What happens in this skandha

The book moves through the Manus and their ages. Gajendra, caught by a crocodile, gives up and calls out, and is freed. Gods and demons churn the milk ocean; Shiva drinks the poison, and Vishnu as Mohini gives the nectar to the gods. Vamana asks King Bali for three steps of land and takes the three worlds. Matsya saves King Satyavrata and the Vedas in the flood.

Episodes in this skandha

• Gajendra's release — Skandha 8, adhyayas 2-4 — A king of elephants fights a crocodile for a thousand years, and is saved only when he stops fighting and calls.
• The churning of the ocean — Skandha 8, adhyayas 5-12 — Gods and demons churn the milk ocean together, and the first thing that rises is a poison only Shiva will drink.
• Vamana and Bali — Skandha 8, adhyayas 15-23 — A dwarf asks a generous king for three steps of land, and the king keeps his word after learning who the dwarf is.
• The fish and the flood — Skandha 8, adhyaya 24 — A tiny fish begs a king for protection, outgrows every pot, pond and lake, and then carries him through the end of the world.

Continue through the Bhagavatam

• Saptama Skandha — Skandha 7 — A boy who will not stop praying, a father who cannot kill him, and the Lord who bursts out of a pillar to keep a promise.
• Navama Skandha — Skandha 9 — The solar and lunar dynasties: Ambarisha's patience, the Ganga brought down to earth, and Rama's life in two chapters.