As the time of reckoning approached, a divine promise was made. “Whatever you desire, O god,” said the Supreme Lord, “I grant it all to you. With this union with the thunderbolt, you will swiftly slay Vṛtra.” Śakra, the king of the gods, bowed in gratitude and replied, “O Lord, by your grace, I shall indeed slay the difficult-to-approach son of Diti with the thunderbolt, and you shall witness it, O best of gods.” With these words spoken, Indra set forth toward the mighty demon Vṛtra. As he advanced, celestial kettledrums thundered throughout the army of the gods, their sound resounding in the heavens. Mṛdaṅgas, ḍiṃḍimas, bherīs, and many other instruments played in unison, filling the air with anticipation. Among the ranks of the demons, a great greed for victory and gain arose. In that moment, mighty Maghavān—another name for Indra—was instantly manifest. The sages and serpents, perceiving his possessed and empowered state, recognized what was to come. They raised their voices in praise, offering hymns and cries of victory to Śakra, the Lord. As Śakra advanced, eager for battle and surrounded by the blessings of the sages, his form became so radiant and fierce that it was almost unbearable to behold. Mahādeva, the Great God, then spoke: “O goddess, at the very summit of battle with Vṛtra, various liṅgas—manifestations—appeared upon my body. Listen as I recount them. A fierce, blazing mouth appeared; my form became extremely pale; my limbs trembled greatly, and my breath grew heated. Horripilation and intense trembling overtook me, and a mighty exhalation arose. Terrifying meteors fell, striking the sides of the battlefield. Vultures, bats, hawks, and herons circled above Vṛtra, uttering dreadful cries, wheeling about him in the sky.” Then, Indra arrived at the scene, riding upon his majestic elephant. With his arm raised, grasping the thunderbolt, Śakra approached the formidable demon. In that fateful moment, the Lord of the gods let loose an inhuman roar. As Vṛtrāsura struggled, Śakra hurled his thunderbolt. That thunderbolt, shining with immense brilliance and blazing like the fire of destruction, flew from Śakra’s hand and struck Vṛtra down upon the shore of the ocean. A great and terrible sound arose on all sides as Vṛtra fell, a sound so fearsome that even the gods were filled with awe. In celebration, a great shower of flowers rained down upon Indra’s head. Having slain Vṛtra—the dreadful lord of the Dānavas—Indra, destroyer of fear, was praised by the immortals and entered the divine city. Yet, from the body of Vṛtra, a supreme and terrible energy emerged. This energy took the form of the dreadful Brahmanicide—personification of the sin of slaying a Brahmin. She was monstrous to behold: fierce, terrifying to the worlds, with a ghastly face, deformed, dark and tawny, adorned with a garland of skulls, emaciated, stained with blood, most sinful, and exuding a dreadful, fishy stench. This great goddess, manifest in such a fearsome form, began to seek out Indra, the best of the gods. Upon seeing mighty Śakra, Brahmanicide rushed forward and seized the lord of the gods by the throat, holding him fast. Overcome with fear of Brahmanicide, Indra fled and hid himself within the midst of a lotus, where he remained for many years. Seized and rendered motionless by her grip, Śakra struggled with all his might to free himself, but to no avail. The lord of the gods could not dispel the sin of Brahmin-killing; seized by her, he remained fixed in form. In his distress, Indra approached the Grandsire, Brahmā, bowing his head in reverence, for he realized he had been overtaken by the slayer of a foremost Brahmin. Brahmā pondered deeply on the matter of how to help the king of the gods. As he considered, Brahmanicide herself approached Brahmā and spoke, “O Lord, I have come into your presence, O bestower of honor. Whatever I must do, O god, you should declare to me.” Brahmā, the grandsire, addressed her with sweet and truthful words, speaking of the sin of killing a Brahmin. “Let the king of the gods be released; do this for me, O beautiful one. Tell me, what shall I do for you today? What is your desire?” Brahmanicide replied, “At your word, O best of men, I will depart from Śakra. O Lord of gods, salutations to you; grant me a dwelling place.” Mahādeva responded, “So be it,” and the grandsire agreed. Then Brahmā sought a means by which Indra could be freed from the sin of Brahmin-killing. He summoned Agni, the fire god, and said, “O Jātavedas, accept a fourth part of Śakra’s Brahmin-killing sin.” Agni asked, “O Lord, what will be the means of my liberation from this sin? I wish to know truly, O honored one.” Brahmā replied, “Whoever approaches you while you are blazing will never use you in any way for seeds, herbs, sesame, fruits, roots, sacrificial sticks, or kuśa grass. At that moment, he will abandon you and remain there. O carrier of offerings, let the fever of your mind caused by Brahmin-killing depart.” Thus instructed, the eater of offerings, Agni, accepted the command, and the blessed grandsire’s wish was fulfilled. Next, Brahmā summoned the trees, herbs, and grasses and addressed them regarding this matter. The trees, herbs, and grasses, afflicted like Agni, spoke to Brahmā, “For us, O grandsire, the Brahmin-killing sin is inherent by nature; therefore, you should not cause us to be killed again. We endure fire, cold, rain driven by wind, O god, and also cutting and splitting, always.” Brahmā replied, “If any man, out of great delusion, cuts or splits you without cause, this sin will go to him.” Thus, through divine intervention and the sharing of the sin among the elements and beings of creation, Indra was freed from the grasp of Brahmanicide, and the cosmic order was restored.