Skandapurana 1.3.10: adhyāyaḥ 12

Lomaśa said: / Having bowed to the Supreme Self, Janārdana accompanied by Ramā, / those hosts of gods and asuras churned again for the sake of the nectar of immortality. 12.1

From the ocean as it was being churned emerged one of very great fame, / known as Dhanvantari, youthful, the supreme conqueror of death. 12.2

Holding in both hands a full pitcher of nectar, / while all the gods looked upon him with enchantment, 12.3

the daityas rushed together, eager to seize by force, as it were, / the pitcher filled with nectar held in Dhanvantari's hand. 12.4

While that foremost of physicians was surrounded by rows of waves, / he came forth slowly, slowly, and was spotted by Vṛṣaparvan. 12.5

The pitcher in his hand was snatched by him, as if by force, / and then all the asuras roared most dreadfully. 12.6

Taking the pitcher filled with nectar, eager, / the daityas went down to Pātāla; then the gods, bewildered, 12.7

followed them, fully armored and wishing to fight with them. / Then, seeing the gods, Bali spoke in this manner: 12.8

Bali said: / “O gods, we alone are satisfied with the nectar; / you best among the gods should depart at once! 12.9

To heaven, full of joy! What business have you with us? / Formerly, friendship was made by us, but you were intent on your own interests; / now that is known, and no further deliberation is needed here.” 12.10

Thus reviled by that Bali, the best of the gods / went by the way they had come to Lord Nārāyaṇa. 12.11

Seeing them, all the gods whose hopes were dashed / were consoled by Viṣṇu with words skilled in various consolations: 12.12

“Do not fear on this account; I shall bring that nectar.” / Having spoken thus, the Lord Mukunda, the refuge of the helpless, 12.13

left all the gods right there, and Madhusūdana, / assuming the form of Mohinī, appeared before the daityas. 12.14

Meanwhile, the daityas, greatly agitated, spoke among themselves; / then a dispute arose among all the daityas over the nectar. 12.15

While this was going on, seeing by chance that woman who had taken the form of Mohinī, / captivating to the minds of all beings, 12.16

they were filled with wonder, their eyes thirsty [with desire]; / showing respect to her, the daitya king Bali said: 12.17

Bali said: / “The nectar must be distributed by you so that everyone receives their portion; / make haste, O fortunate lady, and fulfill my word.” 12.18

Addressed in this manner, smiling, she replied to Bali: / “No wise man should ever place trust in women. 12.19

Falsehood, recklessness, deceit, foolishness, excessive greed, / impurity, and pitilessness are the innate flaws of women. 12.20

Lack of affection is to be recognized, and roguishness indeed, in truth; / flaws are to be recognized even in one's own women; of this there is no doubt. 12.21

Just as among beasts of prey wolves are bent on violence, / just as among birds crows are sly, and jackals among wild beasts, / so women among humans are constantly to be known as cunning by the wise. 12.22

How can friendship exist between you and me? / You are not known to me at all; who are you, and who am I? 12.23

Therefore, having reflected with supreme intellect, you who are skilled in discerning what should and should not be done, / you should act accordingly; depart, O best among asuras!” 12.24

Bali said: / “Distribute the nectar to all today as is fitting; / we shall accept what is given by you; truly, truly do I tell you.” 12.28

Spoken to thus, the goddess Mohinī, all-auspicious, / spoke to all the asuras, commending worldly custom: 12.29

The Lord said: / “You all have achieved your goal through some stroke of destiny; / today, observing a fast, perform the preliminary consecration of the nectar, 12.30

O best of asuras, if you have any desire for auspiciousness! / Tomorrow let the breaking of the fast be done by you who take pleasure in the worship of the vow. 12.31

With wealth acquired by righteous means, a tenth part / should be distributed by the wise for the purpose of pleasing the Lord.” 12.32

Thinking ‘So be it,’ as spoken by the divine illusion, / those sons of Diti, deluded and not very clever, did just so. 12.33

Mansions were then built by Mayāsura, / charming, costly, magnificent, and vast. 12.34

Seated in them, all having bathed well and adorned themselves, / highly enthusiastic, they placed the full pitcher in front [of them]. 12.35

At night, a vigil was kept by all with supreme joy. / Then, when dawn broke, they performed their morning ablutions.

The Asuras, led by Bali, sat in rows in proper order. / Having performed all necessary duties, they then devoted themselves to drinking.

