Skandapurana 1.3.7: adhyāyaḥ 9

Lomaśa said: / Once, the king of the gods himself was seated in the midst of his assembly, / surrounded by the guardians of the quarters, gods, and seers,

surrounded by hosts of apsarases and honored by gandharvas, / his victory being sung by siddhas and vidyādharas.

Then, surrounded by his disciples, the preceptor of the king of gods, the wise, / fortunate, and noble-minded Bṛhaspati arrived.

Seeing him, the gods present rose at once and bowed down. / Indra too saw Vācaspati arrived there at that time.

The foolish-minded [Indra] spoke not a single word preceded by honor; / there was neither an invitation to sit nor a seat for him, nor even a formal dismissal.

Knowing that Śakra was infatuated and foolish with the intoxication of kingship, / Bṛhaspati, filled with anger, vanished from sight.

When that preceptor of the gods had departed, the gods became despondent, / as did the yakṣas, nāgas, gandharvas, seers, and twice-born.

At the conclusion of the gandharva music, Hari, having regained his awareness, / quickly asked the gods: 'Where indeed has that [sage] of great austerities gone?'

Then Nārada said to Śakra, the ruler of the gods: / 'Disrespect was shown by you to your preceptor; of this there is no doubt.

Through disrespect of the preceptor, your sovereignty is lost, O slayer of Bala; / therefore, you must appease him with every devotion.'

Hearing this speech of the noble Nārada, / Śakra rose quickly from his seat and, surrounded by all of them, / went with haste and vigilance to the house of his preceptor.

Having first bowed and asked Tārā, 'Where indeed has the [sage] of great austerities gone?', / Tārā, looking at Śakra, said this: 'I do not know.'

Then, filled with anxiety, Śakra returned to his own home. / In the meantime, in heaven, unfavorable portents

occurred to the total sorrow of the great-souled Śakra. / Bali, residing in Pātāla, came to know of Śakra's condition.

Surrounded by Daityas, he set out from Pātāla to Amarāvatī. / Then a great battle took place between the gods and the Dānavas.

The gods were defeated by the Daityas; the entire sovereignty of Śakra / fell in that moment to that foolish and evil-minded one.

Carrying off [everything] with utmost effort, they quickly departed to Pātāla. / By the grace of Śukra, they all became victorious in this manner.

Śakra, completely bereft of splendor, was then utterly abandoned by the gods; / the lotus-eyed goddess [Lakṣmī] vanished from sight.

Airāvata the great elephant, and likewise the horse Uccaiḥśravas, / and many other such diverse treasures / were carried away in haste by the Daityas, who were greedy and wicked in conduct.

And those very things, possessing merit, fell into the ocean. / Then, overcome with wonder, Bali said to his preceptor:

'Having conquered the gods, many treasures were brought by us, / but they have fallen into the ocean; that is wondrous.'

Hearing that speech of Bali, Uśanas replied to him: / 'The kingship of the gods can only be attained through a hundred horse-sacrifices; / there is no doubt about one who is consecrated [for it], therefore only such a one can enjoy it.

Without a horse-sacrifice, heaven cannot be enjoyed at all.'

Understanding the words of his preceptor, Bali then fell silent, / and he acted toward the gods as was appropriate.

Indra too, having fallen into a pitiable state, went to Parameṣṭhin / and reported everything, including the fear concerning his kingdom.

Hearing Śakra's speech, Parameṣṭhin said:

'Assembling all the gods along with you, with haste / let us go to worship Viṣṇu, the Lord of the lords of all.'

Saying “So be it,” all the world-protectors, headed by Śakra, / placing Brahmā at their head, went to the shore of the milk-ocean; / having arrived and sat down, they all began to praise Hari.

Brahmā said: / “O God of gods, Lord of the universe, worshipped by gods and demons! / O of holy renown, imperishable, infinite one! O Supreme Self, homage unto you!

You are sacrifice, you are the form of sacrifice, you are the limb of sacrifice, O Lord of Ramā! / Therefore today, through your grace, O Viṣṇu, be the granter of boons to the gods.

Because of disrespect toward his guru, Śatakratu, along with the celestial seers, / has now been deprived of his kingdom; therefore, deliver him!”

The Blessed Lord said: / “By disregarding […] all is lost—what wonder is there in this? / Those who are sinners, utterly unrighteous, devoted solely to sensual objects, / and by whom their parents are reviled, are without doubt destitute of fortune.

What was done by him, O Brahmā, its fruit has come immediately; / and by this deed of Śakra, adversity has befallen everyone.

When adverse times come upon a man, / then they make friendship even with creatures for the accomplishment of every purpose.

For that very reason, O Indra, follow my word: / for the sake of the objective, you must make an alliance with the Daityas.”

Thus commanded by the Lord, Śakra, highly intelligent, / leaving Amarāvatī, went to Sutala together with the gods.

Hearing that Indra had arrived, Indrasena became filled with wrath, / and with his army he wished to slay Purandara.

