Churning the Ocean of Milk: Samudra Manthan
As recounted by Dr. Robert Svoboda
All Indian myths, especially central myths, can be interpreted on multiple levels. This is one of the central myths in the pantheon, and according to the Aghori Vimalananda, it can be significantly interpreted on at least seven levels. Dr. Svoboda’s retelling here is based on Vimalananda’s teaching, and interprets the events in the story on the macrocosmic level (Adhi-Devic level) and the microcosmic level (the inner level of the human being, including both the organism’s metabolism and its lived experience). This perspective is in accordance with that of a multi-leveled, participatory cosmology in which events in the macrocosm are simultaneously reflected at the level of microcosm: As Above, So Below, As Within, So Without. I am also including transcriptions of the story directly from the Mahabharata, to get a sense of the story from another key source text.
Why is the Cosmic Ocean of Milk Churned? Indra, and Durvasa’s Curse.
The Vedic God Indra is the King of the Vedic Gods. He is associated with mischief and compulsive action from the beginning: he drinks the Soma without preparation; he hurls a thunderbolt at Vrta, and is unsure whether or not he has killed him (he has). Further, according to Svoboda, as history moves forward Indra increasingly takes on the character of “fun”, “always doing something that is displaying how non-supreme he is.” (4:45)
Indra is riding his elephant in heaven. It is unlikely that this elephant is Airavatta, who is in fact Indra’s elephant. Theoretically, because Airavata is one of the Ratnas (‘jewels') that is churned from the cosmic ocean, he cannot be the elephant Indra is riding because he has not been created yet.
At any rate, as he rides, Indra encounters Durvasas, one of the 7 great Rishis (‘seers’) who chanted the Vedas to humanity. Durvasas is a cantankerous character whom Svoboda describes as “highly irritable”. He is considered to be an incarnation of Siva, and Siva represents the tamasic gun, which points to the dark, poisonous, nature of the Rishi. It would seem then, given Durvasas’ temperament and his immense power, that Indra would be very aware of who he has encountered and behave accordingly, but alas . . .
Svoboda emphasizes that Indra has karmas like everyone else, and that these are traditionally understood to be written on one’s forehead, exerting an obfuscating force on our perceptions and knowledge. So in the end, Indra is fated to act as he does.
During the encounter, Durvasas gives Indra a gift: a special garland. Indra places this garland around the neck of his elephant, thinking to himself that he will display appreciation of Durvasas’ stature and power, and his own gratitude for the gift itself. This turns out to be a mistake: the celestial flowers that composed the garland released an intoxicating fragrance and attracted a swarm of celestial bees. Elephants are exceedingly disturbed by bees: in South India where elephants are prone to destroy crops, farmers often place bee hives at the edges of their fields to deter this. Indra’s elephant shares this innate dislike for bees, and shakes the garland off of its neck, throwing it to the ground . . . this was the right thing for the elephant to do, but the wrong thing for Indra to allow to happen.
Durvasas, now having the opportunity he was waiting for, curses Indra and all of the gods (Devas): “all of you will lose your strength, all of your good fortune, all of your energy, everything will go!” Svoboda notes: “It is said that the curse of a Rishi (which is terrible in the truest sense of the word) always hides a gift”, and that this was true of this curse also.
Indra is deeply disturbed by what has happened because he knows who this is, and he sees the consequences immediately: the Asuras (“demons”), who are the half brothers of the Devas, seize the opportunity to attack heaven, and take control of the celestial kingdom: the Asura king Bali became the ruler of the entire universe.
As Indra falls into dejection, (Svoboda says he becomes “forlorn”), the rest of the Devas begin to scold him: “here we were, minding our own business, and you mishandle the garland of Durvasas, forcing us to now suffer the consequences of your foolishness!” Needing to deal with the situation immediately, Indra goes to the creator Brahma for help, who thinks for a moment, but has no answer. So Brahma and Indra then go to Lord Vishnu, who delivers a weighty revelation about time: “time is not appropriate for you (Indra); it is appropriate for the Asuras, and this is why they have taken control of the universe. You must wait until time turns in your favor. Meanwhile, you should do something useful - we’ll churn the ocean of milk so that we can obtain amrita, the nectar of immortality.”
