Then, Indra, the mighty king of the gods, arrived upon the scene, riding his magnificent elephant. With his hand raised high, gripping the thunderbolt, Śakra advanced toward the demon Vṛtrāsura. In that moment, the Lord of the gods let forth an unearthly roar, and as Vṛtrāsura struggled, Śakra hurled his thunderbolt with all his divine strength. That thunderbolt, radiant as the fire at the end of time, blazed through the air and struck Vṛtra, the great demon, upon the shore of the ocean. As Vṛtra fell, a tremendous sound echoed in all directions—a noise so terrifying that it sent fear into the hearts of all the gods. Showers of celestial flowers rained down upon Indra’s head in celebration. Having slain Vṛtra, the dreadful lord of the Dānavas, Indra, the blessed one, was praised by the immortals. Victorious, he entered the divine city. Yet, from Vṛtra’s lifeless body, a supreme energy emerged—terrible and powerful. This energy took the fearsome form of Brahmanicide, the sin of killing a Brahmin. She appeared before the worlds as a monstrous being—horrible in aspect, with a deformed, dark and tawny body, a garland of skulls, emaciated, bloodstained, and exuding a dreadful, fishy stench. O daughter of the mountain, this great and dreadful goddess, sinful and terrifying, began to seek out Indra, the foremost of the gods. Upon seeing Śakra, she rushed forward and seized him by the throat, holding him fast. Gripped by the terror of Brahmanicide, Indra hid himself within the depths of a lotus, remaining motionless there for many years. Though he struggled with all his might to free himself, Indra could not escape her grasp; the lord of the gods was held fast, unable to dispel the sin that clung to him. In his distress, Indra approached the Grandsire, Brahmā, bowing his head in deep reverence. Brahmā, seeing Indra ensnared by the sin of slaying a foremost Brahmin, pondered the matter carefully. As he reflected, Brahmanicide herself approached Brahmā and spoke, “O Lord, I have come before you, O bestower of honor. Declare to me, O god, what you wish me to do.” With a sweet and truthful voice, Brahmā addressed her regarding the sin of Brahmin-slaying. “Release the king of the gods for my sake, O beautiful one. Tell me, what do you desire? What boon shall I grant you today?” The sin of Brahmin-killing replied, “At your command, O best of men, I will depart from Śakra. O Lord of gods, I bow to you—grant me a dwelling place.” Mahādeva and the Grandsire both agreed, saying, “So be it.” Then Brahmā sought a way for Indra to be freed from this terrible sin. Summoning Agni, the fire god, Brahmā said, “O Jātavedas, accept a fourth part of Indra’s Brahmin-killing sin.” Agni questioned, “O Lord, what shall be the means of my liberation from this sin? Tell me truly, O honored one.” Brahmā replied, “Whoever comes to you while you are blazing shall never use you for seeds, herbs, sesame, fruits, roots, sacrificial sticks, or kuśa grass. At that time, he will abandon you and remain apart; let the fever of your mind caused by Brahmin-killing be gone.” Thus reassured, Agni accepted the portion of the sin, and Brahmā’s wish was fulfilled. Next, Brahmā summoned the trees, herbs, and grasses, and explained the matter to the noble lady. The trees, herbs, and grasses, afflicted like Agni, spoke to Brahmā, “O Grandsire, the sin of Brahmin-killing is inherent in our very nature. Therefore, do not destroy us further. We endure fire, cold, rain, and the wind, as well as cutting and splitting, always.” Brahmā answered, “If any man, out of delusion, cuts or splits you without cause, the sin will fall upon him.” Mahādeva affirmed, “Let it be so.” Thus honored by Brahmā, the trees, herbs, and grasses departed as they had come. Then the Grandsire summoned the Apsarases, the celestial nymphs, and spoke consolingly to them: “This Brahmin-killing sin, O beautiful ones, has come from Vṛtra; I assign a fourth part of it to you—accept it now.” The Apsarases replied, “We accept, O lord of gods, as you command, but let the time of our liberation be considered, O Grandsire.” Brahmā declared, “Whoever engages in union with a woman during her menstrual period—she will swiftly depart from him. Let your minds be at peace.” The Apsarases joyfully agreed, replying, “So be it.” Their hearts lightened, they returned to their own abodes and rejoiced with the daughter of the mountain. Finally, the creator of the worlds, Pitāmaha, turned his mind to the waters, and they assembled before him. Bowing to Brahmā, the goddess of immeasurable energy among them spoke, “O god, we have come at your command, O destroyer of enemies. Instruct us, O master.” Brahmā said, “This dreadful Brahmanicide, which came from Vṛtra, has reached Indra. You must now accept a fourth part of it.” Thus, the sin of Brahmin-killing was divided among fire, the trees and herbs, the Apsarases, and the waters, and so Indra was freed from his terrible burden by the wisdom and compassion of Brahmā.