Lord Shiva: The Compassionate Protector Who Swallowed Halahala
Lord Shiva is supremely compassionate. He continually strives for the well-being of all creation. No matter the challenges, he moves forward to protect all beings. When the dangerous poison Halahala emerged from the ocean, Shiva held it in his throat to save the cosmos, earning the name Neelakanta.
There is a detailed explanation in the scriptures about why Shiva wears the moon on his head. During the churning of the ocean for Amrita (nectar of immortality) by the gods and demons, the Mandara mountain sank into the ocean. To address this, Lord Vishnu transformed into a giant tortoise and provided support to the mountain from below. In this process, many divine items emerged, such as Airavata, Goddess Lakshmi, Apsaras, the nine treasures, Ucchaishravas, Kalpavriksha, Pushpaka Vimana, and Parijata.
Amidst this churning, the deadly poison Halahala emerged, causing unbearable heat and threatening all beings. Unable to handle it, the gods, led by Brahma, sought help from Vishnu, who then suggested that Lord Shiva alone could alleviate this crisis. Responding to their plea, Shiva swallowed the poison and held it in his throat.
However, the heat from the Halahala started turning Shiva’s body black. To cool him down, Brahma called the moon and requested it to reside in Shiva’s matted hair. The cool rays of the moon helped mitigate the heat. Yet, the body continued to retain some heat, prompting Brahma to summon the Ganga. He asked Ganga to flow continuously over Shiva’s head to keep him cool. Hence, Ganga and the moon have since then been providing continuous relief to Shiva, earning him the names ‘Gangadhara‘ and ‘Chandrasekhara‘.
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