My last Storybook page is going to be the tale of The Churning of the Ocean. This one will be told by Durga, the emotional one and Shiva's consort.
The source I picked out earlier was this:
Part 1
Part 2
It's an English translation of the original Sanskrit, and it's a little tough to piece together because they use a lot of names and terms that I don't recognize. So here I'll try and research some of those, as well as find another source to cross-check with. Also, the fact that it's in the Mahabharata I think is really cool; I didn't realize that at first.
Here's the Wikipedia article on it: Samudra manthan
Background info: It's narrated not only in the Mahabharata, but also in the Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana. It's called samudra manthana and explains the origin of the nectar of mortality. Also, the ocean is an ocean of milk I think?
amrita: nectar of mortality, comparable to Greek ambrosia
Devas: "heavenly, divine, anything of excellence" benevolent deities
Asuras: the malevolent half-brothers of the Devas--they often battle
(In the earliest literature, all supernatural beings fall into one of those two categories. There are also Yakshas (nature spirits) and Rakshasas (ghoulish ogres)).
There is an awful lot going on in this story, with lots of random details. The Devas and Asuras team up to churn this Ocean of Milk to get the nectar, which they do so using a mountain, and pulling on both ends of a snake, and the mountain is on a turtle's back. Also, a lot of things come out of this churning, includeing Ratnas, three categories of goddesses (including Lakshmi, so she definitely needs to be emphasized here), three types of supernatural animals, and some other items.
The original source refers to one character as Siva, who swallows the poison released by the snake to save creation. Then his consort helped hold it in his throat so he became known as "blue-throated." Based on the Wikipedia article, this is Shiva, with his consort Parvati (or in my version, Durga). If that's the case this story works out really well to be told by Durga.
The story ends with a battle between the Devas and the Asuras over the nectar I think. The Devas get it and flee and drink it, and then one of the Asuras sneaks in, but before they can drink it their head gets cut off with a discus. In the end the rejuvinated Devas beat the Asuras.
One of my biggest concerns with this story is presenting the details in a clear way, and fitting it all in, because it feels like there's just so much and I don't want to just report all the information, I want to elaborate and build up and make it a story. I also don't just want it to feel incredibly random, I want it to feel cohesive and that may be difficult as well.
Image research:
This one is good because it shows all the important pieces really clearly: The two sides of the gods pulling, the snake, the mountain, the turtle, and the ocean itself. The website's retelling may be worth reading as well.
I also like this one from Wikpedia: I'm not sure what all the smaller pictures are but the amount of detail is really solid.
Finally, this one's super dramatic and vibrant which I really like:
The source I picked out earlier was this:
Part 1
Part 2
It's an English translation of the original Sanskrit, and it's a little tough to piece together because they use a lot of names and terms that I don't recognize. So here I'll try and research some of those, as well as find another source to cross-check with. Also, the fact that it's in the Mahabharata I think is really cool; I didn't realize that at first.
Here's the Wikipedia article on it: Samudra manthan
Background info: It's narrated not only in the Mahabharata, but also in the Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana. It's called samudra manthana and explains the origin of the nectar of mortality. Also, the ocean is an ocean of milk I think?
amrita: nectar of mortality, comparable to Greek ambrosia
Devas: "heavenly, divine, anything of excellence" benevolent deities
Asuras: the malevolent half-brothers of the Devas--they often battle
(In the earliest literature, all supernatural beings fall into one of those two categories. There are also Yakshas (nature spirits) and Rakshasas (ghoulish ogres)).
There is an awful lot going on in this story, with lots of random details. The Devas and Asuras team up to churn this Ocean of Milk to get the nectar, which they do so using a mountain, and pulling on both ends of a snake, and the mountain is on a turtle's back. Also, a lot of things come out of this churning, includeing Ratnas, three categories of goddesses (including Lakshmi, so she definitely needs to be emphasized here), three types of supernatural animals, and some other items.
The original source refers to one character as Siva, who swallows the poison released by the snake to save creation. Then his consort helped hold it in his throat so he became known as "blue-throated." Based on the Wikipedia article, this is Shiva, with his consort Parvati (or in my version, Durga). If that's the case this story works out really well to be told by Durga.
The story ends with a battle between the Devas and the Asuras over the nectar I think. The Devas get it and flee and drink it, and then one of the Asuras sneaks in, but before they can drink it their head gets cut off with a discus. In the end the rejuvinated Devas beat the Asuras.
One of my biggest concerns with this story is presenting the details in a clear way, and fitting it all in, because it feels like there's just so much and I don't want to just report all the information, I want to elaborate and build up and make it a story. I also don't just want it to feel incredibly random, I want it to feel cohesive and that may be difficult as well.
Image research:
This one is good because it shows all the important pieces really clearly: The two sides of the gods pulling, the snake, the mountain, the turtle, and the ocean itself. The website's retelling may be worth reading as well.
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| Samudra Manthan (TemplePurohit) |
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| Bazaar art print of the churning of the ocean of milk (Wikipedia) |
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