Story of Samudra Manthan

“Avyaasurbhuvana trayeem anibhrutam kandooranai-adrinaa
Nidraanasya parasya koormavapusho nishvaasa vaatormaya:
Yadvikshepana samskritodadhi paya: prenkhola paryankikaa
Nithyaarohana nirvruto viharatey deva: sahaiva sriya”

The above is a sloka or hymn on the Kurma Avatara, of Lord Vishnu manifesting Himself as the Divine Tortoise in the Dashavatar (Ten Avatars). Lord Vishnu is one of the Divine Trinity, the others being Brahma and Shiva. Sri Mahavishnu is regarded as the Protector and the Preserver of the universe. In order to maintain Dharma (righteousness) during each yuga (epoch), He descends Himself in different forms (Avataras) and saves the beings of the world.

The meaning of the sloka is, “May the ocean waves created by the divine breath emanating from the Supreme One resting on the ocean floor, who took the form of the divine Tortoise, protect and preserve all the creatures residing in the three worlds.” The extended meaning of the sloka illustrates the entire episode of the Samudra Manthan. It talks of how Sri Mahavishnu descended Himself as a gigantic Kurma (tortoise), bearing the mountain, Mandara, on His back, so as to help the Devas acquire the divine Amrita or the Nectar of Immortality. The Lord was actually lulled to a short sleep by the rhythmic motion of the mountain, acting as a type of churn dashery! He breathed deeply, even snoring slightly in his sleep. This created tidal waves in the ocean, making it rise and fall, causing a gentle swinging motion, adding to His comfort!  

The sloka talks about the Lord taking the Kurma avatara in order to protect the Devas (Gods and demi Gods) and bless them with the Amrita. The whole mission of the Kurma avatara revolves around the familiar Indian mythological story of the Samudra Manthan or the Churning of the Ocean. This is probably one of the most oft repeated stories in Indian mythology, also one of the most popular.

How the universe was created according to the Puranas

The process of the creation of the universe is mentioned in great detail in the Puranas. There are 18 main Puranas and though each one talks about creation and how the world was created, not all the descriptions necessarily tally with each other. However, these descriptions can be broadly classified into two categories, as follows:

According to the first version, the supreme, all-pervading Brahman created and preserved the entire universe. This Brahman manifested itself into three distinct supreme powers, namely, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Brahma’s mission, as Prajapati, was to create the universe, while Vishnu was the Preserver and Protector of the same. The third supreme being, Shiva, was responsible for destruction in the universe, so that new beings could be created yet again from the natural process of destruction.

A huge body of water was created first, out of which arose a gigantic serpent, named Adisesha. Vishnu took His resting position on the bed of snakes. Next came a beautiful, brilliant golden egg, into which Brahma entered and stayed there for a thousand years, while working on creating the universe. The egg then hatched and split into two parts, one becoming the heavens and the other becoming the earth. The upper part gave rise to the creation of the sun. Since the sun emerged first, it is referred to as the Aditya. The lower portion of the egg slowly developed into rivers, mountains and the other landscapes of the earth as we know it today.

According to the second version, Vishnu was lying on the Adisesha, when suddenly a resonant sound of ‘Aum’, the Pranava Mantra (primordial sound), boomed across the atmosphere, causing Vishnu to awake from his rest. Then, from His navel grew a beautiful, resplendent lotus, on which was seated Lord Brahma. On Vishnu’s command, Brahma got to the task of creating the world. He segregated the lotus into three parts, the heavens, the skies and the earth.<

Hiranyagarbha Vs. The Big Bang Theory

Deviating a little from the main topic here, it would be interesting to note a clear connection between the mythological concept of the Hiranyagarbha and the Big Bang Theory as we know it today. Both these aspects talk about the creation of the world. Let us now try to draw a parallel between these two theories – one completely religious and the other, completely scientific!

The Nasadiya Sukta of the Rig Veda effectively describes the theory of evolution by saying that there was no existence, nor was there anything like non-existence, before the Hiranyagarbha. It further goes on to say that there was no air, no sky, no shelter, no cover, no day, no night, nothing at all. There was no water, no life or death, hence nothing such as mortal or immortal existed. There was only darkness – a vast, all-encompassing darkness. There only was a void, a huge, formless, blank, and nothing else.

However, the Rig Veda also believes that it was the first Vaak (word), the Primordial Sound of ‘Aum’ that gave birth to the entire universe. From that word came the huge, monistic Golden Egg, the Golden Womb or the Hiranyagarbha of Hindu mythology. Lord Brahma is considered to be this Hiranyagarbha, as He created the world. Brahma, as His name suggests, was brought forth by the Supreme Being, Brahman Himself. Lord Vishnu descended Himself in order to protect and preserve this universe, while Lord Shiva, the god of destruction, took over the task of destroying several aspects of the world through the course of the different yugas (epochs).

The Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva work together on the natural cosmic process of creation, preservation and destruction. Once Shiva carried out destruction, Brahma created yet again, which gave rise to the cyclical process of the cosmos. 

