Indra Slays Vritra and the Daityas Plot Revenge

Vritra roared. It was not a battle cry. It was something deeper — a sound that carried the weight of the asura's ancient rage, a noise that struck the king of the gods himself and filled him with extreme grief. Indra, the wielder of the vajra, the lord of the thirty gods, was afraid. But fear did not paralyze him. Immersed in terror, he acted. He unleashed the great vajra — the thunderbolt weapon forged from the bones of the sage Dadhichi — and hurled it at Vritra with everything he had. The vajra struck. The giant asura, wearing a golden garland, fell to the ground. He fell like the great mountain Mandara in ancient times, when it was released from Vishnu's hand. The supreme daitya was dead. But Indra did not stay to see it. Out of fear, he fled and sought refuge in a lake. He hid in the water, refusing to believe what his own hand had done. The vajra had been released. Vritra was dead. But Indra's mind would not accept it. He stayed hidden, trembling, unable to trust that the enemy was truly gone. The gods, however, had no such doubt. They saw Vritra fall. They saw the asura's body lying still. And they rejoiced. The maharshis (great sages) chanted Indra's praises. The gods assembled together and swiftly began to slaughter the daityas, who were tormented at Vritra's death. The daityas were killed by the thirty gods. In their fear, those who survived entered the waves of the ocean and the infinite depths of the sea — places frequented by large fishes and full of gems. There, in the dark waters, they plotted and conspired about the destruction of the three worlds. Some smiled. Others were wise in suggesting courses of action, each according to his inclination. In due course of time, they arrived at a terrible decision. The first act, they agreed, should be to destroy all virtuous and learned ones — those who were ascetics. "All the worlds are supported by austerities," they said. "Therefore, austerities must swiftly be destroyed. Whatever virtuous ones exist on earth — ascetics, those knowledgeable in dharma and wise — their slaughter must be ensured. When they are destroyed, the world will be destroyed." Having arrived at this decision, all of them were extremely happy. They made Varuna's abode — the lord of the waters' own palace, full of jewels — their citadel, hidden among the giant waves of the ocean.