good side winning the battles.

Why did Lakshmi Leave Swarga?

Lakshmi is seen as the Goddess of money and prosperity. When Durvasa cursed Indra, who was the lord of all the devas in Swarga, Goddess Lakshmi immediately left Swarga and hid herself in the Ocean of Milk. The curses of Rishis were so effective that the consequences came into effect immediately. 

Once Goddess Lakshmi left Swarga, Amravati was shadowed with gloom. All the happiness from the realm turned down and every pillar of wealth and prosperity ceased to exist. With this sequence of events, all the Devas ran to Vishnu to seek his advice on the best way to handle the situation and reinstate Goddess Lakshmi in Swarga. 

Elements used for the Samudra Manthan

When all the Devas begged Vishnu to share a solution to the curse, he asked them to make arrangements for the churning of the Ocean of the Milk to invite Lakshmi back to the realms. However, Vishnu also said that the churning could not be completed without the help of the Asuras. 

As the Asuras also missed Lakshmi, they agreed to the arrangement on the condition that they will share the wealth that stems out of the Samudra Manthan. The Devas and Asuras especially had their eye on the Amrit which was expected to come out of the Samudra Manthan as well. 

The main elements used for the Samudra Manthan were: 

• Mount Meru – Spindle of the Churn
• Vishnu took the Avatar of Kurma to ensure the Mountain remained Afloat – He became the base of the Churn
• Sesha (Vishnu’s Serpent) – became the rope that the Devas and Asuras pulled for the Churn and wound himself around the mountain

The Devas held the tail of the Sesha while the Asuras held the head.

Treasures from the Samudra Manthan

Once the churning started, it continued for 1000s of years. During this period, a number of gifts were bestowed upon the Devas and Asuras. A brief explanation of each of these treasures is given in the following table:

Learnings from the Churning of the Ocean of Milk

As an individual, I learnt a big number of hidden meanings from the entire process of the churning of the Ocean of Milk. I have made a small list of my learnings, if any of these resonate with you, feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think:

• Without the assistance of Vishnu or God, nothing can happen in your life.
• Lakshmi or money and prosperity, demands sacrifice and a big amount of hard work. It does not just come to your doorstep due to luck. 
• Alakshmi is Lakshmi’s sister that spreads bad omens and feeding her should come before serving sweets to Lakshmi herself. Upon research I found out that the hanging of Green Chillies and Lemon outside the main door of your homes can keep Alakshmi at bay (as this is one of her favourite foods). 
• You cannot achieve anything in life without help. A person would always need friends and family members to help them through the worst times to reach the peak in their lives. 
• Patience is the key to success. Perseverance and self-belief can help you go a long way!
• Arrogance and disrespect to anyone can cause misfortune. It is essential for an individual to remain humble and down-to-earth even if he/she becomes the God of Heavens. Stay close to your roots and remind yourself about hardships of the journey you had to take to make it where you are today.
• It is ok to seek help from the experts. They will always extend a hand of assistance to the best of their ability.

Hinduism is the only religion in the world today that gives a clear picture on the cycle of birth, rebirth and the journey of a soul, once the body is dead. The ancient texts share information on exactly what happens after death and answers your questions relating to ghosts, demons, angels etc. Rather than painting a fancy picture, our granth brings clarity on the deeds and misdeeds. It gives us a clear cut view of the consequences a person faces for the bad deeds done in a lifetime.

Even though God has created us, he has given us a free will as well. We are free to do whatever we want. You can either put into action every bad or good thought or control your bad thoughts and work on practicing only the good deeds. The choice is practically yours. 

Who is Yama God and Why is he called the Dharmaraj?

After the Sun God married Saranyu (daughter of Tvastr – the celestial artisan), she gave birth to twins who were named – Yama and Yami. Saranyu could not bear the heat and light that came from the Sun God. One day, she placed her shadow named Chaya in place of her to look after the twins and the rest of the duties. For a long period of time, the Sun God was unable to tell the difference between Saranyu and Chaya. This eventually led to Chaya giving birth to her own children from Surya. She also hated the stepchildren and often treated them badly. Yama once struck Chaya when he could not tolerate her misbehavior any longer. This gave away the disguise and the Sun God left in search for his wife. The rest of the story will be told another day!

There are different stories that estimate the reasons behind Yama becoming Yama God (The God of Death). The first story is that – Yami wanted to have children and reached out to Yama with love so she could become a mother. Yama hated the idea of incest and turned away. He asked his sister to seek another man for her desires as he regarded incest as one of the biggest sins.

Yama died without having children and thus became the first Pitr. He found himself trapped in the land of the dead. He did not have any children who could facilitate his rebirth in the land of the living. As he was the first of them all, he was given the task of becoming the God of Death and to direct all souls. It is also said that since Yami mourned for her brother, she became Yamini – the sad lady of the night. She became a part of the nature.

