Samudra Manthana (Agni Purāṇa): the Churning of the Ocean

The Samudra Manthana is the churning of the Kshīrasāgara, the Ocean of Milk. The devas were beaten in war and lost the grace of Lakshmī. They went to Bhagavān Vishṇu, who rests on the Kshīrasāgara. He told them to make a short peace with the daityas, use the Mandara mountain as the churning rod and the serpent Vāsuki as the rope, and churn the ocean together.

From the churning came the poison that Śiva drank, the physician Dhanvantarī with the amṛta (the drink of deathlessness), Lakshmī-devī herself, and many other treasures. Bhagavān Vishṇu then took the form of Mohinī, so that the amṛta went to the devas alone. Six Purāṇas tell this account, and each is given below.

In the Agni Purāṇa

The curse and the fall of the devas

Long ago a great war was fought between the devas and the asuras. Because of the śāpa (curse) of the ṛshi Durvāsa, the daityas defeated the devas and the devas lost their wealth. They lost the grace of Aiśvarya-Lakshmī, and their radiance and strength left them. They were helpless.

They came to Bhagavān Vishṇu, who rests on the Kshīrasāgara. They praised him with stotras (hymns of praise) and begged him: “Protect us from the asuras.”

The truce with the daityas

Bhagavān Mahāvishṇu heard the prayer of the devas. He spoke to Brahmā and to all the devas gathered there: “O suras, make peace with the asuras. Then together you can churn the Milky Ocean and win amṛta and Lakshmī. Even with enemies one must make a pact when the need is great. I shall see that the amṛta falls to you alone and not to the dānavas. Do not delay.”

The devas did as Bhagavān Vishṇu said and made an agreement with the daityas. Both sides came together to the shore of the Kshīrasāgara. They were ready to do what neither could do alone.

Mandara and Vāsuki

The great Mandara mountain was chosen as the churning rod (mathani). The serpent Vāsuki was taken as the rope (rajju). When the churning began, the devas stood at Vāsuki’s tail end and the daityas held the serpent’s head. The fierce breath and burning heat that Vāsuki breathed out from his hood troubled the daityas greatly. Bhagavān Vishṇu cooled and comforted the devas at the tail end.

The churning went on with great force. Mandara had no firm support under it, and it began to sink into the depths of the ocean.

Bhagavān Vishṇu as Kūrma

At that moment Bhagavān Vishṇu took the form of the divine tortoise, the Kūrma avatāra, and went down into the ocean. He placed the Mandara mountain on his wide back and held the churning rod steady with his unmoving body. Held up by the Kūrma avatāra, the churning of the Kshīrasāgara began again with full force.

The gifts of the ocean

As the Kshīrasāgara was churned, it gave up its treasures one by one.

First came the terrible hālāhala poison. It was a deadly poison of cosmic power and threatened to destroy the three worlds. Śiva alone drank this poison and held it in his throat, so that it would harm no one. For this reason Śiva is known as Nīlakaṇṭha, the one with the blue throat.

Then the ocean gave up Vāruṇī-devī (the devī of wine), the celestial Pārijāta tree, the Kaustubha gem, the divine cows (go) and the shining apsarasas. Then Lakshmī-devī herself arose, and she joined herself to Bhagavān Vishṇu. All the devas who saw her and praised her with stotras were filled with prosperity. They became truly śrīmat (full of Śrī).

Then Dhanvantarī appeared. He is the avatāra of Bhagavān Vishṇu who brought āyurveda into the world. In his hand he held a kamaṇḍalu (water pot) full of amṛta. The sight of Dhanvantarī rising from the ocean filled everyone with joy.

The daityas seize the amṛta: Rāhu’s trick and his beheading

The daitya Jantu and his companions seized the amṛta from Dhanvantarī’s hand. They gave half to the devas and left with the rest.

At this point Bhagavān Vishṇu took his wonderful Śrī-rūpa, a form of beauty with no equal. The daityas saw it and were seized with desire. They said: “O beautiful one, become our wife. Take this amṛta and serve it to us.” Hari, in the Śrī form, agreed in words. He took the amṛta from their hands and began to give it out to the devas.

During this the daitya Rāhu took the form of a deva, sat down among them and began to drink the amṛta. The sun and the moon knew him and told Bhagavān Vishṇu. At that moment Bhagavān Vishṇu cut off Rāhu’s head from his body with the Sudarśana Cakra. But from compassion he granted that Rāhu’s severed head would never die.

