The devas, The gods, invited the asuras, The DEmons, to help in recovering amrita, the elixir of immortality, from the depths of the cosmic ocean.

Mount Mandara—a spur of Mount Meru, the world axis— steadied at the bottom of the ocean by god Vishnu, incarnated as the tortoise Kurma, was used as a churning stick. The asuras held the head of Vasuki—A Naga, a semidivine being half-human, half-cobra—and the devas held his tail, turning Vasuki into a churning rope.

In the churning of the ocean many treasures were brought up from the depths: Chandra, the moon; Parijata, a beautiful and fragrant tree; Airavata, the four-tusked elephant; Kamadhenu, the cow of plenty; Madira, the goddess of wine; Kalpavriksha, the wish-fulfilling tree; the apsaras, the celestial dancers; Uccaihshravas, the celestial horse ; the goddess Lakshmi; Vishnu’s conch, mace and magic bow; and various gems.

And, finally, Dhanvantari, the Divine physician, rose out of the waters carrying in his hands the supreme treasure, the elixir of immortality, the amrita.