03098001c karmaNAM vistaraM zrotum agastyasya dvijottama 'yudhiSThira said, 'O best of regenerate ones, I desire again to hear of the achievements in detail of Agastya--that illustrious RSi endued with great intelligence.''
03098002 lomaza uvAca
03098002a zRNu rAjan kathAnM divyAm adbhutAm atimAnuSIm
03098002c agastyasya mahArAja prabhAvam amitAtmanaH 'Lomasa said, 'Listen now, O king, to the excellent and wonderful and extraordinary history of Agastya, as also, O monarch, about the prowess of that RSi of immeasurable energy.
03098003a Asan kRtayuge ghorA dAnavA yuddhadurmadAH There were in the Krita age certain tribes of fierce dAnavas that were invincible in battle.
03098003c kAleyA iti vikhyAtA gaNAH paramadAruNAH And they were known by the name of Kalakeyas and were endued with terrible prowess.
03098004a te tu vRtraM samAzritya nAnApraharaNodyatAH Placing themselves under vRtra and arming themselves with diverse weapons
03098004c samantAt paryadhAvanta mahendrapramukhAn surAn they pursued the celestials with indra at their head in all directions.
03098005a tato vRtravadhe yatnam akurvaMs tridazAH purA
03098005c puranMdaramM puraskRtya brahmANam upatasthire The gods then all resolved upon the destruction of vRtra, and went with indra at their head to brahmA.
03098006a kRtAJjalIMs tu tAn sarvAn parameSThI uvAca ha And beholding them standing before him with joined hands, Parameshthi addressed them all and said,
03098006c viditamM me surAsH sarvaM yad vaH kAryaM cikIrSitam 'Everything is known to me, ye gods, about what ye seek.
03098007a tam upAyamM pravakSyAmi yathA vRtraM vadhiSyatha I shall indicate now the means by which ye may slay vRtra.
03098007c dadhIca iti vikhyAto mahAn RSir udAradhIH There is a high-souled and great RSi known by the name of Dadhicha.
03098008a taGM gatvA sahitAsH sarve varaM vai samMprayAcata Go ye all together unto him and solicit of him a boon.
03098008c sa vo dAsyati dharmAtmA suprItenAntarAtmanA With well-pleased heart, that RSi of virtuous soul will even grant you the boon.
03098009a sa vAcyasH sahitaisH sarvair bhavadbhir jayakAGkSibhiH Desirous as ye are of victory, go ye all together unto him and tell him,
03098009c svAny asthIni prayaccheti trailokyasya hitAya vai 'For the good of the three worlds, give us thy bones.'
03098009e sa zarIraM samutsRjya svAny asthIni pradAsyati Renouncing his body, he will give you his bones.
03098010a tasyAsthibhir mahAghoraM vajraM samMbhriyatAnM dRDham With these bones of his, make ye a fierce and powerful weapon to be called Vajra,
03098010c mahac chatruhaNanM tIkSNaM SaDazramM bhImanisvanam endued with six sides and terrible roar and capable of destroying even the most powerful enemies.
03098011a tena vajreNa vai vRtraM vadhiSyati zatakratuH With that weapon will he of a hundred sacrifices slay Vritia.
03098011c etad vasH sarvam AkhyAtanM tasmAc chIghraM vidhIyatAm I have now told you all. See that all this is done speedily.'
03098012a evam uktAs tato devA anujJApya pitAmaham
03098012c nArAyaNamM puraskRtya dadhIcasyAzramaM yayuH Thus addressed by him, the gods with the Grandsire's leave (came away), and with nArAyaNa at their head proceeded to the asylum of Dadhicha.
03098013a sarasvatyAH pare pAre nAnAdrumalatAvRtam That asylum was on the other bank of the river Saraswati and covered with diverse trees and creepers.
03098013c SaTpadodgItaninadair vighuSTaM sAmagair iva And it resounded with the hum of bees as if they were reciting Samans.
