Vritra then took the trident in hand and attacked Indra — Indra then had recourse to Vajra and he easily cut off both the trident and one hand of Vritra. Vritra took a club in the other hand and struck both Indra and the elephant. The Vajra slipped out of the hands of Indra and he felt ashamed to pick it up in the presence of his enemy. "Pick it up, O King of Devas, and kill your enemy. This is no time for shame or sorrow. It is not you or I that are the real actors. Bhagavân is guiding us all. He guides the whole Universe. Look at me. I have been worsted, hand and weapon gone, still I am trying my best to kill you. This our fight is but like the game of dice in which the life of one of us is the stake." Indra could not help wondering at the wisdom and magnanimity of Vritra. He exclaimed "O king of Dânavas! thou hast got over the Mâyâ of Vishnu. The Asura nature has altogether- left thee and thou art fixed in devotion to Vishnu. Verily thou art a Mahatma now." They again engaged in fight. This time Indra cut off both the club and the other hand with the help of Vajra — Vritra then opened his mouth and swallowed Indra. There was loud wailing and lamentation all round. But Indra broke through the interior of Vritra with the help of Vajra, and he then forcibly applied the bolt to cut off the head of Vritra. The bolt though actively employed could only sever the head of the Asura King in 360 days. The flame of self from Vritra’s body merged in Shankarshana in the presence of the Devas. The sin of killing a Brâhmana a second time followed Indra in the form of a hideous old outcaste woman. He fled away into the Mânasa lake and entered the filament of a lotus stalk. He remained there concealed for one thousand years. King Nahusha reigned in Svarga during that time. But as he became maddened in pride, Sachi the wife of Indra made him a serpent. The Brâhmanas then called back Indra to Svarga, and he reigned there again. THE STORY OF CHITRAKETU. *SKANDHA VI. CHAP. 14-17.* Chitraketu, the King of Sûrasena had ten millions of wives, but he had no son. Rishi Angiras once came to him. The King expressed regret for his childlessness. Angiras performed a Yajna in honor of Tvastri, and gave the sacrificial remnants to the eldest wife. "You shall have a son, O King!" said Angiras. "But he will give you joy and sorrow both." In time the eldest Queen bore a son. Her co-wives grew jealous and poisoned the child. Chitraketu was deeply moved, and he wept profusely. At the time Nârada and Angiras came to him. They taught him the worship of Shankarshana. Chitraketu became fixed in the meditation of this second manifestation of Chaturvyuha, and this made him very powerful. He became the King of the Vidyâdharas.