surÄsurÄṇÄm udadhiá¹
mathnatÄá¹ mandarÄcalam
dadhre kamaá¹ha-rÅ«peṇa
pṛṣá¹ha ekÄdaÅ›e vibhuḥ
sura - the theists; asurÄṇÄm - of the atheists; udadhim - in the ocean; mathnatÄm - churning; mandarÄcalam - the MandarÄcala Hill; dadhre - sustained; kamaá¹ha - tortoise; rÅ«peṇa - in the form of; pṛṣá¹he - shell; ekÄdaÅ›e - the eleventh in the line; vibhuḥ - the great.
Once both the atheists and the theists were engaged in producing nectar from the sea so that all of them could become deathless by drinking it. At that time the MandarÄcala Hill was used as the churning rod, and the shell of Lord Tortoise, the incarnation of Godhead, became the resting place (pivot) of the hill in the seawater.