Vrtrasura (वृत्रासुरः)

Vrttrasura (Samskrit : वृत्रासुरः), is the son of Tvashtra Prajapati. According to Devi Bhagavatam (Skanda 6) त्वष्ट्रा॥ Tvasthra angered by Indra's killing of his son विश्वरूप || Vishwaroopa (also called Trisiras), initiates an आभिचारिकं यागं || aabhaicharikam yagam (a yagam performed to cause harm to an intended person) to procure a son to kill Indra. However, due to the mantra mispronunciation, the entire meaning was altered. Instead of "let there be a son who could kill indra" it meant "let there be a son who will be killed by Indra". Thus, was born Vrttrasura, who eventually met his death in the hands of Indra. Rig veda mantras dedicated to Indra's might and valor in killing Vrttra are plenty in number.

परिचय ||Introduction

There is no other personality who is given more importance than Vrttra in the Vedas and there is no other symbolic story as is Vrttraasura vadha or killing of Vrttra. Vedas describe a continuous battle between  Asuras (demons) and suras (devas).  One of the most important asura of Vedic literature is Vrttrasura.

व्युत्पत्तिः || Etymology

From the historical perspective Vrttra is Tvaashtra (the son of Tvashtra). However, Vrttra has been defined by Yaska maharshi as follows

तत्को वृत्रः। मेघ इति नैरुक्ताः । त्वाष्ट्रोऽसुर इत्यैतिहासिकाः । अपां च ज्योतिषश्च मिश्रीभावकर्मणो वर्षकर्म जायते । तत्रोपमार्थेन युद्धवर्णा भवन्ति । (Nirukta 2.16)

tatkō vr̥traḥ। mēgha iti nairuktāḥ । tvāṣṭrō'sura ityaitihāsikāḥ । apāṁ ca jyōtiṣaśca miśrībhāvakarmaṇō varṣakarma jāyatē । tatrōpamārthēna yuddhavarṇā bhavanti । (Nirukta 2.16)

Meaning : Nirukta defines Vrttra as the cloud, which is a water body. A combination of water and lightning (electricity) gives rise to the process of rain and this process is used as a simili to describe a war. 

Vrttra's Previous Birth

Chitraketu, ruled over Soorasena kingdom and was childless. Seeing his sorrow Angirasa maharshi informs Chitraketu and his wife Kritadyuti that a son would be born to them. However, the envy of Chitraketu's other wives leads them to poison the child and kill him after he was born. Angirasa and Narada try to bring back the child back to life but the soul replies that he was the son to a large number of parents

सप्त  

Rig Veda describes the following about Vrttrasura and his blocking the Sapta sindhu's (the seven rivers).

अतृप्णुवन्तं वियतमबुध्यमबुध्यमानं सुषुपाणमिन्द्र | सप्त प्रति प्रवत आशयानमहिं वज्रेण वि रिणा अपर्वन् || (Rig. Veda. 4.19.3)

atr̥pṇuvantaṁ viyatamabudhyamabudhyamānaṁ suṣupāṇamindra | sapta prati pravata āśayānamahiṁ vajrēṇa vi riṇā aparvan || (Rig. Veda. 4.19.3)

Meaning : Vrita having an insatiable bulky body, is very powerful, personification of ignorance, and deep in slumber. Serpent like he sleeps in a way that that sapta sindus can’t flow. Such Vritra is killed by Indra with his thunderbolt, on the day of full moon.

Esoteric Meaning : Here the birth and killing of Vritra represent an eternal principle that happens in this world. Water is the main life force that keeps things green, without water called as drought, nothing survives. Similarly in the personality of human beings, if the flow of life or the sapta sindus stop, then there is a drought of spiritual existence and elevation. Every aspect of human beings, the emotions, intellectual capacity, friendship, values, relationships, are affected by the lack of spiritual elevation which is a drought like situation. Anything which stagnates brings about decay and destruction.

