Dadhīci Maharshi
Dadhīci
Pippalāda has other meanings too: see all meanings of Pippalāda.
Dadhīci Maharshi stands among the most extraordinary ṛshis of the Vedic world—a figure whose life weaves together tapas, compassion, cosmic conflict, and the ultimate act of self‑sacrifice. Born to Cyavana Maharshi and Sukanyā as the fruit of her unwavering devotion, Dadhīci’s brilliance was evident from childhood. His early tapas on the banks of the Sarasvatī drew the attention of devas and apsarās alike, leading to the birth of Sārasvata, the ṛshi who saved countless lives during a devastating famine.
As Dadhīci matured, he became a universal guru, attracting disciples in the millions and mastering divine sciences—even those Indra sought to restrict. His encounters with the Aśvinī Kumāras, his revival through Śukra’s mṛtasañjīvanī, and his intense tapas to Śiva all shaped him into a being of adamantine strength and icchāmṛtyu, capable of choosing the moment of his own death.
Dadhīci’s life also intersected with kings and cosmic powers. His quarrel with King Kshupuḍa, his unwavering Śiva‑bhakti during Daksha’s ill‑fated yajña, and his protection of the devas’ weapons reveal a ṛshi who upheld dharma even when confronted with pride, politics, and divine tension. When the devas neglected their own arms, Dadhīci absorbed them into his body—an act that later made him the only being capable of empowering them again.
His story reaches its pinnacle in his self‑willed sacrifice, when he voluntarily gave up his body so the devas could forge the Vajrāyudha from his bones, the weapon that would destroy Vṛtrāsura and restore cosmic balance. His wife Suvarcas, embodying the same fierce purity, chose sahagamana, giving birth to Pippalāda in her final moments. Pippalāda’s own journey—from vengeance against the devas to peace through Rudra’s guidance—extends Dadhīci’s legacy into the next generation of ṛshis.
Through these episodes, Dadhīci emerges not merely as a heroic ascetic but as a pillar of cosmic order, whose tapas, humility, forgiveness, and sacrifice shaped the destiny of devas and mortals alike.
The Bhāgavata Purāṇa calls him Dadhyañc or Dadhīci, the son of Atharvan and Citti, a maharshi of the Atharva Veda of great vrata-nishṭhā, also named Aśvaśiras. He knew the partless Parabrahma and taught that knowledge, famous as Aśvaśira, to the Aśvins, who became jīvanmuktas; he gave Tvashṭā the impenetrable kavaca that is Śrī Hari’s own form. When Vṛtra had swallowed the powers of the devas, Śrī Hari sent Indra to ask for his body. Dadhīci first answered as though refusing, only to hear dharma from the devas; then, teaching that one who does not use this passing body for the good of others is to be pitied even by the trees, he merged his mind in Śrī Hari and gave up his body, and Viśvakarmā made the vajra from his bones.
Birth and Early Life
Cyavana Maharshi regained his youth and became the most handsome being in all three worlds through the grace of the Aśvinī devatās and the Pativratya of his wife Sukanyā. One day, after this event, Cyavana called Sukanyā and said, “The sacrifice you made is infinite. You are a delicate princess, destined to live on soft beds, yet you chose to marry an old blind ṛshi like me. Because of your great devotion, I regained my youth and divine form. As a result of this sacrifice, you will give birth to a son who will be a supreme ascetic and the greatest of ṛshis.” In due time, she gave birth to a son during an auspicious moment. That son was Dadhīci Maharshi.
Dadhīci’s Early Tapasya and Sārasvata, Son of Dadhīci
From childhood, Dadhīci engaged in intense tapas. He left his home at a young age and built a small āśrama near the banks of the Sarasvatī River, meditating with deep concentration. Though still a boy, he radiated like a great flame due to his tapas. His tapas began to cause anxiety among the devas, of the instability his tapas śakti can cause. This fear exists even though the devas are embodiments of virtue. That is why the devas often attempt to test intense tapas to ensure it is meant for the peace and good of the worlds.
To disturb Dadhīci’s tapas, Indra sent an apsaras named Alambushā. Indra thought, “Dadhīci is still young. How can he possibly be free from desire? Surely he will fall into delusion upon seeing her.” Sarasvatī, the river devī, also became enamored of Dadhīci, feeling a subtle desire upon witnessing his tapas. This is because in the Vedic view, rivers, mountains, and trees all possess consciousness. In the case of the Sarasvatī River, she experienced feelings akin to love for Dadhīci. This was not considered a flaw but a natural outcome of the cosmic order where every element has life and personality.
