Kshīrasāgara Manthana (Padma Purāṇa)

The Padma Mahā Purāṇa tells of the churning of the Milky Ocean (kshīrasāgara-manthana) in the Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapters 231 and 232. The narrative begins with Durvāsa’s śāpa (curse) on Indra. Lakshmī leaves the worlds, the devas grow weak, and they churn the ocean together with the asuras. Bhagavān Śiva drinks the Kālakūṭa poison, and Lakshmī chooses Bhagavān Vishṇu.

Durvāsa curses Indra

The ṛshi Durvāsa was wandering through svarga with a divine garland. He gave it to Indra. Indra placed it carelessly on the head of his elephant Airāvata. The elephant, drunk with pride, threw the garland to the ground.

Durvāsa was furious at this disrespect. He cursed Indra and all the devas: they would lose their prosperity, and Lakshmī would leave them. The curse worked. Lakshmī vanished from the three worlds, the devas began to lose their power and radiance, and the asuras gained the upper hand. (Chapter 231)

The decision to churn

The weakened devas went to Vishṇu. He told them to churn the Milky Ocean, using the Mandara mountain as the churning rod and the serpent Vāsuki as the rope. The devas would need the help of the asuras. It was agreed that the asuras would hold the head (the mouth) of Vāsuki and the devas would hold the tail. Vishṇu himself held up the Mandara mountain from below in the form of the Kūrma (Tortoise) avatāra. (Chapter 231)

The Kālakūṭa poison and Śiva

When the churning began, the first thing to come out was the Kālakūṭa poison. It was a terrible venom that could destroy the universe. The devas and asuras ran away in fear. To protect the worlds, Śiva agreed to swallow the poison.

The Padma Purāṇa adds this detail: Śiva was able to swallow the Kālakūṭa by repeating three names of Vishṇu silently before he drank it. So Vishṇu’s protection made even this great act possible. The poison stayed in Śiva’s throat and turned it blue. This is why he is called Nīlakaṇṭha. (Chapter 231)

The gems

The caturdaśa-ratnas (fourteen gems) came out of the churning in this order:

  1. Jyeshṭhā, the devī of ill-fortune
  2. Vāruṇī, the devī of wine
  3. Surā, liquor
  4. Airāvata, the divine elephant
  5. Uccaiḥśravas, the divine horse
  6. Dhanvantari, the divine physician, carrying the vessel of amṛta
  7. Pārijāta, the divine wish-fulfilling tree
  8. Surabhi, the wish-fulfilling cow
  9. Lakshmī, the devī of prosperity
  10. Candra, the Moon, who came out of the waters
  11. Tulasī, the sacred basil plant

Other gems also came out, among them the conch Pāñcajanya and divine weapons. (Chapter 232)

Lakshmī chooses Vishṇu

When Lakshmī herself rose from the ocean, bright and glorious, all the devas and asuras wanted her. She looked at all the beings who had gathered and chose Vishṇu alone as her eternal lord. She placed her garland around his neck. Vishṇu accepted her, and she made her eternal home on his chest, at the Śrīvatsa mark. When Lakshmī returned to the worlds through Vishṇu, the devas regained their prosperity. (Chapter 232)

Sources

  • Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapters 231–232