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The Asuras approved of the plan and made friends with the Devas. They then went together and uprooted the golden moun- tain Mandara and carried it towards the ocean. After going a long way, they felt fatigued and dropped the mountain. Several Devas and Asuras were crushed by its fall. Vishnu appeared on Garuda and revived them all. He then easily placed the mountain on the back of Garuda and went towards the ocean, followed by the Devas and Asuras. The Serpent King Vastiki was assured of a share in Amrita and he consented to become the rope. The Mountain was then surrounded by Vastki. Vishnu followed by the Devas held the mouth of the ser- pent. But the Asuras said:—"We have learned the Vedas, we know the Sastras, it is improper for us to hold the tail of a serpent. We will not do that. It is inauspicious." Vishnu smiled. He and the Devas gave up the mouth end and held the tail. The churning then commenced. The Mountain was however heavy and it sank down to the bottom of the ocean. The Devas and Asuras became mournful. Vishnu then assumed the form of a Tor- toise, went into the water and raised the Mountain. He then remained like a Dvipa one lakhsa Yojanas in expanse with the mountain on his back. He infused his influence all round. Energised by Him, the Devas and Asuras vigorously carried on the churning. At last fire and smoke came out from the thousand mouths of Vastki. This over- powered the Asuras and the Devas—but the Devas were refreshed by clouds, rains, and winds sent by Vishnu. After a good deal of churning, poison came out first. It spread out on all sides and the Prajapatis and their progeny in terror took the shelter of Siva. Siva felt compassion for them and with the approval of Durga, he drank up the whole of the poison. It made his throat blue. The Churning recommenced. Out came Surabhi (the fabulous cow of plenty). The Vedic Rishis took that Cow for the necessaries of Yajna. Then came the horse Uchchaih-Sravas. Bali desired to have it. But Indra as directed by Vishnu made no desire. Then came the elephant Airavata, then the 8 space elephants and their 8 female part- ners. 186 A Study of the Bhagavata Purana Next arose Kaustubha, the celebrated lotus-colored gem. Vishnu wished to have it as an ornament for His breast. Next came Parijata, then the Apsaras. Illumining all sides with her lustre arose Lakshmi. All paid homage to her. She looked on all sides, but found none, whom she could accept. If there was an ascetic he could not control his anger. If there was a Jnani (sophist) he could not get over attachments. There might be a Mahatma, but he had not conquered his passion of love. How could he be called Isvara, who depended on others, (and no one but Isvara could claim Lakshmi). If there was Dharma any where, there was not friendliness for all beings. If there was sacrifice, it was not for liberation. There was power but it could not resist the flow of time. If there was one void of likes and dislikes, he did not take a companion. If there was any one long lived, he had neither good nature (Sila) nor auspiciousness (Mangala.) If one had good nature and auspiciousness, he was not long lived. If one had all the Virtues he was out of his element with her. If he was all that she wanted he did not want her. Considering everything, Lakshmi at last accepted Vishnu for her husband. He placed her on His breast. She favored the Devas, so they became possessed of all the virtues. She showed indifference to the Asuras, so they lost their might, energy and modesty and became greedy. Then arose a lotus eyed girl called Varuni (Spirituous liquor.) The Asuras accepted her. Then arose Dhanvantari, part of a part of Vishnu, with a pot of Amrita in hand. Seeing the pot of Amrita, the greedy Asuras took that by force. They quarrelled with each other, some saying "First myself," "First myself," others saying "Not you" "Not you," whilst the weaker amongst them finding that they were going to be deprived, cried out in jealousy "The Devas are also entitled to an equal share. They have also toiled with us." At this time Vishnu became a most beautiful young woman. She filled the hearts of the Asura Chiefs with passion. They asked the tempting girl to settle their differences and to make a proper distri- bution of Amrita amongst them. "But how can you trust a woman," said the girl. But the Asuras had fallen in love with her, so they made Purnendu Narayana Sinha, M. A., B. L. 187 over the Amrita pot to her without further thought. She consented to distribute Amrita on the condition that the Asuras should put up with whatever she did, right or wrong. The Asuras consented. She then made the Devas and Asuras sit in two separate rows. She distributed the whole of the Amrita amongst the Devas. Only one Asura, named Rahu, sat with the Devas. The Sun and