The Devas (Demi-Gods) and the Asuras (Demons) have been at war since the beginning of age. This bad blood resulted in multiple wars being fought throughout time. Some were won by the Devas while the others saw the Asuras emerge victorious over their nemesis. However, out of late the Devas were fighting a losing battle as all of them had lost their power and immortality due to various circumstances. The main factor for this was due to a curse put on them by Durvasa, a short tempered sage some time back. The reason for the sage's action was because Lord Indra was said to be disrespectful towards him when the former presented the latter with a garland of beautiful scented flowers. The Devas didn't know what to do as no matter how hard they tried, they were often on the receiving end. Nonetheless they knew that if this war continues, they would be wiped out soon and the universe would plunge into darkness. The Devas led by Lord Indra had to seek Lord Brahma for guidance. The Lord of Creation too didn't know how to help them because he was not allowed to participate in the war per-se. Nevertheless, he suggested they approach Lord Vishnu. So, they set off to Vaikunda which is the abode of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Laxmi. After some time, they reached their destination to meet the Supreme One. Vaikunda is the most beautiful sights in the universe. Even the Devas were mesmerised. It was filled with fragrant flowers and the inhabitants ranged from microscopic life-forms to really huge ones. The birds and insects hummed as though they were singing glories to Lord Vishnu while the plants and trees swayed to the soothing sound. The other inhabitants in human form on Vaikunda were beautiful as the Lord and the Goddess of Fortune themselves.
The inhabitants of Vaikunda lived a peaceful and happy life. There was no greed, envy or even desires. There were not an ounce of lust or desires for worldly matters in any form of life on Vaikunda. They are already happy with the affection and love from Lord Vishnu.
From afar, Brahma and the Devas could see the Goddess of Fortune worshipping the Supreme One. Others were singing songs and playing various musical instruments praising Lord Vishnu. Some were seen offering Lotus flowers and Basil leaves to the couple.
The Devas and Lord Brahma requested an audience with the Lord after seeking permission from the gate-keepers, Jaya and Vijaya. After they were allowed in, they met the Lord. Indra told the Supreme One everything about what is going on between them and the Asuras. Lord Vishnu knew their predicament but he said he could not lift the curse as he had no right whatsoever to lift the curse of a divine sage. He also added that he cannot give them back their power. However, he advised them to churn the ocean to obtain 'Amrit', the nectar of immortality. The Lord said this was the only way to defeat the powerful Asuras. The Devas agreed without giving a second thought. The Lord explained the gist of his plan. 'We shall churn the ocean after adding certain sacred herbs which only I could obtain. We will use the great mountain, Mount Mandarachal as the churning stick and Serpent Vasuki will function as the rope.' 'That's all, my Lord?' Lord Indra exclaimed. 'This should be easy.' He said in a confident tone. 'No, Indra. This is the easy part. The physical part is always easy. Controlling your emotions, desires and getting rid of your ego will be a bigger challenge,' explained Lord Vishnu. 'What do you want us to do, Lord?' Indra asked. 'Put your egos aside and ask the Asuras to help you turn the mighty Mount Mandarachal.' 'WHAT!?' 'Wait. I haven't finished,' said Lord Vishnu. 'Suppress your desires by not desiring anything that comes out from the ocean and last but not least control your emotions by not reacting to anything the Asuras do during this mission. Remember, you cannot vent your anger even if the Asuras forcibly take everything that comes out from the ocean. Simple!' Lord Vishnu explained. Indra yelled 'This is impossible, my Lord! All our efforts will be in vain if the Asuras get the nectar. They cannot be trusted at any cost.' 'Tone down Indra. I will not disappoint anyone who puts their trust and faith in me. We will win this war and the universe will remember this day as the day that good crushed evil because we managed to control our emotions, desires and got rid of our ego. But all of you must trust me and have faith in my plan. We will only succeed if we work together and this event shall serve as a lesson to all.' 'We trust you my Lord but....but....' 'Enough! We will do as Vishnu says. I have total trust in him and he has never and will never disappoint us,' intervened Lord Brahma.
