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Posted: Sun Sep 14, 2025 9:18 am
“The content of the myth: Vishnu, in the form of the tortoise Kurma, the second avatar of Vishnu, places Mount Mandara upon his back. The gods and demons bind to it instead of a rope the serpent Vasuki and, with his help, turn Mandara as a churning stick in the milk ocean, until from it begin to appear various wondrous things — the Chaudaratna (Chatur-dasha-ratna): apsaras (nymphs), the white mythic horse, the precious jewel, the cow of plenty, the very moon, and finally the physician of the gods Dhanvantari with the drink of immortality, amrita, that is, ambrosia.
The backstory: once the king of the devas, Indra, while riding on an elephant, met the sage Durvasa, who presented him with a flower garland. Indra accepted the gift and hung it on the trunk of his elephant. Irritated by the strong fragrance of the garland, the elephant threw it to the ground, which greatly angered Durvasa. The sage cursed Indra and all the devas, and from that moment their strength and fortune were to abandon them. Soon a battle broke out between the devas and the asuras, in which the asuras, under the leadership of King Bali, gained the upper hand and took control over the entire universe. The devas turned for help to Vishnu, who advised them to solve the problem by diplomatic means. The devas and the asuras decided together to churn the milk ocean and to share the nectar of immortality obtained as a result. Vishnu, however, assured the devas that he would find a way for all the nectar to fall only into their hands.
In the course of the churning of the milk ocean, Mount Mandara was used as a gigantic churning stick, and the serpent Vasuki — as the rope. The devas held the serpent by the tail, and the asuras — by the head, thus rotating the mountain and churning the ocean. However, soon the mountain began to sink. Vishnu came to the rescue in the form of his second avatar — the giant tortoise Kurma, who held the mountain upon his back. During the churning the waters of the ocean first turned into milk, and then into butter. From it there appeared a pot of deadly poison, which was so toxic that it had the power to destroy all creation. Terrified, the devas and asuras, at the advice of Vishnu, went to Shiva for help. Feeling pity for them, Shiva drank all the poison and held it in his throat, from which it acquired a blue color. From then on Shiva was called by the name Nilakantha — the Blue-Throated. But the obtaining of amrita — the nectar of immortality — brought victory to the devas over the asuras.
The backstory: once the king of the devas, Indra, while riding on an elephant, met the sage Durvasa, who presented him with a flower garland. Indra accepted the gift and hung it on the trunk of his elephant. Irritated by the strong fragrance of the garland, the elephant threw it to the ground, which greatly angered Durvasa. The sage cursed Indra and all the devas, and from that moment their strength and fortune were to abandon them. Soon a battle broke out between the devas and the asuras, in which the asuras, under the leadership of King Bali, gained the upper hand and took control over the entire universe. The devas turned for help to Vishnu, who advised them to solve the problem by diplomatic means. The devas and the asuras decided together to churn the milk ocean and to share the nectar of immortality obtained as a result. Vishnu, however, assured the devas that he would find a way for all the nectar to fall only into their hands.
In the course of the churning of the milk ocean, Mount Mandara was used as a gigantic churning stick, and the serpent Vasuki — as the rope. The devas held the serpent by the tail, and the asuras — by the head, thus rotating the mountain and churning the ocean. However, soon the mountain began to sink. Vishnu came to the rescue in the form of his second avatar — the giant tortoise Kurma, who held the mountain upon his back. During the churning the waters of the ocean first turned into milk, and then into butter. From it there appeared a pot of deadly poison, which was so toxic that it had the power to destroy all creation. Terrified, the devas and asuras, at the advice of Vishnu, went to Shiva for help. Feeling pity for them, Shiva drank all the poison and held it in his throat, from which it acquired a blue color. From then on Shiva was called by the name Nilakantha — the Blue-Throated. But the obtaining of amrita — the nectar of immortality — brought victory to the devas over the asuras.