Shloka 273
Vṛddha-kanyā-carita and Balarāma’s Kurukṣetra Inquiry (वृद्धकन्या-चरितम् / कुरुक्षेत्रफल-प्रश्नः)
ऋते<स्थिभिर्दधीचस्य निहन्तुं त्रिदशद्विष: । तदनन्तर इन्द्रने देवताओंसे कहा--“दधीच मुनिकी अस्थियोंके सिवा और किसी अस्त्र- शस्त्रसे मेरे द्वारा देवद्रोही महान् असुर नहीं मारे जा सकते
ṛte 'sthibhir dadhīcasya nihantuṃ tridaśadviṣaḥ | tadanantara indreṇa devatābhyo 'se kahā— “dadhīca munikī asthiyoṃ ke sivā aur kisī astra-śastrase mere dvārā devadrohī mahān asura nahīṃ māre jā sakate”
Vaiśampāyana said: “Except with the bones of the sage Dadhīca, it is not possible to slay the enemy of the gods.” Thereafter Indra told the deities that no other weapon could, by his hand, bring down that great demon who had turned against the gods—only Dadhīca’s bones could become the means. The passage affirms the moral law of sacrifice: the devas’ victory rests not merely on force, but on the sanctified self-offering of a righteous ascetic.
वैशम्पायन उवाच