From the Horse’s Mouth
When Indra, the king of the Devas, did not show the respect due to his preceptor Brihaspathi, he incurred the latter’s wrath and lost his invincibility. Attacked by the asuras, shunned by his guru, a desperate Indra sought the advice of Bramha. Bramha told him to learn the all-powerful ‘Naarayana Varma’ prayer through Vishwaroopachar, the disciple of the venerable Dadichi.
Naarayana Varma
The ‘Naarayana Varma’ finds mention in Srimad Bhaagvatha and is also called ‘Mantra-raja’. This protective* prayer helps one overcome any fear or obstacle one may face. It is the most powerful prayer for one who seeks victory. The 23 shlokas of the Naarayana Varma contain the essence of the Gayathri mantra. It has been translated to Kannada by Vaadiraja Tirtha.
Varma is another word for *kavacha or armour
As per Bramha’s instructions, Indra mastered the Naarayana Varma and regained his lost charisma. When Vishwaroopachar went away, the only ones to have mastery over the Naarayana Varma were Indra and rishi Dadichi, the one who was forever engrossed in the japa of Naarayana Varma.
The Ashwini twins
The Ashwini twins are known to be celestial healers. When they heard about the miraculous powers of the Naarayana Varma, they wanted to learn the same with the intention of adding it to their repertoire of healing chants and procedures. They approached Dadichi who was in the middle of performing a homa, and put forth their request. Dadichi asked them to come back a little later. In the meanwhile, an insecure Indra rushed to Dadichi and forbade him from sharing the secret mantra. When Dadichi promised him that he would impart the knowledge to the twins only, and to no one else in the future, Indra was annoyed. He warned Dadichi that his head would split into a thousand pieces if he were to teach the secret to the Ashwini twins.
From the Horse’s Mouth
Dadichi, caught between a rock and a hard place, related Indra’s threat to the celestial doctors. The resourceful twins replaced Dadichi’s head with a horse’s and enabled him to chant the mantra through the horse’s mouth.
As soon as he completed the recitation, the horse’s head was blown into smithereens. And Dadichi’s human head was quickly placed back on his body and thus, ends the story on a happy note (not for the horse though).
The Kannada translation by Vaadiraja Tirtha: