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David Sanders

Story of The Ratnas of Samudra Manthan

Samudra Manthan is one of the popular scenes from Hindu mythology. Its literal meaning is “Churning of the Ocean”. Kshirsagar- the Ocean of Milk was churned during Samudra Manthan to obtain the pristine potion of immortality, Amrit. The mythological narratives like Bhagvat Purana and Vishnu Purana glorify the story and the 14 Ratnas (gems) that emerged out of the Kshirsagar.

Legend of Samudra Manthan


Once Lord Indra was riding on His vahana Airavata elephant and met sage Durvasa. He gave an exceptionally divine garland to Lord Indra which he had received from a nymph. Out of pure courtesy, Indra Dev took the garland and kept it on Airavat’s trunk, and moved further. The beautifully woven garland had unusual flowers with a pleasing smell. It attracted the bees around and as a result, an annoyed Airavat shook off the garland. The garland fell on the ground and it angered the sage. Sri which means good luck or fortune resided in the garland and it was a special Prasadam. Consequently, sage Durvasa cursed all the Gods that they will lose all the power, wealth, and luck. This led to condescending wars between the Devas and Asuras were the Asuras won. They dominated the world and all the innocent lives. Helpless with the situation, the Gods went to Lord Vishnu for a solution. With this, they further decided to churn the Kshirsagar together with the Asuras to get Amrit. They used Mount Mandara as the churning rod and serpent King Vasuki as the churning rope. The colossal act of Samudra Manthan began with Devas on one side and Asuras on the other. One by one, the Ratnas began to emerge out of the Ocean of Milk.


There are different sources and texts that mention slightly different Ratnas. Here is a collective list of each and every being that appeared during the Samudra Manthan:


  • Goddess Laxmi, the Goddess of Wealth, Opportunities, and Abundance
  • Apsaras like Menka, Rambha, and more who were resplendent beauties
  • Varuni appeared in an untidy state was later taken unwillingly by the Asuras
  • Kamadhenu, the ever- so- calm & affectionate mother and a wish-fulfilling cow. Lord Brahma took Kamadhenu and handed over to the sages to use the ghee extracted from her milk for Homa and Yajna rites. Kamadhenu is also called “Surabhi”
  • Ucchaishravas was the unique and holy seven-headed horse that was further given to King Bali
  • Airavat, a flawless white elephant emerged out of the ocean 
  • Kaustubha, the divine jewel that was so radiant that only Lord Vishnu could handle its beaming glow. Lord Vishnu took the Kaustubha Mani
  • Parijata, the forever blossoming tree signifying abundant growth was taken by Gods to the Indraloka
  • Sharanga, an indomitable bow that was further taken by Lord Vishnu
  • Halahala, the fatal poison that could destroy the world but was gulped by Lord Shiva to save the life. This is where His throat turned blue and He was named “Neelkantha”
  • Chandra, the Moon was taken by Lord Shiva and He gracefully wore it on His head
  • Lord Dhanvantri, the God of medicine and health appeared with a pot of elixir
  • Shankh, the magnificent Conch given to Lord Vishnu
  • Kalpavriksha, a wish-fulfilling tree that was sacred of all
  • Amrita, the ethereal nectar of immortality


As Lord Dhanvantri came out of the Kshirsagar, He held a pot of Amrita. The Devtas and Asuras fought for Amrit, the divine elixir to be immortal. Garuda, the vahana of Lord Vishnu flew away with the pot to protect from the demons. After gaining the Amrita, it was decided that both the Gods and demons will get equal portions of Amrit. In spite of deciding this, the Gods did not want to give the Amrit to Asuras. To trick them and make sure that only the Gods get this elixir, Lord Vishnu took the form of a heavenly young lady Mohini. She lured the Asuras and kept them occupied while all the Gods consumed the elixir. Amidst this, a demon named Svarnbhanu disguised as God was present amongst the Devas and drank the Amrit. The illuminating Surya Dev and Chandra Dev could recognize Svarnbhanu because of their unmatchable radiance and immediately alerted Mohini to cut his head off before he could drink up the elixir. Mohini, the avatar of Lord Vishnu did so with the Sudarshan Chakra and Svarnbhanu’s head was ripped apart from his body. Since then, the head was called “Rahu” and the rest of the body was “Ketu” that further came to be known as planets in the celestial space.


All the 14 Ratnas were unique and distributed among the Devas and Asuras. They are just as important as Amrit is highlighted in the primitive stories.



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