Re: What is the origin of Amrit ?
Ek OnKaar Sat Naam
Amrita, in its root form is related to the nectar of immortality, as per the intiating post.
THIS DOES NOT IMPLY AMRITA IS NECESSARILY SYNONYMOUS WITH AMRIT IN THE SIKH KHANDE-KE-PHAUL ceremony, or have any link to the naming of Amritsar.
The search for it is described in the Vishnu Purana. The existence of this amrita, did have an earlier origin, in a Vedic sacrifice of the sacred plant known as "soma".
The gods/devaa had grown weary of their war with the demigods/asuras. They approached the great god Vishnu for the boon of immortality. He counselled the gods to enter into an allegiance with the asuras, and to churn the great ocean together, which would reveal gems, herbs and amrita (the nectar of immortality), hidden within its depths. With help of Brahma and the great serpent Vasuki, the gods and asuras were able to uproot the great mountain of Mandara (now in Bihar) to use a churning stick. From the oceans depths Vishnu manifested himself in the form of the supreme tortoise, and rose to the surface. Upon the tortoise's upper shell was placed Mt Mandara, which Brahma stabilised by pressing on from above. The serpent Vasuki wound himself around this mountain as churning rope, and at either end the gods and asuras pulled back and forth, pivoting the mountain and churning the great ocean.
This churning created chaos in the ocean, as gradually the water was churned into milk, and then into clarified butter or ghee. The first thing to emerge from the ocean were the thousand-rayed sun and the cool moon (Skt. soma), which Shiva took for his diadem. Next arose the precious white horse, Uchaishravas, and the six-tusked white elephant, Airavata. These Vishnu took as his mounts.
Then arose the wish-fulfilling tree, parijata, and the brilliant red gemstone, kaustubha. The gods claimed the trees for their heavens, and Vishnu took the gemstone as his breast ornament. Next emerged the goddess Lakshmi (Shri) who Vishnu took as his wife. Then emerged the intoxicating goddess of wine, Sura. The gods were able to drink her wine without ill effects, bu the asuras were unable to hold their alcohol. [from Sura is derived the term, asura, meaning "those unable to consume wine", or "those wihtout the goddess of wine"]
As the gods and asuras continued their vigorous churning there next arose the fiery form of Halahala, the wrathful embodiment of deadly black poison (Kalakuta). Terrified by the ferocious manifestation of Halahala the gods swooned, but Brahma managed to bring the gods back to consciousness. Brahma then succeeded in subduing the long syllable HUM, which caused Halahala's poisonous body to explode into a myriad pieces. The naga serpents claimed the fragements of this poison as their own, whilst from the scattered particles of Halahala's body arose all manner of poisonous creatures and plants. ( A different version of this legend relates that it was Shiva who managed to subdue Halahala by manifested in the form of a mantra and swallowed Halahala whole. But the poison lodged in Shiva's throat, causing it to turn blue, and Nilakantha -the "Blue-throated One" has since become one of Shiva's epithets)
Next to arise from the ocean was Surabhi, the wish-fulfilling white cow, whose five abundant products of milk, curd, butter, urine and dung, grant all beings desires.
Finally there emerged Dhanvantari, the divine physician of the gods, who bore in his hands the vase of amrita, the nectar of immortality. (Dhanvantari is attributed with revealing the Indian medical sciences of Ayurveda)
The asuras, reverting to their inherent character of jealousy, began to wage war again with the gods to obtain possession of the amrita. But Vishnu, having assumed the illusory form of the enchanting goddess Mohini, beguiled the asuras and only offered the amrita to the gods. One of the asuras, Rahu, discerned this cunning strategy, and assuming the guise of a god began to drink the amrita also. The sun and moon bore witness to Rahu's deceitful transformation and informed Vishnu, who hurled his fiery discus at Rahu, severing his head just as the amrita reached his throat. Rahu's body fell to earth causing great earthquakes, and his severed head, assuming again its normal raven form, flew into the skies. Enraged by this treachery of the sun and the moon, Rahu, the shadowy planetary god and lord of the skies, is forever doomed to chase the sun and moon across the heavens and periodically cause eclipses. But as soon as his dark shadow has swallowed them they re-emerge from his severed throat
There is another version of this legend that relates that it was Garuda, the golden sunbird and mount of Vishnu, who attempted to steal the amrita. This he did in order to pay ransom to nagas who held his mother in imprisonment. But Garuda was subdued by the great god Indra, and forced to return the amrita. A few drops of amrita that spilled from the pot held in Garuda's beak fell upon fields of kusha grass, giving rise to various medicinal plants. The scent of this amrita attracted the naga serpents, who began to lick the nectar from the kusha grass. But the sharp blades of this grass caused the naga serpents tongues to split down the middle and become folded.
The struggle between the gods and asuras for the amirta is said to have lasted 12 days, and the four drops that spilled from the pot (Skt. kumbha) of amrita landed near the Indian cities of Prayag (Allahabad), Hardiwar, Nasik and Ujjain. At each of these four cities the great religious festival known as the Kumbh Mela or "Pot Festival" is held every 3 years in rotation, with a larger festival taking place every twelve years. This twelve year period is derived from the concept that one day for the gods is equivalent to one human year.
Infuriated by the gods' total possession of the the amrita, the asuras engaged in an even mightier war against the gods. But since the gods had already consumed the amrita, their only mortal weakness was decapitation, whilst the asuras remained vulnerable in every part of their bodies. The asuras were finally vanquished into the earth and ocean, whilst the triumphant gods once more assumed their rightful place in the heavens. This battle is depicted in the Buddhist Wheel of Life. The gods and asuras are depicted waging war over possession of the wish-fulfilling tree (parijata). Indra leads the army of the gods, wielding his vajra and chakra, and riding upon his six-tusked elephant, Airavata. The gods dwell around the canopy of the parijata tree and can freely partake of its blossoms and fruit, whilst the jealous asuras live at the level of its roots and can never fulfill their sensual desires.
Mt Mandara is a sacred hill, of no great height, in the northern Indian state of Bihar. The legend of the churning of the ocean has rendered this mountain sacred to Hindus, Buddhists and Jains alike, all of whom have erected temples there.
[Source: The Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols - Robert Beer]
I hope you enjoyed this bedtime story.
It is also said that the Buddha meditated at a lake, where Amritsar is now. But that's another story
Sat Sri Akal