In the vedic worldview, there is no concept of inert matter. Everything in creation, including rivers, trees, and mountains, has consciousness. The so-called inanimate is actually pervaded by life-force. A tree, a river, or a mountain are not mere objects but living entities that respond to prayers and carry divine energies. For example, when a yajña requires a branch, a brāhmaṇa respectfully prays to the tree before taking it. This is because the tree has consciousness and divine presence.
Birth of Sārasvata
Sarasvatī, possessing the consciousness of a woman, developed affection for Dadhīci. Alambushā approached Dadhīci as per Indra’s command. When she came close, Dadhīci, though in deep tapas, was affected by the charm of both the river and the apsaras. This led to a spontaneous emission of his seed, which Sarasvatī received and carried. She considered this event her destiny and did not feel guilt but rather acceptance of the cosmic play.
Sarasvatī approached Dadhīci carrying the child and said, “O great ṛshi! I once felt affection for you. Alambushā facilitated your desire. The child born from your tapas is now with me. He is your son, please accept him.” Dadhīci initially hesitated, but through his divine vision, he realized the child was indeed his own. He named him Sārasvata, meaning ‘son of Sarasvatī’. However, as Dadhīci was engaged in continuous tapas, he asked Sarasvatī to raise the child herself. She gladly accepted and brought up Sārasvata with love and care.
Sārasvata grew up to be a great ṛshi. Once, a severe famine struck the land. But Sārasvata, using the power of his tapas, ensured that no one died of hunger. He fed the people sumptuous meals by the force of his tapas. This compassionate act saved many lives during the time of scarcity.
Dadhīci as a universal Guru
After becoming endowed with great spiritual power, Dadhīci Maharshi was approached by several ṛshis who advised him to marry and lead a household life. They told him, “O Mahārshi! You should have a family and disciples. How long will you keep wandering? As a householder, you will be approachable to everyone, and that is beneficial.” Dadhīci agreed and married Suvarcasa, also known as Gabhastinī. He led an exemplary life as a householder.
Dadhīci Maharshi attracted disciples in numbers unprecedented in the world. Crores and crores of disciples came to him. The disciples of his disciples, and even their disciples, all considered Dadhīci their supreme guru.
One day, Indra came to Dadhīci and taught him some secret vidyās (divine sciences). Before leaving, Indra warned, “If you teach these secrets to anyone else, your head will fall off.” After Indra left, the Aśvinī devatās approached Dadhīci and said, “O great ṛshi! We are the Aśvinī devatās who granted youth to your father Cyavana. Please teach us the secrets that Indra taught you. In return, we shall grant you protection.” Dadhīci agreed but reminded them, “If I teach you these secrets, my head will fall off.” The Aśvinīs replied, “We will protect you from that fate.”
The Aśvinī devatās removed Dadhīci’s human head and kept it safely aside. They attached the head of a horse to Dadhīci and revived him. Then Dadhīci taught them the secret sciences. Indra became furious upon realizing the Aśvinīs had learned the secrets. He came to Dadhīci’s āśrama and, when Dadhīci was in meditation, cut off his horse head with a sword. But the Aśvinīs, foreseeing this, had already prepared. They revived Dadhīci by reattaching his original head.
These events are narrated in the Brahma Purāṇa and the Skanda Purāṇa.
The Quarrel between Dadhīci Maharshi and King Kshupuḍa
Dadhīci Maharshi had a childhood friend named Kshupuḍa, who later became a king. When Kshupuḍa heard of Dadhīci’s greatness, he respectfully invited him to his palace. As they conversed, Dadhīci asserted that the brāhmaṇa is superior to the kshatriya, stating that each should recognize their own dharma—brāhmaṇa for wisdom and tapas, kshatriya for protection and governance. Kshupuḍa disagreed, arguing that both brāhmaṇas and kshatriyas are essential. He compared them to the right and left hand—each has its role, and both are required for life to function harmoniously. According to dharma, brāhmaṇas preserve dharma, and kshatriyas protect it. Sometimes roles may interchange depending on capability, and such examples are found in purāṇic history.
