Brahmā, the Grandfather of all, proclaimed to the assembled gods: “From the bones of Dadhīci, let a mighty and terrible thunderbolt be fashioned—a weapon firm and divine, renowned as the destroyer of great enemies, the lightning bolt itself. With this thunderbolt, Śatakratu—Indra—will slay Vṛtra. This is what I have revealed to you; therefore, let all be done as I have said.” Hearing these words, the gods, led by Indra, took leave of Brahmā and made their way to the hermitage of sage Dadhīci. Their path led them to the far shore of the Sarasvatī, a land lush with many trees and creepers, vibrant with the hum of bees that seemed to echo the sacred Sāma chants. All manner of creatures lived there: the cries of various animals mingled with the calls of cuckoos and jīvaka birds, while buffaloes, boars, deer, and antelopes roamed freely. Elephants and tuskers, unafraid of tigers, wandered about with trunks and mouths wide open; the air resounded with the playful calls of animals and the mighty roars of lions and tigers. From hidden caves and mountain hollows, peacocks added their delightful cries to the chorus, filling the groves with joy. Arriving at Dadhīci’s hermitage, which shone with a splendor rivaling heaven itself, the gods beheld the sage, radiant as the sun. Dadhīci, blazing with divine energy and four-armed like Lakṣmī, received the gods as they bowed at his feet, each prostrating and humbly requesting the boon as instructed by Brahmā. Greatly pleased, Dadhīci addressed the gods: “Today, O gods, I shall do what is for your good—or else I shall relinquish my own body.” Having spoken, the noble sage immediately gave up his life. The gods, together with Indra, respectfully took his bones for their sacred purpose. Brimming with joy and radiant in form, the gods approached Tvaṣṭṛ, the divine craftsman, requesting his aid in their quest for victory. Tvaṣṭṛ, hearing their plea, gladly and diligently forged from Dadhīci’s bones a thunderbolt of immense and fearsome power. Delighted, he declared, “With this supreme weapon, O god, destroy today the terrible enemy of the gods. Then, having slain the foe and his host, rule happily over all of heaven, O Indra.” Thus addressed, Indra—Purandara—received the thunderbolt with devotion and joy. Armed with the divine weapon and honored by the gods, Indra advanced to confront Vṛtra, who stood blocking the heavens and the earth, guarded on all sides by the formidable Kālakeyas—mighty-bodied warriors, their forms like mountains, bristling with horns and weapons. A great and terrible battle erupted between the gods and the demons, shaking the worlds with fear. Swords gleamed in heroic hands, and a tumultuous din arose as bodies fell in the fray. Heads tumbled from the sky to the earth, covering the ground like a forest of palm trees. The Kālakeyas, clad in golden armor and wielding iron clubs, surged against the gods like trees scorched by wildfire. The gods could not withstand the onslaught of these united and swift-moving foes; broken and fearful, they fled. Seeing his companions in flight, Indra, the thousand-eyed lord, was seized by great distress as Vṛtra’s power grew. Beholding Indra’s despair, the eternal Vishnu infused his own divine energy into him, greatly increasing his strength. Witnessing Indra thus invigorated by Vishnu, all the gods and the pure Brahmarshis bestowed their energies upon him as well. Empowered by Vishnu, the gods, and the great sages, Indra became mighty indeed. Realizing the lord of the gods now stood in strength, Vṛtra roared with a sound so tremendous that earth, sky, directions, heavens, and mountains all trembled. Tormented by fear and hearing that fearsome roar, Indra hurled his great thunderbolt at Vṛtra’s head with all his might. Struck by Indra’s weapon, Vṛtra fell to the ground with a mighty crash, adorned with golden garlands, just as the great Mandara mountain once fell from Vishnu’s hand. Yet, overwhelmed by fear and not perceiving that Vṛtra was slain, Indra fled and hid himself in a lake, believing he had cast his thunderbolt and uncertain of the outcome. The gods, overjoyed and filled with delight, praised Indra for his victory. The remaining Daityas, stricken with grief at Vṛtra’s death, were swiftly struck down by the gods. Those great Asuras, swift as the wind, fled in terror and plunged into the immeasurable ocean. Within the ocean, teeming with fish and filled with precious jewels, the Daityas gathered and performed rituals together. Some, steadfast in their resolve, pondered various means of survival. Afflicted by fear and scorched by the gods’ power, they resolved upon a dreadful course: the destruction of the three worlds. As their doom approached, a terrible thought arose among them: “Those who possess knowledge and ascetic power must first be destroyed, for all worlds are upheld by asceticism. Let us hasten to bring about the end of asceticism. Whatever ascetics and knowers of dharma there are upon the earth, let them be slain quickly; with their destruction, the world itself will perish.” Thus, their minds set on the ruin of the world and corrupted by evil, the Daityas took refuge in the fortress-like, wave-tossed ocean—the abode of Varuna, filled with jewels. There, the Kaleyas gathered, intent on bringing about the destruction of the three worlds. At night, filled with hostility, they emerged from the ocean to devour the sages dwelling in hermitages and sacred places. In the hermitage of Vasiṣṭha, the brahmins were consumed by these evil-minded beings, and eighty-eight hundred other ascetics in the forest met the same fate.