So ends the seventeenth section in the Astika Parva of the Adi Parva.

SECTION XVIII

(Astika Parva continued)

“Sauti said, ’There is a mountain called Mandara adorned with cloud-like peaks.  It is the best of mountains, and is covered all over with intertwining herbs.  There countless birds pour forth their melodies, and beasts of prey roam about.  The gods, the Apsaras and the Kinnaras visit the place.  Upwards it rises eleven thousand yojanas, and descends downwards as much.  The gods wanted to tear it up and use it as a churning rod but failing to do so same to Vishnu and Brahman who were sitting together, and said unto them, ’Devise some efficient scheme, consider, ye gods, how Mandara may be dislodged for our good.’

“Sauti continued, ’O son of Bhrigu!  Vishnu with Brahman assented to it.  And the lotus-eyed one (Vishnu) laid the hard task on the mighty Ananta, the prince of snakes.  The powerful Ananta, directed thereto both by Brahman and Narayana, O Brahmana, tore up the mountain with the woods thereon and with the denizens of those woods.  And the gods came to the shore of the Ocean with Ananta and addressed the Ocean, saying, ’O Ocean; we have come to churn thy waters for obtaining nectar.’  And the Ocean replied, ’Be it so, as I shall not go without a share of it.  I am able to bear the prodigious agitation of my waters set up by the mountain.’  The gods then went to the king of tortoises and said to him, ’O Tortoise-king, thou wilt have to hold the mountain on thy back!’ The Tortoise-king agreed, and Indra contrived to place the mountain on the former’s back.

“And the gods and the Asuras made of Mandara a churning staff and Vasuki the cord, and set about churning the deep for amrita.  The Asuras held Vasuki by the hood and the gods held him by the tail.  And Ananta, who was on the side of the gods, at intervals raised the snake’s hood and suddenly lowered it.  And in consequence of the stretch Vasuki received at the hands of the gods and the Asuras, black vapours with flames issued from his mouth.  These, turned into clouds charged with lightning, poured showers that refreshed the tired gods.  And flowers that also fell on all sides of the celestials from the trees on the whirling Mandara, refreshed them.

“Then, O Brahmana, out of the deep came a tremendous roar like unto the roar of the clouds at the Universal Dissolution.  Diverse aquatic animals being crushed by the great mountain gave up the ghost in the salt waters.  And many denizens of the lower regions and the world of Varuna were killed.  Large trees with birds on the whirling Mandara were torn up by the roots and fell into the water.  The mutual friction of those trees also produced fires that blazed up frequently.  The mountain thus looked like a mass of dark clouds charged with lightning.  O Brahmana, the fire spread, and consumed the lions, elephants and other creatures that were on the mountain.  Then Indra extinguished that fire by pouring down heavy showers.