Indra & The Thunder Thief

 The story you mentioned, involving Indra and the thunder thief, is not directly from the Mahabharata, Ramayana, or the Shiva Puranas. Instead, it's a popular story from Hindu mythology that is often associated with Indra, the king of the gods, and his thunderbolt.

According to this myth, there was a time when a powerful demon named Vritra (or Vrtra) had obtained a boon that made him invincible. Vritra had wrapped himself around the cosmic mountain, preventing rain from falling on the earth and causing a severe drought.

In desperation, the gods turned to Indra for help. Indra fought a fierce battle against Vritra but found himself unable to defeat the demon. During the battle, a sage named Dadhichi came forward and offered to help Indra. Dadhichi sacrificed his own life, and from his bones, the gods created a powerful weapon known as the Vajra, or thunderbolt.

With the Vajra in hand, Indra resumed his battle against Vritra. When Vritra opened his mouth to swallow Indra, Indra hurled the thunderbolt into the demon's mouth, killing him and releasing the waters trapped within the cosmic mountain. This act of slaying Vritra and releasing the waters is often associated with the onset of the monsoon season in Hindu mythology.

While this story is not directly from the Mahabharata, Ramayana, or the Shiva Puranas, it is a well-known myth from Hindu mythology and is often depicted in various Hindu texts, scriptures, and folklore.