“I follow the true religion,” replied the teacher. “I am a Jain. My god is the Arhat and I teach the religion of mercy for everyone. I do not believe in useless ceremonies and in reading the Vedas. What purpose do vajnas serve? What purpose do funeral ceremonies serve? All that happens is that the brahmanas get to have a good feast. The religion of the Vedas prescribes the killing of animals. But are not animals living beings as well? Why should there be this violence towards them? What is this class (varna) system that you talk of? A brahmana is determined by his actions, not by the mere accident of his birth. How can a river be a tirtha? It consists of drops of water. A tirtha can only be place where religion is indeed practised. Adopt my religion and you will be happy.”

These glib words persuaded Vena and he became a Jain. (Incidentally, there is a Padma Purana that is a sacred text of the Jains.)

By adopting this evil religion, Vena became evil and deviated from the righteous path. He gave up the religion that was recommended by the Vedas. He ordered that Vedas would no longer be read in his kingdom and that all yajnas must cease. The donation of alms was forbidden.

Anga tried to persuade his son that all this was most improper, but Vena did not listen. This so disturbed Anga that he and Sunitha went away to the forest to meditate. The seven great sages also tried to make Vena see reason. But Vena did not listen to them either. He insisted that there was no need to pray to the gods. If there was anyone who was deserving of worship, it was the king himself.

These words angered the sages. Fearing their curses, Vena went and hid inside a termite-hill. But the sages traced him there someone else should be appointed king in Vena’s place. But the problem was that Vena did not have a son.

The sages started to knead Vena’s body so that a son might be born. (In some Puranas it is stated that the sages killed Vena and kneaded that dead body.)
Vena’s left arm was kneaded first. A dark dwarf emerged as a result of this kneading. His eyes were bloodshot and he was evil. He stood before the sages with folded palms.

“Nishida,” said the sages. (The word nishida means “sit.”)

From this word, the dwarf came to be known as nishada. He and his descendants became a race of hunters and fishermen who made their home in the Vindhya mountains.

The evil that was in Vena’s body came out in the form of nishada and there was no more evil left in Vena. When Vena’s right arm was kneaded, a powerful and righteous son named Prithu emerged.

As for Vena himself, he went to southern bank of the river Reva. The sage Trinavindu had a hermitage there. Vena made his home in the hermitage and started to pray to Vishnu. He meditated for a hundred years. Visynu appeared before Vena and gave him a lot of good advice.