Lord Shiva Mantras

In the churning of the ocean of milk (Samudra Manthan), the gods and demons together turned Mount Mandara with the great serpent Vasuki as their rope, seeking the nectar of immortality. But before any treasure arose, the churning brought forth Halahala — a poison so virulent that its very fumes began to scorch and destroy the three worlds.

In terror, gods and demons alike fled to Lord Shiva, the only one who could save creation. Out of boundless compassion, Mahadeva gathered the deadly poison in his palm and drank it. As the venom passed his throat, Goddess Parvati pressed it gently to hold it there, that it might harm neither the Lord nor the worlds held within him. The poison lodged in his throat and turned it a deep blue.

From that day Lord Shiva is honoured as Neelkanth — the blue-throated one — who swallowed the world's poison to save all beings. It is the supreme image of his selfless grace: that the Lord takes the suffering of the world upon himself, and asks for nothing in return.