Srimad Bhagavatam — Ashtama Skandha, Shloka 11
Raivata and Cākṣuṣa Manvantaras; Brahmā’s Prayers at Śvetadvīpa
Prelude to Samudra-manthana
श्रीराजोवाच यथा भगवता ब्रह्मन्मथित: क्षीरसागर: । यदर्थं वा यतश्चाद्रिं दधाराम्बुचरात्मना ॥ ११ ॥ यथामृतं सुरै: प्राप्तं किं चान्यदभवत् तत: । एतद् भगवत: कर्म वदस्व परमाद्भुतम् ॥ १२ ॥
śrī-rājovāca yathā bhagavatā brahman mathitaḥ kṣīra-sāgaraḥ yad-arthaṁ vā yataś cādriṁ dadhārāmbucarātmanā
King Parīkṣit inquired: O great brāhmaṇa, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, why and how did Lord Viṣṇu churn the Ocean of Milk? For what reason did He stay in the water as a tortoise and hold up Mandara Mountain? How did the demigods obtain the nectar, and what other things were produced from the churning of the ocean? Kindly describe all these wonderful activities of the Lord.
FAQs
In this verse, King Parīkṣit asks Śukadeva Gosvāmī to explain the Lord’s purpose in churning the Milk Ocean—indicating that the event is a deliberate divine līlā meant to fulfill cosmic aims and benefit the devas and the world.
Because Śukadeva is narrating divine history, and Parīkṣit—eager to hear the Lord’s wondrous deeds—asks for the inner reasons (purpose and method) behind the Samudra Manthana and the Lord’s support of Mandara.
When a sacred goal feels impossible to sustain, the verse reminds devotees that the Lord can uphold the endeavor from within—encouraging steady effort, prayerful dependence, and trust in divine support.