At that crucial moment, the mighty god Vishnu, accompanied by Nara, seized the precious nectar and spirited it away from the assembled chiefs of the Danavas. Amidst a tumult of confusion, the gods received the nectar from Vishnu’s hands and drank deeply of its life-giving essence. Nara, empowered by the strength of Hari’s arms, ensured that the gods could partake of the nectar in safety, using his great bow to keep the bowmen of the Danavas at bay; as each god drank, they fought fiercely with the asuras who sought to interrupt the divine feast. But as the gods drank the nectar they so desired, Rahu, a cunning Danava, disguised himself as one of the gods and managed to drink as well. Yet, as the nectar reached Rahu’s throat, the Sun and the Moon, wishing for the welfare of the gods, exposed his deception. In that instant, the blessed Lord Vishnu, wielding his discus weapon, severed the adorned head of Rahu with a single stroke of divine power. Rahu’s great head, massive as a mountain peak, was cut off by the discus and fell to the earth, shaking its very surface. The headless trunk, its head struck off, leapt skyward with a terrible roar before collapsing, quivering, to the ground. So great was the impact that the earth, with its mountains, forests, and islands—thirteen thousand in number—was shaken in all directions by the fall of the demon. From that time forth, enmity was born through Rahu’s mouth, and to this day, Rahu perpetually seeks to seize the sun and the moon. Having accomplished this, the blessed Hari cast aside his incomparable female form and, with many dreadful weapons, struck terror into the hearts of the demons. Then, on the shores of the salt ocean, a great and terrible battle erupted between the gods and the asuras. Thousands of broad and sharp spears rained down, as did javelins with keen points and a multitude of other weapons. The asuras, struck by the discus and wounded by swords, spears, maces, and clubs, fell to the earth, pouring forth blood. Heads adorned with garlands of heated gold were severed in battle by cruel axes and fell continuously, staining the field. The great asuras, their limbs smeared with blood, lay slain upon the ground like mountain peaks streaked with red minerals. All around, thousands of shouts rose up as the combatants struck each other with weapons, while the sun itself turned red with the fury of battle. With sharp iron clubs and even with their fists at close quarters, the warriors struck one another, and the tumult reached the very heavens. Dreadful cries resounded on all sides: “Cut! Break! Run! Strike down! Attack!” The clamor was unending. As this tumultuous and terrifying battle raged, the two divine ones, Nara and Narayana, entered the conflict. There, seeing Nara’s divine bow, the blessed Lord Vishnu, slayer of asuras, contemplated his mighty discus. At his mere thought, the Sudarshana discus appeared from the sky—brilliant as the sun, unbroken in its circle, and dreadful to behold in battle. Blazing like sacrificial fire, the discus was hurled with great force and speed by Acyuta, the mighty-armed, to destroy the cities of the enemy. Like the fire of universal destruction, the discus fell again and again, tearing asunder thousands of the sons of Diti, hurled in battle by the best of men. At times, the discus was like a blazing fire consuming all before it, striking down the hosts of asuras with ferocity, hurling them into the sky and back to earth, drinking their blood on the battlefield like a ghoul. In this way, the asuras, their spirits broken, assailed the gods again and again, hurling mountains at them. But their strength and brilliance faded like scattered clouds, and by the thousands, they rushed into the sky. From above, terrifying mountains of many forms, with trees still clinging to them and resembling masses of clouds, fell down; their peaks shattered, crashing together with a tremendous roar. The earth, along with its forests, trembled all around, struck by the falling mountains. As the battle raged fiercely, the mountains clashed and roared at one another repeatedly. Then, a man adorned with ornaments of the finest gold filled the sky with a rain of arrows, splitting the mountain peaks with his shafts and striking terror into the asura hosts. The great asuras, afflicted by the gods, sought refuge in the earth and the salt ocean. Seeing the Sudarshana discus blazing like kindled fire and raging in the sky, they were filled with terror. After the gods had attained victory, the mountain Mandara was respectfully returned to its own place; the clouds, resounding through the sky and heavens, departed as they had come. The gods, filled with abundant joy, carefully secured the nectar, entrusting this treasure of amrita to the crowned one, the slayer of Bala, to guard it together with the immortals. Thus, I have told you everything about how the nectar was churned, and how, in that wondrous event, the glorious and peerless horse Uccaiḥśravas was born. Then, Kadru, upon seeing the horse, said to Vinata, “Tell me quickly, dear one, what is the color of Uccaiḥśravas?” Vinata replied, “This king of horses is surely white—or what do you think, lovely one? Tell me its color too, and let us make a wager on it.” Kadru answered, “I think this horse is black-maned, O fair-smiling one. Come, let us wager together, and the loser shall become the other’s servant, O beautiful lady.” Thus, having made a mutual agreement to become the other’s servant, they both returned to their own homes, saying, “Tomorrow we shall see.” Desiring to win, Kadru ordered her thousand sons, the serpents, to become the black hairs of the horse’s mane. “Quickly enter the horse, so that I may not become a servant,” she commanded. Those serpents who did not obey her were cursed: “During the snake-sacrifice, fire will consume you all at the hands of Janamejaya, the wise royal sage descended from the Pandavas.