In the Vedas, the Puranas, the histories, and other authoritative writings, it is said that the Brahmanas, who are the souls of all creatures, who are the creators of all things, and who are at one with all existent objects, originated from the mouth of Narayana. Indeed, it is said that the Brahmanas first issued of that great boongiving gods mouth when he had controlled his speech as a penance. The Brahmanas are distinguished above the gods and Asuras, since they created by myself in my indescribable form as Brahma as I have created the gods and the Asuras and the great Rishis and placed them in their respective situations and have to punish them occasionally. On account of his amorous assault on Ahalya, Indra was cursed by Gautama, her husband, through which Indra got a green beard on his face. Through that curse of Kaushika, Indra lost also, his own testicles which loss was afterwards compensated by the substitution of the testicles of a ram. When in the sacrifice of king Sarjjati, the great Rishi Chyavana wanted to make the twin Ashvins sharers of the were sacrificial offerings, Indra objected. Upon Chyavanas insisting, Indra tried to hurl his thunderbolt at him. The Rishi paralysed Indras arms. Enraged at the destruction of his sacrifice by Rudra, the great Rishi Daksha once more began to practise severe austerities, and attaining to high power caused something like a third eye to appear on the forehead of Rudra. When Rudra became ready for the destruction of the triple city belonging to the Asuras, the preceptor of the Asuras, viz., Ushanas, provoked beyond patience, tore a matted lock from his own head and hurled it at Rudra. From that matted lock of Ushanas originated many serpents. Those serpents began to bite Rudra, at which his throat became blue. During a period, long gone by, at the time of the selfborn Manu, it is said that Narayana had seized Rudra by the throat and hence did Rudras throat become blue. On the occasion of churning the Ocean for ambrosia, Brihaspati of Angiras's family sat on the shores of the Ocean for performing the rite of Puruscharana. When he took up a little water for the purpose of the initial rinsing, the water seemed to him to be very muddy. At this Brihaspati became angry and cursed the Ocean, saying,-Since you continue to be so dirty without caring for the fact of my having come to touch you, since you have not become clear and transparent, therefore from this day you shall be tainted with fishes and sharks and tortoises and other aquatic animals! From that time, the waters of the ocean have become filled with various sorts of sea-animals and monsters. Vishvarupa, the son of Tashtri, formerly, became the priest of the gods. He was, on his mothers side, connected with the Asuras, for his mother was the daughter of an Asura. While publicly offering to the gods their shares of sacrificial offerings, he privately offered shares thereof to the Asuras. The Asuras, headed by their king Hiranyakashipu, then went to their sister, the mother of Vishvarupa, and begged a boon from her, saying,-Your son Vishvarupa by Tashtri, otherwise called Trishiras, is now the priest of the gods. While he gives to the gods their shares of sacrificial offerings publicly, he gives us our shares of the same privately. On account of this, the gods are being advanced and we are being weakened. You should, therefore, curse. influence him that he may take up our cause! Thus addressed by them, the mother of Vishvarupa went to her son who was then living in the Nandana forest (of Indra) and said to him,-How is it, son, that you are engaged in advancing the interests of your enemies and weakening that of your maternal uncles? You should not act in this way. Thus begged by his mother, Vishvarupa thought that he should not disobey her words, and as the result of that thought he went over to the side of Hiranyakashipu, after having paid proper respects to his mother. Upon the arrival of Trishiras, king Hiranyakashipu dismissed his old Priest, viz., Vashishtha the son of Brahman, and appointed Trishiras to that office. Enraged at this, Vashishtha cursed Hiranyakashipu, saying,-Since you dismiss me and appoint another person, as your Priest, this Sacrifice of yours shall not be completed, and some being, the like of whom has not existed before, will kill you! On account of this Hiranyakashipu was killed by Vishnu in the form of a man-lion. Vishvarupa, having taken up the side of his maternal relations, began to practise severe austerities for advancing them. Moved by the desire of making him swerve from his vows, Indra sent, to handsome Apsaras. Seeing those celestialnymphs of transcendent beauty, the heart of Vishvarupa became moved. Within a very short time he became greatly attached to them, the celestial nymphs said to him one day,-We shall not tarry here any longer. In fact, we shall return to that place whence we came! The son of Tashtri replied,-Where will you go? Stay with me. I shall do you good! Hearing him say so, the Apsaras rejoined, We are celestial nymphs called Apsaras. We chose in days of old the illustrious and boongiving Indra of great power!-Vishvarupa then said to them, This very day I shall so ordain that all the gods with Indra at their head shall cease to be!-Saying this, Trishiras began to recite mentally certain sacred Mantras of great efficacy. By virtue of those Mantras he began to increase in energy. With one of his mouths he began to drink all the Soma that Brahmanas devoted Sacrifices poured on their sacred fires with due rites. With a second mouth he began to eat all the food. With his him many third mouth he began to drink up the energy of all the gods headed by Indra. Seeing him swelling with energy in every part of his body that was strengthened by the Soma he was drinking, all the gods then, with Indra in their company, went to the Grandfather Brahman. Arrived at his presence, they addressed him and said, — All the Soma that is duly offered in the sacrifices celebrated everywhere is being drunk by Vishvarupa. We no longer get our shares. The Asuras are being advanced, while we are being weakened! You should, therefore, ordain what is for our behoof! After the gods ceased, the Grandfather replied, — The great Rishi Dadhichi of Bhrigu's race is now engaged in practising severe austerities. Go, ye gods, to him and solicit a boon from him. Do ye so arrange that he may renounce his body! With is bones let a new weapon be made called the Thunder-bolt!