Stories From Other Cultures(Hindu Mythology)

The Day Indra and Vitra Almost Destroyed Our World

'Leke Odetola

Let all mortals come and hear and learn as I tell the dreadful battle between Indra, the warrior king of gods and an equally formidable enemy, a destroyer of worlds whose energy was so intense that it elicited an urgent response from the gods to stop it. This enemy is none other than Vritra—a creation of vengeance. The lot to prevent this intergalactic dragon from gulping up all the known world fell on the head of no other than Indra. Who else but the Surapati? The wielder of the Vajra. This warrior king controlled a thunderbolt weapon that was more dreadful than fire. Who else but him alone can stop the rampaging Vritra? Therefore, Long ago, long, long ago in the heavens, Indra entered into a series of battles with Vritra, who was the son of the Brahmin Tvastri. They fought for days and nights and weeks and months. Finally, Indra killed Vritra with the thunderbolt possessed by Visnu himself. The gods rejoiced, but Indra’s troubles were far from over. It is essential, however, that we must tell the story from the beginning.

The mighty Indra

The genesis of the problems that snowballed into a full-fledged war between Indra and Vritra was the handiwork of a Prajapati called Tvastr. Tvastr was a foremost god who wielded great ascetic powers and created a being because of his hatred to replace Indra. This being could assume all forms, and he called his name Trisiras. The ability of this being to perform severe and extremely difficult asceticism with ease became a source of concern to the mighty Indra. As Indra observed Trisiras's boundless energy, power, and spirit, he resolved to kill him before he grew out of reach and control. Indra, also known as Sakra, devised a plan to eliminate this emerging foe. He first decided to waste his energy by entangling him in lust and sensual pleasures. He enlisted the celestial ‘nymphs’ to seduce the growing Trisiras with “charming gestures.” Indra firmly believed that if Trisiras were not stopped, he would swallow up the entire triple universe.

And so it was that these superlative women, these celestial nymphs of beauty, came to seduce the ever-growing Trisiras. They tempted him with all manner of seductive gestures, dancing before him and skillfully revealing their elegant, curvy bodies to no avail. The Trisiras could not be shaken from his asceticism. They tried all they could, but frustrated, they returned to Sakra. Upon hearing of their inability to seduce the noble sage, Indra made up his mind to strike down the growing Trisiras at the first available opportunity.” I will hurl my thunderbolt at him today, and he will quickly cease to be,” says Sakra. So it was as soon as the opportunity came forth, Indra hurled his terrible thunderbolt, which was as awful as fire, against Trisiras, and he fell like a peak of a mountain thrown down to the earth. Then Indra, also known as the chastiser of Paka, induced a woodcutter to cut off Trisiras's head. 

After one calendar year, Trisiras's death was known to Tvastr, the prajapati. Tvastr decided to take vengeance against Indra for this act. In a moment of rage and red anger, he created the demon Vrtra to slay Sakra. He rinsed out his mouth with water,  made an oblation into the fire, and created the horrible Vrtra to slay Indra so that all people could witness his power and the great force of his asceticism. He made the demon and said to him,” You are the overpowering enemy of Indra. Grow by the power of my asceticism. And he grew towering up to heaven like a doomsday sun. And the demon asked,” What Shall I do”? And Tvastr said, ‘Kill Sakra.’

Vrtra went to heaven in a rage, searching for Indra, and a violent battle ensued. In a rage, Vrtra swallowed up the worlds and Indra Vasava, the lord of the Vasus. The battle was very intense because Vrtra took away all odours and tastes of the senses. He took away the fivefold material world of air, space, water and light. When the companions of Indra, the performer of a hundred sacrifices, saw that the dragon had swallowed him up, they created Jrmbhika, the yawner, to attack Vrtra. The yawner attacked the dragon, and the dragon yawned, and immediately, Indra, the warrior King, lept out of the mouth of the dragon called Vrtra. The battle resumed, and yet they could not overcome the dragon. The dragon was continuously empowered by the asceticism of Tvastr, its creator. Noticing the ‘invincibility’ of the dragon, the gods, Indra and all the sages with them gathered on Mount Mandara, where they reviewed the battle and re-strategized.’Vrtra pervaded the whole universe, ’ they said. 

