Srimadbhagavatham -skandha 8- amrtha mathanam2

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Chapter 7. AmrthamaThanam

2

 

Devas

requested the serpent Vasuki to be the rope with which to churn the mountain

promising him a share in amrtha. The Lord held the head part of Vasuki along

with the devas. The asuras objected saying that they would not hold the tail

part which is below their dignity. Then the Lord with a smile took the tail

part which is exactly what He wanted since

the hot fiery breath from the serpent when it was being turned round will be

unbearable for the devas.

 

They

started churning the mountain vigorously and the mountain sank due to haveimn nothing

to support it below. Seeing the devas downhearted the Lord took the form of a

tortoise and supprted the mountain on His back. This was the koormavathara.

Suka decribes koormaroopa thus:

dhaDHaara prshTena sa laskhayojana

prasthaariNaadhveepam ivaaparo mahaan

 

The

Lord became a tortoise expanding like an

island one lakh yojanas wide and bore the mountain with His back. He never felt

the churning which was like scratching His back.

 

Desika

describing this says in his dasavatharasthothra,

 

kandooyanaiH adhriNaa

nidhraaNasya parasya koormavapushaH

 

The

Supreme Being, in His tortoise form was

sleeping due to the scratching sensation by the rotating mountain.

 

Not

only He supported the mountain as Koorma but also entered the bodies of the

devas and asuras to give them strength and entered into Vasuki to creats

insensitivity so that it would not feel the pain. He sttod on the top of the

mountain holding it with His hand and also churned the mountain along with

them, seeing that their churning did not produce any result. Thus He pervaded

everywhere helping the churning.

 

All

the marine creatures came out of the ocean out of fear and then the terrible

halahala poison emerged. No one could withstand the vapours of it which spread

in all directions. They all surrendered to Lord Siva and prayed to him. Siva

took pity on them and drank the halahala. The poison showed its power even to

Siva by which his neck became blue. Even that was an ornament to him. Sankara

in Sivananda lahari says that Lord Siva stopped the poison in his throat due to

mercy for the worlds within him. When he drank the poison a little of it

spilled out which was absorbed by the serpents and other poisonous beings.