Not to mention that The Churning of the Milky Ocean, the Manthan of Dudh/Ksheer Sagar is one of the captivating stories in Hindu Mythology. Most of us are aware of the fact for whom, where, and how the Churning of Dudh Sagar took place. Precisely, the Manthan/churning was caused due to the Curse of Sage Durvasa to Debraj Indra, the king of Devalok or Paradise.
Nevertheless, today we are up to something different. Earlier, we focused on the whole story of Ksheer Sagar Manthan – The Fascinating Story from Hindu Mythology. You can read the previous one by clicking here.
Table of Contents
ToggleEmergence/Birth of Fourteen Jewels from the Churning of Milky Ocean/Samudra Manthana
Now, we would discuss the birth of precious fourteen jewels that emerged out of the Milky Ocean Churning and were equally divided between God and Demons; except the Elixir aka Amrita, Nectar, etc. One more thing to keep in mind is that all fourteen jewels were not subject to consideration as treasure/gem. Some of them were more than materials that can be controlled by SHIVA and VISHNU. Even some of them were living beings. To retain the importance of the objects (living, non-living, and heavenly bodies), these are all encrypted as Gems. Even the number of gems varies from Purana to Purana.
Therefore, we would discuss the gems categorically for better understanding. Folks, let us dive deep without any further ado….
Precious Yet Poisonous That Turns Shiva into Neelkantha
- Halahala: During the churning, Naga God Vashuki was tied as a rope to churn Mount Mandra. Due to the constant churning of the milky ocean, Vashuki felt extreme pain, and out of the pain he released deadly poison or Halahala which had the power to destroy three-loka (Swarga Loka, Martyo Loka, and Patal Loka). Thus, Lord Shiva came to the rescue of the Universe and he consumed the poison. The reason why, his throat turned blue and he became known as Neelkantha.
God & Goddess Emerged From Samudra Manthan
- Mata Laxmi: The goddess of Wealth, Fortune, and Opulence. She is one of the supreme goddesses including Mata Saraswati and Mata Parvati. She ascended from the Ksheer Sagar draped in her Red and Gold saree while seating on a lotus along with a small lotus in her hand. She reunited with her consort, Lord Vishnu. Finally, devatas got back their lost glory and affluence they lost with the curse of Saga Durvasa.
- Moon or Chandra: There is confusion to consider Moon a Gem or God. Though, we took Moon as god and enlisted here. Moon took his position back on the dreadlock of Lord Shiva. Though, there is a story of Prajapati Dakha with the refuge of the Moon on the matted hair of Shiva. We would love to discuss it later on.
- Apsaras – They are also known as nymphs, the divine female spirits of Swargaloka, the abode of god and goddess. They had the boon of singing and dancing. Thus, they choose Gandharvas as their loving consort. These apsaras were Rambha, Urvashi, Menaka, and Tilottama – truly popular in three lokas for their mastery of fine arts.
- Varuni or Madira – She is the goddess of Wine, the intoxicating drink. She appeared truly unorganized and wild. So, she was taken by Demons, Asuras.
Supernatural Entities (Animals) Appeared from Samudra Manthan
- Kamadhenu or Surabhi: It is said, Kamadhenu is a wish-fulfilling cow, the mother of all cattle in the universe. She had a woman-like face, her body was cow-like with a pair of wings and a tail of a peacock. Whatever the wish is and asked by whomever, the cow fulfills the wish into reality. The cow was taken by Lord Vishnu and he gifted the Cow to Saptrishis. With the milk of this cow, Rishis prepared ghee and curd and offered these during sacred rituals, Yajnas, and Homans.
- Airavata: He is the Elephant King. He had a mammoth body white color with a pair of wings, six trunks, and six pairs of tusks. It is said that the elephant could dig deep with his trunk in the ground to reach water which could not be possible by humans. Till today, he uses his trunk to sprinkle water on the earth that we receive as a shower in monsoon. After he emerged from the Manthan, he delightfully reunited with his master Indra, Devaraj.
- Uchhisravas: He is the 7-headed horse and he was gifted to Bali. The horse is snow-white in color and said to be the King of all horses. Indra took it; but as per the contract, he gifted it to the King Mahabali, the asura King.
Magical Tree Emerged from Samudra Manthana
- Parijata Tree: The tree is considered a precious gem because of its auspicious features. It is a tree that never withers. It blooms the most fragmented flowers in the universe. The flower is white with an orange tint at the stalk. The tree was taken by Deveraj Indra to Indralok. It is said that it is prohibited to pluck flowers from the tree and only the fallen flowers are taken to worship gods and goddesses.
- Kalpavriksha – It is a tree that fulfills wishes. Thus, it is known as a wish-granting tree. It was also taken to Devalok by Devraj Indra.
Auspicious Non-Living Objects Emerged from Samudra Manthana (Churning of the Milky Ocean)
- Kaustubha Mani – One of the most valuable mani or gems in the Universe, worn by Lord Vishnu.
- Sharanga – It is a divine bow crafted by the God of Architect Viswakarma. It was taken by Lord Vishnu. It is said that in the Avatara of Parashurama, Rama, and Lord Krishna, Vishnu used this vow.
- Panchajanya – It is taken by Lord Vishnu. It is said that with the sound of this conch, the battle of Gods got started in ancient times. Gods participated in different battlefields in different avatars to protect humanity and the universe.
The Emergence of Elixir with Dhanvantari from Milky Ocean Churning
- Dhanvantari & Amrita (Elixir): Dhanvantari appeared at the last stage of Manthan with the pot of Amrita. Dhanvantari was the divine doctor; also known for his ultimate authority on Ayurvedic Shastra.
He came out of the churning with the golden pot of Amrita in his hand. To know how the pot of Amrita was divided into Gods and Goddesses and how Vishnu protected the pot from Asuras, you can read our previous blog post The Fascinating Story from Hindu Mythology.
Additional Jewels – Appeared from the Churning of the Milky Ocean
There were more that emerged from the Samudra Manthan. These were,
- The goddess of Misfortune – Jyestha
- The Umbrella – Varuna took it
- Earrings – Taken by Aditi, Mother of Indra
- Nidra
As it is already said that the list of Gems/Jewels differs from story to story and Purana to Purana.
We have tried to manifest most of the names of the jewels through this blog post. Hope you like it.
Thanks for reading!