(Picture taken by DSS Lakshmi at Srikurmam temple)

Second incarnation of Vishnu, as a Tortoise. (Glossary for the Vahinis)

The traditional legend of the Samudra manthana (churning of the ocean), with all the details of the Kshira Sagara (ocean of milk), the Kurma Avatar (Vishnu s incarnation as tortoise), the Mandara mountain, Vasuki (venomous serpent), the asuras and suras (demons and celestials) and the various articles and things that appeared from the ocean, culminating in the amrita (nectar that gives immortality) are found in the Bhagavatam. That legend has great value for you, because you too have to churn the ocean of your heart and win the nectar for yourself. The legend is only a reminder, a cue, a call.

The heart full of sattva guna (quality of purity and poise) is the ocean of milk. The steady contemplation of the Divine, either as your own reality or as the ideal to be reached, is the Mandara mountain plated in it as the churning rod. Vasuki, the serpent that was wound round the churning rod as a rope, is the group of the senses, emitting poisonous fumes during the process of churning and nearly frightening the Asuras who held the head. The rope is held by the good and the bad impulses and both struggle with the churning process; eager for the results

which each has set its heart on.

The lesson of the legend

The Grace of God is the Tortoise incarnation, for the Lord Himself comes to the rescue, once He knows that you are earnestly seeking the secret of Immortality: He comes, silently and unobserved, as the tortoise did, holding the manana (reflection) process unimpaired and serving as the steady base of all spiritual practice. Many things emerge from the mind, when churned, but the wise wait patiently for the appearance of the guarantor of Immortality, and seize upon it with avidity. That is the lesson of the legend. It is a summary of Atmavidya (science of the Self). (SSS Vol.5)

The Mukkoti Ekadasi, which is also known as Vaikuntha Ekadasi (day sacred to Lord Vishnu) is the Day when during the Sagara manthana (churning of the ocean), Amrita (nectar) emerged and was distributed to the Gods. The Gods had slid into the calamity of losing their immortality! Man too is the child of immortality; that is the reason why he cannot force himself into the conviction that he would die. He sees his neighbour die, but believes that he would somehow escape it. The man of realisation (jnani), however, is ever ready to cast off this encumbrance and escape from the prison of name and form. Emperor Janaka was such a person of realisation. He never lost the consciousness of the Oneness.

Once, Sulabha, the celebrated woman dialectician, visited his court and during the discussion, she challenged Janaka to treat her also as his queen, for, ‘as a jnani, you should make no difference between persons,’ as men of realisation see the same self in all. But, Janaka retorted, ‘As a jnani, you should recognise Oneness; there is no validity in talking of men and women as distinct.’ Thus, he taught her real jnana, the highest wisdom.

Mere drinking the Nectar which I create will not confer immortality on you. Everything that is born must die; everything that is constructed will disintegrate. But you can escape death, by not being born again. When you know that you are the limitless atman (self or the soul which is the infinite consciousness), then you are no longer subjected to the limitation of birth. That is the secret. How to know that? It is the result of a long process of sharpening the intellect and purifying the emotions and the impulses. You may do the most rigorous japa (repetition of holy name or symbols) or practise the direst, of austerities, but if you are not virtuous, all of it is sheer waste. (SSS Vol.5)

Have as a dhara (flowing from your tongue), the Name of the Lord; avoid all lesser talk. On the Ocean of Milk, (the Kshira sagara) of the Pure Mind, plant the peak of Mandara, steady faith, in the unity of creation; take the serpent, Grace of the Lord (Ishvara anugraham), and use it as a rope to churn the ocean; churn it through meditation and spiritual discipline (dhyana and sadhana); then, you are able to acquire the Nectar---the essence of Veda, of spiritual knowledge, of spiritual experience. (SSS Vol.5)