Vṛtrāsura

Vṛtrāsura was an asura who was killed by Indra. His killing was brahmahatyā (the killing of a brahmin) and led to great results. The Padma Mahā Purāṇa, the Mahābhārata and the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa each tell of his birth and death. The Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa also tells that he was a supreme devotee of Bhagavān Saṃkarshaṇa-Vishṇu. His final speech, the Vīravāṇi, is among its deepest words on pure bhakti (loving devotion).

Birth from Kaśyapa’s jaṭā: the Padma Mahā Purāṇa

Indra killed Bala by treachery during the sandhyā prayers. Kaśyapa Prajāpati was filled with grief and anger at this wrong. He pulled out a jaṭā (a lock of matted hair) and threw it into the sacred fire. A huge being came out of the fire. He was dark as a rain-cloud, with eyes like green coals, huge fangs and a long, fearful tongue. His body could make all three worlds afraid. He carried a sword and a shield.

The being asked Kaśyapa what he wanted. Kaśyapa named him the one who would take revenge on Indra, and told him to kill the one who had slain Bala. Vṛtrāsura accepted the command. (Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Bhūmi Khaṇḍa, Chapter 24)

Vṛtrāsura studied dhanurveda (the science of archery). He built up his bala (strength), vīrya (vigour), kshātra (warrior power) and dhairya (steadiness). His growing tejas (radiance) made Indra afraid. The saptaṛshis told Indra that Vṛtrāsura had grown strong. Indra could not face him in the open. He sent the saptaṛshis to arrange a truce with Vṛtrāsura. They offered him a share in the rule and the title of Indra among the asuras. (Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Bhūmi Khaṇḍa, Chapter 24)

Vṛtrāsura accepted the peace, but he asked that Indra swear to it with binding truth. The ṛshis pressed Indra for such an oath. Indra swore that he would not attack Vṛtrāsura with any weapon, nor by water, earth, fire, sky or air, and never with anything dry or wet. The truce was made.

After this, Indra watched Vṛtrāsura all the time, looking for his chance. He found none by fair means. He sent the apsarā Rambhā to tempt Vṛtrāsura and break his tapas and his guard. Rambhā broke Vṛtrāsura’s purity. Indra then saw his moment. He struck Vṛtrāsura with the foam of the ocean waves, which is neither wet nor dry, and killed him. (Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Bhūmi Khaṇḍa, Chapter 25)

Indra killed Vṛtrāsura by deceit, after giving a sworn oath. He therefore took on a double pāpa (sin): brahmahatyā, because Vṛtrāsura had brahma-tejas (the radiance of a brahmin) although he was born a daitya, and the pāpa of breaking a sworn truth. This pāpa is mentioned in the Bhūmi Khaṇḍa. It is the background to Indra’s later attempts to lead the faithful wife Sukalā astray. (Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Bhūmi Khaṇḍa, Chapters 25 and 56)

Birth from Tvashṭā’s yajña: the Mahābhārata, Udyoga Parva

The Mahābhārata tells of Vṛtrāsura in the Udyoga Parva, in the Indravijaya account, which is part of Śalya’s speech. In this account his birth is different.

Indra first killed Triśiras, the three-headed son of Tvashṭā, without cause, out of fear and pride. Tvashṭā was crushed with grief at his son’s unjust death. He performed a great yajña (fire ritual) to create an indra-śatru (an enemy of Indra). From the fire of this yajña came Vṛtrāsura. His whole being was aimed at the destruction of Indra. He carried within him the brahma-tejas of Tvashṭā’s yajña.

The war between Vṛtra and Indra was long and terrible. Indra could not defeat Vṛtra by ordinary means. At last he arranged a truce through the saptaṛshis. He swore not to attack Vṛtra with wood, stone or iron, by water, earth, fire, wind or sky, or with anything wet or dry. The truce was sworn, and Vṛtra trusted it.

