Mitra
Mitra, “the friend”
Mitra is a deva who is most often named together with Varuṇa. The Vāmana Purāṇa calls the great tapasvī Vasishṭha the son of Mitra and Varuṇa. When Skanda was made leader of the deva armies, Mitra gave him two attendants, Suvrata and Satyasandha. Prahlāda worshipped Mitra and Varuṇa at Padmānagarī on his journey to the holy places, and in the stava that frees from all pāpa Bhagavān Śiva praises Bhagavān Vishṇu as the mūrti of Mitra and Varuṇa. In the Saro Māhātmya, Mitra and Varuṇa install two liṅgas near the Sthāṇu tīrtha at Kurukshetra that fulfil all desires.
The father of Vasishṭha
When the dānava Mura went alone to the bank of the Sarayū and ordered Raghu Mahārāja, consecrated for a yajña, either to fight him or to give up the yajña, the great tapasvī Vasishṭha, the son of Mitra and Varuṇa, came to the dānava. “Hero of the daityas,” he said, “what use is there in conquering human beings? If you truly wish to fight, bring Yama Dharmarāja under your control.” Hearing him, Mura set out against Yama.
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 34
His gift to Skanda
When Skanda had been consecrated leader of all the deva armies, Bhagavān Śiva gave him four of his chief pramathas, and seeing this, Brahmā and all the devas offered their own attendants to him. To Skanda, Mitra gave Suvrata and Satyasandha, and the yakshas gave fifteen chief gaṇas.
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapter 31
Worship of Mitra and Varuṇa
On his tīrthayātrā (journey to the holy places), Prahlāda went from Kshīrakāvāsa, where he had worshipped Varuṇa deva, to Padmānagarī. There he worshipped the world-worshipped Bhāskaras, Mitra and Varuṇa, and then went on to Kumāradhārā for the darśana of Kumārasvāmī.
In the Sarva-pāpa-mocana stava, the stava that frees from all pāpa, which Bhagavān Śiva made known at Vārāṇasī, he praises Bhagavān Vishṇu: “You are Hayamukha; you are Mahāmedha; you are Śambhu; you are Indra; you are Prabhañjana, the wind; you are the mūrti of Mitra and Varuṇa.” The man who reads this stotra with śraddhā is freed from pāpa, attains peace, and becomes worthy of worship even by the devas.
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 57 and 60
The liṅgas of Mitra and Varuṇa at Kurukshetra
Among the many liṅgas around the Sthāṇu tīrtha in Kurukshetra is the Mahādeva by whose worship Bhagavān Vishṇu, the mighty one, obtained the Sudarśana cakra. East of it, Mitra and Varuṇa installed two liṅgas that fulfil all desires. The munis, the Sādhyas, the Ādityas and the Vasus all served them with śraddhā and bhakti and were freed from every pāpa.
Source: Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 25
Sources
- Vāmana Purāṇa, Chapters 31, 34, 57, 60
- Vāmana Purāṇa, Saro Māhātmya, Chapter 25