In this way the flow of ruthu or season has to continue which is the nature of this world. One who is on the ruju marga (path of righteousness) seeks to go with the flow of spiritual elevation and to lie down and sleep against this flow of water is the important activity of Vrttrasura. Panis steal spiritual knowledge, but Vrttra is the one who stops the flow of life. He is the one who lays down obstacles for those who seek to achieve higher realms of life and that gives him happiness.

This relationship of Vrttrasura as one who seeks to impede water flow is given in the following Rig Veda mantras

समुद्रज्येष्ठाः सलिलस्य मध्यात्पुनाना यन्त्यनिविशमानाः | इन्द्रो या वज्री वृषभो रराद ता आपो देवीरिहमामवन्तु || (Rig. Veda. 7.49.1)

samudrajyēṣṭhāḥ salilasya madhyātpunānā yantyaniviśamānāḥ | indrō yā vajrī vr̥ṣabhō rarāda tā āpō dēvīrihamāmavantu || (Rig. Veda. 7.49.1)

Meaning : The river waters flow continuously, purifying the entire existence on their way to reach the Chief of waters, the Ocean. Oh Indra! the one who weilds the Vajra (Vajraayudha) to free the waters, one who freed the cows, protect me (freed the rivers (by removing the impediment of Vrttra) and freed the cows (by removing the impediment of Vala and Panis).

The river which is flowing from the ocean, there is one very interesting thing, in earthly planet we see river flowing towards ocean. But here rivers are being born from the ocean (samudra is always superior and it is also salilasya madhyath) this one is symbolic and there is no doubt about it because if you just try to get the meaning, this sukta doesn’t give any explanation or meaning, but in the personality of human being, to recognize or revitalize the consciousness which is dormant, and when it is re-awakened, then most of the time, it is flowing outwards.

In this way life’s transaction goes on. So this one is the rain coming from space and from that perspective, the internal thing is explained. In the future suktas it is explained that this transcendental river is born in devaloka and it flows uninterruptedly and then it re-appears svayam jaha and this river is flowing only for the ocean and Varuna is called the master and he is always watching the satya and unrutha: the truth and falsity. Such daivi descriptions are there.

Samudra has been defined by Yaska Niruktha 12.10 has one of the sixteen meanings of antariksha is samudravanthi aspath apaha samudra samabhidravanthi enam apaha sa vodanthe asmin bhutani samudako bhavathi samono uthyathi va that means water is created and everything is flowing towards water. Every living entity is happy then water enters there and water is making everything wet and this one the ocean that is described here is different from the oceans of the earthly planet. Therefore one of the most important work of Vritra is to stop water flow and that means to stop flow of life. That’s symbolic meaning and therefore to control him and restrict him, that’s the main duty of the devathas or Indra specifically. In this work, the Marut devathas helped Indra. This is explained in Aitreya Brahamana 3.20 similarly in many places the Vedas glorify this. The help of Vsnu is described in previous verses and many devathas have invested their energies in Indra and that’s what is explained

VRITRASURA( INTERNAL HUNGER)

The Vritrasura’s episode described in Taitreya Samhita: In Taitreya Samhita 2.4.1 the story is mentioned in this way: Trashtra prajapathi had a son named Vishwarupa. Once the purohit of the devathas: Brihaspati, being angry, he left his priestly work and so the devathas invited Vishwarupa as their priest and Vishwarupa had some inclination towards the demons. Therefore without the devathas noticing, he would offer some of the oblations to the asuras, which was arranged by, devas. When Indra got to know about this, he was furious and killed Vishwarupa. When Trashtra got to know about this, he was very upset and performed a yajna to get a son who could kill Indra. But how could one do yajna without Indra. Trashtra perfomed yajna without inviting Indra. He did not invite him to drink Soma pana. Indra told Trashtra that he should invite him and Trashtra said since you have killed my son, I’ll not and he performed his yajna without Indra and Indra by force without the permission of Trashtra drank Soma pana during the conclusion of yajna. Being angry with Indra, Trashtra used left over Soma and invoked Havan-agni and took that left over soma and went to ahavana agni and then he blazed the fire and performed the homa and chanted sva indra chatru vardhasya. While chanting this mantra there was some mistake in pronunciation and because of that mispronunciation, the entire meaning got changed. Instead of let there be a son who could kill indra, it became, let there be a son who will be killed by Indra. Instantly, Vritra was born. Indra by knowing that if the Yajna gets complete and if he stays there and devathas would be defeated by Vritra forever, Indra he disappeared from that place meanwhile Vritra started growing like the bow or the as the arrow leaves, he started growing to such an extent and started covering the entire universe. ishumatra mishumatra avardhatha sa vishwajana iman lokan avranoth lokan yadiman avranoth tadvra trasya vritratvam that means Vrithra means one who getows or in circles. This meaning has come in Vedas. Indra seeing this got afraid. He was finding some means and ways to control Vritra. Meanwhile Vritra’s father, Trashtra became repentant and became fearful and he gave a special thunderbolt and made it powerful by invoking certain mantras and offered it to Indra.

