Lord Vishnu is one of the holy Trinity in Hindu religion, along with Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva. He has the task of preservation. Brahma is the creator and Shiva is the destroyer. As it is his duty to preserve the Universe, he had promised that he would appear on earth every time humanity faced a threat. He had pledged that he would incarnate on earth to restore Dharma and destroy Adharma. In Hindu mythology, the gods or Devas represented Dharma and the Danavas (Asuras/demons) represented Adharma.
There were many battles between the Danavas and the Devas for supremacy. In one such battles that occurred after the demons’ guru, Shukracharya, learnt the Sanjeevani Mantra, the demons defeated the gods. Their victory spelt the decline of righteousness and peace. If the demons became strong, then they would oust the gods from power and destroy the human race. Thus, to save humankind from them, Vishnu took the avatar of a Kurma (tortoise). In this form, he also played a major role in the Samudra Mathan, or churning of the Milky Ocean.
Hindu mythology speaks of the 10 avatars of Vishnu. They are called the Dasavatar. Though it is said that Vishnu has taken innumerable incarnations, these are the most important. The 10 avatars of Vishnu are Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, and Kalki. As per the Shiva Purana, Balarama is the 8th avatar.
Story of Kurma Avatar
Kurma avatar took place in the Satya Yuga. Vishnu took the form of a giant turtle or Kurma to save the earth from destruction. The Bhagavad Purana, Agni Purana and Ramayana talk about the Kurma avatar. Kurma Purana is one of the 18 major Puranas. Supposedly, Lord Vishnu himself narrated it to Sage Narada, and it mentions Kurma avatar in detail.
Kurma is the second avatar of Dasavatar. Kurma played a key role in Samudra Manthan. The gods and demons came together to churn the Milky ocean to get Amrit or the elixir of immortality. As Kurma, Vishnu acted as a base to support Mount Mandara which was the axis for churning the ocean.
Durvasa’s Curse
Sage Durvasa had cursed Lord Indra, as he felt that the latter had insulted him. Due to the curse, the gods became weaker and weaker. Therefore, the demons were able to defeat them easily in battles. Also, the demons had the upper hand as their guru Shukracharya knew the Sanjeevani Mantra which could be used to revive the wounded demons. Hence, Lord Vishnu decided to get Amrit or the divine nectar from the Milky ocean which could make the gods immortal. However, the gods needed the demons’ help for the task. To enlist their cooperation, the demons were also promised the nectar.
How the Milky Ocean was Churned
During the churning, Mount Mandara was meant to be the churning rod. But, the gods were not able to pull up the mountain on their own. So, as per Vishnu’s advice, the gods and the demons decided to churn the ocean together. The serpent Vasuki was the rope. During the churning process, Mandara began sinking into the mud at the bottom of the ocean. Then, Vishnu took Kurma avatar and supported the mountain on his shell. The churning of the ocean helped the gods and demons to get the Amrit.
Many other wonderful things also emerged from the ocean. One was Kamadhenu, the wish-fulfilling cow. Vishnu gave the cow to the sages. Another was Uchhaishravas, the 7-headed horse, which the Asuras got. The white elephant, Airavata, went to Indra, the king of the Devas. The gods also took Parijat, the tree with never-fading blossoms to Swarga or heaven.
The Asuras took Varuni, the creator of wine or alcohol. Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth, also emerged from the ocean but she chose to marry Lord Vishnu. Chandra or the Moon was another product of the ocean and it came to adorn Lord Shiva’s hair. Finally, Dhanvantari, who was the divine physician, came up, holding a pot of nectar. The gods and the demons began to fight over it. Garuda, Vishnu’s vehicle, snatched the pot and flew away. Some drops of nectar fell in Prayag (Allahabad) and 3 other places – Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik. It is at these holy places that the ‘Kumbh Mela’ takes place every 12 years. Finally, the asuras managed to get the pot. Vishnu then turned into a beautiful woman, Mohini, and said that he would distribute it equally among the gods and demons. But he gave it only to the gods. However, a demon called Svarbhanu disguised himself as a god and drank a drop or two before he was found out. Vishnu beheaded him with the Sudarshana chakra. But he had become immortal and the two parts became the shadow planets, Rahu and Ketu.
