By a common vision they were bound.
Eyes scanned the milky ocean,
They watched the waters whirling in motion.
Buried deep in the womb they knew,
Was the 'elixir', the'amrit', the nectar, 'the giver of life anew'.
Mount' Mandara' in the centre stood firm,
Resting atop 'kurma' the tortoise they learnt.
'Vasuki', the snake coiled in the middle like a rope,
Devas and Asuras held either end trying to cope.
The head they pulled, the tail they turned,
The ocean to its depths they churned and churned...
Vasuki choked, gasped and exhaled soon,
Lethal, potent , poisonous fumes.
The poison flowed, bubbled and seethed,
The Devas and Asuras in terror did breathe.
"Help us! What do we do?" they pleaded,
It was lord Vishnu to whom they alluded.
"Go to lord Shiva for him you have missed,
He and only he can deliver you from this!"
Lord Shiva opened his mouth without delay,
Consuming the poison was the only way.
The poison traced its lethal way down,
Goddess Parvati clutched his throat in alarm...
If the poison spread, mankind would be doomed,
The whole world would be plunged in deep gloom!
The throat changed its colours, its hues,
'Neelkanth' Shiva became when it reflected 'blue'.
Magic, mystique filled the air,
Breathtaking sights the ocean did bare...
Goddess Lakshmi rose resplendent in her finery,
With her glittering wealth, she lit up the scenery.
Nubile nymphs, 'apsaras' submerged,
Alluring, sensuous they now emerged.
Buffeted by the waves, 'Kamadhenu' was seen,
Bestowing wishes with 'Kalpataru' the tree evergreen.
Vishnu's 'conch' peeped and began to blow,
The 'Tulasi' plant drifted by with the flow.
Then came the 7 headed horse and the elephant white,
It was indeed a splendid sight!
On the waves they did ride,
Majestic, royal as they sat astride!
'Kaustubha' the precious gem sparkled and shone,
Lord Vishnu himself it was fit to adorn.
'Chandran' with his silvery sheen,
Rose to Shiva's crown, where he has since been.
A vision appeared in divine splendour,
Breaths held, gasps of wonder...
It was the divine physician, the stately 'Dhanvantri',
Holding aloft the pitcher of' immortality'!
Eyes feasted overwhelmed by emotion,
Drinking in the 'amrit' the nectar, the divine, eternal potion...
Devas and asuras had put their differences aside,
Bridged the gap between them wide.
Unity and devotion had paved the way,
Divine immortality was here to stay.
Samudra manthan like a beacon, a ray,
Can be applied to the self, to life and its ways.
Journey to the self when it begins,
Churns and aligns the polarities within.
Balancing, integrating,
With the divine unifying,
Back to the primordial state of origin...
Life you view with a new awareness,
A stream of unified,pure consciousness,
Heady, intoxicating, universal,
An 'elixir', immortal, eternal .
Footnotes
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Devas - demi gods.
Asuras - Demons.
Neelkanth - The blue throated one (Shiva).
Kamadhenu - Name of the divine, wish fulfilling cow.
Kalpataru - Name of the divine, wish fulfilling tree.
Tulasi - The holy basil plant.
Apsaras - Divine nymphs.
Airavata - Name of the divine white elephant.
Uchhaishravas - Name of the divine 7 headed horse.
Chandran - the crescent moon.
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