Overview
Halāhala (Sanskrit: हलाहल), also known as Kālakūṭa (कालकूट, literally 'poison of death'), is a poison described in Hindu mythology. It is associated with the episode of the Samudra Manthana, the churning of the Ocean of Milk, undertaken jointly by the devas and the asuras in their effort to obtain amrita, the nectar of immortality.
According to the traditional narrative, fourteen ratnas (treasures) emerged from the churning and were distributed between the two clans. However, before the amrita appeared, the poison Halāhala was produced. Its lethal fumes began to injure both sides, and unable to bear the asphyxiation, the devas and asuras sought help from Brahma, who directed them to Shiva. The two groups proceeded to Mount Kailash and prayed to him for assistance.
Shiva is said to have consumed the entire poison. His consort, the goddess Sati, alarmed by the act, gripped his neck with both hands to prevent the poison from descending into his stomach. From this episode, Shiva is given the epithet Viṣakaṇṭha (the one who held poison in his neck). The poison turned his throat blue, earning him the further name Nīlakaṇṭha (the one with a blue throat).
Variant accounts of the episode are also preserved in the textual tradition. According to the Rigveda (10.136.7) and the Kumbakonam edition of the Mahabharata, when Halāhala was produced, Vayu, the god of wind, rubbed it between his hands to reduce its potency. A small portion was then given to Shiva, which turned his throat blue, while the remainder was collected in a golden vessel and digested by Vayu. In another version, Vayu drank first and Shiva last. Yet another version associates the kālakūṭa with the serpent Vasuki, the second king of the nāgas and a companion of Shiva, who is often depicted draped around Shiva's neck. It was Vasuki, stretched out stiffly, whom the gods employed as the rope to turn the mountain used for churning the Ocean of Milk.