Legends
Hindus celebrate Mahashivratri, because according to Vedic Literatures ; there is a legend associated with Samudra Manthan (churning of ocean), a process in which the asuras (demons) and the gods joined hands to churn out amrut(nectar) from the depths of the ocean, using a mountain and a snake as a rope. The devas( deities) and the asuras (demons) counterparts were churning for a nectar of immortality. Among many things that came out, a pot of poison came out of the ocean. This poison was so potent that it has the power to destroy the whole universe. The problem that arose was that the poison could not be discarded, it had to be drunk by one of the devas or asuras. No one wanted to drink the poison because they all felt that they were too valuable or sacred to drink it. Shiva, upon the request of the gods, came forward in a calm disposition and said that he would drink the Halahala (poison) for “the sake of his family to sustain peace and allow them to find the nectar of immortality.” By drinking the Halahala, he eliminated its destructive capacity. Shocked by his act, Goddess Parvathi strangled his neck and hence managed to stop it in his neck itself and prevent it from spreading all over the universe supposed to be in Shiva's stomach. However the poison was so potent that it changed the color of His neck to blue. For this reason, Lord Shiva is also called Neelkanta.. After drinking the poison, Shiva went to the Himalayas to meditate. The nectar of immortality was found, and the asuras tried to steal it from the devas. They wanted to become more powerful than the devas to be able to destroy them. After a “series of divine interventions”, the devas emerged as the winners and received the gift of immortality. By drinking the poison, Shiva sacrificed himself for the safety of his family and humanity.
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Famous quotes containing the word legends:
“Sometimes legends make reality, and become more useful than the facts.”
—Salman Rushdie (b. 1947)
“a child’s
Forgotten mornings when he walked with his mother
Through the parables
Of sunlight
And the legends of the green chapels
And the twice-told fields of infancy”
—Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)
“Therefore our legends always come around to seeming legendary,
A path decorated with our comings and goings. Or so I’ve been told.”
—John Ashbery (b. 1927)