Shloka 12

Amṛta-Pāna, Rāhu’s Detection, and the Sudarśana Intervention (अमृतपान-राहुप्रकाशन-सुदर्शनप्रयोगः)

Devanagari script

देवैरसुरसड्घैश्व मथ्यतां कलशोदधि: । भविष्यत्यमृतं तत्र मथ्यमाने महोदधौ,उसके शुभ एवं उच्चतम शृंग असंख्य चमकीले रत्नोंसे व्याप्त हैं। वे अपनी विशालताके कारण आकाशके समान अनन्त जान पड़ते हैं। समस्त महातेजस्वी देवता मेरुगिरिके उस महान्‌ शिखरपर चढ़कर एक स्थानमें बैठ गये और सब मिलकर अमृत- प्राप्तिके लिये क्या उपाय किया जाय, इसका विचार करने लगे। वे सभी तपस्वी तथा शौच- संतोष आदि नियमोंसे संयुक्त थे। इस प्रकार परस्पर विचार एवं सबके साथ मन्त्रणामें लगे हुए देवताओंके समुदायमें उपस्थित हो भगवान्‌ नारायणने ब्रह्माजीसे यों कहा--“समस्त देवता और असुर मिलकर महासागरका मन्थन करें। उस महासागरका मन्‍न्थन आरम्भ होनेपर उसमेंसे अमृत प्रकट होगा

Transliteration

śaunaka uvāca | devair asurasaṅghaiś ca mathyatāṁ kalaśodadhiḥ | bhaviṣyaty amṛtaṁ tatra mathyamāne mahodadhau ||

Translation

Śaunaka said: “Let the Ocean of the Pot (the great ocean) be churned by the gods together with the hosts of asuras. When that vast ocean is churned, nectar will arise from it.” The verse frames a cooperative yet morally charged undertaking: even rival powers may be drawn into joint action when the aim is a higher good, though the fruits of such action demand discernment and rightful distribution.

Word by Word

देवैःby the gods

असुरसङ्घैःby the hosts of asuras

चand

मथ्यताम्let (it) be churned

कलशोदधिःthe ocean (like a pot; i.e., the great ocean)

भविष्यतिwill arise / will come to be

अमृतम्nectar of immortality

तत्रthere / in that (ocean)

मथ्यमानेwhile being churned

महोदधौin the great ocean

Speaker

शौनक उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śaunaka

Devas

Asuras

Kalaśodadhi (the ocean)

Amṛta (nectar of immortality)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights purposeful cooperation: even opposing groups (devas and asuras) can be directed toward a shared enterprise when the goal is extraordinary (amṛta). Ethically, it implies that great outcomes arise from disciplined collective effort, but such power-conferring results must be handled according to dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Śaunaka reports the proposal that the gods and the asuras should churn the great ocean (kalaśodadhi/mahodadhi). The churning is presented as the causal means by which amṛta, the nectar of immortality, will manifest.