The Blessed One, radiant in his glory, bestowed a powerful weapon upon Indra and then ascended to heaven. Armed with this divine gift, Indra—the destroyer of enemies—advanced with firm resolve to confront Jambha, intent on bringing the asura down. Jambha, burning with anger, struck fiercely and brought down Airāvata, the mighty lord of elephants. The great elephant fell to the earth like a mountain shattered by Indra’s own thunderbolt. As he descended, he abandoned the heights of Mandara mountain, crashing to the ground below. In the midst of this turmoil, voices called out to Indra: “Do not fall, O Śakra! Remain here on earth today, O Vāsava.” Indra replied to those gathered, “How can I fight the enemy without the wings of my mount?” They encouraged him, saying, “Fight on! Mount the chariot; when it is ready, we shall send it to you.” A majestic chariot, adorned with a banner bearing the image of a monkey and surrounded on all sides by valiant monkeys, was prepared. Messengers, led by Viśvāvasu, were dispatched to Indra. Indra questioned, “How shall I fight in battle? How can I restrain the horses?” The reply came: “Then I will destroy the enemies—there is no other way, by any means. The horses are here already; you must restrain them yourself.” But Indra, struck down, fell to the ground, his garland and garments slipping away. The very earth trembled at the sight of Indra’s fall. At this moment, his wife spoke gently: “Lord, take the child outside as you wish.” She continued, “Listen, lord, to what the astrologer has declared: whatever is outside, O best of sages, will become double, O sage.” Without delay, the Brahmin quickly cast the child outside onto the ground, for the destined time had passed and only half the harm would now take place. To everyone’s astonishment, he saw two children, both identical in appearance. The Brahmin said, “I do not know the truth of what I am asking; tell me that.” Anxiously he continued, “Now tell me about his fortunes and the deeds that have been foretold.” He insisted, “Tell me today itself, or else I will not eat food.” The astrologer replied, “What you have anxiously asked today—what will this child become?” Meanwhile, the expert charioteer went to assist Indra. Knowing he was aiding the king of the gods, the charioteer’s own brilliance grew. He addressed Indra, “Come here, O Lord of the gods; I will gladly be your charioteer.” Indra asked, “How will you control the horses? A doubt arises in my mind.” But the charioteer, endowed with the radiance of the Gandharvas and skilled in handling horses, reassured him. This illustrious son of a Brahmin was named Mātali, the son of Śamīka. Mātali took hold of the reins, ready to serve Indra. Entering the fray, the glorious Indra beheld a mighty, fallen ploughman on the battlefield. Indra took up a straight arrow, pale as the moon, from the hand of the best of gods. After bowing in reverence, he set the arrow to his bowstring. These arrows, bearing the names of Brahmā, Śiva, and Viṣṇu, rained down and destroyed the asuras in battle. O Nārada, the thousand-eyed Indra covered the enemy with a storm of exceedingly sharp weapons. The mighty asura, struck by one of these arrows, fell immediately to the earth, overcome and defeated. The enemy’s army, now bereft of its leaders, was routed and overcome. Yet Jambhāsura remained undaunted. Seizing his terrible mace, he advanced once more against the imperishable Lord of the gods, determined to continue the fierce struggle.