Samudra Manthan — The Churning of the Ocean
After sage Durvasa cursed Indra and the gods to lose all their strength, the demons (asuras) took over the universe. Lord Vishnu advised the gods to churn the Ocean of Milk with the demons to obtain amrita, the nectar of immortality. They used Mount Mandara as the churning rod and the serpent Vasuki as the rope. However, the mountain began to sink, so Vishnu took his Kurma (tortoise) avatar to support it on his back. As they churned, fourteen treasures emerged, including the deadly poison halahala, which Shiva drank to save creation, turning his throat blue (earning him the name Nilakantha). F