As the debate intensified, Dadhīci, being a tapasvī unaccustomed to worldly interactions, became furious. Losing control over his anger, he struck Kshupuḍa. Kshupuḍa, being a kshatriya, retaliated with a weapon and cut Dadhīci into pieces. Upon learning of the incident, Śukrācārya (of same Bhṛgu lineage) arrived, gathered Dadhīci’s body parts, and revived him using his mṛtasañjīvanī vidyā. Dadhīci, having thus faced death and rebirth multiple times, prostrated to Śukra.
Śukrācārya advised Dadhīci to perform deep tapas to Bhagavān Sadāśiva, saying, “You will become omnipotent. Perform tapas to Śiva so that you may attain even greater powers.” Dadhīci resolved to renounce worldly relations, returned to his āśrama, and engaged in intense tapas. He ate nothing, slept not, and entered a state beyond wakefulness or dream. His tapas generated heat that reached all three worlds. Bhagavān Śiva appeared, praised him, and granted him the vara of icchāmṛtyu—the power to die at will. Śiva made his body adamantine like a diamond and granted him invincibility.
Despite these varas, Dadhīci could not forget Kshupuḍa. Even ṛshis are sometimes bound by lingering emotions such as friendship or enmity. Remembering his humiliation, Dadhīci went to Kshupuḍa and slapped him, partly to release his pent-up anger. A small battle ensued between them. Kshupuḍa tried to use his weapons, but Dadhīci, being blessed by Śiva, remained unharmed. Dadhīci arrogantly declared, “Neither you nor even your deity Vishṇu can harm me.”
Kshupuḍa, unable to bear the insult, renounced his kingdom and performed severe tapas. This is the vedic way—whenever afflicted by anger, grief, or humiliation, the remedy is tapas. Eventually, Bhagavān Vishṇu appeared before Kshupuḍa. Kshupuḍa expressed his grief, saying, “O Bhagavān Vishṇu! Dadhīci insulted even you. Such an event has never occurred in the world.” Vishṇu consoled him, saying, “Let us go together and speak to Dadhīci.”
Vishṇu approached Dadhīci and said, “O ṛshi, though you are great, you have insulted me out of pride. Do you not know that Śiva and I are one and the same?” Dadhīci, still in a state of anger, replied, “You may be Mahāvishṇu, but how can you be equal to Śiva? You are not his equal.” Vishṇu, attempting to test Dadhīci, hurled his Sudarśana Cakra at him. However, Dadhīci stopped it with his tapas. Vishṇu then created a great māyā, but Dadhīci dispelled it too.
Finally, Vishṇu explained, “I came not to punish you but to test your devotion. Śiva and Vishṇu are indeed one. The devotee of Śiva is equal to the devotee of Vishṇu, and neither Śiva nor Vishṇu can harm their true devotee. You will remain immortal, assisting the devas for the welfare of the worlds.”
Vishṇu advised Kshupuḍa, “The only way to dissolve enmity is to seek refuge in your opponent. If you prostrate to Dadhīci, he will forgive you.” Kshupuḍa approached Dadhīci, bowed down, and said, “O great ṛshi! I did not know your greatness. Please forgive me.” Dadhīci, pleased with the humility, said, “Friend, I hold no grudge against you. Let our friendship continue as before.”
The Nature of Brāhmaṇa Forgiveness
For a true brāhmaṇa, a simple prostration is enough to dissolve anger. He desires no wealth, no feast—only a sincere namaskāra. Dadhīci’s story illustrates this characteristic. Despite having been insulted and attacked, he forgave Kshupuḍa upon receiving a humble bow, as is the nature of the highest ṛshis.
Daksha’s Yajña
Daksha Prajāpati, though a tapasvī himself, harbored anger against Rudra (Śiva). Out of spite, he performed a yajña not to attain merit but solely to insult Śiva. This is why the yajña failed. Had Daksha performed the yajña with a pure intention, even if he had forgotten to invite Śiva, the ritual would still have yielded fruit. But since his very purpose was to insult Śiva, the yajña was doomed from the start.
Daksha came to Dadhīci and invited him to the yajña without revealing his malicious intent. “O Mahārshi! I am conducting a great yajña. You must come.” Dadhīci, not knowing Daksha’s intentions, agreed and went with his disciples.