Indra then found a way round it. Ocean foam is not wet or dry in the strict sense. He struck Vṛtrāsura with a weapon placed into ocean foam, and Vṛtra fell. The killing brought brahmahatyā on Indra, because Vṛtra carried the brahma-tejas of Tvashṭā. The brahmahatyā-pāpa appeared as a visible force that chased Indra. It drove him to hide in Lake Mānasa, and this began the Nahusha episode. (Mahābhārata, Udyoga Parva, Chapters 9–12)

Birth from Tvashṭā’s yajña: the Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa

The birth

Indra killed Viśvarūpa, his purohita (household priest) and the son of Tvashṭā, for secretly offering oblations to the asuras. Tvashṭā was full of grief and anger. He performed a great yajña to create a destroyer of Indra, a being who could do what no ordinary asura could. He made an oblation into the fire with the words “O destroyer of Indra! Grow quickly! Slay the enemy without delay!”

From the southern fire (dakshiṇāgni) rose a terrible figure. Every day he grew by one bāṇa (an arrow’s length) in all directions. He was dark as a burnt mountain, with the glow of evening monsoon clouds. His hair, beard and moustache were the colour of molten copper. His eyes blazed like the midday sun. He held a huge three-pointed śūla (trident) and danced, so that the earth shook. His mouth was deep as a cave and his fangs were great and fearful. When he yawned, he swallowed the sky itself. The world grew dark with the darkness he carried. Because he “enveloped” (āvṛta) everything, he was called Vṛtra. (Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 6th Skanda, Chapter 9)

His true identity: King Citraketu

Vṛtrāsura’s birth as an asura through Tvashṭā’s yajña was not his true origin. In an earlier life he was Citraketu Mahārāja, a deeply devoted king of the Śūrasena kingdom, the region of Mathurā. Through the Saṃkarshaṇa mantra given to him by Nārada, he had gained the darśana (sight) of Bhagavān Saṃkarshaṇa and the rank of vidyādhara-adhipati (chief of the vidyādharas).

Once, while travelling in his celestial vimāna, he saw Śiva and Pārvatī in a close embrace in an assembly of ṛshis at Kailāsa. He laughed and made a mocking remark. Pārvatī laid a śāpa (a curse) on him, that he would be born as an asura. Citraketu took the śāpa with complete calm. He said that whatever Bhagavān Saṃkarshaṇa-Vishṇu wills is good. Through Tvashṭā’s yajña, he was born as Vṛtrāsura. (Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 6th Skanda, Chapters 14–17)

The battle with the devas

The armies of the devas attacked Vṛtrāsura with all their divine weapons. He swallowed them all. The devas lost their tejas and fled to Bhagavān Vishṇu. He appeared to the west, holding the śaṅkha (conch), cakra (discus) and gadā (mace), with sixteen attendants around him. He told the devas to go to Dadhīca Mahāṛshi and ask for his bones. Dadhīca gave up his life willingly. Viśvakarmā made the Vajra from his bones. With the Vajra in his hand and strengthened by the tejas of Bhagavān Vishṇu, Indra charged at Vṛtrāsura. (Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 6th Skanda, Chapters 9–10)

The great battle took place on the banks of the Narmadā river, at the beginning of the Tretā Yuga of the first Mahāyuga. All the armies of the devas fought under Indra: Rudras, Vasus, Ādityas, Aśvinī-kumāras, Pitṛdevas, Agni, Marutas, Ṛbhus, Sādhyas and Viśvedevas.

Many named asura warriors fought on Vṛtrāsura’s side. They were Namuci, Śambara, Anarva, Dvimūrdha, Ṛshabha, Ambara, Hayagrīva, Śaṅkuśiras, Vipracitti, Ayomukha, Puloma, Vṛshaparvan, Praheti, Heti, Utkala, Sumāli and Māli, with thousands of others. They were sons of Diti, sons of Danu, yakshas and rākshasas. (Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 6th Skanda, Chapter 10)

When his own asura forces ran away in fear, Vṛtrāsura called them back. He spoke to them about death in battle and the two noble ways of dying. One is that of the yogī, who lets go of his breath while meditating on Bhagavān Vishṇu. The other is that of the warrior, who falls while moving forward and never retreats. They still fled, so he fought alone. He caught Indra’s gadā in his left hand. He struck Airāvata, so that the elephant, bleeding, drew back seven bow-lengths with Indra on its back. When Indra was wounded and confused, Vṛtrāsura did not press his advantage. He waited, and this was widely praised. (Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 6th Skanda, Chapters 10–11)

The Vīravāṇi: the great speech of bhakti

Before his last stand, Vṛtrāsura spoke to Indra. The text calls this speech the Vīravāṇi. It is full of vairāgya (detachment) and pure bhakti.

