Kurma Avatara

ChurningSeaMilk …The next form that God had to take was that of a tortoise. The tortoise is the ugliest of all animals, but because it saved so many souls from death it could not but seem very beautiful. It came about thus. All living beings were subject to death, as they are now, and they hated it very much. Even the gods wished to escape from death and everyone was asking how it could be done. The gods held a great conference in the north polar regions, situated on the northern axis of the Earth. You know there is a line running from the pole star through the centre of the Earth and its two poles, which does not move. The Pole Star, you know, does not move. If you observe the heavens, you will see that all stars and heavenly bodies are moving round this line which is called the celestial axis. This line alone is fixed and every other particle of which the universe is composed is describing a circle round this fixed unchanging line. In that secluded and least changing spot, the gods had their meeting. The gods are the least changing among living beings. They do not die as often as we do; they only die at the end of a cycle, so they need a more fixed place to dwell in, and heaven, their abode, is therefor situated somewhere around this celestial axis. Hence it was at the North Pole that the gods congregated to consider how all people might avoid death. Everyone was very much troubled on account of the fear of death, and for this reason the gods were trying to find out the means of escaping it. Vishnu, the Protector of the universe, came forward and said to them: “My friends, I can tell you how to avoid death. Churn the ocean steadily for certain period and out of it nectar will come; drink that you will escape death.” “Very well, Master,” they all said, “ we are very thankful to you.” But what did the Lord mean?

When you churn, you separate the grosser part from the finer or more essential part. As for example, the more essential part of milk is butter, which comes out in churning. So when the Lord Vishnu advised to churn the ocean, He meant to separate the essential from the non-essential part; and how was that to be done? By incessant activity, not by stagnation. Stagnation is always death, so you must create commotion by incessant activity. Therefore, the Lord said, churn the ocean, stir it up; thus separate the essential from the non-essential and then you will avoid death. This advice of the Lord Vishnu was communicated to all the inhabitants of the universe and everyone was so happy to think of escaping death that all wished to help in the churning. Now there is a race of demons who are extremely powerful. They are the step brothers of the gods, their common father being Kashyapa. These also, wanting to be immortal came forward to help in churning the ocean; so demons and gods joined together to accomplish the task.

To churn, however, a big churning stick was needed, for the ocean was not like little water contained in a vessel. There was a big mountain, Mandara by name, which extended many hundred feet above the earth and many hundred feet under it; that alone would make a good churning stick. But they all declared they were too weak to uproot it from its base. SO, the Lord said: “Tell that most powerful and pious snake, Ananta, who holds the whole universe on his head, to take it up.” Ananta then lifted it up and carried it to the ocean. All found, however, that if it was placed on the earth, by its very weight it would enter into the earth again and they did not know what to do. Then the Lord, said. “ I shall support it for you; just place it on my back. What is it to Me to hold this mountain, when I have created the whole universe, and support it?” SO He assumed the form of a tortoise, a form which alone could suit the purpose, and they placed the mountain on His back.

Next a rope was necessary. Where to get a rope, long and strong enough? There was a great snake called Vasuki and the Lord said, “ That will do for your purpose”; so they wound that snake round the mountain. The gods took the tail and the demons the head and they began to churn. As they churned, millions of aquatic beings had to perish on account of the rapid revolution of the peak Mandara. Trees and plants and big boulders began to fall from it and were torn or broken to pieces and violently whirled with the frothy water. The demons had to suffer much because they had cought hold of the head side of Vasuki, which now and then began to throw out puffs of poison because of the tremendous strain upon its body. The gods did not suffer so much because they had caught hold of the tail end. After some time they all got tired; but in the meanwhile a considerable portion of the churned water had transformed itself into clarified butter of ghee, for it was the ocean of milk. Neither th gods nor the demons, however , were now able to continue further and they had to rest for a time. The Vishnu filled their bodies and minds with fresh strength and again they began to churn.

Out of the churned ocean as first product came the most beautiful moon. The churning continued and Lakshmi (the goddess of beauty) robed in white came out of the newly formed sea of ghee as the second product. Then came, one after the other, Varuni (the goddess of spirit and vigour), a spirited and beautiful white horse by name Uchchaishrava, a brilliant diamond by name Kaustubha, a wish yielding tree called Parijata and a wish-yielding cow by name Surabhi. Then Dhanavantari (the god of health) came out with a big white jar full of nectar in his hand and went towards the gods. Next, a beautiful elephant, named Airavata, with four white tusks came out and Indra secured the noble animal for himself. At last Vasuki, who by this time was tired to death, vomited an enormous quantity of poison that threatened to destroy the whole universe. At the request of the gods, Siva, the Father of all, swallowed the terrible poison and kept it inside His throat, which on that account became blue, and thus saved the universe from destruction.

As soon as the demons saw the jar of nectar, some of them went and snatched it from the hand of Dhanavantari and secured it for their own party. At this all the gods began to complain. Vishnu then assumed the form of a charming, beautiful lady and went to the side of the demons to entice them. The latter were so struck by her unparalleled beauty that when she came smiling to them and begged of them the jar of nectar, they were only too glad to give it to her. She slowly receded from them to the side of the gods, quite unperceived by the demons, who have been infatuated by her irresistible charm. As soon as she reached the gods, she made them all sit down and distributed to them the nectar, which they began to partake of with great joy and thankfulness.

The demons at last found out that they had been deceived by the woman but it was too late. When the gods were thus enjoying the nectar, a demon by name Rahu, assuming the form of a god, also sat along with them. This was found out by the Sun and the Moon, who communicated it to others and Vishnu at once struck off the head of the demon before the latter could swallow the little quantity of nectar that he had put into his mount. The big carcass of his body fell on the earth, while the head, having tasted the nectar, became immortal and has ever since been the greatest enemy of the Sun and the Moon, both of whom he swallows occasionally on new-moon and full-moon days, causing solar and lunar eclipses.

