Asuras set up a loud cry, saying, "Ye have taken all, he must be ours.'
"And at length rose the great elephant, Airavata, of huge body and with two pairs of white tusks. And him took the holder of the thunder-bolt. But the churning still went on, so that poison at last appeared, and began to overspread the earth, blazing like a flame mixed with fumes. And at the scent of the fearful Kalakuta, the three worlds were stupefied. And then Mahadeva of the Mantra form, solicited by Brahma, to save the creation swallowed the poison and held it in his throat. And it is said that the god from that time is called Nilakantha (blue-throated.) Seeing all these wondrous things, the Asuras were filled with despair, and prepared to enter into hostilities with the gods for the possession of Lakshmi and nectar. Thereupon Narayana called his bewitching Maya to his aid, and assuming a ravishing female form, coquetted with the Asuras. And the Daityas, ravished with her charms, lost their reason and unanimously placed the nectar in the hands of that fair woman."
So ends the eighteenth Section in the Astika of the Adi Parva.
Section XIX.
( Astika Parva continued. )
Sauti said, "Then the Daityas and the Danavas with first class armours and various weapons pursued the gods. In the meantime the valiant Lord Vishnu accompanied by Nara took away the nectar in his hands from those mighty Danavas.
"And then all the tribes of the gods during that time of great fright drank the nectar receiving it from Vishnu. And while the gods were drinking that nectar after which they had so much hankered, a Danava named Rahu was drinking it in the guise of a god. And when the nectar had only reached Rahu's throat, the Sun and the Moon (discovered him and) communicated the fact to the gods. And Narayana instantly cut off with his discus the well-adorned head of the Danava who was drinking the nectar without permission. And
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