d tigers, while at
intervals might be seen those grisly monarchs of the forest lying
stretched in caves and glens and beautifying them with their presence And
such was the asylum, like unto heaven itself, of Dadhicha, that the gods
entered. And there they beheld Dadhicha looking like the sun himself in
splendour and blazing in grace of person like the Grandsire himself. And
the celestials saluted the feet of the Rishi and bowed unto him and
begged of him the boon that the Grandsire had bade them do. Then
Dadhicha, well pleased, addressing those foremost of celestials, said,
'Ye celestials, I will do what is for your benefit. I will even renounce
this body of mine myself.' And that foremost of men with soul under
control, having said this, suddenly renounced his life. The gods then
took the bones of the deceased Rishi as directed. And the celestials,
glad at heart, went to Twashtri (the celestial Artificer) and spake to
him of the means of victory. And Twashtri, hearing those words of theirs,
became filled with joy, and constructed (out of those bones) with great
attention and care the fierce weapons called Vajra. And having
manufactured it, he joyfully addressed Indra, saying, 'With this foremost
of weapons, O exalted one, reduce that fierce foe of the gods to ashes.
And having slain the foe, rule thou happily the entire domain of heaven,
O chief of the celestials, with those that follow thee.' And thus
addressed by Twashtri, Purandara took the Vajra from his hand, joyfully
and with proper respect."

SECTION CI

"Lomasa said, 'Armed with the Vajra then, and supported by celestials
endued with great might, Indra then approached Vritra, who was then
occupying the entire earth and the heaven. And he was guarded on all
sides by huge-bodied Kalakeyas with upraised weapons resembling gigantic
mountains with towering peaks. And the encounter that took place between
the gods and the Danavas lasted for a short while and was, O chief of the
Bharatas, terrific in the extreme, appalling as it did the three worlds.
And loud was the clash of swords and scimitars upraised and warded off by
heroic hands in course of those fierce encounters. And heads (severed
from trunks) began to roll from the firmament to the earth like fruits of
the palmyra palm falling upon the ground, loosened from their stalks. And
the Kalakeyas armed with iron-mounted bludgeons and cased in golden mail
ran against the gods, like moving mountains on conflagr