Indian
Vajra
Vajra (वज्र)
Unbreakable as diamond and striking like lightning. It slew Vritra, the serpent of drought.
WeaponFirst recorded c. 1200 BCE
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Photograph: A painting from Mandi in the Punjab Hills of India, about 1780–90, The Churning of the Ocean of Milk. A serpent winds around a pillar set on a tortoise, with gods and demons pulling on either side; a many-armed Vishnu sits on a lotus above, among a white horse, an elephant, the sun and the moon.
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3,000 × 2,700 PX3000×2700
ArchiveIndian · Elixir
Amrita
Amrita (अमृत)
Whoever drinks it does not die.
- Owner
- The gods
- Maker
- Obtained by churning the ocean of milk
- First record
- Mahabharatac. 300 BCE
- Gallery
- Indian
Notes on the photograph 3
Story
When the gods lost their strength, Vishnu told them to join with the demons and churn the ocean of milk to obtain the drink of immortality. With Mount Mandara as the churning rod and the great serpent Vasuki as the rope, they pulled from both sides, and Vishnu became the tortoise Kurma to bear the mountain on his back.
Along with all sorts of treasures, the poison that could burn the world rose first. Shiva swallowed it and his throat turned blue, and last of all the divine physician Dhanvantari appeared with the jar of amrita.
When the demons seized the jar, Vishnu turned into the beautiful woman Mohini, beguiled them and served amrita to the gods alone. The demon Rahu, who slipped in and drank, had his head cut off by the disc, but his head did not die.
The object in the photo
The photograph shows The Churning of the Ocean of Milk(India (Punjab Hill, Mandi), ca. 1780–90), a real museum object that evokes the legendary artifact.
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