Dadhichi’s Worthy Donation
King of Gods, Indra, himself was asking a saintly man, “We are in difficulty. We need your bones for our survival. You must make up your mind for such a sacrifice.” The man, without hesitation or fear, calmly said, “All right. The man has to die one day or other. It is better to die in order to benefit of others. I shall give up my body in a few minutes. You can have my bones then!” Who was this man who readily sacrificed himself for the sake of others? His name was Sage Dadhichi. He did it as if it was not a big deal for him at all.
In many pauranik stories, we have heard a common man asking for a help from Gods. But in this story, God Indra Himself asks for a help from a man.
Once a demon named Vritra became very strong, terrible. He was very cruel. He was born as a brahmin, but because of his behavior and actions, he became a demon. Soon a battle between demons and gods broke out. Vrita was the leader of the demons. He soon gained the upper hand over gods. The gods could not bear their blows and were in despair.
The gods approached Sri Brahma for help. Sri Brahma took them to Sri Vishnu. Sri Vishnu, bearing the responsibility of protecting the world, consoled Indra saying, “Hey Indra! Don’t be afraid. The demon Vrita is indeed powerful, but there is a way to defeat him. Go to sage Dadhichi’s hermitage. His bones contain weapons potent enough to destroy Vrita.”
As advised by Sri Vishnu, Indra approached sage Dadhichi. Dadhichi was living a pious life of penance and spirituality. Offering his courtesies, Indra said, ‘Hey rishivarya, Sri Vishnu has sent me to you. We need a favor!” Dadhichi replied, “Sri Vishnu has sent you? Then I don’t have to think. Please tell me how can I help you?”
Indra told sage Dadhichi about the demon Vrita. He implored, “We are in a great trouble. Sri Vishnu has told us that your bones have enough power to kill Vrita. On behalf of all gods, I request you to give us your bones so that we can kill him.” Sage Dadhichi knew that giving his bones means giving up his life. But he didn’t hesitate even for a moment. Fearlessly he said, “Hey Indra, I am a man. And man has to die one day or other. It is better to die for others. I am ready to give up my life. You can have my bones. May you be victorius!” By saying this, with his spiritual power, he gave up his life. Indra was extremely grateful to him.
Indra then took sage Dadhichi’s bones to Vishwakarma. Vishwakarma made sharp and deadly weapons out of Dadhichi’s bones. The gods took those weapons. They again went to the battlefield and challenged the demon Vrita. Vrita was little surprised. He thought how come gods can challenge him. He came out with his full capacity.
Now the gods had powerful weapons made out of sage Dadhichi’s bones. They gained physical strength and confident. They valiantly fought against the Vrita and his demons army. Indra specially got a fatal weapon Vajra (thunderbolt), the most powerful weapon with a hundred bulging knots. Indra, possessing Vajra, bravely fought against Vrita and destroyed him. The victorious gods shouted in joy “Hurrah!”At last good overcame evil.
The gods won the war because of sage Dadhichi’s worthy donation. As Dadhichi gave up his life for the sake of others, he attained immortality and everlasting fame. His image of sacrifice will be cherished in everybody’s heart. Considering sage Dadhichi as a role model, we should also try to make sacrifices for the sake of others.