Rāhu then said to Bhagavān Vishṇu: “The sun and the moon seized me and showed me up. I shall chase them and swallow them. That will be the eclipse of the sun and the moon (grahaṇa). And any dāna (gift) given at that time will never perish (akshaya).” Bhagavān Vishṇu answered: “So be it.”

The Mohinī episode

After the amṛta had been given out, Śiva went to Bhagavān Vishṇu and asked: “Show me that Śrī-rūpa, the woman’s form, again.” Bhagavān Mahāvishṇu showed that divine Mohinī form to Rudra.

Śiva was bewitched by the māyā of Bhagavān Vishṇu. In his enchantment he left Pārvatī and began to chase that form. He ran after her in wild frenzy (unmatta), his clothes thrown off, and caught her by the hair. She freed herself and ran, and he ran after her.

Wherever the vīrya of Īśvara fell on the earth during this chase, that ground became holy. Those places became the golden liṅga-kshetras. After a time Śiva himself knew that all this was māyā, and he regained his calm and balance.

Then Bhagavān Vishṇu said to Śiva: “O Rudra, you have conquered my māyā. In all this world, no one but you can conquer my māyā.”

The daityas who had been kept from the amṛta were then beaten by the devas in battle. The devas went back to svarga (heaven) and took up their proper homes. The daityas went down to Pātāla-loka. Those who read or hear this account of the Devī-vijaya reach svarga.

In the Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa

The Prakṛti Khaṇḍa of the Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa tells the Samudra Manthana in Chapter 38, inside the larger Mahālakshmī Upākhyāna. The cause of the churning is the śāpa that Durvāsa laid on Indra, which is told in Chapter 36.

In this account Lakshmī left, and the three worlds fell into poverty and darkness. The devas first went to Brahmā, and then all of them went together to Vaikuṇṭha. There Śrī Nārāyaṇa comforted them and gave a clear command. Lakshmī-devī was to be born as a girl (kanyā) from the Kshīrasāgara, as a part (aṃśa) of her own form. Brahmā and the devas were told to churn that ocean to receive her.

For the churning, the Mandara mountain was the churning rod, Ādi-Kūrma was the base, and Vāsuki was the rope. The ratnas (jewels) that came up were these: Dhanvantarī with the pot of amṛta (amṛta-kalaśa), Ucchaiḥśravā the king of horses, Airāvata the great elephant, the Kaustubha gem and other ratnas, and Lakshmī-devī herself.

Lakshmī saw Bhagavān Vishṇu resting on the Kshīrasāgara. She put a garland of forest flowers (vana-mālā) on his neck and joined herself to him again. Brahmā, Śaṅkara and all the devas worshipped her. She cast on all of them her kind glance (dayā-dṛshṭi), and it dissolved Durvāsa’s śāpa. The devas then won back the devaloka that the daityas had taken.

In the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, Eighth Skandha

The Eighth Skandha of the Bhāgavata tells the Samudra Manthana at greatest length, in eight chapters (5 to 12).

The setting: the devas go to Bhagavān Vishṇu (Chapter 5)

Bali Cakravartī had taken Amarāvatī, and the devas were scattered. Brahmā brought them to Bhagavān Vishṇu, who rests on the Kshīrasāgara. Brahmā sang the Viṭāṭ-purusha stotra. It is a deep hymn that speaks to Bhagavān Vishṇu as the cosmic viṭ, the first Purusha, beyond the three guṇas, beyond time, and the support of all that exists.

Bhagavān Vishṇu told the devas to make a truce with the daityas and to churn the Kshīrasāgara together. He promised that through his māyā he would see that the amṛta went to the devas alone.

Mandara and Vāsuki (Chapter 6)

Indra and the devas went to the Mandara mountain. Garuḍa carried Mandara to the place of churning. Vāsuki was used as the rope. The daityas held the head end of Vāsuki and the devas held the tail. The burning breath and smoke from Vāsuki’s many mouths troubled the daityas at the head end and turned them dark. The clouds that Vāsuki’s body stirred up rained flowers on the devas at the tail end.

Mandara began to sink under its own weight. Bhagavān Vishṇu took the form of the Kūrma, the tortoise, and carried the mountain on his back. This made the whole work steady.

The Kālakūṭa poison and Śiva (Chapter 7)

The first thing to come out of the churning was the terrible kālakūṭa poison. It was a cosmic poison that threatened to destroy all creation. Brahmā and the devas were afraid.

