Dādhīci’s Gift of Bones
Dādhīci was a great ṛshi (seer). For countless years he had recited the Brahmavidyā, in the form of the Pāśupata mantra, through all the pores of his body. His bones had become harder than any metal. The Kedāra Khaṇḍa tells how Dādhīci freely gave up his body so that Viśvakarman could make the Vajra from his spine. This was the only weapon that could kill the asura Vṛtra. The account also tells of the self-immolation of his wife Suvarcā and the birth of Pippalāda.
The devas’ trouble
The asura Vṛtra had been Citraratha in an earlier birth, before a śāpa (curse) turned him into an asura. He had grown so strong through the grace of Śiva and his own tapas (austerity) that no weapon made by any craftsman could pierce his body. Even after the samudra manthana (the churning of the ocean) and the drinking of amṛta, the devas could not overcome him. They were beaten in battle after battle. (Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kedāra Khaṇḍa, Chapter 16)
In their trouble the devas went to Brahmā, who sent them to Vishṇu. Vishṇu taught them the way. There was one source from which a weapon could be made that no opposing force could overcome. That source was the bones of the great ṛshi Dādhīci.
For countless years Dādhīci had recited the Brahmavidyā, in the form of the Pāśupata mantra, through all the pores of his body. Every part of his body was filled with this divine sound. In this way his bones had become harder than any metal, any divine ore, any substance in the three worlds. The Vajra (thunderbolt) that could pierce Vṛtra could be made only from his spine, shaped by Viśvakarman. (Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kedāra Khaṇḍa, Chapter 16)
Dādhīci gives his body
The devas, led by Indra and joined by Bṛhaspati, went to Dādhīci’s āśrama (hermitage) and told him their need. Dādhīci had already known through his yogic sight that this day would come. He received them in perfect calm.
Without delay he agreed to give his body. He made one request: that his wife Suvarcā be looked after and comforted. When that was settled he went into deep yoga, drew all the prāṇa (life breath) out of his body, and departed. The body he left behind was then given to Viśvakarman. (Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kedāra Khaṇḍa, Chapter 16)
From Dādhīci’s spine Viśvakarman made the great Vajra, the weapon that in the end would destroy Vṛtra. The Kedāra Khaṇḍa describes Dādhīci’s act as the greatest dāna (gift) ever given by a human being. It is greater than the gift of gold, of land, of cows or of knowledge, because he gave the most dear and irreplaceable thing, his own body, for the good of all beings.
The Brahmaśiras weapon
Besides the Vajra made from the main spine, another weapon was made from the skull of Dādhīci’s skeleton. It was the Brahmaśiras, the Head of Brahmā, a weapon of total destruction that could burn whole worlds. The Kedāra Khaṇḍa speaks of its making here, as part of the weapons the devas gathered against Vṛtra. (Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kedāra Khaṇḍa, Chapter 16)
Suvarcā’s self-immolation
When Dādhīci’s wife Suvarcā learned that her husband had given up his body, she was overcome with grief and would not live without him. The devas promised to care for her. They also reminded her that Dādhīci’s act was noble and would bring good to the whole world. Even so, Suvarcā chose to follow her husband. She built a funeral pyre and gave herself to the fire. She was a satī, a faithful wife who cannot think of life beyond her husband. (Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kedāra Khaṇḍa, Chapter 16)
The birth of Pippalāda
Before Dādhīci left his body, Suvarcā was with child. The child in her womb, now without either parent, came into the world in extraordinary circumstances. The boy was named Pippalāda. Left without parents from birth, he grew up alone in the forest. He lived on the fruit of the pippala tree (the sacred fig) and on the strength of the tapas he had inherited.
Pippalāda grew into one of the great ṛshis. In time he wished to know why he had been left alone and what had happened to his parents. When he learned the whole story, that his father had given his life for the good of the devas and that the devas had not prevented his mother’s death, he was seized with righteous anger. He turned his gaze on the Navagrahas (the nine planets), whom he held partly responsible for the suffering that had brought his parents to their end. His fierce glance began to burn them, and only the intercession of Brahmā saved them from complete destruction.
The grahas gave in. From then on Pippalāda was known as one who could remove the harmful effects of the planets. He became the author of the Praśna Upanishad, one of the principal Upanishads. (Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kedāra Khaṇḍa, Chapter 16)
The Mahābhārata account, Vana Parva
The Vana Parva of the Mahābhārata (Chapter 100) gives an account of the same event. It is told by Lomaśa to Yudhishṭhira at the tīrtha (pilgrimage place) linked with Dadhīca’s gift. According to this account:
- The Kālakeyas, a clan of rākshasas, joined Vṛtra and terrified the three worlds.
- Brahmā told the devas to seek the bones of Dadhīca, the Mahābhārata’s form of the name Dādhīci.
- Dadhīca agreed without delay and gave up his body through yoga.
- Tvashṭā, the divine craftsman, made the Vajra from his spine.
- Indra killed Vṛtra.
The Skanda Purāṇa names Viśvakarman as the craftsman of the Vajra. The Mahābhārata names Tvashṭā. (Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 100)
Sources
- Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa, Kedāra Khaṇḍa, Chapters 16 and 17
- Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 100