Kūrma Avatāra and Samudra Manthana (Narasiṃha Purāṇa)

In Chapter 38, the Narasiṃha Purāṇa tells of the Kūrma avatāra (descent) of Bhagavān Vishṇu and the churning of the cosmic ocean, the Samudra Manthana. The devas, beaten by the asuras, ask Bhagavān Vishṇu for help. He tells them to churn the Kshīrasāgara (the Ocean of Milk) with Mandara mountain as the churning rod and Vāsuki as the rope. Bhagavān Vishṇu becomes the tortoise Kūrma to carry the mountain. In the end the devas drink the amṛta (nectar of immortality) and win.

The devas are beaten and Bhagavān Vishṇu advises them

The power of the asuras had grown so great that it overwhelmed the three worlds. The devas were beaten and driven from their places. With Indra at their head, they went to Bhagavān Vishṇu at the Kshīrasāgara and asked him for guidance.

Bhagavān Vishṇu said, “The amṛta that gives immortality lies hidden at the bottom of the Kshīrasāgara. If the ocean is churned, the amṛta will come up together with many other divine gifts. Make a pact with the asuras, because both sides must work together to churn. When the amṛta comes up, I will make sure that the devas alone get it.”

Mandara mountain and the strength of Bali

The devas and asuras agreed to the plan. Mandara mountain, a peak of unmatched size, was chosen as the churning rod. Vāsuki, king of the serpents, was chosen as the rope.

But Mandara could not be lifted. Of all the devas and asuras gathered there, only one had the strength to raise it. He was Bali Cakravartī, the great Daitya king. Bali alone lifted Mandara and carried it to the ocean, and so the manthana (churning) became possible.

The Kūrma avatāra

Mandara was placed in the Kshīrasāgara and the churning began. The great mountain started to sink into the ocean floor. To give it a firm base, Bhagavān Vishṇu took the form of the divine Kūrma, an enormous cosmic tortoise. He placed himself under Mandara and bore its weight on his back. Steady like the axis of the world, Kūrma held up the churning rod through the whole manthana.

The Kālakūṭa poison

The first thing to come out of the ocean as the churning began was Kālakūṭa. This poison was so strong that its fumes threatened to destroy all creation. The serpents who held Vāsuki as the rope suffered first, as the poison came out of Vāsuki’s mouth and burned everything it touched.

Seeing the danger, Bhagavān Śiva came forward and drank the Kālakūṭa poison. Devī Pārvatī sat beside him and pressed his throat so that the poison would not reach his body. The poison stayed in Bhagavān Śiva’s throat and turned it dark blue. From that time he has the name Nīlakaṇṭha, the blue-throated one.

The gifts of the ocean

When the poison was held back, the churning began again. The ocean gave up its treasures one after another.

• Airāvata, the divine white elephant, who became the vāhana (carrier) of Indra.
• Uccaiḥśravas, the divine white horse.
• The apsarases, the divine dancing women, who became the ornaments of Svarga.
• Pārijāta, the divine wish-fulfilling tree whose flowers never fade.
• Candra, the Moon, who came up carrying the nectar of his rays.
• Dhanvantarī, the divine physician, carrying the kalaśa (pot) of amṛta.

When Dhanvantarī rose with the pot of amṛta, the asuras at once seized it. A fierce quarrel broke out over who should have the nectar of immortality.

Śrī Lakshmī appears

As the churning went on, Śrī Mahālakshmī rose from the cosmic ocean. She shone with divine beauty, sat on a lotus, wore garlands that never fade, and was as sweet-smelling as a thousand flowers. The devas and ṛshis who stood there praised her. The sacred rivers brought their waters for her abhisheka (sacred bath). Brahmā performed the holy rites for her coming.

Śrī Lakshmī chose Bhagavān Vishṇu as her eternal husband and put her garland on his neck. From then on she lives for ever on his chest, at the Śrīvatsa mark.

The Mohinī form and the victory of the devas

Bhagavān Vishṇu then took the Mohinī form, a female form of unmatched beauty, and came to the asuras with a divine smile. The asuras were charmed and overcome by her beauty. They forgot their quarrel over the pot of amṛta and agreed to give it to her.

Mohinī gave the amṛta to the devas alone, and the asuras got none. When the asuras saw how they had been deceived, they attacked. But by then the devas were strong with amṛta and could not be beaten. The asuras were defeated and driven back to Pātāla. The devas won back their places, Indra took again his throne in Amarāvatī, and dharma was set up again in the three worlds.

Sources

• Narasiṃha Purāṇa, Chapter 38