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Facing Vritra The Greatest

Adventure of Indra

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Facing Vritra The Greatest Adventure of

Indra
Article of the Month - February 2014
This is a story about the great god Indra, who was the undisputed
king of the three worlds. However absolute power has its perils, the
most dangerous of which is pride which consumes even gods. The
scriptures say: The one who feels happy on obtaining objects of
material enjoyment becomes afflicted with pride. When he becomes
prideful, he starts violating Dharma (Apastamba Dharma Sutra
1.13.4). This is what happened with Indra too.
Once when he was sitting on his throne with his wife Indrani, his guru
the venerable Brihaspati entered the court. Even though Indra saw his
guru he turned away his gaze as if he had missed seeing him. He did
not even get up from his throne. Brihaspati realized that his disciple
had become afflicted with pride which is never good and must be
broken. Hence Brihaspati vanished from Indras court.
When the asuras (demons), the traditional enemies of the gods, heard
that the great sage Brihaspati had left Indras court they thought of
taking advantage of the situation and went to their own guru
Shukracharya seeking help.
Actually Brihaspati - the guru of the gods - has wisdom and prudence,
while Shukracharya - the guru of the demons - has power and
cunning. One meaning of the word Shukra' in Sanskrit is virility. The
gods have strength in the form of Brihaspati and the demons in the
form of Shukracharya.
When Shukracharya heard of the situation he advised them to attack
the gods immediately. The latter then searched in vain for their guru
to provide guidance in the impending battle. However he could not be
found. The demons then easily defeated them because with their guru
the gods had also lost their strength. Ultimately they were forced to
flee from their palatial comforts and take refuge in the forests.

The exasperated gods then went to Brahma Ji who is the

great-grandfather of both the gods and the demons. He has
equal goodwill for both. Despite this, he gives the best
guidance to whoever seeks his help and advice.

Brahma Ji said to the assembled gods: "What a pity it is that out of

arrogance you have committed an inauspicious deed by disrespecting
a Brahmin who is not only a knower of the Vedas but also has control
over his senses and is established in the Supreme Soul (Brahman)."
He advised the gods to get a priest (purohit) and obtain knowledge
from him on how to defeat the demons. The gods led by Indra then
went to a person called Vishwarupa who even though very talented
was not of the purest lineage which was a combination of gods,
demons and humans. On hearing the request of the gods Vishwarupa
gave a marvellous reply:
"The job of priesthood inevitably leads to a loss of spiritual power and
hence has been condemned by great people of yore. However how can
a mere person like myself who deserves to be commanded by you
refuse your request? People like us require nothing. We go the
markets after the grain shops have closed and then collect the grains
that are fallen there to fulfill our needs. When my life is running fine in
this manner, why should I accept the condemned job of a professional
priest which makes happy only those who have a low mind? However
since you are my elders, I will accomplish whatever insignificant is
required by you, at the cost of all my means and even my life."
With this promise Vishwarupa began to
earnestly carry out his duties as the priest of
the gods. He snatched away the fortune of the
demons by giving Indra the Narayana
Kavach, the ultimate shield of mantras for
protection and victory over obstacles. The
eighth chapter of the sixth canto of the
Shrimad Bhagavata Purana describes this prayer. When Indra
acquired the Narayana Kavacha from Vishwarupa and learned its
proper usage, he attacked the demons, defeated them and regained
his position as the king of heavens.
We already know that Vishwarupas ancestry was composed of both
gods and demons. So, during the performance of sacrifices, he would
pour offerings not only on behalf of the gods, but also secretly give
offerings on behalf of the demons. Actually his mother belonged to the
clan of demons and he did this out of affection for her. Indra, the
highly intelligent king of gods, caught him red handed and killed him.
Now Indra was faced with the specter of Brahma-Hatya, the crime of
having killed a Brahmin, one of the most serious crimes according to
our scriptures. Indra, even though he was extremely powerful, did not
try to brazen it out. Instead he folded his hands and accepted his
guilt. He did not try to make any excuses saying he had killed