Then the Daityas and Bali, best of the mighty, / were restrained from killing him by Nārada with various arguments.

By the word of that seer alone, Bali abandoned his anger; / then, along with his army, he [approached] Śatakratu who had come.

Seen by Indrasena surrounded by the world-protectors, / the king of Daityas, with haste and as if laughing, said:

“Why have you come here to Sutala, O Śakra? Tell me!” / Hearing this word of his, he smilingly said to him:

“We are descendants of Kaśyapa, and all of you are likewise; / as we are, so are you; indeed, conflict is useless.

My kingdom was taken in an instant by you through the power of fate; / likewise, those very numerous jewels, / which were obtained by great effort, were immediately lost to you.

Therefore, deliberation must be made by a wise man; / from deliberation arises knowledge, and from knowledge will come liberation.

Yet, what is the use of my speaking in front of you? / Seeking refuge, I have come into your presence together with the gods.”

Hearing this speech of Śakra, the wise [king of Daityas], the best of speakers, / laughed and spoke to Śakra, best of the discerning:

“You have come, O Lord of gods; for what purpose, that I do not know.”

Hearing his word, Śakra’s eyes filled with tears in agitation; / he said nothing there, [so] Nārada spoke [these] words to him:

“O Bali, do you not know the deliberation of what is to be done and not done? / For the duty of the great is the protection of one who has sought refuge.

A suppliant who has sought refuge, a brahmin, a sick man, and an old man— / those men who do not protect them are indeed slayers of brahmins.

By the word ‘one who has sought refuge’, he has come into your presence; / he is worthy to be protected by you; of this there is no doubt.” / Being thus addressed by Nārada, the lord of the Daityas himself then,

having deliberated with supreme intellect upon what should and should not be done, / honored Śakra with great respect, / together with the world-protectors and the hosts of gods.

And for the sake of creating trust, Purandara performed / many vows and pledges that served to reassure Bali.

Having thus made an agreement, Śakra, intent on his own goal, / dwelt together with Bali, being greatly versed in the science of polity.

As Śatakratu was thus dwelling in Sutala, / many years passed; then, remembering the word of Viṣṇu / and deliberating again and again, he formed a plan.

Once, seated in the assembly, the king of gods himself, / versed in policy, smilingly spoke words addressed to Bali:

“O hero, [all those things] should be regained by you, and by us through you, O Bali— / the many diverse jewels such as elephants and others,

which were lost in an instant and indeed fell into the ocean; / an effort must indeed be made by us together with you.

For the recovery of those jewels from the ocean here, O Daitya, / the churning must be carried out by you for the accomplishment of the purpose.”

Bali, the slayer of gods, being prompted by that Śakra, / promptly said to Śakra: “By what means can this churning take place?”

Then a voice residing in the sky, resounding deeply like a thundercloud, / spoke: “O gods and Daityas, churn the milk-ocean!

An increase of strength will come to you, there is no doubt.

Make Mandara the churning rod and Vāsuki the rope; / then, having united, let gods and Daityas churn!”

Hearing that voice residing in the sky, the gods / along with the Daityas, all becoming eager, made an effort.

Having emerged from Pātāla, all those gods and demons then / came to the incomparable Mandara, the excellent mountain.

Daityas numbering in crores, and likewise gods, without doubt, / being prepared, quickly approached Mandara shining like gold,

rich in gems, rounded in form, massive and of great splendor, / covered with numerous jewels, frequented by various trees,

with sandalwoods, pārijātas, nāgas, punnāgas, and campakas, / crowded with hosts of diverse animals, and frequented by lions and tigers.

Having seen that great mountain, those foremost among the gods, / with folded hands, all those foremost among the gods then spoke:

The gods said: / “O mountain, all of us gods have come here to make a request; / listen to that, O great mountain, you who are a benefactor to others!”

Addressed thus by the gods and daityas, Mount Mandara, / stepping forth in bodily form, spoke this supreme word:

In that form, embodied, Mount Mandarācala [said]: / “For what purpose have you all come before me? Let it be told.”

Then Bali spoke this word suitable to the occasion, / and Indra also, filled with haste, uttered truthful speech:

“Be with us for the sake of an undertaking, O Mount Mandarācala! / For the churning of nectar, become the churning rod, O you of noble vows!”

Accepting their words, saying “So be it,” for the success of the gods’ purpose, / he addressed the gods and asuras, especially toward Indra:

“Both my wings were severed by you with your hundred-jointed thunderbolt. / How can I go for the accomplishment of your undertaking?”

Then all the gods and asuras, singing praises to the great mountain, / uprooted the matchless and wonderful Mandara.

Wishing to carry it to the ocean of milk, they were unable; / forthwith the mountain surely crashed down upon the gods and daityas.

Some were broken, some were dead, some fell into a faint, / some engaged in lamentation, and some fell into deep distress.

Thus thwarted in their effort, the asuras, gods, and dānavas, / regaining supreme consciousness, praised the Lord of the Universe:

“Protect, protect, O Mahāviṣṇu, affectionate to those who take refuge! / By you is all this pervaded, both moving and unmoving.”