Vishnu then explained his plan in detail. The Devas listened attentively and promised to do anything that Lord Vishnu instructs. Lord Indra, Lord Agni (Lord of Fire) and Lord Vahyu (Lord of Wind) went to meet the Asuras and their leader, King Bali. Indra explained everything and told them that once the mission was accomplished, the Devas and Asuras would share the nectar and everything that comes out from the ocean equally. Both clans favoured the plan and peace was declared among them. Well, perhaps maybe for the time being.
The day had arrived. Both clans began to carry the mighty mountain to the centre of the ocean. The mountain was so heavy that the Devas and Asuras put in all their might in order to lift and move it. Suddenly, a thunderous sound was heard. The Devas and Asuras couldn't hold onto the mountain and it fell crushing many from both sides. Dazed and badly bruised, they didn't know what to do as it was almost impossible to even lift the mountain. Then, Lord Indra remembered Lord Vishnu's words – 'I will never disappoint those who put their trust in me.' Without wasting a second, Lord Indra prayed for the Supreme One's divine intervention. Within moments Lord Vishnu arrived on his vahana, Garuda. Together, both lifted the mountain rather easily and put it in the middle of the ocean. Lord Vishnu then waved goodbye and then disappeared into the mist with his Garuda heading back to Vaikundha. Once the mountain was in place, both Devas and Asuras began churning. They were happy that their mission would soon be accomplished. 'Keep on churning my brothers,' said Lord Indra hence motivating himself and the other Devas. 'Quickly, you lazy fools', shouted Bali in his own way of motivating his clan. With the blessing of Lord Vishnu himself, both clans began churning vigilantly. All seemed going well until suddenly, the heavy mountain began to sink into the deep ocean. So heavy was the mountain that even the might of the Devas and Asuras put together were not enough to sustain it. It seemed impossible to save the mountain and the mission now was in jeopardy. The Devas and Asuras with all their might tried to pull up the mountain but to no avail. Some even began to give up. However, the rest still hung on. This continued for years. The Devas put all their trust in Vishnu and began to pray and meditate on him. The Asuras, on the other hand, only relied on their strength.
Meanwhile in Vaikundha, Vishnu and his consort Laxmi saw all that was happening. They were satisfied with the Devas sincerity. The Lord decided to manifest himself into the form of 'Kurma' (a giant tortoise) in order to complete the mission. Vishnu reached the ocean and dived straight into the great depths of the wicked ocean. With Lord Shiva's blessing, he took the avatar of Kurma. Once he took the form of Kurma, He rose and reached under Mount Mandarachal. With all his might, he held the mountain on his back. Both Devas and Asuras were awestruck. They believed now that the mission was saved. They began to churn again. This was done for almost a century until the ocean was fully churned.
Towards the end of the churning, Indra told Bali and his troops to hold the tail of Vasuki. Suspecting foul play, Bali did not listen to him and told him that they will hold Vasuki's head instead and the Devas hold the tail. Indra obliged as this was what Bali wanted. The great serpent began to feel tired. Soon, poisonous venom began to come out from Vasuki's mouth. This weakened the Asuras and being afraid, they churned harder and quicker. This ploy back fired as the quick-churning threw up a deadly poison, HALAHAL which could destroy all life on earth. 'What have you done? We are now doomed. You useless Asuras. Nobody can save us now. This poison is the most poisonous venom in this world and you brought it upon us,' said Agni.
'This is the end', screamed the Asuras running for their lives. The Devas decided to meet Lord Shiva. Lord Indra and a few others ran to Kailash. They told Lord Shiva everything. 'Please help us oh Great One. You are the greatest of all,' pleaded Indra. 'Go now Indra. All of you go back to the ocean and complete the mission by doing as Vishnu instructed. I know what to do to restore balance,' said Lord Shiva.
