Kurma: The Tortoise
Fallen to the curse of Durvasa
Weak and helpless against the asuras
On the sixth manvantara of the present kalpa
Indra turned to the creator, the lord Brahma

Turn to Vishnu, he said, for it is he who preserves the order
The nectar of immortality, said Vishnu, is the only answer

Make peace with your enemies to achieve your ends
The ocean of milk you must churn

Mount Mandara, your churn dasher
And lord Vasuki will be the rope
Covet not things that the ocean will throw
Give not vent to anger when the Asuras take them by force
I promise you that their efforts will not reap them their rewards

Indra did face Bali for a feud he wished to forget
To join hands and work together for immortality in the end

Uprooting the mountain, working together
Not even halfway there they did fall
Before Indra could appeal, Lord Vishnu showed his form
Reviving the Devas, summoning the Garuda, the mountain was airborne
Play your role well Vasuki and a share of the nectar will be yours
Come my brothers, all our strength we will unite
For the common good of all, let us churn with all our might

As they did churn, their joy turned to despair
The mountain did sink
Into a tortoise lord Vishnu did transform
Plunging into the ocean deep
He held the mountain on his back
So they could begin to churn

The ocean did spit out
The deadliest of poison
Consuming both Deva and Asura
Frightened they ran to Kailasa

Om Namah Shiva

Swallowing the poison
Shiva did save them all

The poison was now removed
They churned the ocean again
Throwing up many precious things
Finally the nectar in the end

Dhanwantari holds the nectar
The key to immortality
Forgetting their truce the Asuras did usurp
Giving in to their greed
The Devas watched in dismay but obeyed Vishnu’s words:
‘Be not dejected, they are divided by greed, I shall charm them with my powers’
We have been fooled by Vishnu
Cheated of our share of the nectar
The lord smiled and vanished to the skies
Enraged they charged at the Devas

A terrible war ensued on the shores
The losses to both were great
But Indra did vanquish in the end
His might and splendor restored

Brahma sent word with Narada
To cease the hostilities
Indra did agree
The devas returned to their realms