Stunned by fear, they took counsel on the following line of action. They all thought about the imperishable and noble Visnu. Then Indra stood up and addressed the gods and sages on Mount Mandara thus:” Vrtra o gods have pervaded the entire imperishable universe. Nothing could combat anyone like him. Formerly, I was able but now unable. Please, how can I do it? I consider him impossible to assail. Shinning with energy and noble and unlimited prowess in battle, he would swallow up the triple universe with all the gods, demons, and men. Therefore, hear what I have resolved, O heaven dwellers: let us go together to the home of the noble Visnu, and when we have met and consulted him, we will know a means of slaying the evil one.” With this speech, Indra galvanized the gods and sages to seek refuge with Lord Visnu.

Standing before Visnu, the gods said,” You have crossed the three worlds in three steps. You have seized the ambrosial soma and slaughtered the demons in battle; you, Visnu, have bound the great demon Bali and made Sakra king of the gods. You are the Lord of all peoples and inherent in everything. You are the great God worshipped by all people; O god, foremost of immortals, subduer of demons, be the refuge of all the gods and Indra, for this whole universe has been pervaded by Vrtra.’ Visnu responds by advising the gods and sages, Indra and the Gandharvas, to go and make peace with Vrtra. To reconcile with him, they will conquer him. He promised to transform and fuse into the thunderbolt of Indra at an auspicious time to destroy the dragon. The gods and Indra, the sages and the Ghandharvas were happy with this advice and went to make peace with the dragon Vrtra. It was a grand procession with Indra at the head, followed by the Sages and the thirty-three gods. They all pleaded with Vrtra to stop the battle between him and Sakra. They claimed he could not win the fight against Indra; instead, the people would continue suffering. They appealed to him to stop the war so that gods, demons and men would cease to suffer. Vrtra agreed to an alliance between him and Vrtra with the condition that Indra and the gods would not kill him with anything dry or wet. They must not kill him with wood or stone, neither with a weapon or a thunderbolt, by day or night. The sages agreed to this, and when the pact was made, Vrtra was delighted, but this was false. The purpose of this was so the dragon could lower his guard and be killed when he least expected.

However, Sakra, the god of armies, was always on guard, trying to devise a means of killing Vrtra, for he was jealous of him. Constantly perturbed, the great Sakra looked for a loophole. He knew that according to the pact he made with Vrtra, the dragon could not be killed by day or night. Then, one day, Indra beheld the great demon on the ocean's shore when sunset had come—the moment when it was neither day nor night. There, Indra resolved within himself that he must kill Vrtra. He was determined not to allow the opportunity to pass him by. Then he remembered the boon given to the great dragon that a weapon cannot kill him. He saw a foam in the water as they outthought of a way. This foam was neither wet nor dry, and it was not a weapon. Indra then perceived that this must be Visnu, who had come and promised to assist him in killing the dragon. Indra was excited. He hurled the foam with a thunderbolt at Vrtra, and Visnu entered the foam and destroyed Vrtra.

The death of Vrtra brought joy to all the gods, sages, Ghandharvas, Yaksas, Rakshasas, and the snakes, and all praised the great Indra, who had triumphed over the dragon. The skies also dispensed of their darkness, and a pleasant breeze blew. Indra, thus honoured by all beings, comforted them and rejoiced with the gods, for he had killed his enemy, and because of his knowledge of dharma, he honoured Visnu, the best of the three worlds. However, after accusations overpowered all of these Indra. The ghost of Trisiras accused him again of brahminicide, i.e., a brahminslayer. This accusation brought shame and melancholy to Indra. Overpowered by his inadequacies and impurities, Indra, the warrior king, withdrew to the ends of the world where he became unrecognizable and lived in water, concealing himself as a writhing serpent until the gods together offered the sacrifice of a horse head to Vishnu to purify Indra and release him from his guilt. Visnu accepted their sacrifice, and Indra, the warrior king of the gods, was restored to his original state when he feared nothing.

In conclusion, the message in the story showcased the virtue of cooperation. That is the merrier principle, which I saw clearly in this story. For instance, we witnessed the power of  Vrtra and Tvastr, yet Indra overcame Trisiras and the more deadly Vrtra. How was he able to achieve this feat? It was cooperation—the ability to consult and include. Indra had willing people who believed in him on his team. He had the gods, the sages, the Ghandharvas and even Lord Visnu. The gift of inclusivity seemed to be Indra’s strong asset. Another case was when the dragon swallowed up Indra. That indeed would have been the end of Indra, but his team created the yawner and devised a means for Indra to leap out of the mouth of Vrtra. Vrtra, on the other hand, had no other opinion to consider before agreeing to the pact he made with Indra. In this world, we may avoid hopeless situations and people who add no value to our dream pursuits, but we must also build a network of dependable people around us just like Indra and not be a lone ranger like Vrtra.