The Devas listened to Lord Shiva and went back. Within moments, Lord Shiva arrived at the ocean. He grew in size, taller than the highest peak in the three worlds. Lord Shiva drank all the poison until his throat turned blue hence gaining the name Neelakandan. Until today, Lord Shiva's throat remains blue. He left after his purpose was completed but there were still bits of HALAHAL floating here and there on the surface of the ocean.
The Devas and Asuras resumed churning once the poison was removed. Many valuable objects emerged. Most of the objects caught the eyes of everyone there but the Devas promised Vishnu they will not desire for anything no matter how eye-catching they are. The Asuras on the other hand were only interested in the nectar. Finally, the time everyone was waiting for had come. Dhanvantari emerged with the pot of nectar in his hand. The Asuras ran towards him and grabbed the nectar. Greedy as they were, they started fighting among themselves. Even the mighty Bali could not control them. Each and every one of them wanted all the nectar only for themselves. Their uncivilised behaviour embarrassed Bali.
The Devas were dismayed looking at this sorrowful sight but remembering Lord Vishnu's advice they only stood and watched helplessly. Lord Vishnu was pleased that the Devas listened to his advice and controlled their desires as this showed they fully surrendered to him. Therefore, Lord Vishnu took the disguise as a beautiful woman, Mohini. The beauty of Mohini was unmatched and was only parallel to the Goddess of Fortune. He came down to the ocean and sang beautiful songs and performed a graceful dance that mesmerised the Asuras. Even the Devas didn't know that Mohini was actually Vishnu. The Asuras didn't care about the nectar now. They only wanted Mohini as she was the most beautiful being that existed during that time and would do anything she says. All the Asuras including Bali were drowned in a pool of lust.
'All of you stand in two lines. I will distribute the nectar equally,' said Mohini. Although the Devas and Asuras didn't like this idea neither spoke because the former did not want to disappoint Vishnu while the latter were afraid to offend Mohini. Mohini distributed the nectar to the Devas first. As Mohini distributed the nectar, an Asura, Rahu got suspicious and stood towards the end of the Devas' line and drank some Amrit. Shani saw this and told Mohini, who then took his original form and cut the Asura's head using his chakra. However, Rahu couldn't die as he had already consumed the Amrit. Rahu's head and body were then sent into the solar system and turned into planets Rahu and Kethu respectively. Seeing Vishnu, the Devas were awe struck and bowed before the Lord. By now all the nectar had been distributed to the Devas. The Asuras were furious. 'You tricked us,' shouted Bali. Vishnu accomplished his task. He flew away on his Garuda as his task was completed.
A terrible fight ensued between the Devas and Asuras. The Devas became too powerful and attained immortality after drinking the nectar. They killed almost all the Asuras and drove the rest away. The ocean was covered with thousands of Asuras' dead bodies and tonnes of their blood. The Devas rejoiced as this victory did not come easy and took thousands of years to achieve. All of them returned home. Once they reached home, led by Lord Indra they paid homage to Lord Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma for helping them defeat the Asuras. Without their help, it would have been impossible. Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma were pleased that the Devas were thankful and put their trust into the supreme lords without any expectations and doubts. Back in the ocean an evil entity which had existed since the beginning of time began to rise. The souls, bodies and blood of thousands of Asuras mixed with the bits of HALAHAL spawned an evil entity called Demon Kali. This creature has been waiting for centuries to arise and finally it was made possible from the events at the ocean.
The Devas were unaware of this as they were busy celebrating their victory. However, Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma knew about this but they didn't act on it because they knew Kali had to rise in order for righteousness to rule on earth again. The supreme Lords knew that when there is good in the universe, evil must exist. Only then there would be a balance. The rise of Demon Kali was fated and it had to happen because for every sin Demon Kali committed, humans had a chance to learn and improve themselves tremendously. There will be a lesson in every one of Kali's act. Therefore, the Tri-murti decided to just let fate take its course.