8/2/2019 Symbolism of Samudra Manthan (Churning of the Ocean)

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Symbolism of Samudra manthan(churning of the ocean)

The story represents the spiritual endeavor of a person to achieve self-realisation throughconcentration of mind, withdrawal of senses, control of desires and practice of austerities andasceticism.

* The Devas and Asuras represent the positives and negatives respectively of one's personality.The participation of both the Devas and the Asuras signifies that when one is seeking bliss throughspiritual practice, one has to integrate and harmonise both the positive and negative aspects andput both the energies to work for the common goal.

* The ocean of milk is the mind or the human consciousness. The mind is like an ocean while thethoughts and emotions are the waves in the ocean.

* Mandhara, the mountain symbolises concentration. The word Mandhara is made up of two wordsMana (mind) and Dhara (a single line) which means holding the mind in one line. This is possibleonly by concentration.

* Mount Mandhara was upheld by Lord Vishnu as a Kurma (tortoise). The tortoise here symbolisesthe withdrawal of the senses into oneself (just as a tortoise withdraws its head into its shell) as one

practices mental concentration and meditation or contemplation.

* Vasuki symbolises desire. Vasuki used in the churning of the ocean denotes that the Devas andthe demons held desire (to seek immortality) as a rope and churned the mind with the help ofconcentration and withdrawal of the senses. Desire, if not controlled will overpower and destroy anindividual.

* The Halahala poison(or ganja today) symbolises suffering and pain (counter-reaction of the mindand body) that one undergoes at the beginning of spiritual sadhana (practice). When the mind issubjected to intense concentration, the first thing that comes out of the process is intense sufferingand great inner turmoil. These must be resolved otherwise further progress is not possible.

==> * Lord Shiva symbolises the ascetic principle. His role in this story as the consumer of poison

suggests that one can deal with the early problems of spiritual life by cultivating the qualities of LordShiva, namely, courage, initiative, willingness, discipline, simplicity, austerity, detachment,compassion, pure love and asceticism.

The various precious objects that come out of the ocean during the churning stand for the psychicor spiritual powers (Siddhis) which one gains as s/he progresses spiritually from stage to stage.The seeker should be careful about these powers as they can hamper her/his progress unless s/heuses them judiciously, not for selfish gains but for others' welfare. This is the reason why the Godsand demons distributed these objects as they did not want to lose sight of their original aim whichwas to gain immortality.

* Dhanvantari symbolises health and signifies that immortality (longevity, to be correct) or spiritualsuccess can be achieved only when the body and the mind are in a perfect state of health.

* Mohini symbolises delusion of the mind in the form of (or originating from) pride. It is the pride ofachievement to which the asuras or the demons succumbed and thus lost sight of their goal. Prideand egoism are the last hurdles one has to overcome in spiritual life before experiencing self-realisation.

* The Amrit symbolises the ultimate achievement of the goal of self-realistion.