he deities and the Rishis began
to search for Indra, but when they could not find him, they went to Sachi
and said unto her,--'O blessed lady, go unto Indra and bring him here.'
Requested by them, Sachi once more proceeded to the lake Manasa. Indra,
rising from the lake, came to Vrihaspati. The celestial priest Vrihaspati
then made arrangements for a great Horse-sacrifice, substituting a black
antelope for a good steed every way fit to be offered up in sacrifice.
Causing Indra, the lord of the Maruts, to ride upon that very steed
(which was saved from slaughter) Vrihaspati led him to his own place. The
lord of heaven was then adored with hymns by all the deities and the
Rishis. He continued to rule in heaven, cleansed of the sin of
Brahmanicide which was divided into four portions and ordained to reside
in woman, fire, trees, and kine. It was thus that Indra, strengthened by
the energy of a Brahmana, succeeded in slaying his foe (and when, as the
result of that act of his, he had been overpowered by sin, it was the
energy of another Brahmana that rescued him). It was thus that Indra once
more regained his position.

"'"In days of yore, while the great Rishi Bharadwaja was saying his
prayers by the side of the celestial Ganga, one of the three feet of
Vishnu, when he assumed his three-footed form, reached that spot.[1861]
Beholding that strange sight, Bharadwaja assailed Vishnu with a handful
of water, upon which Vishnu's bosom received a mark (called
Sreevatsa)[1862]. Cursed by that foremost of Rishis, viz., Bhrigu, Agni
was obliged to become a devourer of all things. Once on a time, Aditi,
the mother of the deities, cooked some food for her sons. She thought
that, eating that food and strengthened by it, the deities would succeed
in slaying the Asuras. After the food had been cooked, Vudha (the
presiding deity of the luminary known by that name), having completed the
observance of an austere vow, presented himself before Aditi and said
unto her,--'Give me alms.' Aditi, though thus solicited for food gave him
none, thinking that no one should eat of the food she had cooked, before
her sons, the deities, had first taken it. Incensed at the conduct of
Aditi who thus refused to give him alms, Vudha, who was Brahma's self
through the austere vow he had completed, cursed her, saying that as
Aditi had refused him alms she would have a pain in her womb when
Vivaswat, in his second birth in the womb of Aditi, would be born in th