03098013e puMskokilaravonmizraJM jIvaJMjIvakanAditam And it also echoed with the melodious notes of the male Kokila and the Chakora.
03098014a mahiSaiz ca varAhaiz ca sRmaraiz camarair api And buffaloes and boars and deer and Chamaras
03098014c tatra tatrAnucaritaM zArdUlabhayavarjitaiH wandered there at pleasure freed from the fear of tigers.
03098015a kareNubhir vAraNaiz ca prabhinnakaraTAmukhaiH And elephants with the juice trickling down from rent temples,
03098015c saro 'vagADhaiH krIDadbhiH samantAd anunAditam plunging in the stream, sported with the she-elephants and made the entire region resound with their roars.
03098016a siMhavyAghrair mahAnAdAn nadadbhir anunAditam And the place also echoed with the loud roars of lions and tigers,
03098016c aparaiz cApi saMlInair guhAkandaravAsibhiH while at intervals might be seen those grisly monarchs of the forest lying stretched in caves and glens
03098017a teSu teSv avakAzeSu zobhitaM sumanoramam and beautifying them with their presence.
03098017c triviSTapasamaprakhyanM dadhIcAzramam Agaman And such was the asylum, like unto heaven itself, of Dadhicha, that the gods entered.
03098018a tatrApazyan dadhIcanM te divAkarasamadyutim And there they beheld Dadhicha looking like the sun himself in splendour
03098018c jAjvalyamAnaM vapuSA yathA lakSmyA pitAmaham and blazing in grace of person like the Grandsire himself.
03098019a tasya pAdau surA rAjann abhivAdya praNamya ca And the celestials saluted the feet of the RSi and bowed unto him
03098019c ayAcanta varaM sarve yathoktamM parameSThinA and begged of him the boon that the Grandsire had bade them do.
03098020a tato dadhIcaH paramapratItaH Then Dadhicha, well pleased,
03098020b surottamAMs tAn idam abhyuvAca addressing those foremost of celestials, said,
03098020c karomi yad vo hitam adya devAH 'Ye celestials, I will do what is for your benefit.
03098020d svaJM cApi dehanM tv aham utsRjAmi I will even renounce this body of mine myself.'
03098021a sa evam uktvA dvipadAM variSThaH And having said this, that foremost of men
03098021b prANAn vazI svAn sahasotsasarja with soul under control, suddenly renounced his life.
03098021c tatasH surAs te jagRhuH parAsor asthIni tasyAtha yathopadezam The gods then took the bones of the deceased RSi as directed.
03098022a prahRSTarUpAz ca jayAya devAs tvaSTAram Agamya tam artham UcuH And the celestials, glad at heart, went to tvaSTR (the celestial Artificer) and spake to him of the means of victory.
03098022c tvaSTA tu teSAM vacananM nizamya prahRSTarUpaH prayataH prayatnAt And tvaSTR, hearing those words of theirs, became filled with joy,
03098023a cakAra vajramM bhRzam ugrarUpam and constructed (out of those bones) with great attention and care the fierce weapons called Vajra.
03098023b kRtvA ca zakraM sa uvAca hRSTaH And having manufactured it, he joyfully addressed indra, saying,
03098023c anena vajrapravareNa deva 'With this foremost of weapons, O exalted one,
03098023d bhasmIkuruSvAdya surArim ugram reduce that fierce foe of the gods to ashes.
03098024a tato hatArisH sagaNasH sukhaM vai And having slain the foe,
03098024b prazAdhi kRtsnanM tridivanM diviSThaH rule thou happily the entire domain of heaven, O chief of the celestials, with those that follow thee.'
03098024c tvaSTrA tathoktasH sa puranMdaras tu And thus addressed by tvaSTR, Purandara
03098024d vajramM prahRSTaH prayato 'bhyagRhNAt took the Vajra from his hand, joyfully and with proper respect.'
