Maybe it’s halahala.
Hala what?
Halahala. The most lethal poison there is. It threatened to destroy the universe. So Shiva drank it all up. He was going to sacrifice himself to maintain the cosmic equilibrium.
Then what happened?
His wife gripped his neck with both hands to stop it reaching his stomach. Shiva held the poison in his neck. It turned his throat blue. Which is why he’s also called Nilakantha – the blue-throated one.
And he didn’t die?
The poison is negativity, anger, pain – all the stuff that could destroy you. Or the world. Unless it can be contained properly. So it’s a story about attaining inner control. About managing negativity. Maintaining the cosmic balance and all that.
Work in Progress 