(Astika Parva continued)

"Sauti said, 'There is a mountain called Mandara adorned with cloud-like
peaks. It is the best of mountains, and is covered all over with
intertwining herbs. There countless birds pour forth their melodies, and
beasts of prey roam about. The gods, the Apsaras and the Kinnaras visit
the place. Upwards it rises eleven thousand yojanas, and descends
downwards as much. The gods wanted to tear it up and use it as a churning
rod but failing to do so same to Vishnu and Brahman who were sitting
together, and said unto them, 'Devise some efficient scheme, consider, ye
gods, how Mandara may be dislodged for our good.'

"Sauti continued, 'O son of Bhrigu! Vishnu with Brahman assented to it.
And the lotus-eyed one (Vishnu) laid the hard task on the mighty Ananta,
the prince of snakes. The powerful Ananta, directed thereto both by
Brahman and Narayana, O Brahmana, tore up the mountain with the woods
thereon and with the denizens of those woods. And the gods came to the
shore of the Ocean with Ananta and addressed the Ocean, saying, 'O Ocean;
we have come to churn thy waters for obtaining nectar.' And the Ocean
replied, 'Be it so, as I shall not go without a share of it. I am able to
bear the prodigious agitation of my waters set up by the mountain.' The
gods then went to the king of tortoises and said to him, 'O
Tortoise-king, thou wilt have to hold the mountain on thy back!' The
Tortoise-king agreed, and Indra contrived to place the mountain on the
former's back.

"And the gods and the Asuras made of Mandara a churning staff and Vasuki
the cord, and set about churning the deep for amrita. The Asuras held
Vasuki by the hood and the gods held him by the tail. And Ananta, who was
on the side of the gods, at intervals raised the snake's hood and
suddenly lowered it. And in consequence of the stretch Vasuki received at
the hands of the gods and the Asuras, black vapours with flames issued
from his mouth. These, turned into clouds charged with lightning, poured
showers that refreshed the tired gods. And flowers that also fell on all
sides of the celestials from the trees on the whirling Mandara, refreshed
them.

"Then, O Brahmana, out of the deep came a tremendous roar like unto the
roar of the clouds at the Universal Dissolution. Diverse aquatic animals
being crushed by the great mountain gave up the ghost in the salt waters.
And many denizens of the lower regions and the world of Varuna were
killed. Large trees with birds on the whirling Mandara were torn up by
the roots and fell into the water. The mutual friction of those trees
also produced fires that blazed up frequently. The mountain thus looked
like a mass of dark clouds charged with lightning. O Brahmana, the fire
spread, and consumed the lions, elephants and other creatures that were
on the mountain. Then Indra extinguished that fire by pouring down heavy
showers.

"After the churning, O Brahmana, had gone on for some time, gummy
exudations of various trees and herbs vested with the properties of
amrita mingled with the waters of the Ocean. And the celestials attained
to immortality by drinking of the water mixed with those gums and with
the liquid extract of gold. By degrees, the milky water of the agitated
deep turned into clarified butter by virtue of those gums and juices. But
nectar did not appear even then. The gods came before the boon-granting
Brahman seated on his seat and said, 'Sire, we are spent up, we have no
strength left to churn further. Nectar hath not yet arisen so that now we
have no resource save Narayana.'

"On hearing them, Brahman said to Narayana, 'O Lord, condescend to grant
the gods strength to churn the deep afresh.'

"Then Narayana agreeing to grant their various prayers, said, 'Ye wise
ones, I grant you sufficient strength. Go, put the mountain in position
again and churn the water.'

'Re-established thus in strength, the gods recommenced churning. After a
while, the mild Moon of a thousand rays emerged from the Ocean.
Thereafter sprung forth Lakshmi dressed in white, then Soma, then the
White Steed, and then the celestial gem Kaustubha which graces the breast
of Narayana. Then Lakshmi, Soma and the Steed, fleet as the mind, all
came before the gods on high. Then arose the divine Dhanwantari himself
with the white vessel of nectar in his hand. And seeing him, the Asuras
set up a loud cry, saying, 'It be ours.'

"And at length rose the great elephant, Airavata, of huge body and with
two pair of white tusks. And him took Indra the wielder of the
thunderbolt. But with the churning still going on, the poison Kalakuta
appeared at last. Engulfing the Earth it suddenly blazed up like a fire
attended with fumes. And by the scent of the fearful Kalakuta, the three
worlds were stupefied. And then Siva, being solicited by Brahman,
swallowed that poison for the safety of the creation. The divine
Maheswara held it in his throat, and it is said that from that time he is
called Nilakantha (blue-throated). Seeing all these wondrous things, the
Asuras were filled with despair, and got themselves prepared for entering
into hostilities with the gods for the possession of Lakshmi and Amrita.
Thereupon Narayana called his bewitching Maya (illusive power) to his
aid, and assuming the form of an enticing female, coquetted with the
Danavas. The Danavas and the Daityas charmed with her exquisite beauty
and grace lost their reason and unanimously placed the Amrita in the
hands of that fair damsel.'"

So ends the eighteenth section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.