[3-200] Vaishampaayan Jee said - "After hearing the story of Indradyumn and sinless Muni and Muni with great merits and long life, Yudhishthir once again asked - "Hey Muni, You know about all gods, Raakshas, Daanav, kings, and Rishi. You know many stories about all kinds of beings. I desire to know why Kuvalaashwa, an Ikshwaaku king, changed his name to Dhundhumaar?" Vaishampaayan Jee said - "So when Yudhishthir asked about Kuvalaashwa, Maarkandeya Jee told this story to him, he said - "I tell you how Kuvalaashwa became Dhundhumaar, listen to it attentively. There was a great celebrated Rishi named Uttank. Once he did lots of penance to please Vishnu. Vishnu got pleased and appeared before him, Seeing Vishnu in front of him, Uttank recited many hymns, he said - "You have create everything even Brahmaa. You give happiness or sorrow to everybody, and when you become angry, terror overtakes everybody. It is your power only that Devtaa win and Daitya lose." When Uttank, O Yudhishthir, prayed Vishnu like this, He asked him to ask for a Var. Uttank said - "It is already a boon for me that I have seen you." Hari said - "I am very much pleased that you don't have any desire, but one must get something from me." At this Uttank said - "If you are pleased with me, then give me this boon that I should always do all good and virtuous actions and be self contented. I should always have devotion or you." Hari said - "All this will happen to you with my grace. And you will develop a Yog power, by which you will achieve a great thing for the dwellers of Heaven, as well as for the dwellers of Tri-Lok. There is a great Asur, named Dhundhu, is busy in Tapasayaa with the objective to destroy of destroying the Tri-Lok. Now you hear that who will kill that Asur. There will be born a King in Ikshwaaku family, known as Brihadaashwa, he would have a son named Kuvalaashwa. That king would have my Yog power and urged and commanded by you, he would kill that Asur." After having said this Hari disappeared then and there."

[3-201] Maarkandeya Jee said - "So after the death of Ikshwaaku, Shashaad ruled, then Kakutsth ruled, then Anenaa ruled. Anenaa had the son named Prithu, Prithu had the son named Vishwagashwa, Vishwagashwa had the son named Adri, and Adri had a son named Yuvanaashwa, Yuvanaashwa had Shraavast, who inhabited the city named Shraavastee. Shraavast had the son named Brihadaashwa, Brihadaashwa had the son named Kuvalaashwa, and Kuvalaashwa had 21,000 handsome sons. Kuvalaashwa excelled his father Brihadaashwa, so Brihadaashwa installed Kuvalaashwa on the throne and decided to go to forest. When he was going to forest, Uttank heard of his going to forest. Uttank went to him and advised him to give up his idea to go to forest. He said to him - "Your duty is to protect your people. You need to perform your duty. Since you are a great soul, if you will protect them, Prithvi will be free from dangers. So do not go to forest. The merit you will earn by performing your duty, you can never get it by going to forest. The king should always protect his people, so you also do the same.

I cannot perform my Saadhanaa properly. There is a great sea of sand (desert) named by Ujjalak, near my Aashram. It has no water and extends for many Yojan. There lives a chief of Daanav, named Dhundhu, under the ground. He is the son of Madhu and Kaitabh. First you kill that Daitya and then go to forest. Nowadays Dhudhu is lying still and doing penance for gaining sovereignty over the three worlds. After getting a boon from Brahmaa Jee he cannot be killed by any Devtaa, or Raakshas, or Gandharv. So you kill him and achieve great fame. When at the end of every year, the Asur lying in the sand, wakes up and takes breath, then the whole Earth begins to tremble and trembles continually for 7 days. His breath raises the clouds of dust, covers the Sun and sparks the flames of fire, and because of that I cannot stay in my Aashram in peace. In olden days Vishnu bestowed the boon that whoever king will slay this Asur, will be more than Vishnu Himself. You have that energy, so you kill him. Without this energy, nobody will be able to kill him even in 100 years."

Story of Dhundhu Daitya

[3-202] Maarkandeya Jee said - "Hearing Uttank, Brihadaashwa said to him with folded hands - "Your visit will not go vain. My son Kuvalaahwa is unequalled on Earth. He will do whatever you will like, on Earth along with his brave sons. I have now given up my weapons so please permit me to go to forest." Muni said - "All right." He then instructed his son Kuvalaashwa to obey Rishi Uttank and went to forest." Yudhishthir said - "O Holy One, Who was this Daitya of great energy? Whose son and whose grandson was he? I have never heard about this Daitya before, I wish to know about him with all particulars in details."