Daksha thought, “Dadhīci is a great Śiva devotee, yet he came to my yajña as soon as I called him. That means he fears me more than he loves Śiva. Otherwise, why would he have come? I am Prajāpati after all!” Daksha then revealed his real purpose to Dadhīci, saying, “I have made arrangements to ensure that Śiva and his attendants do not come to this yajña. I have done this only to humiliate him. He is the cause of destruction in the world. How can he be auspicious when he brings death? My yajña will insult him, and you must help me.”
Hearing these words, Dadhīci rose like a serpent whose tail had been trodden. Mahāṛshis are not ordinary people; they are filled with tapas and possess immense spiritual power. The entire assembly turned toward Dadhīci. The great ṛshis like Vasishṭha, Vyāsa, and Nārada were absent from the yajña. This absence itself was a sign of the yajña’s flaw, which Dadhīci now realized.
Dadhīci addressed Daksha, “O Daksha Prajāpati! Why have you taken up this wicked intent? How can a yajña be performed without Viśveśvara, the Parameśvara of all? Even if it proceeds, what fruit will it bring you?”
In reply, Daksha insulted Śiva, saying, “You do not understand the truth, O Dadhīci! Śiva is a mere cremation ground dweller, a naked ascetic who wears elephant skin and lives like a beggar. How can such a one be considered auspicious?” But Daksha conveniently forgot that he himself had once given his daughter Satī in marriage to Śiva with great reverence.
Despite Daksha’s words, Dadhīci calmly replied. But when Daksha declared that no one who praises Śiva could remain in his house, Dadhīci stood up with his disciples and said, “O Daksha! Fool that you are, you have insulted Sadāśiva despite my efforts to guide you. May your yajña produce inauspiciousness. May disease fall upon you soon. And may all those who have come to this yajña out of ignorance gain wisdom through this event, for the pain they will suffer shall purify them.”
With these words, Dadhīci left the yajña. It was this curse of Dadhīci that led to the creation of Vīrabhadra and the subsequent destruction of Daksha’s yajña.
Dadhīci Protects the Divine Weapons
Once, the Asurās / Rākshasas expanded their power and attacked the Devas. The Rākshasas did not immediately fight the Devas face-to-face. Instead, they began by stealing the Devas’ weapons, making the Devas powerless. Not knowing how to safeguard their weapons, the Devas went to Dadhīci Maharshi seeking refuge. Dadhīci told them, “Give me all your weapons and all your powers. Leave them in my āśrama. No one will be able to take them from here.” As per this arrangement, Dadhīci protected all the divine weapons with his tapas and rendered great help to the Devas.
After some time, the Rākshasa threat diminished. Dadhīci asked the Devas to come and take their weapons back. But none of the Devas came. Though they were now comfortable and safe, they did not retrieve their weapons from Dadhīci. Even after repeatedly inviting them, they neglected to come. In frustration of having to continue to protect them and be stuck at his Aśram, Dadhīci swallowed all the weapons. They were digested and assimilated into his body, spreading into his bones and blood vessels.
Later, when the Devas once again feared a Rākshasa attack, they rushed to Dadhīci asking for their weapons. Dadhīci said, “I called you many times, but you did not come. So I swallowed the weapons. Now they are digested within me. What do you expect me to do?” The Devas were terrified. They begged forgiveness and pleaded, “We indeed neglected to come. Please give us back our weapons somehow.”
Dadhīci replied, “All those weapons are now within my body. If you absolutely need them, you must take my life and retrieve them from my bones.” The Devas were afraid. How could they kill such a great ṛshi? Helpless, they started crying.
Then Dadhīci said, “What is the purpose of my life now? What is there left for me to attain? Life has value only when there is something left to accomplish. When there is nothing else to earn, what is the use of this body? I have nothing more to achieve. So I live only for you. Whenever you require my bones, come to me. I will leave this body, and you can take my bones. All the weapons and my tapas power are now embedded in my bones. With these, your weapons will gain thrice their previous strength.”
He thus sent the Devas away with this assurance.
Dadhīci’s Self-Sacrifice and the birth of Vajrāyudha
After some time, a terrible Rākshasa named Vṛtrāsura was born. He grew immensely powerful and brought great danger to the Devas. Unable to defeat him, the Devas approached Brahmā. Brahmā said, “I cannot harm Vṛtrāsura. He is a brāhmaṇa and an unbroken tapasvī. He possesses immense power. The only solution is to go to Dadhīci. If he gives you his bones, you can create weapons from them to kill Vṛtrāsura.”