Vritra in the body of Indra

In this way when Vritra entered into the body of Indra he extended himself and stayed in the bodies of all living entities and he stays in the form of hunger and keeps on troubling them and in this way because Vritra is staying in the belly of human being, and that hunger itself is Vritraha. He is called: brathravya and those who understand this, they will conquer hunger certainly. That’s what Vedas offer benefits. vritraha pravishath udaram vy vritaha shuth khalu vai manushyasya brathravyo ya ya evam vedahanthi kshudam brathavyam In this way because accepting 3 times, the valor of Vritra through Indra, Vsnu is called Tridatu. Sruthi itself defines this. Also the special ingredient called purodasa which is offered to Indra and Vsnu, therefore also it is called trudatu uktahaa vith tridathu.In this episode, the main cause of Indra’s valor is Visnu himself. It is openly described. Keno Upanishad explains that the parakrama or valor of all the devathas, the bhagvatha himself is responsible for it. We can recollect this. Mostly all the victories of Indra, Indra’s valor, Indra’s glorification all these suktas are basically glorifying the lord who is residing in the devathas. The Vedas are glorifying paramatma or bhagavan who is the inner dwelling soul of Indra. That’s how it should be taken, and for this there is ample evidence indrasya yajna yajja satha In the Vsnu Sukta, part of Rk Samhita Sri Sayana Acarya he gives Taitreya Samhita as the example: the Rk Bhaga is 1.22.19

Some Explanation or Esoteric Meaning

There are many points here to be observed Vritra was not killed here but he was given a place in every living entity: hunger. There is an important and a very interesting understanding here. There is a concept of eternal reality here. Therefore the disturbance to the living entity is an eternal experience in this world, symbolically, hunger is the sign of dissatisfaction. Gita explains Kama esa krodha esa rajo guna samudbava mahasano mahapapma viddhy enam iha vairinam 3.37 The hunger which is in the form of kama and krodha: lust and anger is insatiable hunger. In the 16th chapter of Bhagavad Gita it is explained: Kamam asritha duspuram and duspurena analenaca repeatedly the kama is compared to the inexhaustible fire. Those who are very much hungry it is said that there is a ghost sitting in them. It’s a village way of saying. Here Vritra is such ghost who is in the belly . Such ghost had affected Indra. This is explained in the Ramayana shudda chaiva sahasrakham brahma hatya samavishat Bala Kanda 14.15. The above episode is explained in Tairteya , that since then all the living entities are affected by Vritra and entered into their belly. Therefore the devathas are closely connected to human beings and there is even a chance that they could be affected by Vritra. At the same time, whatever benefits the devathas got, the humans also got benefitted indirectly. In this way Vritra is called vranothervan vartathervan, vardadervan on who walks by creating circles, who is always existing, who always grows. In that sense, he is the eternal enemy: kama, krodha and personification of sins. That is how Vedas define. But those who still doubt, can read the verse from Srimad Bhagavatham 6.9.18 yenāvṛtā ime lokās tapasā tvāṣṭra-mūrtinā sa vai vṛtra iti proktaḥ pāpaḥ parama-dāruṇaḥ one who is in dark form or form of ignorance, darkness, from that Trastra covers the 3 planets, personification of sin, the most destructive power is called Vritraha.