Maarkandeya Jee said - "I tell you all about him as the things happened. When there was only water in the whole world, all mobile and immobile creatures were destroyed, the Source and Creator of the world Vishnu lay on the hood of Aadi Shesh encircling the whole Earth that a lotus appeared from His navel, and from that lotus sprang up the grandsire Brahmaa Jee who is the our Ved, who has four forms and who has four faces, he was decked with a crown and the Kaustubh Mani and attired in purple silk. He lay stretched for many Yojan. he was shining like a hundred Suns concentrated in one mass. Some time later two Daitya Madhu and Kaitabh saw Naaraayan and Brahmaa Jee and they started terrifying Brahmaa Jee. Brahmaa Jee started trembling with fear, this cause his lotus trunk also to tremble. When Keshav awoke, He also saw those Daanav and said to them - "Welcome O Mighty Ones, I am very pleased with you, so I want to grant you boons." The Daanav smiled and said - "You take boons from us instead, That is why you ask anything you like from us." Hearing this Vishnu said - "Nobody is as mightier as you, so I ask you a boon that you surrender to me for your killing." Madhu and Kaitabh said - "We have never spoken untruth even in jest, what shall we say on other occasions. We have always been firm in Truth and Morality, in strengths and in forms, in beauty and virtue, in asceticism and charity, in behavior and goodness and there is no one equal to both of us. O keshav, A great danger has approached us, so whatever you are saying, fulfill it before that Time comes. But there is one thing we want you to do that you must slay us upon which is completely uncovered; and we also desire to be born as your sons. This is the boon we desire to have. Fulfill your promise what you have done." Keshav said - "Everything will be as you wish."

Maarkandeya Jee said - "Then Keshav started looking for an uncovered place, but found none, neither on Earth, nor in the sky. Then he saw His thighs completely uncovered, so He used His thighs and cut their heads keeping on His thighs with His Chakra."

[3-203] Maarkandeya Jee said - "This Dhundhu was the son of Madhu and Kaitabh. He did severe penance standing on one leg and became very thin. Brahmaa Jee got pleased with his Tapasyaa and appeared before him and asked him to ask for any boon. He said - "Please grant me the boon that I should not be killed by any Raakshas, Asur, Gandharv, and Naag." Brahmaa Jee granted this boon to him and went away. Dhundhu also came back happily after getting this boon. Now he was very mighty. He could not be killed practically by anyone. He remember the death of his father by Vishnu, so he approached Vishnu and defeated all Devtaa, including Vishnu. Then he came to the sea of sand named by Ujjalak and began to trouble the Braahman living in the Aashram of Uttank. Then he went to underground and started doing severe Tapasyaa to destroy the three worlds. So Kuvalaashwa, along with his sons, went to the Aashram of Rishi Uttank. Seeing him going to kill Dhundhu, He filled him with His own energy, and announced - "This fortunate man will kill Dhundhu today." And Devtaa began to shower flowers on Kuvalaashwa. Cool breeze started flowing, Indra rained so that the sand became wet and celestial planes were seen high above on the spot where Dhundhu was lying so that they could witness the fight between them.

Kuvalaashwa, along with his sons, surrounded the sea of sand, and ordered his sons to dig the place. The sons excavated the place for 7 days, then only they could see the Asur lying there. The sons started poking his body with their sharp pointed shafts, maces and clubs etc weapons. Poked thus, the Asur rose from the sand and started swallowing their weapons and vomiting them in the form of fire. This fire killed all the sons of Kuvalaashwa as Kapil Bhagavaan burned all the sons of Raajaa Sagar. this fire started troubling the three worlds. After all the sons of Kuvalaashwa were killed, he proceeded towards the Asur who was like another Kumbhkarn. Water gushed out of the body of the King, through his Yog power, and he was able to extinguish that fire. Then he released Brahm Astra and killed the Daitya. Since then he was known as Dhundhumaar.

Devtaa got so much pleased from him that they asked him to ask for a boon. He bowed his head to them and said - "Let me always give wealth to Braahman, let me be invincible among my foes, and let Vishnu be my friend and no ill feeling towards any creature, and let me always live in Heaven." All Devtaa, Rishi and Uttank said - "So be it." and went to their respective homes. O Yudhishthir, Even after having been killed his all sons, Kuvalaashwa still had three sons left - Dridhaashwa, Kapilaashwa and Chandraashwa. It is from these sons that Ikshwaaku Vansh continued. That is how Madhu and Kaitabh's son Dhundhu was killed by Kuvalaashwa, and the King was named as Dhundhumaar.

I have told you whatever you wanted to know as how this story of Dhundhu became famous. By listening to this story one gets virtuous and obtains children and by listening to it on a certain Lunar day is blessed with long life, health and great fortune."