Interpretation
Everything mentioned so far has happened at two levels simultaneously: at the Adhidevic or celestial level, and the earthly, individual level. So the cosmic events are mirrored in the microcosm of the human being. Svaboda says: according to Vimalananda, the nectar of immortality (amrita) has an earthly correlate in the metabolism of the human body: it is a glandular substance produced in the brain. As the yogis have claimed for centuries, in ordinary consciousness (vyuthana/pravritti) this precious liquid drips down from the cranial vault into the gut, and is consumed in the jatharagni (“stomach fire”) and the conventional hunger/desire that corresponds to it, all of which result in and from externalization (our word - “identification”). This loss of amrita to externalizing desires is the context and cause of our mortality. Dr. Svoboda reminds us that we live in Mrtulokha (the place of death). The purpose of siddha based practices is to generate a surplus of this precious juice and conserve it for higher transformation.
The Devas can represent our more virtuous (sattvic) thoughts and actions, which would here be associated with unselfishness (generosity), with internalization, disidentification, and liberation. The Asuras would then represent our (rajasic) tendency toward selfishness and ignorance, and therefore toward externalization, identification, and ensnarement.
Indra is the king of the Indriyas, or the senses which are involved at nearly every level of perception and behavior. So, at the human level, a homolog of the celestial drama is reflected in our having acted from ignorance and selfishness in some particular case (motivated by Asura energy), which skews sensory activity toward foolishness (Indra’s influence). This poisons the juices (rasas) of our inner environment, and we are eventually overcome by tamas, or the essence of Durvasas. Our “kingdom” is overtaken by demonic forces. As Dr. Svoboda says: we need to “conquer heaven (the head) and reclaim it from our selfish self (the demon king Bali), returning to a disposition in which we are more open to being transformed by something celestial, into something even more celestial.”
Vishnu’s teaching about time is relevant here: when we discover the situation we are in, we cannot simply decide when and how we initiate the process of our own purification. Our sadhana needs to begin at the right time because of our karmas. The “right time” is here expressed by the churning process that the myth describes: work that unfolds in a specific way over time.
The Devas take Vishnu’s advice, make temporary peace with the Asuras, and enlist them to help with the task of churning the cosmic ocean. Ostensibly, they commit to sharing the amrita with the Asuras: “we’ll all get some amrita and share it, and everything will be great!” The Asuras agree.
Interpretation: The deal between the two normally warring parties can be seen as the mixing of the conscious and unconscious forces in our kingdom. This image therefore shows the beginning of a Kundalini awakening, or the disolutio-phase in the alchemical opus.
The Work
The work begins by obtaining the churning apparatus, which is composed of mount Mandara (the churning rod) and the celestial serpent Vasuki (the rope). The Mahabharata says:
The tremendous mountain named Mandara is adorned with mountain peaks like pointed clouds; it is covered with a net of vines, it rings with the song of many birds, and it is crowded with tusked animals. Celestial nymphs and gods and Kinnaras frequent it, and it extends for 11, 000 leagues above the earth and as many leagues below. All the bands of the gods were unable to uproot it, and so they came to Vishnu and Brahma and said, “Think of some perfect and effective plan to uproot Mount Mandara for our welfare.” Vishnu and Brahma agreed, and the potent serpent Ananta arose at Brahma’s behest and was instructed by Narayana in the task. Then the mighty Ananta forcibly uprooted that king of mountains with all of its forests and forest-dwellers, and the gods went with the mountain to the ocean and said to him [the ocean], ‘we will churn your water to obtain ambrosia [amrita]’. The Lord of the waters said, “Let me also have a share of it. I will bear the intense agitation from the whirling of Mandara. (Doniger, 275)
Vasuki/Ananta is a Nagaraja, king of the celestial serpents. He forms the rope that is wrapped around the churning rod (Mandara), and the Asuras hold his head, while the Devas hold his tail. Vasuki here symbolizes the Kundalini Shakti, which has now joined the good and the bad forces.
The Mahabharata says: “They made Mandara the churning stick and the serpent Vasuki the cord”. (Doniger, 275) Having added “all kinds of medicinal grasses, bushes, creepers, and plants to the cosmic ocean” (Svoboda, 16:00), “they began to churn the ocean, the treasure of waters, for Ambrosia. The Gods acted together with the demons, for they all wished for the Ambrosia.” (Doniger, 275)
Interpretation
At the microcosmic level mount Mandara is a “collective name for the spinal cord, which is also sometimes called the Himalaya, with each vertebrae envisioned as one of the mountains in its range. If Mandara represents the spinal cord, and Vasuki represents the Kundalini Shakti, we are to understand their coming together to form the churning mechanism as moving the prana into the central channel (Sushumna).