Since Dadhīci had already promised to help, the Devas went to him. Dadhīci, through yogic power, voluntarily left his body.
The nature of this is important to understand. An ordinary death occurs when the body becomes weak, the life forces (prāṇas) can no longer bind the jīva to the body, and the jīva is forced out. But a yogī leaves the body by choice, even when the body is healthy. This is called svacchanda maraṇam—self-willed death. Bhīshma is a prime example of this. So too was Dadhīci Maharshi, who left his body willingly, not due to weakness or disease but by yogic power.
The Devas performed purificatory rites on Dadhīci’s body. From his sacred remains, they created weapons. Among them, the Vajrāyudha (thunderbolt) was made from his bones. Other powerful weapons were also formed. With these, the Devas defeated the Rākshasas.
Suvarcas’s Sahagamana
At the time of Dadhīci’s self-sacrifice, his wife Suvarcas was pregnant. When she came to know of his death, she did not express sorrow or blame the Devas. She accepted his sacrifice for the welfare of the Devas and the world. Seeing it as a path to eternal fame, she decided to enter the funeral pyre along with his body.
As she prepared for sahagamana (self-immolation), Brahmā and other devatās appeared before her. They said, “O noble woman! A mahātmā, the son of Dadhīci, is in your womb. Do not take your life now.”
Suvarcas replied, “Devas, your behavior is strange. You took my husband away, and now you ask me to suffer widowhood? I do not understand this counsel. My husband sacrificed himself for the welfare of the Devas, and now you are here not out of compassion for me but because you fear for the unborn child. Not even once did you offer me words of consolation. You, who call yourselves Devas, behaved like animals. From now on, all the Devas will behave like animals in such matters.”
She then declared, “If the child in my womb is truly great, he should come out immediately. I will complete what I have decided to do.” At once, the child came out of her womb.
Pippalāda Maharshi
There was a sacred fig tree nearby—a Pippala tree (Ficus religiosa). The child crawled to it and took refuge under it. Suvarcas then entered the fire and left her body. The tree itself protected the child. In the purāṇic view, trees are not mere inanimate matter. The Pippala tree nurtured the child. On full moon days, it went to the Moon, obtained nectar, and fed the child with it. Thus, by the grace of the tree and the Moon, the child grew without hunger or thirst. Because he took refuge under the Pippala tree, the child became known as Pippalāda Maharshi.
Once Pippalāda reflected on his past. His father Dadhīci had offered to protect the Devas‘ weapons, but they neglected to retrieve them. Eventually, they took back the weapons only by killing him. Seeing this ungratefulness and treachery, Pippalāda vowed to take revenge on the Devas. He undertook severe tapas for this purpose.
By his tapas, Pippalāda created a terrifying kṛtyā—a being of immense power—to destroy the Devas. The Devas, terrified, rushed to Kailāsa and prayed to Rudra for protection. Rudra said, “I cannot stop this. Go and pray to Pippalāda himself.” When the Devas did so, Pippalāda remained unmoved. Finally, Rudra himself intervened. He told Pippalāda, “O Maharshi! What use is there in destroying the Devas? The world needs them for its operation. Your grief is personal—it is about your parents. Look toward Pitṛloka.” When Pippalāda looked, he saw his parents shining like divine beings. Rudra thus pacified him and removed his grief. Pippalāda attained peace.
This is recorded in the Skanda Purāṇa’s Mahēśvara Khaṇḍa.
Per Bhāgavata Purāṇa
Śuka Maharshi tells Parīkshit of Dadhīci in the fourth and sixth skandhas, and his name is remembered again in the eighth and tenth.
His birth and name
To Atharvan, in his wife Citti, was born a son, Dadhyañc, who is Dadhīci. Dadhīci, of great vrata-nishṭhā (firmness in his vows), also bore the name Aśvaśiras, for his head resembled the head of a horse.
Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 4, Chapter 1
Śrī Hari sends Indra to him
When Vṛtra, the son of Tvashṭā, had swallowed the powers, astras and weapons of the devas, the devas praised Śrī Hari, and Śrī Hari, pleased with their stuti, told Indra: “Go quickly to Dadhīci Maharshi. May there be auspiciousness for you. Ask him for his body, made firm by upāsanā, vratas and tapas. Dadhīci has the knowledge of the partless Parabrahma. That knowledge, famous as Aśvaśira, he taught to the Aśvinī Kumāras, and they became jīvanmuktas (free while still in the body). Dadhīci, who belongs to the Atharva Veda, gave to Tvashṭā the kavaca which is my own form. That kavaca is impenetrable; Tvashṭā gave it to his son Viśvarūpa, and from him you received it and wore it. If the Aśvins ask, Dadhīci, who knows dharma, will give you his limbs. From them Viśvakarmā will make a great weapon, and with it, strengthened by my tejas, you will cut off Vṛtra’s head.” Then, as the devas looked on, Śrī Hari withdrew from their sight.
Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 6, Chapters 9–10
The gift of his body
The devas asked Dadhīci of the Atharva Veda for his body, as Śrī Hari had told them. Dadhīci, delighted and smiling, answered them first as though to refuse: “Devas, do you not know that at the time of death embodied beings suffer an unbearable affliction and even swoon? To every being that wishes to live, the body is most dear. Even if Vishṇu himself asked for it, who would dare to give it?”
The devas answered: “O Maharshi, for mahātmās (great ones) like you, who have compassion for all beings and pure fame, whose deeds are praised even by those of pure fame, what is there that cannot be given up? People who ask think first of their own need and do not understand the hardship of others; and a giver who is able does not say no when others ask.”
Dadhīci Maharshi said: “I spoke as though refusing only because I wished to hear dharma from you. Here, I give up this dear body for you; it would leave me one day in any case. The man who, having compassion for beings, does not earn fame by doing dharma with this passing body is to be grieved for even by the trees and shrubs. To feel sorrow at the sorrow of beings and joy at their joy: this alone is the imperishable dharma that those of pure fame follow. Wealth, relatives and the body break apart in a moment; they are of no use for the purushārtha, and in the end they serve only others. That a man does not do good to others with them: what wretchedness, what a loss!”
Having resolved thus, Dadhīci merged his mind in Śrī Hari, who is Parabrahma itself, and gave up his body. He knew the truth of the Paramātmā, his bondage of karma was destroyed, and he had mastered his senses, his prāṇas, his mind and his buddhi. So deep was the one-pointedness of his mind that his body fell away without his even knowing it.
Then Viśvakarmā made the vajra from the bones of Dadhīci Maharshi, and Indra, filled with the tejas of Bhagavān Vishṇu, mounted a great elephant with the vajra raised high and went against Vṛtra. Vṛtra himself told Indra in the battle that the tejas of Śrī Hari and the tapas of Dadhīci had made his vajra powerful.
Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 6, Chapters 10–11
His name remembered
When the vajra could not even break the skin of the dānava Namuci, Indra recalled that it was the very tejas of Dadhīci, the knower of Brahman. When Bali, about to give the three steps of land to Bhagavān Vāmana, answered Śukrācārya, he said that good men such as Dadhīci and Śibi gave up even their life-breaths, so hard to give up, for the good of beings. And Akrūra, praising Śrī Kṛshṇa under the waters of the Yamunā, says that some, following the path taught by Śiva and the methods of many ācāryas beginning with Dadhīca, worship Śrī Kṛshṇa himself in the form of Śiva.
Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 8, Chapters 11, 20; Skandha 10, Chapter 40
The Miśraka tīrtha at Kurukshetra
In the round of the tīrthas of Kurukshetra, after the Pāṇikhāta tīrtha, comes the Miśraka tīrtha, of very great glory. There Vyāsa Muni mixed together the waters of all the tīrthas for the sake of Dadhīci Maharshi, and so the tīrtha is called Miśraka, “the mixed”. One who bathes in the Miśraka gains the phala (fruit) of bathing in all the tīrthas. From Miśraka the pilgrim goes on, restrained in food, to Vyāsavana and the Manojava tīrtha.
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 15
Sources
- Brahma Purāṇa
- Skanda Purāṇa, Māheśvara Khaṇḍa
- Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 15
- Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 4, Chapter 1; Skandha 6, Chapters 9–11; Skandha 8, Chapters 11, 20; Skandha 10, Chapter 40