the Moon pointed him out to the girl Vishnu. Vishnu then and there severed the head from the body of the Asura, but as the head had touched Amrita, it became immortal. Brahma made it a planet. Rahu still pursues the Sun and Moon at eclipses out of enmity. When the Amrita was wholly spent, Vishnu assumed His own form and in the presence of all left the place on the back of Garuda. The Asuras found they had been deceived and they became very angry. They could not bear the success of their enemies but they instantly engaged in fight with them. The fight was personal be- tween the chiefs of both sides. (It is interesting to note the antag- onistic names, as they give the correspondences between the Deva and Asura chiefs.) Indra fought with Bali, Kartikeya with Taraka, Varuna with Heti, Mitra with Praheti, Yama with Kalanabha, Vis- vakarma with Maya, Tvastri with Sambara, Savitri with Virochana, Aparajita with Namuchi. The Asvini Kumaras with Vrishaparvan, Strya (Sun) with the hundred sons of Bali, Vana and others, Chandra (Moon) with Rahu, Vayu with Puloman, Bhadra Kali with Sumbha and Nishumbha, Vrishakapi with Jambha, Vibhavasu with Mahisha, the sons of Brahma with Ilvala and Vatapi, Brihaspati with Sukra, Sani with Naraka, the Maruts with the Nivatakavachas, the Vasus with the Kaleyas, the Visvadevas with the Poulamas and the Rudras with the Krodhavasas. (Those who want to make a deep study will do well to note these correspondences as they will serve to explain points which I have not touched upon as beyond the scope of the present work). The Asuras used all the weapons of tempting Maya and conquered the Devas, Vishnu then came to their rescue and they became victori- ous (The details of the fight might be interesting from an occult point of view, for which the reader must refer to the original.) Siva heard that Vishnu had assumed an enchanting female form. To satisfy his curiosity he went to Him with Bhavani. Vishnu as- 188 A Study of the Bhagavata Purana sumed that form again to satisfy Siva. The Astral Lord became pas- sionate and ran after that female form and embraced her. The female Vishnu got out of the embrace and re-assumed His own form. Siva was then restored to himself. THOUGHTS ON THE ABOVE. We have already seen that the ascent of spirit commenced in the Vaivasvata Manvantara. If the fourteenth Manvantara or the sec- ond half of the Seventh Round he left out of consideration, as the Manvantara of Dissolution or Pralaya, the middle of the remaining 13 Manvantaras will be in the Vaivasvata Manvantara. But the as- cent could not commence without preparation. That preparation was made in the Chakshusha Manvantara or during the latter half of the Third Round. Sri or Lakshmi is the Satvic energy of preservation. This energy was so much overpowered by Materiality, that she was not to be found in Triloki. The spiritual forces, the Devas, lost life and energy. The Asuras were at the height of their power. But as the ascending arc was near at hand, the Devas were promised Amrita i.e. immor- tality for the remaining part of the Kalpa. But that Amrita was to be obtained, the arc of spiritual evolution was to be raised by the churn- ing of the ocean of Milk. The ocean of Milk does not appertain to Jambu Dwipa, but it is the ocean of Saka Dwipa. The seven oceans are transformations of Prakriti, differing in the admixture of Satva, Rajas and Tamas and determining the character of the globe they surround. Vishnu, as the Third Purusha, is the divine source of evolution in every Jiva. The seat of that Vishnu is the ocean of Milk, the ocean where Satva prevails. It is Vishnu who from His seat in the Ocean of Milk sends down Pranic Energy and the mineral becomes a vegetable. He sends down the power of perception and then the power of conception and the vegetable becomes an animal and at last a man. Throughout this course of evolution, there is a development of the self element in us. There is no idea of self in the mineral or in the vegetable. It faintly asserts itself or rather makes an effort to assert itself in the animal kingdom. The early history of humanity is the development of the Purnendu Narayana Sinha, M. A., B. L. 189 selfish element in him. The Jiva has two sides in himself and non- self. The self side is caused by limitation due to his own senses They put him in contact with the outside world, and make him a centre of sense perceptions. He becomes lost entirely in the sense products, which form a world by themselves. The non-self side of a Jiva, is his spiritual nature. He begins with this spiritual nature. But the devel- opment of selfishness eclipses this nature, the true, the real nature of Jiva, and he identifies himself entirely with the acquired and false nature. Then comes a crisis in the evolution of Jivas. Were men to be lost for ever to their spiritual, their real nature?