Now, according to Svoboda, the initial foray into churning the ocean was unsuccessful, because Mandara sank immediately into the unfathomable depths of the cosmic ocean. This means the work of moving the prana (sadhana) into the central channel must proceed on a stable foundation. Svoboda says: “if you start to do this [the work of awakening the Kundalini, disidentification/internalization) and you don’t have good control over your prana, your prana and apana are not going to be properly aligned, and the energy that you try to bring upwards is simply going to fall downwards.” (18:23) So a foundation is required, and in the myth this foundation is Kurma, the great tortoise, one of the avatars of Vishnu. The Mahbharata says: “the gods and the demons then said to the king of tortoises, the supreme tortoise, ‘You are the one suited to be the resting place for this mountain.’ The tortoise agreed, and Indra placed the tip of the mountain on his [Kurma’s] back, fastening it tightly.”
Interpretation
This means the Divine is the proper foundation for the work of awakening. The form of the divine here has the character of slowness, of stability, or relaxedness. Moreover, in siddha based practices, the tortoise is often spoken of as residing at the level of the navel, because it is the origin of the etheric nerves (nadis) in the subtle body. So externally, Kurma is Lord Vishnu, and internally, it is the plexus of nerves at the navel. Svoda says, “in order for this [moving the prana] to work you have to have the Muladhara (“root chakra”) turned into a real adhara, a real foundation. If you have not created a real and sturdy foundation then the apana is going to continue exiting downward. You have to be able to move the apana upward. With a good foundation the action of churning happens at the level of the navel.” (19:30)
The Mahabharata says
The great demons grasped one end of the king of serpents and the gods held him by the tail. Ananta and the blessed god Narayana would lift the head of the serpent first from one side then from the other and throw it down again and again. As the gods vigorously hurled the snake Vasuki about, winds full of smoke and flame came out of his mouth repeatedly, and these masses of smoke became clusters of clouds with lightning and they rained down upon the bands of gods who were exhausted and overheated from their exertions. Showers of flowers fell down from the tip of the mountain peak, strewing garlands everywhere on the gods and the demons. Then a great roar, like the thunder of a great cloud came forth from the ocean as it was churned by the gods and the demons with mount mandara; for various water creatures, crushed by the great mountain, were dying by the hundreds in the salt water, and the mountain destroyed many types of aquatic beings living in the subterranean levels of hell. The mountain whirled about so that great trees filled with birds spun off and fell from the mountain peak. As the trees were crushed against one another, a fire born of their friction blazed forth into flame and enveloped mount Mandara, which looked like a dark cloud charged with lightning. The fire burnt the elephants and lions who were driven out, and all the various creatures there lost their life’s breath. Then Indra, the best of immortals, put out that burning fire everywhere with water from his clouds. But the various saps that exuded from the great trees and the juices of many herbs flowed into the water of the ocean. And from these juices, which had the essence of Ambrosia, and from the exudation of liquid-gold mixed with water, the gods obtained immortality. Then the water of the ocean turned to milk as it became mixed with those supreme juices, and from that milk arose clarified butter. (Doniger, 276)
This passage oozes the alchemical symbolism of coagulatio: as a result of the work of making and tending a fire, a formerly undifferentiated mass (the cosmic ocean) produces distinct entities leading to gold, which is here symbolized by the ghee, or clarified butter. As the story proceeds, a more important class of evolutes/essences begin to emerge called the Ratnas (“Jewels”). However, this happens after the devas and the asuras become so tired that they cry out to the Creator for help: “the gods then said to Brahma, the giver of boons, ‘we are terribly tired, O Brahma, all of us, and all the demons and supreme snakes, all except for the god Narayana, but no ambrosia has come forth. We have been churning this ocean for a long time.” (276)
Brahma then enlists Narayana, who is a form of Vishnu, to help both the gods and the demons in their work: “give them strength, Vishnu. You are our last resort.” (276) Dr Svoboda says that Visnu “entered their hearts”, and they obtained the strength needed to proceed. He quotes the Srimad Bhagavatam for a vivid image of this event: “with the furious abandon of drunkards they churned the ocean with all of their might and main, causing wild consternation among all the aquatic creatures.” The Mahabharata says, “when they heard the words of Narayana they became strong, and all together violently stirred the milk of the great ocean once more.” (276)
This renewed vigor had two important effects: first, the great serpent Vasuki had become sick by the motion of the work, and had vomited up his venom, which is called the Hala hala. The Mahabharata says, “as they continued to churn excessively, the terrible Kalakuta (Halahala) poison came forth and immediately enveloped the universe, blazing like a smokey fire; the poison paralyzed the triple world with the smell of its fumes.” (277) Second, after the poison has been dealt with there arises a procession of fantastic entities/objects known as the ratnas, or the “jewels” that constitute the things in creation.
