Dadhichi

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Dadhichi
Dadhichi, featured on an Indian stamp
AffiliationRishi, Shaivism
TextsRigveda, Puranas, Ramayana
Genealogy
ParentsAtharvan (father), Chitti (mother)
ConsortSuvarcas[1]
ChildrenPippalada

Dadhichi (

romanized: Dadhīci), also rendered Dadhyanga[2] and Dadhyancha,[3] is a sage in Hinduism. He is best known for his sacrifice in the Puranas, where he gives up his life so that his bones could be used to manufacture the Vajra, the diamond-like celestial thunderbolt of the deity Indra, in order to slay Vritra.[4]

Literature

In the Bhagavata Purana, Dadhichi is described as the son of the sage Atharvan and his wife, Chitti. Atharvan is said to be the author of Atharvaveda, which is one of the four Vedas. Chitti was the daughter of the sage Kardama.

The names of Dadhichi's wife and son were Suvarcas and

Upanishad
.

Dadhichi is also mentioned in the various hymns (Richas–Suktas) of the Rigveda.[6][7]

Legend

Dadhichi is featured in many Hindu legends, .[8]

Horse-head legend

According to the Rigveda, when Dadhichi resided in Devaloka, he observed that the earth was populated by numerous asuras. He urged Indra to destroy them, and towards this endeavour, offered him a head of a horse, which he had located in a lake in the country of Śaraṇya. Using the bones taken from the horse's head, the duo destroyed a number of asuras.[9]

In a variation of this legend featured in the Jaiminya Brahmana, the devas are said to have refused to bestow the Aśvaśira mantra of the Vedas to the Ashvini Twins. They declared that the being who would divulge this secret to the twins would have their head burst into a thousand pieces. The twin doctors of medicine sought out the sage Dadhichi, who offered to divulge this mantra. He only asked that the Ashvins replace his head with one of a horse when he reaped the consequences of the curse. After teaching them the mantra, the sage's head burst, and the twins carried out his request, and hence restored his life.[10]

Conflict with Kṣuva

The Shiva Purana and Linga Purana features the sage as a friend of the splendid King Kṣuva, a great devotee of Vishnu. Once, the two were embroiled in a dispute regarding the superiority of knowledge which is sought by the Brahmins over weapons and force sought by the kings. Angered that the king would express an opinion that was contrary to the scriptures, Dadhichi struck the head of Kṣuva with his left fist. In retaliation, the king employed the Vajra to disintegrate the sage. The sage remembered Shukra, his ancestor, and the narrator of this legend, who employed his yogic powers to restore Dadhichi's limbs, and taught him the Mahāmṛtyuñjaya mantra to propitiate Shiva. When appeased, the deity appeared to offer the sage any boon of his choice, and Dadhichi wished for three: indestructible bones, immortality, and freedom from distress. Having received these boons, Dadhichi kicked the king with the root of his foot. Kṣuva appealed to Vishnu to bless him with victory.[11][12][13]

Vishnu assumed the guise of a Brahmin, and appeared before Dadhichi, requesting the sage to grant him a boon. Dadhichi saw through Vishnu's guise, and wished to know the deity's purpose of visiting him. He was requested to make peace with the king. Dadhichi refused with a laugh, which angered Vishnu. The preserver deity summoned Indra and the devas, who attacked the sage, but their prowess was rendered futile because of Shiva's protection of the sage. The sage employed a few blades of the kusha grass against the divinities, which transformed into a trishula, frightening all but Vishnu from the scene. When the king appeared to offer his surrender, the sage once again affirmed that knowledge is superior to weapons and force. He cursed Indra and all the devas to be destroyed by Shiva, which would be fulfilled when they attended Daksha's yajna.[14][15]

Legend of the Vajrayudha

According to the

Devi Bhagavata Purana, Tvastar, the Prajapati, bore a deep-seated hatred for Indra, the king of the devas. He performed a penance to bear a child named Viśvarūpa, whose purpose was to slay Indra. The child grew to become a rishi, and since his mother, Racanā, was a daitya, he freely mingled with the asuras.[16] Indra considered this blasphemous, and promptly destroyed the three heads of Viśvarūpa. Enraged by the loss of his son, Tvastar burnt offerings and offered incantations from the Atharvaveda for eight continuous days, until a son named Vritra appeared before him, and was tasked with slaying Indra.[17]

