Gods Visit Dadhicha and Obtain His Bones

The gods came to Dadhicha's hermitage with Narayana at their head. It stood on the far bank of the Sarasvati, covered in trees and creepers, alive with the sound of bees that hummed as if they were chanting sama hymns. Male cuckoos called from the branches. Chakora birds filled the air with their cries. Buffaloes and boars and swamp deer and yaks roamed everywhere without fear of tigers — because there were no tigers here, only the giant roars of lions that echoed from caves and caverns. Male elephants with juices flowing down their burst temples sported with females in the ponds and thundered in every direction. The place was like heaven. Inside that hermitage sat Dadhicha, radiant as the sun, his beauty as resplendent as the grandfather Brahma himself surrounded by Lakshmi. The thirty gods bowed at his feet and saluted him. Then they asked for the boon, just as Brahma had instructed them. Dadhicha was extremely delighted. He addressed the gods and said: "O gods! I will act today for your welfare. For your sake, I will myself give up my body." He was a man in complete control of his breath of life. He gave it up. As they had been instructed, the gods collected the bones of the dead one. Delighted at the prospect of victory, they went to Tvashtar, the divine craftsman, and spoke to him. Tvashtar heard their words and was happy. He began to work carefully and diligently. He created the vajra — extremely terrible in appearance, large, sharp, with six sides, capable of killing enemies, making a terrible sound. Having constructed it, he told Shakra: "O god! This vajra, the best of weapons, will today reduce to ashes the terrible enemies of the gods. Therefore, kill the enemy and having done that, happily live in heaven with your companions." Purandara cheerfully and respectfully accepted the vajra.