Now, the word Hala means "unstable". Ahala means to be immobile, or completely stable. Therefore Halahala refers to, as Svoboda says: "the thing that, even if you are completely stable and completely set in your organism, is going to cause you to become completely unstable in your organism and fall over and die." (23:35) It is the archetypal poison, the essence of all poison. It has been mixed with the contents of the cosmic ocean and, according to Svoboda (Vimalananda), it arises first in this second round of furious churning. As a result it threatens to destroy the whole universe if not contained.
Interpretation
At the microcosmic level, the arising of the Halahala here shows something important: that which we consider to be poison will be the first things we encounter as a result of our earnest efforts in sadhana. The good things at which we aim (the ratnas or “Jewels”) are still being differentiated “at the bottom of the ocean.” Alchemically these things can only arise if the fire (the nature of our process/effort) is correct, and the vessel has been sufficiently cooked so it can withstand the process. We therefore have to wait steadfastly in the work of churning from a stable foundation. The alchemists called this work the via longhissima, or the “longest way”. Vishnu was of course right about time’s role in our transformation.
Now, the Halahala threatens to destroy everything if it is allowed to escape the ocean - - enter Siva, the supreme Yogi. Shiva is the incarnation of tamas, and so he is the divine Lord of Poisons. So all the gods and all the demons rush frantically to find him. When they find him he is of course meditating. They cry fervently, screeching in fear of what they have done, and according to Dr, Svoboda, Siva says, “Stop! Wait!”.
Then, as the Mahabharata says, “the Lord Siva took the form of a sacred chant and held that poison in his throat, and from that time forth he has been known as Blue-Throated.” (Doniger, 277) Dr. Svoboda relates a tradition that says a tiny amount of the Halahala escaped Shiva’s mouth, fell to the earth, and is now located in all the venomous creatures like snakes and scorpions and so on. He also notes that we should see Shiva’s act as a form of penance. Why would the supreme Yogi, who is in Samadhi all the time, need to do penance? According to Vimalananda, Shiva is continually doing penance because the Halahala is still present. So he keeps it and works for the protection of his Ishta Devata Gopala Krishna. (25:20)
Interpretation
When one is churning the ocean in one’s self (one’s own consciousness), the Halahala will be the first thing to emerge. It is vital that one separate one’s self, and the outer world, from its effects: everyone and everything is to be protected from the poison produced by our work. One is to imitate Lord Shiva here, holding the initial product of the work in the throat. Specifically, the throat is the border or boundary between the body and the mind. We must not turn it over to the body (by swallowing) or it will poison the mind. We must not turn it over to the mind (by ruminating and thinking about it all the time) or it will poison the body’s juices (rasa). “When one becomes a serious sadhika (practitioner of spiritual art) you’ve got to keep the outside world outside. You’ve got to cultivate interiority, otherwise you will get poisoned. You’ve got to stop identifying with the external world, not just your limited ego personality, but the Kundalini Shakti in particular - - which, remember: ahankara and Kundalini shakti, same thing.” (26:30) Don’t express, don’t repress.
Ratnas: The Jewels of Creation and Their Distribution
Once the poison has been dealt with, there arises a procession of fantastic entities/objects known as the ratnas, or the “jewels” that constitute the things in creation. Some of the ratnas are claimed by actors in the drama. Svaboda gives a detailed account of how this unfolded (beginning 27:35 +/-). He notes beforehand that different sources give slightly different accounts, with variation especially in the order of the ratnas emergence, and in how many, and what specifically they were. He says that what can be generally agreed upon is that once the Hala Hala had been dealt with, everything that emerged from the ocean was magisterial in its nature. His account is sourced to Vimalananda, and there are nine ratnas listed here.
According to Svaboda (Vimalananda):
Kamadhenu, the wish fulfilling cow was taken by the Rishis so that they could continue making the sacrifices with her milk (agnihotra), ghee, dung, and so on.