The Big Bang Theory

Present-day Science believes that the entire process of evolution in this universe started with the Big Bang. But can one really conceptualize what actually happened before the Big Bang? The answer to this question is a definite NO. No concept of Time or Matter ever existed before the Big Bang – it all came into being much later. Similarly, one simply cannot imagine who actually created the Big Bang. That remains a mystery for ever.

The Rig Veda, in this sense, conveys the same idea as that of the Big Bang Theory. It talks about the world being created out of sheer nothingness – no time, no matter, no space and no creator.

The Puranas

The Puranas also talk about the cyclical process of creation, destruction and re-creation. According to Hindu cosmology, a universe lasts for a time period of roughly 4,320,000 years, which amounts to one day in Brahma’s life. Once each kalpa (eon – roughly a thousand ‘Brahma years’) reaches its end, the world is destroyed by the elements of fire or water. Hindu mythology believes that Brahma rests for one whole night, which lasts as long as His day. The process of destruction, called Pralaya (cataclysm), goes on in a cycle for a period of 100 ‘Brahma years’. This amounts to Brahma’s lifespan being about 311 million human years.  

According to Hindu calculations, Brahma is supposedly 51 years old at this time and so, it is approximately 155 trillion years since He was ‘born’. Once His lifespan is over, another 100 Brahma years pass till the whole process of creation commences anew. This cycle of Brahma’s ‘birth’ and ‘death’ go on forever.

The lifespan of Lord Brahma is again divided into several Maha Yugas (that are one thousand cycles long), during which mankind is born and dies over and over again. Each of these Maha Yugas lasts roughly 4,320,000 years and is again divided into four stages or Yugas, based on the moral values in existence in that particular yuga. As the yugas progress from one stage to the other, morality, virtuosity and principles of righteousness deteriorate more and more, finally ending with the Kali Yuga or the Iron Age. The Kali Yuga will be the worst yuga, where there will be no appreciation for moral values, good conduct and righteousness. Once this yuga reaches its peak, there will be the pralaya and mass-scale destruction of the creation as a whole.

According to the Hindu pantheon, the present Kali Yuga has begun at the midnight of 17th February in the year 3102 B.C.

Hindu cosmology has always been advanced, explaining the complicated concept of relativity with extreme ease. As Dick Teresi, author and coauthor of several books about science and technology, including “The God Particle”, puts it, “Indian cosmologists, the first to estimate the age of the earth at more than 4 billion years. They came closest to modern ideas of atomism, quantum physics, and other current theories. India developed very early, enduring atomist theories of matter. Possibly Greek atomistic thought was influenced by India, via the Persian civilization.”

The background of the Samudra Manthan

There was a time when all the Devas lived very happily, enjoying their stay in heaven and taking good care of all the creatures walking the earth. They all had immense powers and wielded them with true wisdom. One day, sage Durvasa decided to visit Vaikuntha to pay his obeisance to Vishnu and his Consort, Lakshmi. A Vidyadhara damsel residing there gifted Durvasa with one of Lakshmi’s garlands, which the Mother Herself had given her, as she had been pleased with her performance on the Yazh (a musical instrument).

While returning from his visit to Vaikuntha, Durvasa happened to pass by Indraloka, where he met with Indra, the king of the Devas. When the sage offered the garland to Indra, he merely plucked it with the ankusha (goad) he used on Airavata (his elephant) and placed it on the creature’s head. Airavata, not realizing the value of the garland, threw it down and stamped on it, completely crushing the garland. Incensed by this extreme lack of respect, Durvasa, who was infamous for his nasty temper, cursed Indra that he and the rest of the Devas would lose all their power and glory and be shorn of all their divine powers. The minute Durvasa left Indraloka, the whole kingdom of the Devas fell into darkness and all of them lost their splendor and supernatural powers.

Panic-stricken by the turn of events, Indra rushed to the Prajapati, Brahma, and requested Him to save all the Devas. Brahma asked the Devas to approach the Creator and Preserver, Sri Mahavishnu and address their problem to Him. He further added that it was only Vishnu who could help them out of their present crisis.

Why Sri Mahavishnu’s role is so vital during Samudra Manthan

Sri Mahavishnu was the pivotal force behind the Samudra Manthan. The Lord had taken care of every little aspect while orchestrating the entire episode. It is only His Supreme Presence that helped the Devas regain their lost glory and power. 

• Vishnu first advised the Devas to acquire the divine Amrita.
• He also told them how to rope in the asuras and get their help during the Samudra Manthan process.
• Knowing how dangerous it would be to stay close to Vasuki’s head, He let the demons suffer the bad consequences of the serpent spewing poison at them during the churning of the ocean. This led to the death of many asuras. 
• Vishnu endured the tremendous weight of the Mandaragiri on His back during the Manthan.
• He took the aspect of Dhanvantari, wielding the pitcher of the divine Amrita.
• Finally, Vishnu took the form of the beautiful Mohini and charmed the asuras into meek submission, in order to ensure that only the Devas could get their share of the nectar. 

Without Sri Mahavishnu’s help, nothing like this could have been possible and the Devas, suffering from the ill effects of Durvasa’s curse, would have been stripped of their divinity and powers for ever.