When the gods had taken their fill, the remainder of the nectar was kept with the moon, and that is why the moon is so very charming and soothing. A terrible fight then ensued between the gods and the demons, which ultimately ended in the total overthrow of the latter.

From all this we must learn one thing. The ocean has been regarded to be the home of waters. And what is the tendency of water? To go down. And what is the lowest level of it? The sea level. Therefore all water has the tendency to go down to the sea. As the sea is the home of waters and water is the source of all life, so the sea is the root of all life. What happens if it does not rain for one year? People die by millions. What does this mean? It means that water is the source of life. The Sanskrit word “Jivana” means both water and life. Hence water stands for life, and churning the ocean means churning life. Lazy people never achieve anything. But that man who is active knows how to churn life and such a man turns out to be the greatest explorer, the greatest writer, the greatest scientist or the greatest artist. The lazy people must ever remain the bullocks of society. They will have to do such work as bullocks do. They want to do nothing, and that is regarded by them as the highest ideal. The lazy man’s ideal is laziness. He thinks that that man is the happiest who has enough money to do nothing but eat, sleep and rest. Such people will naturally have to remain stagnated. They will never care to go anywhere or do anything. Churning the ocean means, therefore, making our life perfectly active and fruitful.

Life is made of two forces, - spiritual and material. Is man wholly spiritual ? No. If he were, he could not be able to live in this world at all. Is he absolutely material? No, if he were, he would be no better that a chair or a table. He is spirit because he can taste, touch, smell, see, hear and has the power to know. He is material when he sleeps, rests, and is inactive. What is man then? Man is a mixture of matter and spirit; and not only man but every living creature up to Brahma. The spirit aspect is the knowing side of existence, and matter side is that which comprises the form. Life thus is a mixture of matter and spirit. Hence if we churn life we separate matter from spirit. The ocean of life is a mixture of mortality and immortality and by its churning, that which is mortal and perishable is separated from the immortal and permanent. We should make our life perfectly active. We should make our eyes living eyes, our ears living ears, we should make all our senses, both external and internal living, all our faculties living. We should make the whole of our body living. We should never allow it to be lazy, or our mind to be lazy; we must make then all seek the highest ideal.

Again, of the changeable things that make up the earth, the mountain is the least changeable : and of all the changeable factors that make up the man, such as the body, the mind and the egoism ,the last is least changeable. And just as a mountain is fixed very strongly on account of the gravitation of the earth, in the same manner egoism is firmly fixed in earthly attractions or desires, that is, it is deeply rooted in matter. In order to churn this ocean of life, we must make this ego the churning stick, by pulling it away from all worldly attractions and fixing it firmly upon the eternal basis of God (Kurma), knowing Him to be the source of all attractions, enjoyments and powers. We must do this by the infinite power of of Viveka or discrimination (Ananta), which alone can clearly show that is real and what is unreal. We must equip our ego with patient application (Vasuki). The churning consists in the steady performance of various rounds amidst all the duties of life and perform them with unabated steadiness and unswerving zeal, uniting all the physical, mental and spiritual powers (demons and gods) together. This is what is called churning the ocean of life.

And out of such churning what will come? As the first product of it, you, who are a god and not a demon, will get a clear and unbiased mind which is presided over by them moon. Next, the goddess of beauty will favour you so that your appearance will be attractive (sattvic), and prone more to conserve than to dissipate the energies of the mind. Then you will be filled with vigour and spirit (Varuni). Fourthly, your limbs will be as swift as those of a fine horse (Uchchaisrava). Fifthly, your heart will be illumined to a certain extent as if by the lustre of a priceless diamond (Kaustubhamani). Sixthly, on account of this you will gain the rare power of a Yogi to get whatever you want or to give whatever others want of you (Parijata and Surabhi). Then in a healthy body and mind will rise up that nectar of immortalising wisdom, contained in the receptacle of your heart robed in the white dress of purity or sattva. When the highest wisdom is realised all activities cease to exist. “Partha, all Karmas come to an end at the appearance of wisdom.” (Gita IV, 33) “Just as burning flame reduces all fuel to ashes, so the ire of wisdom reduces all activities to ashes.” (Gita IV, 37). So wisdom threatens the life of the entire cosmos, which is ever active, and hence, in order to preserve the Creation from destruction, Siva, the ever-auspicious Lord of the universe, keeps the resulting death (poison) confined in one of His eight ever-active forms, namely, earth, water, fire, air, ether, the sun, the moon and the sacrificer.

This nectar of wisdom, you, the god, alone will have the privilege to enjoy and not the demon of your physical self, which must naturally have to remain mortal as before. Incontinence (Rahu) assuming the form of Zeal (Abhyasa and Vairagya) may try to deceive you in order to pass for a god, but he is sure to be detected by your clear and bright senses (Sun) and unbiassed and healthy mind (Moon), although they may now and then fall a prey to Rahu, but only for a very short time. Your immense physical and mental strength, being inoffensive and non-injurious, will be directed like that of a good elephant (Airavata) and not like that of a lion.

With the death of your physical body, your mind and senses do not die. When you give up this body, you take along with you your mind and senses. This you know when you drink the nectar of wisdom. Before that you idea of death is most frightful. Because by death you mean the annihilation not only of your body and mind, but of your entire being! Hence the desirability of churning this life which is made up of a peculiar mixture of spirit and matter…..


(by Swami Ramakrishnanandaji (Sashi Maharaj), a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna)