Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c7.974

c7.974

80) *Indra and Dadhyan*. Indra taught Madhuvidyā (The science of intoxicating drinks) to Dadhyan. He was warned by Indra that if he communicated that lore to anyone else, his head would be cut off. Once the Aśvinīs wanted to learn it. Since Indra had denied Soma drinking to Aśvinīs, they were not on good terms with Indra. So they approached Dadhyan to acquire that Knowledge. But he refused to teach them due to his fear that Indra would cut off his head. So the Aśvinīs cut off Dadhyan's head and fixed a horse's head in its place. With that horse-head Dadhyan taught the Aśvinīs Madhu Vidyā. After they had learnt the knowledge, they replaced his own head after removing the horse-head. (Ṛgveda, 1st Maṇḍala, 17th Anuvāka, 116th Sūkta).