
The Devas sought Vishnu’s help, who advised them to form an alliance with the Asuras to jointly churn the Ocean of Milk for Amrut (the nectar of immortality) and to share it among themselves. In battles following the incident, the Devas (Gods) were defeated and the Asuras (Demons), led by Bali, gained control over the universe. This enraged Sage Durvasa, and he cursed Indra and all devas to be bereft of all strength, energy, and fortune. The elephant threw the garland on the ground. Indra accepted the gift and placed it on the trunk of the elephant. Indra, the King of Svarga (Heaven), while riding on the elephant Airavata, came across Sage Durvasa who offered him a special garland. Halahala was released during the The Samudra Manthana, which is one of the best-known episodes in Hindu mythology, narrated in the ancient texts “Bhagavata Purana”, “Mahabharata” and in the “Vishnu Purana”. Halahala is the deadly poison, which could potentially destroy all of creation, which was consumed by Lord Shiva in order for the Devas (Gods) to obtain Amrut (the nectar of immortality).

The whole earth with her mountains and waters and trees trembled.” Netflix Episode 2- Halahala The entire sky seemed to be filled with noise and assumed a terrible aspect with flames of fire. Numerous peals of thunder were heard, thousands of meteors fell and all living creatures became terrified with great dread. In Mahabharata, it is explained that when this weapon is invoked, “It blazes up with terrible flames within a huge sphere of fire.

The weapon was thought of as the penultimate destroyer, as it fires a powerful tirade of millions of deadly missiles simultaneously. The tragedy of his life is that he would live on to see everyone he loved and cherished die.Īccording to Mahabharata, Ashwathama used a weapon known as the Brahmashira Astra. Among several supernatural powers, he was also known to be immortal. Thought to be an avatar of Lord Shiva himself, Ashwathama was born with a gem in his forehead which gave him the ability to command all living beings lower than humans. Ashwathama was a mighty Maharathi (warrior) who fought on the Kaurava side against the Pandavas in the great Kurukshetra War.
