Dhundhu
Dhundhu was a daitya (a son of Diti’s line of asuras), son of Kaśyapa ṛshi and Danu. He received a vara (a boon) from Brahmā that made him unbeatable by the devas. He took Indra’s throne and began a hundred Aśvamedha yajñas on the bank of the Devikā river, hoping to conquer Brahmaloka. Bhagavān Vishṇu came to him in disguise, asked for three paces of land, and covered all three worlds. His story is told in Chapter 52 of the Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa.
Origin and rise
Dhundhu was born from the womb of Danu as a son of Kaśyapa. He was very strong. He did tapas (austerity) to please Brahmā and received a vara that made him unbeatable by the devas. Sure of himself, he lived at the beginning of the fourth Kali yuga and attacked the devas. He drove Indra and all the devas out of Svarga and sat on Indra’s throne. Hiraṇyakaśipu was alive at that time. He took shelter under Dhundhu’s power and moved freely about the Mandara region.
Dhundhu then planned to attack Brahmaloka. His daitya companions warned him that asuras cannot pass along the way to Brahmaloka. The light of the ṛshis in Maharloka would destroy them, and the dust of the divine cows would burn them. Dhundhu asked Śukrācārya how Indra had managed to reach Brahmaloka. Śukra answered that Indra’s hundred Aśvamedha yajñas had given him that power.
The hundred Aśvamedhas
Dhundhu decided to perform a hundred Aśvamedhas. He called together the daitya chiefs and summoned the Yakshas to bring the nine treasures (nava-nidhis). Śukrācārya gave him the Aśvamedha dīkshā (initiation) on the eastern bank of the Devikā river. That spot is called pāpa-nāśanī (destroyer of pāpa, sin) and sarva-siddhi-pradāyinī (giver of every success).
Bhārgava brāhmaṇas served as ṛtviks (priests), and Rāhu and other daitya companions took part. The yajña horse was sent out under the guard of the daitya Asilomu. The smoke of the yajña rose to the sky and spread in every direction. It frightened the devas who had gathered in Brahmaloka.
Vishṇu’s plan
The devas came to Bhagavān Vishṇu in distress. He knew that Dhundhu could not be beaten by force, so he decided to defeat him by māyopāya (a clever plan). Vishṇu took the form of a dwarf brāhmaṇa (vāmana) and went into the Devikā river. He floated helplessly on the water as if drowning, with loose hair, rising and sinking. Dhundhu and all his followers ran to save the brāhmaṇa child, who seemed to be drowning.
When he was brought out, the brāhmaṇa gave his name as Gatibhāsa, son of Prabhāsa. He told a made-up story that his elder brother had thrown him into the river over a quarrel about property. He then asked Dhundhu for nothing more than three paces of land on which to place his sacred fire. He said he could not look after any greater gift. The ṛtviks laughed at how small the request was, and Dhundhu gave the three paces.
Trivikrama and the Kāliṇḍī
As soon as Dhundhu poured the water of the gift, Vishṇu took the form of Trivikrama and covered the three worlds in two steps. The rākshasas were killed and Indra won back his kingdom. With his third step, Vishṇu drove Dhundhu’s body into a pit thirty thousand yojanas deep that opened at that spot. Vishṇu filled the pit with sand and covered it over.
After this great deed, Bhagavān Vishṇu showed himself as the Kāliṇḍī river, which is the Yamunā, at that holy place, and disappeared. Later Prahlāda came to the place on his tīrtha yātrā (pilgrimage). He came to see the mūrti of Trivikrama set up there. The account names this Trivikrama as the one established at Hastināpura.
Sources
- Vāmana Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 52