Mesmerizing description by one English poet

One of the English poets: T.S. Elliot he gives significant meaning of this in his poem called Waste Land. That story is the story of Vritra’s death. The human being if his life becomes like a desert, like a desert forest and if you want to turn that into green pasturing ground, then how is it possible? How will it rain? The Niruktakara says tatko vritha medha ithi Vritra is described as clouds which are not pouring rains, the English poet depicts it. One of the slanderous persons who write against Vedas he is Gricewald. He writes (and that we have taken in Veda Sanskriti in part 1) …….Vritra manipulates lightening, thunder, mist, darkness and hail…..His mother is Danu: drip, a name of the rain cloud which sprinkles only few drops. ‘She of the drip’ is the mother of a demon brood. Of which Vrtra means a false thunderstorm with little or no rain. While Indra means thunderstorm followed by abundant rain……

Many points here are acceptable. But Vritra being considered as cloud who doesn’t pour rains is not only story, but importantly has significant symbolic idea, or else the study of Veda and the understanding will not be complete. Falling in the ditch trapped by the Christian missionary, our own people (Indians) should understand as they are missing the point on English poet has understood it depicted the picture aptly which puts us in shame: . Ganga was sunken, and the limp leaves waited for rain, while the black clouds gathered far distant, over Himavanta. The jungle crouched, humped in silence. Then spoke the thunder.

The message by the Cloud DA

But the clouds did not pour rain, but the clouds made thundering sound and in that sound, there are three words it resounded and suddenly there was silence. And those 3 words were: da, datta, dayathvam, damyaat. Here the English poet has taken a story from Vedas and very timely has interwoven it. This is from Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 5.3. The famous story of Prajapathis instruction: one time devas, manushas, asuras, they came to prajapathi’s gurukul and to receive knowledge, they practiced brahmacarya. When they finished studies and as they were heading to their homes, they requested Prajapthi to give them secret education. At that time prajapathi gave them only one alphabet as da. All the 3 understood it differently. Devathas understood as damyatha: control your senses. Human beings understood as datta: give charity. And the asuras they heard: dayatvam: become compassionate. (Devathas are very proud of their senses. Therefore dama or sense control is important. Humans are naturally selfish they are told to give charity and asuras are naturally cruel and they are told to be compassionate. These are the important qualities. That’s how the story is narrated. Whoever doesn’t have these specific qualities are given instructions to develop those qualities. )According to the study of (manas shastra) psychology and when all the three got proper understanding of what Prajapthi gave them, he gave blessings and he sent them back. Since then whenever there is rain, that time megha or the cloud gives this message: dha da da dame, dana daya: control, charity, compassion. tadedeva vesha daivi vak anuvadathi stahan itnu da da da iti damaiti danya datta iti Therefore if megha or cloud has to give rain, then humans need to have dana, daya and dama control, charity and compassion. Otherwise there will be drought and this is the message of Vritra and is very meaningful. How it is that Dadichi maharshi’s skull or spine is the symbol of commitment and dedication? Indra makes thunderbolt from this and down pours. He kills Vritra. Here also there is an indication of loka sangraha: Benefitting the people. Therefore this English poet in his poetry explained dattha dayathvam danyatha shanthihi shantih shanthi in this way he concludes his poem. It is not said that it rained, but the shanthi pata the concluding verses itself give such feeling. Therefore wherever there are such qualities there are rains and such understanding and is not forgotten by poet. Therefore the story between Indra and Vritra, there is an important principle of Veda and is hidden and this is well known to everybody and at least now, we Bharatiyas should try to understand.

References

1. For Rig Veda mantras http://ignca.nic.in/Vedic_portal_rigveda_shakala_Samhita_m04.htm