CHAPTER SEVEN

Lord Siva Saves the Universe

by Drinking Poison

The summary of the Seventh Chapter is as follows. As described in this
chapter, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appearing in His incarna-
tion as a tortoise, dove deep into the ocean to carry Mandara Mountain on
His back. At first the churning of the ocean produced kdlakita poison.
Everyone feared this poison, but Lord Siva satisfied them by drinking it.

With the understanding that when the nectar was generated from the
churning they would share it equally, the demigods and the demons
brought Vasuki to be used as the rope for the churning rod. By the ex-
pert arrangement of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the demons
held the snake near the mouth, whereas the demigods held the tail of the
great snake. Then, with great endeavor, they began pulling the snake in
both directions. Because the churning rod, Mandara Mountain, was very
heavy and was not held by any support in the water, it sank into the
ocean, and in this way the prowess of both the demons and the demigods
was vanquished. The Supreme Personality of Godhead then appeared in
the form of a tortoise and supported Mandara Mountain on His back.
Then the churning resumed with great force. As a result of the churn-
ing, a huge amount of poison was produced. The prajdpatis, seeing no
one else to save them, approached Lord Siva and offered him prayers full
of truth. Lord Siva is called Agutosa because he is very pleased if one is a
devotee. Therefore he easily agreed to drink all the poison generated by
the churning. The goddess Durga, Bhavani, the wife of Lord Siva, was
not at all disturbed when Lord Siva agreed to drink the poison, for she
knew Lord Siva’s prowess. Indeed, she expressed her pleasure at this
agreement. Then Lord Siva gathered the devastating poison, which was
everywhere. He took it in his hand and drank it. After he drank the
poison, his neck became bluish. A small quantity of the poison dropped
from his hands to the ground, and it is because of this poison that there
are poisonous snakes, scorpions, toxic plants and other poisonous things
in this world.

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