Pārvatī-devī feared the harm it would do. She urged Śiva: “You are the physician of all living beings. Act now.” Mahādeva gathered the kālakūṭa in his palm and drank it, holding it in his throat. His throat turned blue, and so for all time he is called Nīlakaṇṭha. The devas, siddhas, apsarasas, nāgas and brāhmaṇas all praised Śiva for this act of selfless giving.

The ratnas that came forth (Chapter 8)

After the poison, the churning gave up the divine treasures in turn.

Kāmadhenu, the cow that grants wishes, was given to the brāhmaṇas.
Uccaiḥśravā, the white horse. Bali wanted it. Indra accepted the judgment of Bhagavān Vishṇu about who should own it.
Airāvata, the splendid elephant, and other great elephants, were given to Indra.
The Kaustubha gem, the brightest of all gems, was taken by Bhagavān Vishṇu for his own chest.
The Pārijāta tree.
Divine apsarasas, in thousands.
Vāruṇī, the devī of wine.

Then Lakshmī-devī herself came up from the ocean in full beauty. She held a lotus, sat on a lotus and was surrounded by the scent of lotuses. Elephants stood by her and poured water over her from golden pots. The devas, Brahmā, Rudra, the gandharvas and the apsarasas all praised her.

She looked at all who were gathered, but she turned to Bhagavān Vishṇu alone. She put on his neck a vanamālā of flowers that never fade. The Bhāgavata records this as the joining again of Lakshmī and Śrī Hari, and all the worlds celebrated it.

Then Dhanvantarī arose, carrying the amṛta-kalaśa. His body shone and his form was divine. He wore white clothes. He brought āyurveda into being.

Mohinī and the giving out of the amṛta (Chapter 9)

As soon as Dhanvantarī appeared with the amṛta, the daityas seized it from his hands. The devas were alarmed. Bhagavān Vishṇu wished to keep his promise to the devas, and he took the Mohinī form. She was a woman of unequalled beauty, and she held all the daityas spellbound. She charmed them with her smile and her beauty and persuaded them to hand her the amṛta to give out. She gave it to the devas.

During this the daitya Svarbhānu, who is Rāhu, took the form of a deva and sat in the line of the devas to drink the amṛta. The Sun and the Moon knew him and told Bhagavān Vishṇu. At that moment, before the amṛta had gone down below Rāhu’s throat, the Sudarśana Cakra of Bhagavān Vishṇu cut his head from his body.

His head had touched the amṛta and became the deathless Rāhu. His body became Ketu. From that day Rāhu keeps his grudge against Sūrya and Candra.

The war of the devas and asuras, and Namuci (Chapters 10 and 11)

The devas grew strong with the amṛta, and a great war broke out between the devas and the daityas. Bhagavān Vishṇu himself entered the battle on the side of the devas and scattered the daitya forces.

In this war the daitya Namuci fought Indra. He was protected by a vara (a boon) that no dry weapon or wet weapon could kill him, by day or by night. Bhagavān Vishṇu advised Indra to strike at twilight, which is neither day nor night, and to use the foam of water, which is neither dry nor wet. Indra struck Namuci with the foam of water at twilight and cut off his head. The devas gathered there praised the victory.

Śiva and the Mohinī form (Chapter 12)

Word of the Mohinī episode reached Śiva. He and Pārvatī came to Bhagavān Vishṇu at the Kshīrasāgara, wishing to see that wonderful form. Bhagavān Vishṇu said: “It was to carry out the purpose of the devas. You ask to see it, and I will show it to you.” Then he took the Mohinī form again.

The moment Śiva saw it he was overcome. He left even Pārvatī, who stood beside him, and chased Mohinī through forests, rivers and mountains. His vīrya fell on the earth in many places, and these became the holy places of silver and gold.

In time Śiva regained his calm and understood what had happened. He was not ashamed. He said: “That I was caught like this shows only how great your māyā is.”

Bhagavān Vishṇu said to him: “O Rudra, you are the best of the devas. In all the world you alone have conquered my māyā. This jagat (world) arises from the union of māyā and the ātman. Whoever understands this is not fooled by the show of many things.”

In the Kūrma Mahā Purāṇa

The Kūrma Mahā Purāṇa opens with a short reference to the Samudra Manthana, in Pūrvārdha, Chapter 1. Bhagavān Vishṇu in his Kūrma form speaks to the gathering of Nārada and the other ṛshis after the churning is over.