Bali, Vṛṣaparvan, Namuci, and Śaṅkha, / Sudaṃṣṭra, Saṃhlādin, Kālanemi, and Vibhīṣaṇa,

Vātāpi, Ilvala, Kumbha, Nikumbha, and Pracchada, / and likewise Sunda and Upasunda, Niśumbha, and Śumbha,

Mahiṣa, Mahiṣākṣa, the mighty Biḍālākṣa, / the one named Cikṣura of mighty arms, Jṛmbhaṇa, and Vṛṣāsura,

Vibāhu, Bāhuka, the terrible, and the terrible-looking one— / these and many other Daityas, Dānavas, and Rākṣasas / sat in proper order, as did Rāhu and Ketu.

A row of those Daityas, numbering tens of millions, was formed.

Then, O twice-born, for the sake of the nectar, / listen to the great deed done by that goddess:

All were immediately informed by her who had taken up the jar, / endowed with supreme splendour, Mohinī, Viṣṇu manifest in person.

Adorned with the jar in her hand, the goddess / shone with supreme radiance, the auspiciousness of the world's auspiciousness.

All the gods, acting as distributors, / came at that very moment near the Asuras, where those best of Asuras were.

Seeing them, Mohinī, the best of women, immediately spoke:

Mohinī said: / "These should be known as guests, the means for fulfilling all duties. / To them should be given according to one's capacity, if my word is truth / and authoritative to you today. Act accordingly; do not delay!

Those who render service to others according to their own capacity / are to be recognized as blessed, pure guardians of the world.

Those who make effort solely for their own bellies / are to be known as sharers of affliction; there is no deliberation needed here.

Therefore, O you of auspicious vows, a distribution of this must be made by me. / Give to the gods whatever is pleasing or unpleasing to yourselves!"

When this speech was uttered by the goddess, they acted without hesitation. / The Asuras summoned all the gods along with Indra.

And they all sat down for the nectar, O twice-born. / As they were being seated, Mohinī, who knew all duties, / spoke supreme words, as if smiling at the Asuras:

Mohinī said: / "First, indeed, guests must be honoured: such is the Vedic scripture.

Therefore, you who are devoted to the Vedas and intent on the gods, / speak quickly: to whom shall I give first / the nectar, O fortunate ones? Speak, O leaders of Bali's host!"

The goddess was then addressed by Bali: "Whatever pleases your mind! / You are our mistress, without doubt, O fair-faced one."

Thus honoured by Bali of cultivated soul, / taking the jar quickly for the task of distribution,

her thighs resembling elephant trunks, her fine garments glistening, her gait slow from the weight of her hips, her limbs languid, / tinkling with the chiming of golden anklets, her breasts like jars, with the pitcher in her hand, she then entered.

Then, serving [it] in person to the host of gods, that goddess Mohinī / poured out the nectar essence upon the gods again and again, like a draft of divine immortal ambrosia.

And again those hosts of gods [received] the nectar essence given by her of supreme, universal form; / and Bali's leaders, along with the guardians of the quarters, the hosts of Gandharvas, Yakṣas, and Apsarases,

all the Daityas remained seated, while the hosts of gods [were given] the nectar essence; and afflicted, / Bali's chiefs, silent, became thoughtful and intent on contemplation, O lords among the twice-born.

Then, seeing the Daityas in such a state, fallen into delusion, / both Rāhu and Ketu, those two foremost of Daityas,

assuming the form of gods, eager for nectar, / sat down then in the row of the gods, desiring the nectar.

When Rāhu, exceedingly hard to conquer, wished to drink the nectar, / Viṣṇu of immeasurable splendour was told by the Sun and the Moon.

Then the head of Rāhu of monstrous body was severed; / his head reached the sky, while the torso fell upon the earth, / and rolling about then, it crushed the mountains.

The entire earth along with its mountains was crushed at that time; / by that body, all that moves and does not move was crushed.

Seeing that, Mahādeva then stood upon it; / the dwelling of all the gods was beneath her foot.

The pressing near it is indeed called 'dwelling' (Nivāsa).

Because her lotus foot is the abode (ālaya) of the great (mahat), / she, the bewitcher of the three worlds, is renowned as Mahālayā.

And Ketu, having the form of smoke, dissolved into the sky; / having offered the nectar to the Moon, he disappeared.

Vāsudeva is the womb of the universe, the supreme cause of the worlds. / By the grace of Viṣṇu, that which accomplished the purpose of the gods came to pass.

It resulted in the destruction of the Asuras through the reversal of destiny. / Know that without destiny, effort is indeed futile.

The churning of the ocean of milk was done by all of them simultaneously; / success came to the gods, but failure to the Asuras.

And then, enraged against the foremost of gods, and once again deluded by illusion, / the Daityas became equipped with many weapons and missiles, roaring at that time as Viṣṇu departed.

Thus ends the twelfth chapter, named 'Description of the Gods Drinking the Nectar' in the narrative of the churning of the ocean, in the Kedārakhaṇḍa of the first [section], the Māheśvarakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.

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