In another version of the story, it is said that when Yama kicked Chaya, his leg got infested with maggots. This act also put a curse on him and made him the God of Death.

On a related note:

For those of you who paid attention to the story of Mahabharata or watched the popular TV shows that narrate the story, you must be well aware that Yuddhishthir (eldest of the Pandava sons), was also called Dharmaraj. Don’t jump to the conclusion that Yuddhisthir is Yama God. Rather he was the son of Yama born from the womb of Kunti (the story of Yama God’s son being named as Pandava son will be discussed another day).

What are the Main Features of the Yama God?

Every God in the Sanatan Dharm has a role to play. As Lord Krishna said, everyone has to perform Karm. The roles and duties of every God are carefully outlined and the code of law is marked out for them to follow. Let’s break down the features and role of this God in a brief way. 

According to the varied readings, you can easily say that Dharmaraj has complete control on his emotions. The internal or external circumstances do not affect him. His duty is to give strict adherence to the laws of the world. He is never seen to be biased towards anyone. The reflection of this conduct can be easily seen in the picturisation of the characteristics of Yudhishthir in the Mahabharata Purana as well. 

The Yama God is given the responsibility to keep an account of all the good and bad deeds. He is the ultimate Dharmaraja who walks along with a person throughout his lifetime. Quietly taking note of everything, he gives his judgement upon death alone. 

The Yama God as per our Vedas is not like the Devil or Lucifer as described in the Bible. He is not evil. He is just the carrier of the scales of justice and ensuring balance is his job. When a Pitr or a soul has debts to pay from the past lives, he makes sure the payment is done in the next or the next. The cycle goes on until you are debt free. For example, if you are an honest person, you will repay the money you owe to the bank in due time. The nature of deeds is just like the bank and account keeper is Yama God. 

Based on the deeds done in a particular life, the Yama God then decides the place, time, circumstances, family, type of body, fortunes and misfortunes etc. that are to be given to a particular soul in the next lifetime (when the time is right). 

Can you Escape the Cycle of Karma?

When you are sent back to the Bhuloka by Yama God to balance the scales of deeds and debts, a human being does not carry the memories of the past lives. So, how can one determine whether the debts are paid or which good deed to perform to ensure the scales are balanced for the next life? 

Another popular question that I have come across is – If we keep doing new karmas while trying to balance the old ones, is there ever an end to the cycle? You can never escape doing Karma. The following explanation might come of some help here:

Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita –

“कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।
मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥”

It means that performing Karma is the duty of every human being. Even if you draw a single breath or eat food, you are performing a Karma. The one thing that separates the good people from the bad is consuming only the amount you absolutely need. When people start knowing the difference between Need and Want that is when nature and the world starts thriving again. 

The only way to escape the cycle of karma, birth and rebirth – is to keep your actions in check at all times. Refrain from conducting any bad actions. A description of actions that constitute equities and debts will be explained in another post. Another way of escaping the cycle is meditation, spiritual growth and commitment to enlightenment. 

Your Spiritual growth and investment is the only thing that is carried forward by the soul from one birth to another. If you have not embarked on your journey to spiritualism, now is the time!

If you liked this article, you might also want to read about – Main Elements of Creation

Have you ever wondered how the world was created? Who created it and why? When I would be sitting around, doing nothing, some of these questions would often pop in my mind. I once decided to start asking questions, reading and learning about the origin of the world. Although I got rough ideas from religious books, I could never get a complete understanding of where everything started.

It is often said that if you start searching even for God, he will present himself to you. The only thing that matters is the passion behind it. As my search continued, I finally found the answer.

Birth of the Gods and the Universe

The Vedas outline that a super-consciousness (Param-Atman) decided one day that it wanted to create something and gave birth to Vishnu. After meditating for 1000s of years, a lotus germinated from the belly button of Vishnu where Brahma sat. Brahma had little clue what he was supposed to do and was a little scared of who he was. Vishnu gave him his purpose and explained his role in the universes that were about to be created.

Listening to all this, I was confused. I thought about why super-consciousness creates something which then leads to the vicious circle of multiple worlds. 

I researched and did a lot of thinking on the subject. The answer never came. One day, I was reading a book on mythology and spirituality. This is where I got my answer. It was pure and simple. So straightforward that I thought myself to be stupid. It is the base of every living being. It is the core of every individual whether human, animal, insect, reptile, God or even a Demon.

Desire!!

Yes. It was that simple. Desire is the one thing that dictates every decision we take. For the majority of the people today, you complete one desire and another one pops up. We keep seeking for something and try to extinguish our thirst with material or personal gains, one after another. But the real deal is being united with the super-consciousness that created us in the first place. 

Nothing can extinguish our thirst for feeling complete other than the unity with the Param Atman.