He said that Bhagavān Vishṇu does not give wealth, svarga (heaven) or other boons to his true devotees. This holding back is itself the highest grace. Such gifts bring only dvesha (hatred), bhaya (fear), duḥkha (sorrow), garva (pride), kalaha (quarrel) and the toil of guarding them. The true sign of the anugraha of Bhagavān Vishṇu (grace) is that he ends the distress of dharma, artha and kāma, and then his grace can be known.

He spoke of his own wish: “I desire to be born again as a dāsa (servant) of the servants of those whose only refuge is Your lotus feet. Let my mind remember Your guṇas (qualities). Let my speech sing them. Let my body perform Your pūjā.”

He then made the highest declaration: “O Śrī Hari! I do not desire svarga, Dhruva’s station, Brahmā’s position, rule over the worlds, yogic siddhis (powers), or even moksha (liberation), if they require separation from You.”

He compared his longing for Bhagavān Vishṇu to a young bird longing for its mother, a calf longing for milk, and a woman longing for her absent beloved.

He asked for friendship with the devotees of Bhagavān Vishṇu. He asked to be free from attachment to body, children, wife and home, and from friendship with those who are attached to such things. (Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 6th Skanda, Chapter 11)

The last battle and liberation

Vṛtrāsura hurled his śūla at Indra. Indra cut it with the Vajra and also cut off one of his arms. With one arm cut off, Vṛtrāsura struck Indra on the face with an iron mace (loha-gudiya), and the Vajra fell from Indra’s hand. Vṛtrāsura kindly told Indra to pick up his weapon and fight on. Indra himself praised this noble act later.

Vṛtrāsura then opened his huge mouth, with the lower lip touching the earth and the upper lip touching svarga. He swallowed Indra and Airāvata whole. Inside the asura’s belly, Indra stayed alive, protected by the kavaca (armour) of Purushottama. He tore open Vṛtrāsura’s stomach with the Vajra and came out. With one long cut, the Vajra then cut through Vṛtrāsura’s neck. This took one full year, the time of one complete journey of the sun through the ayanāṃśas.

At the moment of death, the sūkshma-śarīra (subtle body) of Vṛtrāsura came out of his physical body, blazing with inner light. All the devas, Pitṛdevas, gandharvas, siddhas and mahāṛshis were watching. In front of them it joined with Bhagavān Saṃkarshaṇa-Vishṇu:

lokaātītuḍagu Bhagavānaṃlō aikya mayye nu

This means that it became one with the transcendent Bhagavān Saṃkarshaṇa-Vishṇu. This was sāyujya-mukti, the highest kind of liberation. (Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 6th Skanda, Chapter 12)

Parīkshit’s question

The whole account rests on a question from Parīkshit Mahārāja at the start of Chapter 14: “How is it that such deep bhakti was found in a being born among asuras?” Śuka Mahāṛshi answers by telling of Citraketu. Vṛtrāsura’s bhakti was not newly born in the asura body. It was the ripe bhakti of a devotee king, carried through death and the śāpa. (Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 6th Skanda, Chapter 14)

Sources

• Padma Mahā Purāṇa, Bhūmi Khaṇḍa, Chapters 24–25 (also Chapter 56)
• Mahābhārata, Udyoga Parva, Chapters 9–12
• Bhāgavata Mahā Purāṇa, 6th Skanda, Chapters 9–12, 14, 17
• Mahābhārata, Vana Parva, Chapter 101