Shloka 95
ततः शीतांशुर् अभवज् जगृहे तं महेश्वरः जगृहुश् च विषं नागाः क्षीरोदाब्धिसमुत्थितम्
tataḥ śītāṃśur abhavaj jagṛhe taṃ maheśvaraḥ jagṛhuś ca viṣaṃ nāgāḥ kṣīrodābdhisamutthitam
Then the cool-rayed Moon came forth, and Maheśvara (Śiva) received him. And the Nāgas, too, took up the poison that had arisen from the Ocean of Milk, so that the order of the worlds might proceed without hindrance.
Sage Parāśara (narrating to Maitreya)
Speaker: Parasara
Topic: Account of the churning of the Ocean of Milk and the successive emergents (ratnas)
Teaching: Cosmological
Quality: authoritative
Concept: Even perilous byproducts of cosmic processes are restrained by appointed powers so that the larger order (ṛta/dharma) can unfold.
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Hold disruptive forces (anger, fear, excess) within disciplined channels so higher aims can proceed without obstruction.
Vishishtadvaita: Cosmic order operates through distinct divine agencies, yet coheres under the Supreme’s governance (niyantṛtva).
FAQs
This verse places Chandra among the cosmic manifestations produced by the churning, marking the restoration and ordering of time, nourishment, and rhythm in the universe as the churning yields world-sustaining powers.
Parāśara narrates that the poison born of the churning is not left to devastate creation; it is taken up (contained/borne) by powerful beings—here, the Nāgas—so the unfolding of the churning and the stability of the worlds can continue.
Even when other deities and beings act (Śiva receiving the Moon, Nāgas containing poison), the episode operates within Vishnu’s overarching cosmic sovereignty—his sustaining order (dharma and loka-saṃgraha) frames and makes meaningful the cooperative roles of all powers.