The witnessing Self

In the multi-millenary spiritual tradition of India, there is a very old foundational episode in the making of the world. It tells the story of a truce in the conflict between “the gods”, who are the divine principles of the elements and other aspects of the material world, and “the anti-gods” who are a necessary consequence and counterbalance of the creation of the world as an inherent duality. The truce had a very specific purpose, to collaborate in the churning of the primordial Ocean for obtaining special treasures that lie within, a bit like the butter will appear as the milk is churned. This occurred using a mountain as the human churning tool that was resting on a giant tortoise, itself a major incarnation of Shri Vishnu, the deity that maintains the order, righteousness and evolutionary principle in the creation. The rope used to wrap around the mountain and pull in either direction was one of the giant primordial serpents.

Everyone knew that the biggest prize of the churning will be a pot with the “Amruta”, the divine nectar of immortality. There was though a major obstacle to be overcome: as per the mirroring effects of duality, what appeared first was a pot with all-consuming poison. This of course rendered everyone weak and fearful and paralyzed the entire process. This is when Shri Shiva, who embodies the Spirit itself, the One who is the pure reflected Self in everyone, came forth and did the only thing that could remove the poison from the world: he drank it. His throat was left with a blue mark as a result of this and this was enshrined in one of his names. Eventually the pot of nectar of immortality also appeared and as expected it generated a fight between the protagonists. This ended with another divine intervention of Shri Vishnu who made sure that it reached only the gods and thus protected the creation from the aggression of the anti-gods.

There are multiple meanings and teachings of this story that at one level also symbolizes the universal journey of human life. But maybe the most powerful is that without the Spirit, without the highest Self that Shri Shiva embodies, no worldly endeavour can truly succeed no matter how much effort is put into it. It shows how that Self, being pure selfless divine Love, has the supreme power to neutralize even the deadliest poison and to remove the worst obstacles from the path of the righteous course of action. The great incarnations, saints and masters that brought to us the essence of the divine principle over millennia, were all examples of the expression of that Self, of that divine Love. Boundless selfless love and compassion is the thread that unites them all. When the light of the Self starts spreading within us, we automatically see everyone from that compassionate angle. And also automatically we become detached from worldly bondages from within. We do not need to run away from the world, we rise above it. Just as Shri Shiva is said to live on top of one the great Himalayan peaks - the Kailash - and always be in meditation witnessing the deeds of the entire universe.