Kurma
When Mount Mandara began to sink into the ocean of milk, Vishnu became a vast tortoise and bore it on his back — so the churning could go on and the nectar could rise.
The sinking mountain
[Traditional account]
At the churning of the ocean (Samudra Manthan) the devas and asuras used Mount Mandara as their churning rod. With no base beneath it, the mountain began to sink into the ocean of milk.
The tortoise beneath
Vishnu took the form of Kurma, a tortoise larger than the mountain itself, and dived beneath it. On his shell the mountain turned…
The journey continues for members
- Steady in the middle of the storm
- Temples
- What it teaches
Sources
- Bhagavata Purana — 8.7
- Kurma Purana
- Bhagavad Gita — 2.58