Then Hari manifested himself for the accomplishment of the gods' purpose. / Seeing them suddenly, Viṣṇu mounted upon Garuḍa,

playfully lifted that best of mountains and set it in an instant / upon Garutmat; then the god granted fearlessness to all.

Then, having raised up those gods, he carried that ancient mountain / to the northern shore of the milk ocean, placed it in the waters, and went away.

Then all the hosts of gods, having arrived together with the asuras, / took hold of Vāsuki and made an agreement:

Making Mandara the churning rod and Vāsuki the rope, / all the gods and asuras churned the ocean of milk.

As the ocean of milk was being churned, the mountain sank to Rasātala; / but becoming a tortoise at that very instant, the Lord of Ramā / lifted it immediately, which was like a wonder.

The mountain was then whirled, urged on by the gods and dānavas, / spinning without a support, like understanding without a guru.

The Supreme Self, Viṣṇu, then became the support of Mandara; / grasping it with his four arms, he churned the ocean, bringing delight.

Then all the gods and asuras churned the ocean of milk, / united in force, exceedingly mighty in power.

Between the back, neck, thighs, and knees of that great-souled tortoise, / that best of mountains, firm and made of the essence of diamond, [rubbed]; / and from the friction of both, the submarine fire arose.

And the halāhala poison was generated. Seeing that indeed, / Nārada, the divine seer of boundless brilliance, then spoke to the gods:

“The churning of the ocean should not be done by all of you right now. / Pray to Śiva, O gods! Dakṣa’s sacrifice— / has what was done by Vīrabhadra faded from your memory?

Therefore let Śiva be remembered quickly, O gods! He is higher even than the highest, / higher than the highest, the nature of supreme bliss, to be meditated on by yogins, free from phenomenal reality, formless.”

Those gods, churning in haste, bent on accomplishing their own aims, / all intent on desire, did not listen, since they were dull-witted.

Even with many instructions they could not be instructed; / possessed of aggregates of passion and hatred, they all turned their faces away from Śiva.

Engrossed solely in their enterprise, they churned the ocean of milk; / from that excessive churning of the milk ocean, the halāhala arose.

Mighty enough to burn the three worlds, it approached to destroy the gods. / Rising upward, it pervaded all the directions and the entire vault of the sky; / the kālakūṭa poison rushed forward to devour all living beings.

Seeing that mighty king of serpents together with the mountain in their hands by its force, / abandoning it right there, they fled at that moment, fleeing together with the asuras.

Likewise all the seers, Bhṛgu and others, by the hundreds, had calmed down; / just as happened at Dakṣa’s sacrifice, so it happened then.

All went to Satyaloka, urged urgently by Bhṛgu / with various Vedic utterances: “From the kālakūṭa hundreds [of perils come], / O gods, there is no doubt here; truth, the truth I speak to you!”

Hearing the speech spoken by Bhṛgu, afflicted by the kālakūṭa poison, / reaching Satyaloka, they went to Brahmā for refuge.

Seeing that blazing kālakūṭa, shining with radiance, / and seeing those gods and asuras ignorant of proper rites and knowledge, / Brahmā began to curse them, but was restrained by Nārada.

Brahmā said: / “What improper deed has been done, O gods? Whence has this agitation arisen? / Today it belongs to Īśvara; my speech is not otherwise!”

Then, surrounded by the gods, by the Vedas and the Upaniṣads, / and surrounded by various Āgamas, he departed out of fear of the kālakūṭa.

Then the gods, filled with worry, said this to one another: / “Enveloped in ignorance and desire, to what Śaṃkara shall we turn?”

Placing Brahmā at their head, the gods, filled with haste / and afflicted by fear of the kālakūṭa, all went to Vaikuṇṭha.

Then Brahmā and the hosts of seers, together with all the hosts of gods and asuras, / went for refuge to the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu, the ancient Person, the powerful Ruler, / Adhokṣaja, Mādhava, who abides in Vaikuṇṭha.

Meanwhile, the immense, swollen kālakūṭa came on; / having first burned the world of Brahmā, it burned Vaikuṇṭha as well.

Burned by the fire of the kālakūṭa, Viṣṇu, who dwells in the hearts of all, / along with his attendants, instantly assumed a dark complexion like a tamāla tree.

And Vaikuṇṭha, deep blue and filled with all worlds, / all those worlds then became enveloped in the poison of the water.

Encompassed by the eight coverings together with Brahmā, the cosmic egg / was swiftly reduced to ashes by that wondrous poison of the water.

There was no earth, no water, no fire, no wind, and no space then; / there was no ego-sense, no cosmic intellect, and likewise no primal ignorance. / From the wrath of Śiva, the universe then became a mass of ashes.

Thus ends the ninth chapter in the Kedārakhaṇḍa within the first Māheśvarakhaṇḍa in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, a compendium of eighty-one thousand [verses].