Amrita or Amrit (Sanskrit: अमृत; Punjabi: ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ) is, according to Dharmic religions, immortal nectar or ambrosia (of which it is a cognate). It is the drink of the gods, which grants them immortality. In Sanskrit the word amrita literally means "without death", and is often referred to in texts as nectar.
In Hinduism
Amrit features in the Samudra manthan myth, where the gods, because of a curse from the sage Durvasa, begin to lose their immortality. With the help of the asuras (demons), they churned the sea in order to find the nectar of immortality, amrit. After drinking it, the gods regained their immortality and defeated the demons.
Amrit features in the Samudra manthan myth, where the gods, because of a curse from the sage Durvasa, begin to lose their immortality. With the help of the asuras (demons), they churned the sea in order to find the nectar of immortality, amrit. After drinking it, the gods regained their immortality and defeated the demons.
In Hinduism, Samudra manthan (Devanagari: समुद्र मंथन) or The churning of the ocean of milk is one of the most famous episodes in the Puranas and is celebrated in a major way every twelve years in the festival known as Kumbha Mela. The story is related in the Srimad Bhagavatam, a major work that describes the avataras in great detail.
Samudra manthan is also known as —
Samudra manthanam — Manthanam is the Sanskrit equivalent of Manthan meaning 'to churn'.
Sagar manthan — Sagar is another word for Samudra, both meaning an ocean or large water body.
Ksheersagar manthan — Ksheersagar literally means the ocean of milk. Ksheersagar = Ksheer (milk) + Sagar (ocean)
Samudra manthan is also known as —
Samudra manthanam — Manthanam is the Sanskrit equivalent of Manthan meaning 'to churn'.
Sagar manthan — Sagar is another word for Samudra, both meaning an ocean or large water body.
Ksheersagar manthan — Ksheersagar literally means the ocean of milk. Ksheersagar = Ksheer (milk) + Sagar (ocean)
The story of Samudra manthan
The story begins with Indra riding his elephant. He came upon a sage named Durvasa. The sage decided to honor Indra by giving him a scented garland. Indra took the garland, but placed it on the forehead of his elephant. The elephant was irritated by the scent and threw the garland off, trampling on it. The angry sage cursed Indra and the Adityas(Gods)to lose all their wealth. Indra was thus immediately dispossesed of all his wealth and treasures.
Appeal to Brahma
Indra then approached Brahma to help him regain his treasures who suggested him to churn the Ocean of Milk in order to regain his treasures and obtain the Nectar of Immortality. However, such a stupendous task could not be performed by the Adityas (Gods) themselves so they sought the help of their enemies, the Asuras, with the understanding that the Asuras would be allowed to partake a portion of the Amrutha (divine nectar of immortality).
Churning the Milky Ocean
The Ocean was churned by using the Mount Mandara as the pole and the king of snakes, Vasuki as the rope which was wrapped around the mountain. The Gods held the tail of the snake while the demons(Asuras) held the head end of the snake and pulled on it alternately, causing the mountain to rotate, which in turn would caused the Ocean to be churned. However, once the mountain was put on the Ocean, it began to sink. Then came Vishnu in his second incarnation, the form of a turtle Kurma, to support the mountain on his shell back.
Halahal
As the ocean was churned, a deadly poison known as Halahala emerged. This poison threatened to suffocate all living things. In response to various prayers, Shiva drank the poison; his wife Parvati, alarmed, stopped it in his throat with her hands. This caused the throat to turn blue. Due to this, he is called Nīlakantha (nīla = "blue", kantha = "throat"). Then, various treasures (ratnas) emerged from the ocean of milk.
The story begins with Indra riding his elephant. He came upon a sage named Durvasa. The sage decided to honor Indra by giving him a scented garland. Indra took the garland, but placed it on the forehead of his elephant. The elephant was irritated by the scent and threw the garland off, trampling on it. The angry sage cursed Indra and the Adityas(Gods)to lose all their wealth. Indra was thus immediately dispossesed of all his wealth and treasures.
Appeal to Brahma
Indra then approached Brahma to help him regain his treasures who suggested him to churn the Ocean of Milk in order to regain his treasures and obtain the Nectar of Immortality. However, such a stupendous task could not be performed by the Adityas (Gods) themselves so they sought the help of their enemies, the Asuras, with the understanding that the Asuras would be allowed to partake a portion of the Amrutha (divine nectar of immortality).
