"Where are You going, Parvati? You can't get away from Me so easily. I'll wait for Your advent in every birth."
Have you ever thought about how the world's greatest love marriage took place? The marriage which set the rules for all other marriages i...
For the Great Lord, duty comes even before His own self. So when the Gods decided to participate in the churning of the Ocean, He too lent His help and promised to supervise Them.
When Airavat, the mount of Lord Indra had accidentally dropped a precious garland gifted by Maharishi Durvasa, He had cursed Them to be bereft of all sources of Shree. Goddess Lakshmi had disappeared from Vaikuntha and all of Goddess Shree, and Her personification, like riches, wealth and resources had disappeared from Swarga.
Upon advice, the Gods decided to churn the Ocean and retrieve the hidden gifts of the Universe. This would also grant them the precious and most sought for nectar or elixir of life, the Amrit which would make Them immortal.
However, They could not single handedly churn the Ocean, and needed more manpower. They joined forces with the demons of the Patala Loka, who were promised a portion of the Amrit in return for their help.
Lord Vishnu took His Kurma avatar and balanced the Mandara mountain on His back, which would serve as the churning momentum. Lord Vasuki, who encircled Lord Shiva's neck, also happily agreed to be their supporting rope in the churning process.
The process continued for several days and months. Occasionally, poisonous fumes were emitted by the head of Lord Vasuki, which made the demons restless and agitated. The Gods too struggled to keep going and worked hard.
Finally, the 14 Ratnas emerged from the Ocean of Milk. One by one, they appeared and were claimed by the different Gods and demons.
But just before the final Ratna, or the elixir appeared, toxic poison surrounded the entire ocean and made it difficult for everyone to even breathe.
The Halahal, or Kaalkoot had emerged and was slowly taking away all life from the universe.
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Parvati ran towards Him and placed Her palm at His throat. She was just in time before He swallowed it down.
His throat turned blue at the spot She had stopped the poison. She looked at Him and was relieved to see Him smile.
She didn't say anything to Him. She wanted to stop Him from consuming the poison. But She knew that He would never discard His duties. He never thought about Himself or what would happen to Her had something happened to Him.
But He was neither a mortal nor an ordinary being. He trusted Himself and had faith. Moreover, when something is done with the right intention for someone's good, it always yields successful results. He knew only He could protect everyone from the harmful effects of the poison.
He was Pashupatinath, the Lord of all the animals and beings. His love for all beings was universal and unbiased. He never differentiated between demons or Gods, plants or animals. When He was the Lord of Nature, Parvati was Mother Nature personified.
The snakes joined in to drink the poison along with Him. They revered Him so much and wanted to share His pain and responsibilities. As the Lord of snakes, He blessed them and assured them that they too will have a place of worship and of as much importance as of Shiva.
Her eyes were shedding silent tears. And She couldn't say a word. Her voice cracked and no sounds escaped Her dry mouth. But Her face and Her expression was almost as if She was asking Him, that why He did this. Why He didn't ask Her before stepping in to save the world? Why did He not care about Himself at all but only about the rest of the world?
She closed Her eyes because She could feel His pain, although He didn't show a single expression to make it evident.
She felt like both of Them were in a different Loka and it was only the two of Them. No one else surrounded Them in this private place. There was no Ocean nor any poison.
Shiva took the form of a baby who was breastfed by Goddess Tara. The poison had been rendered ineffective and He was healed.
Goddess Tara, who had the blue complexion of the poison, and was ever smiling, ready to heal Her devotees and save them from any difficulty. She carried a pair of scissors to cut the cords of attachment. Her smile was electrifying and mesmerising, like a thousand shining stars.
She kept thinking about His selfless efforts. She realised what duty meant and How he was the Father of the whole Universe. She wished that instead of Him, it was Her who was undergoing such pain.
He happily let all others consume the nectar and Himself drank the poison. He didn't want the boon of immortality gifted by the nectar, He only wanted to protect the mortality of all the beings.
Anyone can become Shiva, all one has to do is to drink the poison or pain from other people's lives.
Similarly in life, one must face the poison or difficulties before one gets the nectar or Moksha.
Shiva is not God or Dev because He thinks about others. He is Mahadev because He doesn't think about Himself at all, even if it means sacrificing Himself for others.
When Her trance was over, She realised She was back in the middle of the Ocean again. And all the Gods and demons revered Shiva and worshipped Him.
They named Him 'Neelkanth', the One with a blue throat.
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