Main Elements of Our Creation by Brahma

If you liked the ideas that I have outlined above, then read on more about the main elements of creation by Brahma. If you don’t believe in these things, you might not believe in everything else I have to say. Remember, everything I write in these articles is pulled out from ancient texts and writings presented by sages and sadhaks. 

The story in the ancient texts also states that the creation of Ego led to the distancing between Brahma and Narayana as Brahma started forgetting his true source of creation. 

How the Creation of Flora and Fauna Happens?

After the formation of these elements, it is stated that Brahma could not keep his eyes off the Goddess. So, he started chasing her. In order to stay ahead, the Goddess ran in the nature and started taking different forms like cow, goose, duck, hen, queen, lioness, etc. As she took the female forms, Brahma took the male forms. With this, the different living beings in nature were created. 

As this goes on, Brahma forgets the very reason he created the Goddess in the first place. The whole process of creation gives us elements that are instilled in every human being. Self realization cannot be achieved without letting go of the ideas of self-preservation, reproduction and fulfilment of desires. Fear of death is notably the most exhaustive and critical roadblock in the path of enlightenment. 

The 5 heads of Brahma represent all the evils that were integrated in humans. Free will was given to humans to make the right decision, realize the ultimate truth and work towards the ultimate goal of life – becoming one with the Parmatma. 

Note: The attempt to explore the main elements of creation is done through exploration of some ancient texts and from books like Myth = Mithya by Devdutt Pattanaik.

If this article sparked an interest in you, then you might like this one too – Yama God

For a Modern Sanatani, it is essential to know the basics (like the sacred trinity), the pillars on which the religion stands and the most inherent thoughts that should drive our lives. In the Hindu Religion, the moment we say the words the Trinity of Gods – our immediate thought goes to three names – Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh/Shiva. You are absolutely right! If you were not aware of the Trinity of Gods until now, I bring to you a collection of information that would definitely upgrade your knowledge considerably. 

After reading through a pile of books, watching documentaries, podcasts and more, I have been able to collect the basic characteristics of the Three Gods that rule us all. They are the center of the world and drive it every second of our life. Without any one of them, the world could be chaos.

Summarized View on the Sacred Trinity

Once you understand the main characteristics of each God, you would know the importance each one of them holds in the balance of the world. Knowledge, Wealth and Power are the three main elements that every human being tries to chase throughout their life span. All three may not be easily attainable but you can acquire one or more in a lifetime.

Brahma

The role of Brahma is finished once the world and everything in it is created. The role of Hari (Vishnu) and Hara (Shiva) continues to play out throughout the entire lifecycle of a world. Our Vedas indicate that creation and destruction are inevitable. The lifespan of every living and non-living being is destined to come to an end. This paves way for the creation of yet another world where a chance is given to correct the karma, balance the sheets and work towards the achievement of Moksha (releasing oneself from the continuous cycle of birth and rebirth).

Vishnu

The role of Vishnu is sustainability. He is responsible for taking care of the balance of nature and culture in the world we live in. The following quote is often heard on TV, from spiritual leaders or on decorations in marketplaces. 

यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत। 
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम्॥ 
परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम्।
धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय संभवामि युगे युगे॥ भागवत गीता

The quote means that God Vishnu has vowed to come to earth every time the weight of evil becomes high for the Goddess Bhoodevi (earth) to bear. It is the responsibility of Vishnu to ensure that the world continues to function in the right manner. Although he does not interfere in the free will that is given to Humans, he definitely keeps a check on their actions. The reaction of every action is given in this lifetime or the next. He lets people make choices but when the consequences cause harm to the well-being of the functioning of nature as a whole, that is when he steps in to cleanse the world. 

Mahesh/Shiva

Shiva is the ultimate destroyer of everything evil. When the world has to be destroyed and remade, the responsibility falls on Shiva to step in. He is not just the God with the reset button but also the eliminator of all evil characteristics that in-built in Humans. Some of these include – dishonesty, selfishness, ego, laziness, greed, arrogance etc. 

He is the God who believes in the power of Meditation and Yoga. He teaches the Manavs how you can fight your natural instincts and work on yourself to reach your supreme potential. For example, if you cannot fight laziness, you cannot work hard and achieve the impossible in life. He gives the Power to acquire knowledge and wealth. Shiva is the destroyer of everything that stumbles in your way to success. 

My Thoughts:

The above information is summarized for the basic knowledge of newbies. If you crave for more knowledge, the best way forward is to keep reading. The more you indulge yourself in literature, the more you realise the ultimate truth of life. Give up on social media or binge watching shows on TV. It’s time we all wake up to the necessity of understanding the world, finding the purpose of life and achieving what we are destined for.

Once you know about the sacred trinity of the Gods, you might want to read about the Main Elements of Our Creation.