Churning the Milky Ocean
The Ocean was churned by using the Mount Mandara as the pole and the king of snakes, Vasuki as the rope which was wrapped around the mountain. The Gods held the tail of the snake while the demons(Asuras) held the head end of the snake and pulled on it alternately, causing the mountain to rotate, which in turn would caused the Ocean to be churned. However, once the mountain was put on the Ocean, it began to sink. Then came Vishnu in his second incarnation, the form of a turtle Kurma, to support the mountain on his shell back.
Halahal
As the ocean was churned, a deadly poison known as Halahala emerged. This poison threatened to suffocate all living things. In response to various prayers, Shiva drank the poison; his wife Parvati, alarmed, stopped it in his throat with her hands. This caused the throat to turn blue. Due to this, he is called Nīlakantha (nīla = "blue", kantha = "throat"). Then, various treasures (ratnas) emerged from the ocean of milk.
The 14 Ratnas were:
Sura, goddess and creator of wine
Apsarases, various divine nymphs like Rambha, Menaka
Kaustubha, the most valuable jewel in the world
Uchhaishravas, the divine 7-headed horse
Kalpavriksha, the wish-granting tree
Kamadhenu, the first cow and mother of all other cows
Airavata, the elephant which is the steed of Indra
Lakshmi, the Goddess of Fortune and Wealth
Parijat vriksh (tree)
Halahala or Kaalkut poison
Chandra, the moon
Dhanvantari with
Amrita
The nectar of immortality
Finally, Dhanvantari, the Heavenly Physician, emerged with a pot containing amrita, the heavenly nectar of immortality. As the Asuras rushed to take the nectar, the frightened Adityas appealed to Vishnu, who then took the form of Mohini. As a beautiful and enchanting damsel, Mohini distracted the Asuras, took the amrita and distributed it amongst the Adityas who drank it. One Asura, Rahu, disguised himself as an Aditya, and drank some Nectar. But before the Nectar could pass his throat, Mohini cut off his head with Her Sudarshana Chakra. The head, due to its contact with the amrita, remained immortal. It is believed that this immortal head occasionally swallows the sun or the moon, causing eclipses. Then, the sun or moon passes through the opening at the neck, ending the eclipse.
The story ends with the rejuvenated Adityas defeating the Asuras.
Symbolism of Samudra manthan
The story represents the spiritual endeavor of a person to achieve self-realisation through concentration of mind, withdrawal of senses, control of desires and practice of austerities and asceticism.
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 through spiritual practice, one has to integrate and harmonise both the positive and negative aspects and put 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 the thoughts and emotions are the waves in the ocean.
Mandhara, the mountain symbolises concentration. The word Mandhara is made up of two words Mana (mind) and Dhara (a single line) which means holding the mind in one line. This is possible only by concentration.
Mount Mandhara was upheld by Lord Vishnu as a Kurma (tortoise). The tortoise here symbolises the 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 and the demons held desire (to seek immortality) as a rope and churned the mind with the help of concentration and withdrawal of the senses. Desire, if not controlled will overpower and destroy an individual.
The Halahala poison symbolises suffering and pain (counter-reaction of the mind and body) that one undergoes at the beginning of spiritual sadhana (practice). When the mind is subjected to intense concentration, the first thing that comes out of the process is intense suffering and 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 Lord Shiva, 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 psychic or 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/he uses them judiciously, not for selfish gains but for others' welfare. This is the reason why the Gods and demons distributed these objects as they did not want to lose sight of their original aim which was to gain immortality.
Dhanvantari symbolises health and signifies that immortality (longevity, to be correct) or spiritual success 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 of achievement to which the asuras or the demons succumbed and thus lost sight of their goal. Pride and egoism are the last hurdles one has to overcome in spiritual life before experiencing self-realisation.
The Amrit(a) symbolises the ultimate achievement of the goal of self-realistion.
