Vasuki

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Vasuki (वासुकि) is a naga, The king of Patal loka, born in nagavansh. He is the king of the nagas and has a gem (Nagamani) on his head. Manasa, another naga is his sister.

The most famous legend in Hinduism that Vasuki takes part in the incident of churning the ocean of milk. He agreed to allow the devas (gods) and the asuras (demons) use him as the churning rope, bound with Mount Meru when they churned the ocean of milk for the ambrosia of immortality. While Vasuki was being used as a rope, he was feeling a lot of strain and pain. This strain caused him to exhale Halahala, the most potent venom in the universe. There was the danger that the Halahala could destroy all living beings and perhaps the universe itself. Then Shiva, in order to prevent the destruction of the cosmos, he decided to swallow the poison himself. He had lot of inflammation while swallowing venom, turning his throat blue and earning him the title Nilakanta (blue-throated).

Vasuki is also mentioned and used as a tightening rope in other Hindu scriptures, such as in each of the Itihasas (Ramayana and Mahabharata).

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