Kurma (Tortoise) Avatar Associated With Saturn

Lord Vishnu is considered the creator of all forms of life. Kurma avatar is considered to be the second avatar of Lord Vishnu. The word Kurma means tortoise – a symbol of steadfastness. Most of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu involve fighting against evil. It came into existence in the form of half tortoise and half human. It is depicted holding the Mandara mountain in water, which was chosen as the churning stick during the churning, on which Lord Vishnu himself is seated. The serpent Vasuki is used as a churning rope to obtain Amrit (nectar of immortality). However, Mount Mandar required a strong foundation and hence, Vishnu took the form of a tortoise and supported Mandar on his back. But in his Kurma incarnation, his main purpose was to provide support and assistance. Again this is another quality that planet Saturn is trying to teach us. To be in service. Serving the less fortunate is one of the best remedies for Shani.

Kurma Avatar Of Vishnu

Once sage Durvasa came to meet Lord Indra and gave him a garland of flowers. However, Indra placed it on the forehead of his elephant Airavata, who threw it on the floor. This made sage Durvasa angry and he cursed Indra that his empire would be destroyed.

Due to this, the deities became weak and were attacked and defeated by the Asuras (demons).

As a result, they ran to Lord Vishnu for help and he suggested they churn the ocean along with the demons to obtain the nectar. Whoever consumed the nectar became the most powerful.

Mount Mandar was used as a churning stick and Vasuki Naga was used as a churning rope. This churning represented a tug-of-war between the demons and the gods. The ocean represents a state of deep awareness of the human mind. The objects and demons represent our good and bad deeds respectively. War represents the human struggle to choose between good and bad in our daily lives. Because of the choices we make, we either get to taste the tonic of life or we remain mortal.

Mandar Mountain represents our hard work in life, and only by doing the right thing we can be successful in life (which was represented by Lord Vishnu).

When the churning began, Mount Mandar started sinking into the sea and hence, a strong foundation was required. Then Lord Vishnu took the form of a tortoise to help it stay afloat.

Kurma (Tortoise) Relationship with Saturn

Kurma, the second incarnation of Lord Vishnu, played a very important role in the churning of the ocean. According to the story of Samudra Manthan, the serpent Vasuki was wrapped around Mandarachal, a huge mountain situated in the Ksheer Samudra or Milk Ocean through which Samudra Manthan was to be done.

By holding both ends of the snake Vasuki, the process of churning the ocean was started through a tug of war, in which both gods and demons were involved. Now the difficulty in the process of churning the ocean was that due to the continuous movement of the snake, it was becoming difficult for the Mandarachal mountain to remain in one place. In such a situation, it was necessary to have some hard objects under the mountain, hence everyone asked Lord Vishnu for help on this matter.

Then Lord Vishnu took the form of Kurma i.e. a tortoise and in that form himself went and settled under the mountain and due to this the mountain also stopped moving. The churning of the ocean took place with the help of the solid base of the turtle’s back. The main purpose of this churning was to attain the nectar or speaking, the true discriminating intellect that leads to salvation.

Kurma is represented by Shani who himself is hard like a tortoise. To attain the right path, the presence of Saturn is necessary because Saturn gives results according to the deeds. Like a tortoise, Saturn takes your mind away from the outside noise and helps in spiritual growth by calming the mind.

Saturn does not allow the body to waste energy. It stabilizes the body by holding energy, which is necessary to move forward on the path of spiritual upliftment. Saturn is also known for its slow motion but literally, it slows down the motion of the body which gives peace to your mind and you can remain in meditation posture for a long time. The reason is that it is well known that the more physical activity you do, the more restless your mind will be.

Saturn is the planet of patience and tolerance, and with Kurma or Shani, the person’s mind becomes stable and he achieves his goals. Therefore, now whenever your senses go out of your control, or you move away from your set goal, in such a situation you know what you have to do and with whose help your mind will become calm.

Wrapping Up

Lord Vishnu carried the entire universe on his back in the form of a tortoise during the “Samudra Manthan”. The most misunderstood planet is Saturn. We often associate Saturn with postponements and interruptions. The tortoise is content and at peace on his journey. This quality of renunciation is very much associated with Saturn! We face the harsh teachings of Saturn only until we learn to be impartial and turn inward. Being comfortable and feeling at home wherever you are are some of the things we learn from Shani. According to online astrology consultation if you enable Saturn to dominate you then it provides you the best support and quality in everyday life! There is no brave story without obstacles – so Shani is the one who makes you a saint! By worshiping the Kurma symbol, our Saturn gets strengthened.