Lord Shiva is the destroyer among the ‘Trimurti’. He is the supreme god who not only destroys the universe but also protects and transforms it. He is also known as Mahadeva by his devotees and worshippers who regularly perform Lord Shiva Puja. Although there are many other names given to Lord Shiva, one that is synonymous with him is ‘Neelkanth’ or the blue-throated god and has risen from the story of ‘Samudra Manthan’ where Lord Shiva drank all the poison to protect the universe from calamity and its destruction.
Also Read : Shiva- The Ultimate Truth
In this blog we will delve deeper into this mystifying story of Lord Shiva and look at the astrological significance of the story and what exactly caused Lord Shiva to take the poison.
How poison reached in hands of Lord Shiva?
As stated above the story begins at the Samudra Manthan where the god and asuras are having a great war. Eventually, the Devas lost this battle to the Asuras who had now gained control of all existence. In their last attempt to salvage the battle, the Devas go to Lord Vishnu and ask for his help. With his tactical prowess on display, Lord Vishnu advises the Devas to form a pact with the Asuras so that both sides can oversee the churning of the ocean. As it turned out the churning of the ocean not only released the nectar of immortality but also released the deadly poison which was known as ‘HalaHala’ which had the potential of wiping off all of existence. Seeing this, all the deities came together and went to Lord Shiva as he was the only one who could reverse or save the situation now.
Lord Shiva Smart Act
Seeing this dire situation in motion, Lord Shiva decided to consume the poison himself to save humanity from its destruction and calamity. So that the poison does not enter his stomach and kill him, Lord Shiva decided to keep the poison in his throat and henceforth it turned his throat blue. This is why he is given the name Neelkanth by his followers and devotees. While the churning process was taking place, many things cropped up from the ocean, which included the moon. The moon, however, was too bright to consume directly and to pacify it Lord Shiva placed the moon on his head. (Read: Why Shiva has Moon on his Head) The Asuras do not get anything from the nectar except for the few drops of nectar that accidentally fell on the two Asuras.
Astrological significance
These stories serve as an important reminder of the transformative power of planets and various celestial objects. Just like the third eye of Shiva has a deep meaning of the awakening of consciousness, similarly, the story of SamudraManthan probably has a hidden meaning signifying going through times and challenges for others in their dire time of need. Similarly, there are numerous other stories in Hindu mythology like the story of Lord Shiva and Bhasmasura. The story of Neelkanth symbolizes and represents one to be more like Lord Shiva who is ready to go through serious penance to relieve others of their own pain and challenges.
Also, to attain self-realization we must face a lot of pain and suffering. One such opportunity is Pradosh Vrat.
Conclusion
Furthermore, the story of the churning of the ocean is filled with both negative and positive realms and represents human consciousness. The positive would be the nectar of immortality and the negative is the poison ‘HalaHala’. Even though these all might just be mythological stories each one has specific morals attached to them that we can take away from. Thus, this story of Lord Shiva consuming poison to save all of humanity is a story of perseverance and is profound at the same time. It is a true reminder of the fact that any negative situation, no matter how dire it may be, can be absolutely transformed into something positive through acts of courage and sacrifice.
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