In former times the sons of Diti (the daityas) and the children of Danu, together with all the devas, used the Mandara mountain as the churning rod and churned the Kshīrasāgara to win amṛta. While the churning went on, Bhagavān Vishṇu, wishing the good of the devas, took the form of a kūrma (tortoise) and held up the Mandara mountain on his back.

After the churning, the devas, Nārada, Indra and the ṛshis gathered there praised Bhagavān Vishṇu, who stood before them in his shining and subtle kūrma-rūpa. During that churning Lakshmī-devī rose from the ocean, and Purushottama Vishṇu took her as his own.

The Kūrma Purāṇa says that this was the occasion on which its own teaching was first given. Bhagavān Vishṇu in the kūrma form first spoke the subjects later known as the Kūrma Mahā Purāṇa to this same gathering of Nārada, Indra and the ṛshis, who had come together after the churning and the rising of Lakshmī.

In the Vishṇu Mahā Purāṇa

In the Pradhamāmsa, Chapter 9, Parāśara tells the Samudra Manthana to Maitreya. The devas were weakened by Durvāsa’s śāpa and went to Bhagavān Vishṇu. They made an alliance with the asuras. Mandara was the mountain and Vāsuki the rope.

Vāsuki’s head and tail

In the Vishṇu Purāṇa, Bhagavān Vishṇu himself arranges that the asuras end up holding the head end of Vāsuki and not the tail. He advises the devas to take the tail, as if unwilling. The asuras are proud and do not want the lower place, so they seize the head. The breath and fiery vapours from Vāsuki’s many mouths flow out from the head and trouble the asuras directly. The Purāṇa says that three quarters of the asuras were disabled by the heat and smoke of Vāsuki’s breath before the churning was even finished. Bhagavān Vishṇu also pours cool, fresh rain on the devas at the tail end.

Lakshmī and the Kaustubha

The ratnas named are Uccaiḥśravā, Airāvata, Dhanvantarī with the amṛta, and above all Lakshmī herself. She came up in full divine splendour and at once knew Bhagavān Vishṇu as her everlasting husband. The Kaustubha maṇi, the highest gem of consciousness, also came up. It was at once placed on the chest of Bhagavān Vishṇu.

Lakshmī’s vibhūtis

The Vishṇu Purāṇa gives special weight to the vibhūtis of Lakshmī, the ways in which she shows herself in every good and auspicious part of creation. Where there is prosperity, she is the prosperity. Where there is beauty, she is the beauty. In the earth she is its fertility. In rivers she is their purity. In fire she is its warmth. In wisdom she is its clearness. In compassion she is its tenderness. All that is good in the world of appearances is her own expression.

Mohinī and the amṛta

Bhagavān Vishṇu takes the Mohinī form and gives the amṛta only to the devas. The asuras are charmed by this form and give up the kumbha (pot) without a struggle.

Brahmā’s stotra

After the devas had received the amṛta and the asuras were beaten, Brahmā led the gathered devas in a formal stotra to Bhagavān Vishṇu. It praises him as the true cause of all that had happened, the upholder of the three cosmic functions, the one whose māyā cannot be measured, and Śrī-Nārāyaṇa, who is never apart from Lakshmī.

In the Vāsudeva Māhātmya

The Vāsudeva Māhātmya, in Chapters 8 to 13, gives its own account of the events before and during the Samudra Manthana.

The origin of the curse: Madakalā’s garland

In the Vāsudeva Māhātmya, Durvāsa met a Vidyādharī named Madakalā at the river Pushpabhadrā. She was holding a sweet-smelling garland of golden lotuses from the Gaṅgā of svarga. Durvāsa asked for it, and she gave it with respect. The ṛshi put it on and went on his way.

He met Indra riding his royal elephant. Indra was lost in the music of Rambhā and did not greet the ṛshi. Durvāsa threw the garland at Indra. Indra placed it on the temples of his elephant, and the elephant pulled it down with its trunk and crushed it under its foot.

Durvāsa was furious and said: “Devī Śrī, by whose favour you are enjoying the kingdom of the three worlds, has left you along with the three worlds and is hidden in the sea.” Indra bowed down at his feet, but Durvāsa would not relent.

The great drought

Śrī left the three worlds and hid herself in the ocean. All divine qualities followed her: Tapas, Purity, Mercy, Truth, Prosperity, Strength and Sattva. Vehicles, ornaments and precious metals grew scarce. Food, plants and herbs became rare. The udders of the cows ran dry. Kubera’s nine treasures vanished. The moon lost its brightness.

