KURMA, in Hindu mythology, was the second grand avatara of Vishnu, in the form of a tortoise, and evidently refers, like the first, the matsya or fish avatar, to the flood. For the purpose of restoring to man some of the comforts and con veniences that were lost in the flood, Vishnu is fabled to have become incarnate again in the form of a tortoise, in which shape he sustained the mountain Mandara, placed on his back to serve as an axis, wherewith the gods and asura—the vast serpent Vasuki serving as a rope—churned the ocean for the recovery of the amrita, or beverage of immortality. And the result of the operation, and that which chiefly distinguished this avatara, was the obtainment of fourteen articles, usually called fourteen gems or chatur desa ratna, in common language chauda ratni, viz. 1. The Moon, Chandra; 2. Sri or Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune and beauty ; 3. Sura, wine, or Suradevi, the goddess of wine ; 4. Uchisrava, an eight-headed horse ; 5. Kustubha, a jewel of inestimable value ; 6. Parijata, a tree that spon taneously yielded everything desired ; 7. Surablii, a cow similarly bountiful ; 8. Dhanwantara,
physician ; 9. Iravati, elephant of Indra, with three probosci ; 10. Shank, a shell conferring victory on whoever should sound it; 11. Danusha, an unerring bow ; 12. Bikh, poison or drugs ; 13. Rhemba, the Apsara, a beautiful and amiable woman ; 14. Amrita, the beverage of immortality. In the churning, the gods stood at the tail of the serpent Vasuki, and the asura at the head. After obtaining these fourteen gifts, there broke out a violent contest between the gods and the asura.
Avatara means in the Hindi tongue, descent or incarnation, and is usually employed by the Hindus to designate the ten incarnations of Vishnu, usually thus arranged and named : 1. Matsya or fish ; 2. Kurma or tortoise ; 3. Varaha or boar ; 4. Narasingha or man-lion ; 5. Vamana or dwarf ; 6. Parasu Rama, the name of a favoured person in whom the deity became incarnate •, 7. Rama, the same ; 8. Krishna, the same ; 9. Budha, the same ; 10. Kalki or horse. Of these, nine are past ; the tenth is yet to come.