One day the Demi-Gods decided, they wanted to get the nectar from the bottom of the Milky Ocean to become immortal. But they knew this was a very hard process so that they wouldn't be able to do it on their own, so they went and asked for help from the Demons. They approached the Demons and made a deal that they would share the nectar 50-50. They didn't know how to do it, so they went to Brahma and asked for suggestions how to reach the nectar - amruta. Brahma was very happy to see both Demons and Gods working together and he said:, "it's very easy, just go to Shiva, get the Kailash mountain that he is sitting on, then go to Vishnu, get his snake and start churning the Milky Ocean."

They were veryhappy that they received an answer they were looking for and proceeded to Vishnu and took his snake on which he was sleeping without his permission. Afterwards they went to Kailash where Shiva was living. Shiva, as usually was sitting in samadi, nobody and nothing could disturb him, so the Gods and Demons took the mountain on which he was sitting, without asking.

 

They put the mountain in the middle, tied the snake around it and started churning the ocean. The Demons were at the snake's head and the Gods were at the tail and they churned and churned as much as they could. After a while though the mountain started sinking into the ocean and with it it started pulling everybody into the ocean - the Gods, the Demons, the people, the whole world. They all got so frightened and they didn't know what to do. So quickly they hurried to Vishnu and asked him for help. Because Vishnu is a Protector of the Universe, he took a shape of a huge turtle and dove into the ocean under the mountain and kept the mountain safely on his huge back.

 

The Demons and Gods again started churning the ocean, and they churned and churned and slowly many auspicious things started to emerge from the  ocean -  amazing and precious jewells, expensive gems, the biggest diamonds, a wish fulfilling tree, a 4-tusk elephant, which they immediatelly divided amongst themselves. But they did not realize that they need to feed the snake. With all that churning the snake became very hungry and in that exhaustion he starting vomiting his poison. The poison started leaking into the Milky ocean and would slowly poison all the Devas and Demons. They got really scared and in this fright they ran quickly to Kailash for Shiva's help. Shiva, full of compassion for all the beings in the world, came and swallowed all the poison. When Devi saw this, she got very scared, so she squeezed her hands around Shiva's neck so that he wouldn't die. And so the poison stayed in Shiva's neck as a poison belt and all the Devatas and Demons got saved and reached the nectar - amruta - from the bottom of the Milky Ocean and they all got enlightened.

 

The poison belt in Shiva's neck is the Maya - illusion. The Gods are your positive thoughts, the Demons are negative thoughts. The milky ocean is consciousness. The spindle is uncluthing, the treasures, jewells and all auspictious things are siddhis, the super human powers. The poison are all our engrams. The amruta is enlightenment/the pure consciousness.

 

So the path to enlightenment might be a process that can involve a lot of churning. When the jewells and super powers start expressing in you, don't get attached to them, don't get caught in this point, continue your search of the ultimate. When the poison starts coming out, never give up, don't stop your sadana, your spiritual practise. Keep your feeling connection alive, pray to your Guru and you will see, because of his tremendous compassion, he will swallow the poison and you will be liberated and reach the ultimate experience.