-Thus instructed by the Grandfather, the gods proceeded to that place where the holy Rishi Dadhichi was practising austerities. The gods, headed by Indra, addressed the sage, saying.-O Holy One, your austerities, we trust, are being well performed and uninterrupted !-The sage Dadhichi said,-Welcome to all of you! Tell me what I should do for you! I shall certainly do what you will say!-They then told him,You should renounce your body for benefiting all the worlds!—Thus prayed, the sage Dadhichi, who was a great Yogin and who considered happiness and misery equally, without being at all dispirited, concentrated his Soul by his Yoga power and renounced his body. When his Soul left its temporary tenement of clay, Dhatri, taking his bones, created a dreadful weapon called the Thunderbolt. With the Thunder-bolt thus created of the bones of a Brahmana, which was impenetrable by other weapons and irresistible and permeated by the energy of Vishnu, Indra struck Vishvarupa the son of Tashtri. Having killed the son of Tashtri thus, Indra cut off the head from the body. From the lifeless body, however, of Vishvarupa, when it was pressed, the energy that was still living in it gave birth to a powerful Asura named Vritra. Vritra became the enemy of Indra, but Indra killed him also with the Thunder-bolt. On account of the sin being thus doubled of Brahmanicide, Indra became stricken with a great fear and as the consequence thereof he had to relinquish the sovereignty of heaven. He entered a cool lotus-stalk that grew in the Manasa lake. On account of the Yoga power of lightness, he became very minute and entered the fibres of that lotus-stalk. When the king of the three worlds, the husband of Shachi, had thus disappeared from sight through fear of the sin of Brahmanicide, the universe became kingless The qualities of Darkness and Ignorance attacked the gods. The Mantras uttered by the great Rishis lost all efficacy. Rakshasas appeared on all sides. The Vedas were about to disappear. The denizens of all the worlds, having no king, lost their strength and began to fall an easy prey to Rakshasas and other evil Beings. Then the gods and the Rishis, in a body, made Nahusha, the son of Ayush, the king of the three worlds and duly crowned him as such. Nahusha had on his forehead full fivehundred luminaries of great effulgence, which had the virtue of defeating every creature of energy. Thus equipt Nahusha continued to govern heaven. The three worlds were restored to their normal state. The inhabitants of the universe more became happy and cheerful. Nahusha then said,-Everything that Indra used to enjoy is before me. Only, his wife Shachi is not by!-Having said this, Nahusha proceeded to where Shachi and, addressing her said,-blessed lady, I have become the king of the gods! Do you accept me!-Shachi replied, saying,-You are by nature, of a pious conduct. You belong, again, to the race of Soma. You should not attack another person's wife!-Nahusha, thus addressed by her, said,-I now occupy the position of Indra, I deserve to enjoy the dominions and all the precious possession of Indra. There is no sin in wishing to enjoy you. You were Indra's and, therefore, should be mine!-Shachi then said to him, I am observing a vow that has not yet been finished. After performing the final ablutions I shall come to you within a few days! Taking this promise from Indra's wife, Nahusha left her. Meanwhile Shachi, stricken with pain and grief, anxious to find her lord and assailed by her fear of Nahusha, went to Brihaspati. At the first sight Brihaspati took her to be stricken once was with anxiety. He immediately took to Yogameditation and learnt that she was intent upon doing what was necessary for restoring her husband to his true position. Brihaspati then addressed her, saying,-Equipt with penances and the merit that will be yours on account of this vow that you are observing, do you invoke the boon-giving goddess Upashruti! Invoked by you, she will appear and show you where your husband is living!—While observing that very austere vow, she invoked with the help of proper Mantras the boon-giving goddess Upashruti. Invoked by Shachi, the goddess appeared before her and said, I am here at your command! Invoked by you, I have come! What wish of yours shall I satisfy.-Bowing to her with the head down, Shachi-blessed lady, you should show me where my husband is! You are Truth! You are Rita! Thus addressed, the goddess Upashruti took her to the lake Manasa. Arrived there, she pointed out to Shachi her lord Indra living within the fibres of a lotus-stalk. Seeing his wife pale and emaciated, Indra became highly anxious. And the king of heaven said to himself,-Alas, great is the sorrow that has befallen me! I have fallen off from the position that is mine! This my wife, stricken with grief on my account, finds out my lost self and comes to me here! Having thought thus, Indra addressed his dear wife and said, In what condition are you now?-She answered him,-Nahusha asks me to become his wife. I have obtained leave from him, having fixed the time when I am to go to him! Indra then said to her,-Go and say to Nahusha that he should come to you on a car never used before, viz., one to which some Rishis should be yoked, and arriving at yours in that state he should marry you! Indra has many beautiful and charming vehicles. All these have borne you. Nahusha, however, should come on such a vehicle that Indra himself had never used! Thus advised by her husband, Shachi left that place with a joyous heart. Indra also once more entered the fibres of that lotus stalk. Seeing the queen of Indra return to heaven, Nahusha addressed her saying,-