Kurma Avatar: The Divine Tortoise

During the churning of the ocean the Lord became a great tortoise and held Mount Mandara on his back.

Kurma, the divine tortoise, is the second avatar of Lord Vishnu. According to the Shrimad Bhagavatam, the devas had lost their strength and splendour (according to the popular tradition, because of the curse of the sage Durvasa), while the asuras had grown very powerful. Lord Vishnu advised the devas to make a truce with the asuras and to churn the ocean of milk together with them in order to obtain amrita, the nectar of immortality.

Mount Mandara was used as the churning rod and the great serpent Vasuki as the rope. But as soon as the churning began, the mountain, having nothing to rest on, began to sink into the ocean. Then the Lord took the form of a vast tortoise, went down beneath the waters and lifted the whole mountain on his back. Devotees say that the turning mountain felt to him like a gentle scratching of his back.

First the deadly poison halahala came out of the ocean, and Lord Shiva, out of compassion for all beings, drank it and held it in his throat. Then many treasures appeared; Goddess Lakshmi arose and chose Lord Vishnu; and finally Lord Dhanvantari appeared carrying the pot of amrita. According to tradition, this took place in Satya Yuga.

Kurma teaches steadiness. Just as the tortoise bore the weight of the mountain without moving, a devotee should remain steady while life churns around him. In the Gita (2.58) too, the tortoise withdrawing its limbs is the image of the wise person who withdraws the senses from their objects.

Number

2

Yuga

Satya Yuga

Form

Tortoise

Source

Shrimad Bhagavatam, Canto 8