SánscritoIASTSignificado
सुराः समुद्रम् उपतस्थिरे अमृत-अर्थाय निर्मथिष्यामहेsurāḥ samudram upatasthire amṛta-arthāya nirmathiṣyāmahethe gods approached the ocean: for the sake of amrita let us churn [the waters]
अपां-पतिः मम अपि अंशः भवेत्apāṃ-patiḥ mama api aṃśaḥ bhavetthe lord of the waters [said]: let a share be mine too
सोढा अस्मि मर्दं मन्दर-भ्रमणात्soḍhā asmi mardaṃ mandara-bhramaṇātI will bear the heavy grinding from the turning of Mandara
कूर्म-राजानं अकूपारं ऊचुःkūrma-rājānaṃ akūpāraṃ ūcuḥthey said to the king of turtles, Akupara
गिरेर् अधिष्ठानं भवान् भवितुम् अर्हतिgirer adhiṣṭhānaṃ bhavān bhavitum arhatiyou must become the support for the mountain
कूर्मेण पृष्ठम् अस्य समर्पितम्kūrmeṇa pṛṣṭham asya samarpitamthe turtle offered its back
तस्य शैलस्य अग्रं यन्त्रेण इन्द्रः अभ्यपीडयत्tasya śailasya agraṃ yantreṇa indraḥ abhyapīḍayatIndra fastened the peak of that mountain with a device (contrivance)
मन्थानं मन्दरं नेत्रं च वासुकिम् कृत्वाmanthānaṃ mandaraṃ netraṃ ca vāsukim kṛtvāmaking Mandara the churning-rod, and Vasuki the rope
देवाः मथितुम् आरब्धाः समुद्रंdevāḥ mathitum ārabdhāḥ samudraṃthe gods began to churn the ocean
दैत्य-दानवाः एकम् अन्तं नाग-राज्ञः उपाश्लिष्टाःdaitya-dānavāḥ ekam antaṃ nāga-rājñaḥ upāśliṣṭāḥthe daityas and danavas took hold of one end of the serpent-king
विबुधाः यतः पुच्छं ततः स्थिताःvibudhāḥ yataḥ pucchaṃ tataḥ sthitāḥthe gods stood on the side of the tail
अनन्तः भगवान् यतः नारायणः ततःanantaḥ bhagavān yataḥ nārāyaṇaḥ tataḥAnanta — wherever the Lord Narayana [is], there [he is] too
शिरः उद्यम्य नागस्य पुनः पुनः अवाक्षिपत्śiraḥ udyamya nāgasya punaḥ punaḥ avākṣipatlifting the serpent's head, again and again he brought [it] down
ततस्tatasoriginal form "tatas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तेनtenaoriginal form "tena", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सार्धंsārdhaṃoriginal form "sārdhaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तम्tamoriginal form "tam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऊचुर्ūcuroriginal form "ūcur", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अमृतार्थायamṛtārthāyaoriginal form "amṛtārthāya", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
जलम्jalamoriginal form "jalam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अपांपतिर्apāṃpatiroriginal form "apāṃpatir", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अथोवाचathovācaoriginal form "athovāca", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ममाप्य्mamāpyoriginal form "mamāpy", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अंशोaṃśooriginal form "aṃśo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सोढास्मिsoḍhāsmioriginal form "soḍhāsmi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
विपुलंvipulaṃoriginal form "vipulaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
मन्दरभ्रमणाद्mandarabhramaṇādoriginal form "mandarabhramaṇād", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
इतिitioriginal form "iti", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऊचुश्ūcuśoriginal form "ūcuś", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कूर्मराजानम्kūrmarājānamoriginal form "kūrmarājānam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सुरासुराःsurāsurāḥoriginal form "surāsurāḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अधिष्ठानम्adhiṣṭhānamoriginal form "adhiṣṭhānam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तुtuoriginal form "tu", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तथेत्य्tathetyoriginal form "tathety", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
उक्त्वाuktvāoriginal form "uktvā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अस्यasyaoriginal form "asya", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चाग्रंcāgraṃoriginal form "cāgraṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वैvaioriginal form "vai", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
यन्त्रेणेन्द्रोyantreṇendrooriginal form "yantreṇendro", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ऽभ्यपीडयत्'bhyapīḍayatoriginal form "'bhyapīḍayat", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
तथाtathāoriginal form "tathā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
चcaoriginal form "ca", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
देवाdevāoriginal form "devā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
निधिम्nidhimoriginal form "nidhim", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अम्भसाम्ambhasāmoriginal form "ambhasām", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अमृतार्थिनस्amṛtārthinasoriginal form "amṛtārthinas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ततोtatooriginal form "tato", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ब्रह्मन्brahmanoriginal form "brahman", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सहिताsahitāoriginal form "sahitā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
दैत्यदानवाःdaityadānavāḥoriginal form "daityadānavāḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अन्तम्antamoriginal form "antam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
उपाश्लिष्टाupāśliṣṭāoriginal form "upāśliṣṭā", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नागराज्ञोnāgarājñooriginal form "nāgarājño", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
महासुराःmahāsurāḥoriginal form "mahāsurāḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सहिताःsahitāḥoriginal form "sahitāḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
सर्वेsarveoriginal form "sarve", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
अनन्तोanantooriginal form "ananto", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
देवोdevooriginal form "devo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
यतोyatooriginal form "yato", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नारायणस्nārāyaṇasoriginal form "nārāyaṇas", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ततःtataḥoriginal form "tataḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
शिरśiraoriginal form "śira", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पुनर्punaroriginal form "punar", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Here is unveiled a wondrous image of universal cooperation under the Lord's direction. The mountain as churning-rod, the serpent as rope, the turtle as support — the whole creation takes part in obtaining the nectar of immortality. It is telling that the support is the Lord Himself in the form of a turtle (the Kurma-avatara, though here called merely "king of turtles"), and that Ananta is wherever Narayana is: everything rests upon the Lord and His servant. Herein lies the teaching: spiritual effort bears fruit only when the Lord is at its foundation. Notable too is the placement of the two sides: the asuras at the head (where the poison is), the gods at the tail; thus, by the Lord's design, the impious bring upon themselves the heat and poison of their own labor, while the devoted are kept safe. The Ocean, asking for a share, teaches that the elements too take part in the cosmic play and have a right to their portion. So the joint labor of gods and asuras, guided by Narayana, turns the wheel of the great undertaking.