Uchchaihshravas (“Uplifted ear”) was taken by the Asura king Bali.
Airavata the celestial elephant was taken by Indra
The Kaustubha Gem was taken by Vishnu, and he placed it in the center of his chest.
The Kalpavriksha, or ‘wish-fulfilling tree’ was transplanted into heaven.
The Apsaras or “celestial nymphs/damsels” of astounding beauty.
Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity was taken by Vishnu. This is significant: when Lakshmi was taken by Vishnu, Svoboda says she “abandoned the Asuras”, and this meant that they lost all higher qualities, “including valor, restraint, cooperation and so forth.” This loss of virtue is the prelude to the next emerging ratna and its eventual home.
Varuni, goddess of alcohol, or “spirituous liquors” was taken by the Asuras in a jealous haste because of Lakshmi’s going to Vishnu. Drunkenness is their Karma . . .
Dhanvantari, an incarnation of Vishnu, god of medicine/physician to the gods, holding a white pot filled with Amrita/Ambrosia, is the last to emerge in this list.
The Mahabharata says:
“Then from the ocean of milk there arose soma, the calm moon, with its cool rays, and the sun of a hundred thousand rays. And immediately after this the goddess Sri, dressed in white, appeared from the clarified butter; then the goddess of wine; the Uchchaihshravas, the white horse of the sun; and then came the divine Kaustubha gem for the chest of the blessed Narayana, blooming with rays, born of Ambrosia. And the great elephant Airavata, with his enormous body and his four white tusks, came forth and was taken by the Wielder of the Thunderbolt [Indra] . . . When Sri, Wine, the moon and the horse swift as thought had come forth, the gods went on the path of the sun, the path that leads to immortality. And then the magic tree and the magic cow that grants the fruit of all desires were born. At last, the god Dhanvantari came forth incarnate, holding a white pot in which Ambrosia was contained.” (Doniger, 277)
When the Asuras see Dhanvantari and the amrita, they realize their chance for power and immortality: “when the demons saw this marvel, they let out a great roar for the ambrosia, each crying, “it’s mine!” (277) They greedily snatch the pot from Dhanvantari. At this moment Lord Vishnu incarnated as Mohini, “the enchantress”.
According to Svaboda, Mohini “is the most beautiful image of the most beautiful being that has ever been seen in the cosmos.” The name Mohini comes from the word Moha, which means delusion. So everybody who sees the enchantress is immediately deluded by the power of Vishnu’s maya.
Mohini’s appearance distracts both the Asuras and the Devas from Dhanvantari and the white pot. The Mahabharata says, “then the Lord Narayana took the form of Mohini, a magic illusion of the marvelous form of a woman, and he went to the demons. As their minds were bewitched, they gave the ambrosia to him in his female form, for all the demons had their hearts set on her.” (Doniger, 277)
When Mohini has everyone’s attention and the Asuras have turned over the white pot to her, she sits everyone down in a kind of half circle, with the devas lined up first, and the Asuras next, with the intention to distribute the Amrita amongst the Devas only. Because, according to Svoboda, she is wearing almost nothing, the Asuras are overwhelmed with lust, and they don’t seem to notice that she is not sharing portions of the ambrosia with them. The Mahabharata says: “the goddess who was made of illusion wrought by Narayana held the bowl and gave it to the gods to drink, but although the demons were seated in a row she did not give it to them to drink.” (Doniger, 277)
One important Asura named Svarbhanu (Rahu-Ketu) sees that almost all the ambrosia has been handed out to the Devas. He disguises himself as a Deva, and sneaks in between the sun and the moon, where he eventually receives one drop of the ambrosia before he is discovered. The Mahabharata says: “as the gods were drinking the ambrosia which they so desired, a demon named Rahu took the form of a god and began to drink, but when the ambrosia had reached his throat, the moon and the sun reported it, for they wished to help the gods, and the Lord Vishnu [as Mohini] took his discus [Sudarshana Chakra] and cuts off the well adorned head of that demon who was drinking the ambrosia he had obtained by force.” (Doniger, 278)
Interpretation:
Vishnu’s weapon is the discus, or the Sudarshana Chakra: “darshana” means vision or view, and Sudarshana means “good vision/sight”.