Indra and his devas waged war on Vrita and the asuras, and were defeated. The devas went to seek the aid of

Naimisharanya,[19] thereby allowing the sage to have his wish fulfilled without a further loss of time. Dadhichi then went into a deep meditative state, and released his life force from his body. His bones were used to fashion the Vajra, also known as the Vajrayudha (Vajra, the weapon), which would be employed to slay Vritra.[20]

Another version of this legend exists where Dadhichi was asked to safeguard the weapons of the

asuras
using the weapons thus created.

Daksha's yajna

Dadhichi is said to have been the first to leave Daksha's yagna when he realised that Shiva had not been invited out of spite.[22]

Dadhichi is regarded to have had established his ashram in

Naimisharanya is cited in all of the Puranas as the location of his ashram, which is still in existence and Also another ancient ashram in Village - Daheli District - Sambhal, in the state of Uttar Pradesh . The current location of the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad is also believed to be one of the ancient sites of his ashram. A popular legend about Dahod also says that Sage Dadhichi once meditated at the banks of Dudhimati river in Dahod.[23]

The

Dadhich Brahmins, a Brahmin clan and the Dahiya Rajputs, a Rajput clan primarily found in Rajasthan
, claim to be his descendants.

According to folklore, Dadhimati is the name of the sage's sister, in whose name a fourth century temple exists in Naguar, Rajasthan, called the Dadhimati Mata Temple.

The design of the Param Vir Chakra, an Indian military medal, is regarded to be inspired by the sacrifice of this sage.[24]

The mantra or incantation for the goddess

Parashurama
, Dadhichi is said to have hidden them inside the temple of Hinglaj, and created the incantation of Hinglaj to protect them from Parashurama's wrath.

Dadhichi is believed to have written the Narayana Kavacham, a Sanskrit hymn.[25]

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dadhichi.
  1. ^ "UP Auth". Puranic Encyclopedia. p. 774.
  2. ^ Mudholkar, V. V. (1971). Analytical Survey of Īśāvāsyopanis̲ad. Karnatak University. p. 197.
  3. ISBN 978-1-85538-040-0
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  4. ISBN 978-93-84391-49-2
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  5. ^ www.wisdomlib.org (3 February 2016). "Suvarcas: 7 definitions". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  6. ^ Rigveda hymns 1.80.16, 1.84.13–14, 1.116.12, 1,117,22, 1.139.9, 9.108.4
  7. ^ "Dadhichi in Ahmedabad". Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  8. ^ "Dadhichi Saves the Gods in Ahmadabad". archives.amritapuri.org. Archived from the original on 19 November 2011. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
  9. ^ www.wisdomlib.org (28 January 2019). "Story of Dadhīca". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  10. ISBN 978-0-89281-870-9
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  11. ^ www.wisdomlib.org (3 October 2018). "The dialogue between Kṣuva and Dadhīca [Chapter 38]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  12. ^ www.wisdomlib.org (27 May 2023). "Defeat of Kṣupa [Chapter 35]". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  13. ^ Books, Kausiki (24 October 2021). Siva Purana: Rudra Samhitha: 2 Sati Khanda: English Translation only without Slokas. Kausiki Books. p. 54.
  14. ISBN 9788128400247
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  15. ISBN 9788184510423
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  16. ISBN 978-1-291-22965-3
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  17. ^ www.wisdomlib.org (28 January 2019). "Story of Vṛtra". www.wisdomlib.org. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  18. ISBN 978-81-7525-615-6
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  19. ^ a b c "The Great Sage Dadhichi". Archived from the original on 21 April 2007. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  20. ISBN 978-93-86004-23-9
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  21. ^ a b "Dadhichi Rishi". Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  22. ^ Mudgala Purana 1.3.19
  23. ^ "History of Dahod". Archived from the original on 9 February 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2018.
  24. ISBN 978-0-9757883-1-8
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  25. ISBN 978-93-87326-45-3
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