Shiva purana says since the poisonous fumes threatened to devastate the world, Shiva drank the poison. The poison was so deadly that his throat became blue, which is why Shiva also earned the epithet Nilakantha, the blue-throated.

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Shiva purana says since the poisonous fumes threatened to devastate the world, Shiva drank the poison. The poison was so deadly that his throat became blue, which is why Shiva also earned the epithet Nilakantha, the blue-throated. As per Shiva purana, "There is still much poison in this world and those who could drink that poison is the real heroes. Indeed, both poison and nectar reside in the hearts of man and only when human souls are free from poison can experience the joys of nectar".
Poison resides in our mind. The waste in our mind might dirty and polluted thoughts, greedy thoughts, hateful thoughts, infatuated thoughts, worried thoughts, suffering thoughts, haughty thoughts, impudent thoughts, envious thoughts, indecent thoughts, dreary thoughts, and hollow thoughts. If an evil thought arises in our mind, then more evil thoughts like water will come in torrents; nothing can ward them off. These evil thoughts will forever lead us to thinking, speaking, and acting evil. One who can govern a battalion of a million soldiers is not a hero; the real hero is that person who can govern his mind. Practicing meditative prayer is the only way to purify our filthy mind.