made the entire region resound with their roars.  And the place also echoed with the loud roars of lions and 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 conflagration.  And the gods, unable to stand the shock of that impetuous and proudly advancing host, broke and fled from fear.  Purandara of a thousand eyes, beholding the gods flying in fear and Vritra growing in boldness, became deeply dejected.  And the foremost of gods Purandara, himself, agitated with the fear of the Kalakeyas, without losing a moment, sought the exalted Narayana’s