Indra and Lomasha

Maharshi Lomasha travels to Indra's abode and sees Arjuna seated on half of Indra's throne. The sight puzzles him — how could a kshatriya, a mere warrior, attain such honor? Indra divines his thoughts and reveals the truth: Arjuna is Nara, the ancient rishi, and together with Narayana — Krishna — he has been born on earth to remove its burden and defeat the Nivatakavachas, asuras so powerful that even the gods cannot fight them.

Yudhishthira asks the sage Lomasha about his travels. Lomasha is pleased to reply — he has been sent by Indra himself with news of Arjuna. He tells Yudhishthira that he saw Arjuna seated on half of Indra's throne, that Arjuna has obtained the Brahmashira weapon from Rudra and other divine weapons from the guardians of the world, and that he has mastered the gandharva veda. Then Lomasha delivers Indra's message: Arjuna will return after accomplishing a great task for the gods, Yudhishthira should devote himself to austerities, his fear of Karna will be dispelled, and he should accept Lomasha's guidance on tirthas.

Lomasha arrives with a message from Indra himself — the king of the gods remembers Yudhishthira and invites him to visit the sacred tirthas. Overcome with delight, Yudhishthira declares that his mind was already made up: he will go.

The gods, led by Narayana, arrive at Dadhicha's hermitage on the banks of the Sarasvati — a place so beautiful it resembles heaven. They bow at his feet and ask for a boon: his bones. Dadhicha is delighted. He gives up his life willingly, and the gods carry his bones to Tvashtar, who fashions the vajra — the weapon that will shatter the enemies of heaven.

The Kaleyas, terrible danavas invincible in battle, arm themselves and place themselves under Vritra, pursuing the gods led by Indra everywhere. The thirty gods, with Indra at their head, approach Brahma for a means to kill Vritra. Brahma tells them: go to Dadhicha. Ask for his bones. Fashion the vajra. With it, Indra will kill Vritra.

The gods, unable to defeat the Kaleyas who hide in the ocean, seek out the sage Agastya and ask him to do what no one else can: drink the entire ocean dry. Agastya agrees, for the welfare of the worlds, and sets out with the assembled gods, rishis, and celestial beings toward the roaring sea.

Mount Vindhya, enraged that the sun circumambulates Mount Meru but not him, begins to grow uncontrollably — blocking the paths of the sun and moon. The gods try and fail to stop him. Only the sage Agastya can restrain the mountain, and he does it not with force, but with a promise.

After crossing the ocean shore, Yudhishthira arrives at a sacred forest where the altar of Richika's son stands. He visits the holy sites of gods and ancestors, observes fasts, and gives away gems. Then, at the great tirtha of Prabhasa, he performs a twelve-day austerity — living on water and air, surrounded by flames — that draws the attention of the Vrishnis.

Lomasha points out the place of Sharyati's sacrifice, where the Ashvins once drank soma, and mentions that the sage Chyavana was so angered by Indra that he paralysed the king of the gods — and also won Sukanya as his wife. Yudhishthira, hearing this, asks for the full story: how did Chyavana paralyse Indra, why was he angered, and why were the Ashvins made drinkers of soma?

Lomasha recites the Kuru genealogy and then tells Yudhishthira a cryptic saying from a pishacha woman about bathing at Bhutilaya. He reveals that the place where they stand is Kurukshetra's gate — a tirtha so sacred that bathing there cleanses all evil deeds and lets a man see all the worlds.

As Ushinara ascends the scales, the hawk reveals itself as Indra and the dove as Agni. They came to test his dharma. Indra proclaims that Ushinara's deed will be celebrated as long as men speak in this world. Lomasha then shows Yudhishthira the sacred site where it happened.

Tormented by envy that his ascetic father receives no honour while a rival sage and his sons are celebrated, Yavakrita resolves to obtain the Vedas through sheer austerity rather than study. He burns his body in a great fire, disturbing Indra himself — who tries twice to dissuade him, first with advice, then with a parable of a sand bridge across the Ganga.