A long time ago, when the Universe was recreated by Lord Shiva, a fierce battle ensued between the gods (devas) and the demons (asuras) for the prized amrita, the nectar of immortality. There was chaos in both Heaven and Earth, with the asuras having taken control of the Universe. According to legend, Indra, the king of the devas, received a divine garland from sage Durvasa. This garland, a prasada from Lord Shiva, was given to Indra. Indra placed it on the trunk of his divine elephant, Airavat, who disrespectfully threw it to the ground. Enraged by this act, Durvasa cursed Indra and the devas, stripping them of their strength and fortune.

In the subsequent battles, the mighty asuras triumphed, and King Bali, the demon king, became the ruler of the Universe. Desperate, the gods sought the help of Lord Vishnu, who advised them to form an alliance with the asuras to extract the nectar from the ocean of milk, one of the seven oceans surrounding loka (the Sanskrit word for "World"). Despite their initial reluctance, the gods agreed that they needed the asuras' help to churn the ocean of milk, which would yield the amrita and numerous other treasures.

The devas assured the asuras that the amrita would be shared equally, promising immortality and strength to both sides. The demons agreed and even helped the gods uproot Mount Mandara to use as a churning stick. The next requirement was a churning rope. Vasuki, the king of serpents, offered himself to be bound to Mount Mandara to facilitate the extraction of the immortal nectar from the ocean of milk.

During the samudra manthan (churning of the ocean), Lord Vishnu tricked the demons into holding the head of the serpent while the devas held the tail. As Vasuki was pulled back and forth, he began to emit poison from his mouth, terrifying both gods and demons, as it was potent enough to destroy the Universe. The gods approached Lord Shiva for protection. To save the Universe, Shiva consumed the poison. Parvati, his consort, pressed his throat to prevent the poison from spreading through his body, causing his throat to turn blue. Henceforth, in folklore, Lord Shiva is known as Neelkantha (the blue-throated one).

As the churning continued, Mount Mandara began to sink into the ocean. Lord Vishnu then transformed into a turtle, his avatar known as Kurma, and supported the mountain on his back, allowing the churning to resume. The process lasted for a millennium, bringing forth many divine treasures from the ocean of milk.

As we celebrate Sawan Shivratri, this story resonates with the triumph of good over evil and the divine interventions that shape our world. Devotees honor these legends by wearing symbolic Hindu attire. These Hindu t-shirts not only express devotion but also serve as a tribute to the rich cultural heritage and the divine tales that inspire faith and reverence.

To buy a variety of hindu t shirts like shivji t shirt, hanuman t shirt, ganesh t shirt, Krishna t shirt, ram t shirt, bajrang bali t shirt etc. click here!

[The images used in this blog post are not owned by Anime Devta, they are just for entertainment purposes]

| SAWAN SHIVRATRI | LORD SHIVA | HINDU T SHIRT | SHIVJI T SHIRT | HANUMAN T SHIRT | GANESH T SHIRT | KRISHNA T SHIRT | RAM T SHIRT | BAJRANG BALI T SHIRT | HINDU |

~Mimansa Sharma