The Churning of the Ocean

Long ago, the gods and demons were at war. The gods had grown weak. Lord Vishnu advised them to churn the great ocean to obtain Amrit, the nectar of immortality. But the task was so enormous that the gods needed the demons' help to accomplish it. Mount Mandara became the churning rod and Vasuki, the great serpent, became the rope. The gods held one end and the demons held the other. Lord Vishnu took the form of a giant turtle named Kurma and supported the mountain on his back so it would not sink. The churning began. Many wondrous things emerged from the ocean — the wish-fulfilling cow Kamadhenu, the mighty elephant Airavata, the divine tree Kalpavriksha, Goddess Lakshmi, and many more treasures. But first came the terrible poison Halahala, which could destroy the entire world. Lord Shiva drank the poison to save everyone. Goddess Parvati pressed his throat so the poison would not go further down. Shiva's throat turned blue, and he became known as Neelkanth, the blue-throated one. Finally, the Amrit appeared, and Lord Vishnu took the form of the enchanting Mohini to make sure only the gods received it.