As the gods and the Danavas churned the ocean in their quest for ambrosia, a terrible poison arose, scorching all who were present. Overcome by fear and despair, both gods and Danavas fled from the scene, unable to withstand its blazing heat, which resembled the fire of destruction itself. Seeking relief from this calamity, the gods, accompanied by the foremost sages, approached Brahma. With urgency, they addressed him: “As we churned for ambrosia, a poison has arisen, blazing like the fire of destruction. By this, the worlds are tormented; please counteract it.” Hearing their plea, Brahma entered deep meditation, focusing his mind upon Hara, the lord of the worlds. He invoked Rudra—the three-eyed, trident-bearing god, consort of Uma, revered as the god of gods. Responding to Brahma’s meditation, Rudra swiftly appeared. Brahma explained the situation to him, recounting the suffering of the worlds. Desiring the welfare of all beings, Rudra drank the poison, which blazed like the fire of destruction, and held it in his throat for the good of all. As a result, his throat turned blue, and he has since been remembered as ‘the blue-throated one.’ When Rudra, of immeasurable energy, drank the poison, the gods were filled with gratitude and resumed their work. Once again, the gods and Danavas continued their churning for the sake of ambrosia. The Asuras pulled Vasuki, the great serpent, with vigor, causing smoke and blazing flames to pour from his mouth. These masses of smoke transformed into storm clouds filled with lightning, raining down upon the hosts of gods, who were weary and afflicted by their toil. From the summit of the mountain, showers of flowers fell, covering all the gods and asuras on every side. A tremendous sound arose, like the roar of a mighty cloud, as the ocean was churned by the gods and asuras using Mount Mandara. Many aquatic creatures were crushed by the mountain’s movement and perished by the hundreds in the salty water. The mountain also brought destruction to various beings of Varuna, who dwelled in the depths of the underworld. As the mountain was whirled, great trees clinging to its peaks collided and fell. From their collision, fire arose, blazing repeatedly and covering Mount Mandara with tongues of flame, as lightning covers a dark cloud. This fire burned the elephants and lions that had emerged, as well as all the various beings whose lives had departed. Indra, the best of the immortals, then extinguished the fire, which was burning here and there, completely with water produced from clouds. Into the ocean flowed many different kinds of saps from the great trees and the juices of herbs. From these juices, possessing the essence of immortality, and from the milk as well, the gods attained immortality, as also from the flow of gold. The water of the ocean, mixed with these excellent juices, became milk, and from that, clarified butter was produced. The gods, seated before Brahma, spoke: “O Brahman, we are greatly exhausted, and yet the nectar has not arisen. Without the god Narayana, neither the other gods nor the asuras, nor even this long-performed churning of the ocean, can succeed. Fatigue has overcome us, and the nectar has not appeared here.” Brahma then addressed Narayana: “Grant them strength, O Vishnu, for you are their refuge here.” Narayana replied, “I give strength to all who are engaged in this task today. Let the churning stick be agitated, and let Mandara be turned once more.” Encouraged by Narayana’s words, the powerful gods and asuras churned the ocean again with even greater effort. First, poison arose again, and by Brahma’s command, Shiva took it up for the protection of the worlds. Then Jyeshtha appeared—a dark-complexioned goddess adorned with all ornaments. From the churning, the radiant Soma, the cool and shining moon, emerged with a tranquil mind. Immediately after, Shri, dwelling in white, arose from the clarified butter; the goddess Surā appeared, and likewise a white horse. The divine Kaustubha gem, born from the clarified butter, splendid and radiant, was taken by Narayana. Shri, Surā, Soma, and the swift horse, as well as Parijata and Surabhi, were born there, both granting all desired fruits. Then appeared the great-bodied, four-tusked mighty elephant; the Kapila wish-fulfilling tree, Kaustubha, and the host of Apsaras. From these, the gods departed, taking refuge in the path of the sun. Afterwards, the god Dhanvantari arose, possessing a splendid form and bearing a white water-pot in which the nectar resided. Witnessing this wondrous event, a great uproar arose among the Danavas, all clamoring, “This is mine!” for the nectar. Narayana then assumed the enchanting illusion of Mohini, taking on a marvelous female form, and approached the Danavas. Their minds deluded, the Danavas gave the nectar to her, all their thoughts fixed upon her beauty. Mohini, holding the water-pot, as the Daityas sat in rows, began to distribute the nectar among them. Yet, the goddess gave the nectar to the gods, not to the Daityas, and those Daityas cried out in distress. Then, the foremost among the Daityas and Danavas, seizing various weapons, rushed together against the gods.