A hard drought fell on the earth. For twelve years no rain fell, and then came another long time of uneven rain. Devas, daityas and human beings were all brought to poverty.

During this trouble the ṛshis taught yajñas that involved killing, as āpaddharma (the rule for times of distress), and these practices became common. The Vāsudeva Māhātmya names this time as the beginning of animal killing in yajñas. Those who were devoted to Hari alone kept away from it.

The devas seek refuge at the Ocean of Milk

After a thousand years of suffering, the devas went to Brahmā for advice. Brahmā, with Śaṃkara, rebuked Indra and told all the suras to please Bhagavān Vishṇu. They went to the northern shore of the Kshīrodadhi and did tapas for one hundred years. They stood on one leg with their arms raised and meditated on Keśava Vāsudeva with one mind.

At the end of a hundred years Bhagavān Vishṇu appeared. First a bright disc of light appeared. Then came the four-armed form of dark colour, holding a mace, a conch, a lotus and a discus. Brahmā and Śiva fell down like a staff before him.

The devas sang a stotra that named all four Vyūhas: Vāsudeva, Pradyumna, Aniruddha and Saṃkarshaṇa. Bhagavān Vishṇu told them to churn the ocean with Mandara as the rod and Vāsuki as the rope, and promised them his help.

The roles of the Vyūhas in the churning

The Vāsudeva Māhātmya is a Pañcarātra text. It records that all three Vyūhas took part in the churning.

The devas and asuras could not pull Mandara up from its roots, which went down eleven thousand yojanas. Bhagavān Vishṇu ordered Saṃkarshaṇa to take it out. With a single hiss he threw the mountain two yojanas away. The gathered hosts together could not lift it, so Garuḍa carried it to the ocean.

During the churning itself, Saṃkarshaṇa bore the poisonous fire that poured from Vāsuki’s thousand drooping mouths.

The churners grew tired, and the ocean still gave nothing. Then Pradyumna, with the permission of Bhagavān Vishṇu, entered into the devas, the asuras and Vāsuki and put strength into them all.

Aniruddha took his place beside Mandara. With his thousand arms he stood like another great mountain and held it up from outside.

The jewels

After Śiva drank the Kālakūṭa, the churning went on for another thousand years. These came forth in order:

Candra, the Moon, the presiding deva of loveliness and of healing herbs.
Havirdhānī, the divine cow that grants wishes, the presiding devī of all cattle.
Uccaiḥśravā, the white horse, the presiding deva of all horses.
Airāvata, the four-tusked elephant with the shine of the moon, king of elephants.
Pārijāta, the celestial tree, king of all trees.
Kaustubha, the ruby the colour of a lotus, the highest of gems.
Apsarasas, the celestial young women, who hold all beauty.
Varuṇī, the devī of wine, who makes all drunk.
Śāraṅga, the divine bow, the presiding deva of all weapons.
Pañcajanya, the conch, the highest deva of all musical instruments.
Dhanvantarī, carrying the kumbha of amṛta.
Śrī herself, who outshone all else. The Ocean came forward and said, “This is my daughter,” and took her on his lap.

The Kaustubha, the Śāraṅga and the Pañcajanya went straight to Bhagavān Vishṇu. Havirdhānī was given to the ṛshis. Indra took Airāvata with Hari’s consent. The daitya leaders at once seized the horse and Varuṇī.

Nara stops the dānavas

The dānavas seized the nectar and fled, and the devas could not stop them.

When Mohinī was giving out the amṛta, the dānavas tried a second theft. They quietly took the pitcher to drink it in secret. Nara and Nārāyaṇa came to the place with ṛshis. At Nārāyaṇa’s word Nara stopped the dānavas by force, snatched the pitcher from them and gave it back to Mohinī.

The dānavas turned on Nara with their arms raised. While he fought them alone, Mohinī quickly gave out the amṛta to all the devas sitting in their rows.

After Rāhu was beheaded and the devas had gained deathless strength, the asuras were beaten and fled into the earth.

Sources

Agni Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 3
Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa, Prakṛti Khaṇḍa, Chapter 38 (the cause of the churning is told in Chapter 36)
Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 8th Skandha, Chapters 5–12
Kūrma Mahā Purāṇa, Pūrvārdha, Chapter 1
Vishṇu Mahā Purāṇa, Pradhamāmsa, Chapter 9
Mahābhārata, Ādi Parva, Āstīka Parva, Chapter 17
Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaishṇava Khaṇḍa, Vāsudeva Māhātmya, Chapters 8–13