Skandapurana 2.9.13

Skanda said:

Watching him being born, all those churners

saw from afar Dhanvantari approaching near Śrī.

Seeing the golden jar filled with nectar held in his hand,

the asuras leaped up suddenly, O brāhmaṇa, and seized it. // 2

Even among them, those who were strong took it and ran away from there;

the weak ones, running after them, tried to restrain them with words of righteous conduct: // 3

'Ah, you who are devoted to dharma must not commit such unrighteousness!

It must be drunk only after giving [a share] to the gods who exerted equal effort, and not otherwise.' // 4

Disregarding that statement, they went far away in haste;

even there, a great tug-of-war broke out among them: // 5

'I first! I first! Not you! Not you! I shall drink!'

Quarreling thus, they did not obtain a moment to consume it. // 6

Then the gods, their faces withered upon seeing the nectar stolen by the daityas,

being unable to counter it, sought refuge with Acyuta: // 7

'Protect us, protect us, O Lord of the Universe! Our all has been lost!

All the nectar has been seized by the daityas; what will become of our fate? // 8

Even without drinking the nectar, they are fully capable of slaying us;

if the nectar is drunk by them today, what shall we do?' // 9

Skanda said:

Hearing the distress of the gods, the Blessed Lord, who accomplishes the welfare of his devotees,

said to the gods, 'Do not fear,' and desired to recover the nectar from the asuras. // 13.10

Assuming a wondrous female form that bewitched all the worlds,

he approached the daityas and played with a ball. // 11

Beholding that form, captivated and overcome with desire,

they ceased their mutual scuffle, approached her, and said these words: // 12

'Take this jar of nectar, fair lady, and divide it among us;

make all of us drink, O shapely-hipped woman; we are the sons of Kaśyapa.' // 13

Having spoken thus, they gave it to her, even though the woman was unwilling.

She said: 'You should not place trust in me, for I am a wanton woman. // 14

You have indeed acted improperly; I will divide it according to my own wish.'

Even when spoken to thus, those fools said, 'Do as you please.' // 15

Then, by her command, all the gods, the daityas, and Vāsuki

sat down there in rows, each resorting to their own group. // 16

While they were engaged in forming rows, Mohinī, from a distance,

sat down upon a golden seat facing the rows of the gods. // 17

Placing the jar of nectar beside herself, with feminine grace,

looking here and there, she sat for a moment as if indifferent. // 18

Then the dānava troop-commanders, Vipracitti and the others,

became suspicious of Mohinī because of her being near the gods. // 19

Approaching stealthily and deceiving her gaze, the evil-minded ones,

desiring to drink, stole the nectar jar again and went away in secret. // 13.20

Nara and Nārāyaṇa, who had arrived there along with the munis,

were present; the two saw those dānavas carrying off the nectar. // 21

Prompted then by Nārāyaṇa, Nara suddenly blocked them;

wresting that jar by force, he quickly gave it to Mohinī. // 22

Then, desiring to kill Nara, the dānavas took up their weapons

and rushed forward, and a great disruption of the rows occurred among the asuras. // 23

Then the lord Nara, unconquerable even by gods, daityas, and men,

fearless and mighty, fought alone against them. // 24

Meanwhile Viṣṇu, in the form of Mohinī, moving swiftly,

made the gods seated in their rows drink the nectar on all sides. // 25

Even then, the dānava Rāhu, entering between the sun and the moon,

sat unnoticed in the row of the deities. // 26

When Mohinī came there and was pouring nectar into his mouth,

both the sun and the moon indicated him to her with their gaze.

With the discus that arrived upon His thought, right then,

the Lord, in the form of the illusory woman, cut off his very large head along with the nectar.

Resembling a mountain peak, swallowing the worlds, and roaring loudly,

Hari placed it as a planet for the peace of the worlds.

Having made the gods drink the nectar, the Lord

assumed His male form; and then the gods fought with the Dānavas.

On the shore of the ocean, a battle [took place] between the gods and the Asuras,

[the gods] being exceedingly strong from drinking the nectar and aided by Viṣṇu.

Being struck down in that tumultuous battle by Nara, Indra, and the others,

the Asuras fled and entered Rasātala.

Meanwhile, the sun set; then all the hosts of gods,

celebrating the great festival of her darśana, approached Śrī.

Thus ends the thirteenth chapter, titled 'Description of the Gods Drinking the Nectar', in the glorious Vāsudevamāhātmya of the second section, the Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa, in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, a collection of eighty-one thousand [verses].