Because Svarbhanu had received a drop of ambrosia on his tongue before the discus separated his head from his body, his head became immortal (as does his body in another context). The head and the body of Svarbhanu are significant because they live on as Rahu and Khetu the two nodes of the moon where eclipses take place. The eclipses show that Rahu is always swallowing the sun and the moon, trying to kill them because they had him killed when they revealed his ruse to Mohini. But when they reach the level of his throat, they emerge again into the open because his head is severed from his body, which never gets a chance to digest them. The Mahabharata says:
“The great head of the demon, which was like a mountain peak, fell to the earth as it was cut off by the discus, and it shook the earth. The severed head rose up to the sky, roaring terribly, but the headless torso of the demon fell and split open the surface of the earth, causing a tremor throughout the earth with its mountains, forests, and islands. Since then there has been a deadly enmity between the head of Rahu and the sun and the moon, and the immortal head swallows them up even today.
It is also said that where Rahu’s blood fell to the earth, garlic grew. Garlic itself is an interesting combination of medicine and poison: its medicinal properties come from the ambrosia that Rahu had ingested just before he was discovered, and its poisonous aspect - that it is very tamasic and will soon overcome the mind with heaviness and delusion if consumed carelessly - comes from his demon nature.
Once the Asura’s see that Svarbhanu’s head has been chopped off, Mohini’s spell is broken; they realize that they have been cheated out of the ambrosia, and a terrible battle ensues between the gods and the demons. The Mahabharata says:
Then a great battle began on the shore of the salt ocean, the most terrible of all battles between the gods and the demons. Sturdy, sharp darts, sharp-pointed javelins, and various weapons fell by the thousands. Demons pierced by the discus vomited forth quantities of blood; those wounded by knives, spears, and maces, fell to the ground. Heads adorned with burnished gold were cut off by swords in the terrible battle and fell ceaselessly; great demons were struck down, their bodies smeared with blood, and they lay like mountain peaks crimson with mineral ores. Everywhere thousands of cries of distress were heard, the sun grew red with the blood of those who were hacking at each other. As they struck at one another with clubs of iron or gold, or fought at close quarters with their fists, the noise seemed to touch the very heavens: ‘Cut!’ ‘Break!’ ‘Attack!’ ‘Put them to fight!’ ‘Advance!’ These terrible words were heard everywhere.
As the fierce tumultuous battle raged, the two gods Nara and Narayana entered the field. The Lord VIshnu looked at the divine bow of Nara and thought of the discus that subdues demons. As soon as it was remembered, the shining discus called Sudarshana (“Beautiful”) came from the sky; its glory was immeasurable; it shone like the sun; its curved edge was unblunted; it was terrifying, invincible, supreme, blazing like a fire devouring the oblation’ frightening, nimble, glorious, a destroyer of hostile cities. The unfallen VIshnu, whose arms were like elephant trunks, threw it abruptly with great force; blazing like the fire of doomsday, it fell swiftly again and again, hurled from the hand of the best of men, piercing the demons by the thousands in battle. Sometimes it blazed like fire, licking the demon's armies with its tongues; sometimes it cut them up violently as it was hurled through the sky; then it would fall on the ground and drink their blood as if it were a flesh eating Pisaca. But the mighty demons, still undaunted, continued to harass the bandas of the gods again and again by hurling mountains, mounting the sky by the thousands like clouds whose rain had dispersed. And from the sky would fall terrifying great mountains like clouds of like clouds of various shapes, still bearing trees, the tips of their peak shaving broken off, roaring as they struck with great force against one anotherThe earth with all its forests trembled as it was struck on all sides by the fall of the great mountains, and on the battlefield the warriors roared loudly and incessantly at one another.
Now, recall that just before Svarbhanu’s head was chopped off, the Devas had been invigorated with the ambrosia, and so had gained a considerable advantage over the Asuras, who were eventually defeated and overthrown.
Interpretation
The battle in heaven happens on the microcosmic level inside us when we are successful at our sadhana, the sign of which is an excess of vigor and clarity, which in turn show that ojas/amrita is being produced in the system and is now up for grabs. The demons in us - greed, anger, fear, selfishness - - will move to devour our vigor and clarity, so that they can grow stronger and take over heaven (the head). However, if the sadhana is good, the gods in us - - cooperation, humility, self knowledge and service - - will have found a way to delude our demons long enough to absorb the fruits of practice and strengthen the more virtuous aspects of the identity.
Source: Dr. Svoboda’s video