Sura, goddess and creator of wine
Apsarases, various divine nymphs like Rambha, Menaka
Kaustubha, the most valuable jewel in the world
Uchhaishravas, the divine 7-headed horse
Kalpavriksha, the wish-granting tree
Kamadhenu, the first cow and mother of all other cows
Airavata, the elephant which is the steed of Indra
Lakshmi, the Goddess of Fortune and Wealth
Parijat vriksh (tree)
Halahala or Kaalkut poison
Chandra, the moon
Dhanvantari with
Amrita
The nectar of immortality
Finally, Dhanvantari, the Heavenly Physician, emerged with a pot containing amrita, the heavenly nectar of immortality. As the Asuras rushed to take the nectar, the frightened Adityas appealed to Vishnu, who then took the form of Mohini. As a beautiful and enchanting damsel, Mohini distracted the Asuras, took the amrita and distributed it amongst the Adityas who drank it. One Asura, Rahu, disguised himself as an Aditya, and drank some Nectar. But before the Nectar could pass his throat, Mohini cut off his head with Her Sudarshana Chakra. The head, due to its contact with the amrita, remained immortal. It is believed that this immortal head occasionally swallows the sun or the moon, causing eclipses. Then, the sun or moon passes through the opening at the neck, ending the eclipse.
The story ends with the rejuvenated Adityas defeating the Asuras.
Symbolism of Samudra manthan
The story represents the spiritual endeavor of a person to achieve self-realisation through concentration of mind, withdrawal of senses, control of desires and practice of austerities and asceticism.
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 through spiritual practice, one has to integrate and harmonise both the positive and negative aspects and put 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 the thoughts and emotions are the waves in the ocean.
Mandhara, the mountain symbolises concentration. The word Mandhara is made up of two words Mana (mind) and Dhara (a single line) which means holding the mind in one line. This is possible only by concentration.
Mount Mandhara was upheld by Lord Vishnu as a Kurma (tortoise). The tortoise here symbolises the 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 and the demons held desire (to seek immortality) as a rope and churned the mind with the help of concentration and withdrawal of the senses. Desire, if not controlled will overpower and destroy an individual.
The Halahala poison symbolises suffering and pain (counter-reaction of the mind and body) that one undergoes at the beginning of spiritual sadhana (practice). When the mind is subjected to intense concentration, the first thing that comes out of the process is intense suffering and 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 Lord Shiva, 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 psychic or 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/he uses them judiciously, not for selfish gains but for others' welfare. This is the reason why the Gods and demons distributed these objects as they did not want to lose sight of their original aim which was to gain immortality.
Dhanvantari symbolises health and signifies that immortality (longevity, to be correct) or spiritual success 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 of achievement to which the asuras or the demons succumbed and thus lost sight of their goal. Pride and egoism are the last hurdles one has to overcome in spiritual life before experiencing self-realisation.
The Amrit(a) symbolises the ultimate achievement of the goal of self-realistion.
In yogic philosophy (see yoga, Hindu philosophy) amrita is a fluid that can flow from the pineal gland down the throat in deep states of meditation. It is considered quite a boon: some yogic texts say that one drop is enough to conquer death and achieve immortality.
In Sikhism
Amrit is the name of the holy water used in the baptism ceremony (known as Amrit Sanchar or Amrit Chhakhna by the Sikhs). This ceremony is observed to initiate the Sikhs into the Khalsa brotherhood. The ceremony requires the drinking of the Amrit. This water is created by mixing a number of soluble ingredients, including sugar, and is then mixed with a Khanda (a type of sword) with the accompaniment of scriptural recitation of five sacred Banis (chants).
Amrit is the name of the holy water used in the baptism ceremony (known as Amrit Sanchar or Amrit Chhakhna by the Sikhs). This ceremony is observed to initiate the Sikhs into the Khalsa brotherhood. The ceremony requires the drinking of the Amrit. This water is created by mixing a number of soluble ingredients, including sugar, and is then mixed with a Khanda (a type of sword) with the accompaniment of scriptural recitation of five sacred Banis (chants).
In Buddhism
Amrita, under its Tibetan name of dutsi, also features in Tibetan Buddhist mythology, where it is linked to the killing of the monster Rahu by Vajrapani, whose blood dripped onto the surface of this earth, causing all kinds of medicinal plants to grow - which are now used to make dutsi.
Amrita, under its Tibetan name of dutsi, also features in Tibetan Buddhist mythology, where it is linked to the killing of the monster Rahu by Vajrapani, whose blood dripped onto the surface of this earth, causing all kinds of medicinal plants to grow - which are now used to make dutsi.
