The gods came before the boon-granting Brahman seated on his seat and said, ‘Sire, we are spent up, we have not any strength left to churn further. Nectar hath not yet arisen so that now we have no resource save Narayana.’

In plain words: The worn-out gods went to Brahma and said they had no strength left to keep churning. The nectar had still not come, and only Narayana could help them now.