Vishwarupa unknowingly. It was Indras nobility which made him

accept his guilt without any hesitation or fear.
Consequently, the entire world was filled with a feeling of forgiveness
towards him. People always have sympathy for those who have the
modesty and humility to admit their mistakes. However when
someone raises his head with pride declaring he has done no wrong,
his arrogance causes him to lose the sympathy of all.
Having won the compassion of the entire creation Indra, the king of
all, divided the Brahma-Hatya into four portions. This is how it
happened:
1). One portion he gave to the earth. This manifests itself as barren
deserts on the earth. As a blessing in return, Indra decreed that any
holes or pits on the earth would automatically fill up.
2). One portion of Brahma-Hatya was given to the trees, manifesting
itself in the form of gum. They received the boon that their branches
and twigs would grow back when chopped or trimmed.
3). One part was given to women, in whom it manifests itself as
menstruation. They received the boon that they could ever have
physical relations (even during pregnancy).
4). The fourth was apportioned to water. It appears as foams and
bubbles (this is why water for puja should be devoid of these). Water
received the boon that it would increase the quantity of the substance
with which it is mixed (e.g. milk).
Vishwarupa was the son of Tvashta. When he heard that Indra had
killed his son he started a Vedic sacrifice to harm Indra. However, he
made a mistake in the compounding of words while chanting the
mantras. Instead of saying May Indras enemy grow, he effectively
uttered May Indra who is an enemy grow. Eventually a demon named
Vritra emerged from the fire and the whole world was engulfed in
darkness. Accompanied by well-armed demons he launched a wellorchestrated attack on Indra. When the gods retaliated by hurling
their weapons at him, Vritra merely grabbed the weapons and gobbled
them up. The gods felt helpless not knowing what to do, until they
took refuge with the Lord Narayana dwelling in their hearts. The
hapless gods uttered the following prayer:
"Dear God, we are but your servants. We do all our karma only to
worship you. A person who takes refuge with anybody else other than
you is like one trying to cross over an ocean holding a dogs tail. It is
you who take numerous avatars to protect the world. Therefore please
protect us also."

Bhagavan Narayana satisfied with their prayer (stuti) appeared before

them and answered: "I am happy with your prayers. O Indra! You
should go to the venerable sage Dadheechi and ask for his bones. He
is the one who first gave the Narayan Kavach to Tvashta who then
passed it on to Vishwarupa from whom it was passed on to you. He is
a selfless sage established in the Supreme Soul. He will fulfil your
request. You should then carve a thunderbolt out of his bones which
will kill Vritra."
Thus instructing the gods Lord Narayana vanished from their midst.
The gods then approached sage Dadheechi with their request. The
sage laughed out and said "Dear gods! Dont you know how dearly
everyone loves their own body? Dont you know of the excruciating
pain that beings experience at the time of their death? For those who
want to live in this world, even if Lord Vishnu were to himself come
and beg for their lives, they would not do so."
The gods replied: "Exalted persons like yourself who are equally
compassionate to all have no difficulty in parting with even their most
precious objects. There is no doubt that people in this world are so
blinded by selfishness that they do not understand other peoples
difficulties. They would not ask for help if they understood the other
persons difficulties. The one who asks for help should understand the
situation of the person he appeals to. By the same token, the person
asked will always extend all possible help if he understands the
difficulty of the person seeking help. The fact is that everyone in this
world is engrossed in his selfish interests."
The sage answered: "It was only to hear the voice of Dharma did I
prompt you thus. My body is going to leave me in any case one day.
Hence I will cast off my beloved body for you. This body is
impermanent. A person should utilize it to serve eternal Dharma,
which is made up of only one thing - a person should feel happy at the
happiness of others and sorrow at the sorrow of others. The objects of
this world like wealth, relatives and even ones own body are but
transient. They are of no use to ourselves but only for the benefit of
others. Pity that the impermanent man does not utilize whatever he
has in the service of others in order to serve the permanent Dharma."
Dadheechi was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. His greatness is
described repeatedly in the Shiva Purana. He was skilled in the science
of Brahmavidya. Birth and death held no meaning for him.
Indras personality was radiant when he went into the
battlefield with the vajra made from Dadheechis bones
in his hand. The weapon was filled with the spiritual
power of the sages tapasya. Secondly it had the
sanction of Lord Vishnu. These two factors gave fresh

impetus to the gods and they attacked the demons with renewed
vigor. The latter began to scatter and flee until Vritra addressed them:
"Please hear me, do not run. All beings who have taken birth must
die. Even the creator has not told of any means for escaping death.
Under the circumstances, death being inevitable, if one can gain not
only ascendancy to other worlds (heavens etc) but also virtue and
fame in this very world then which intelligent man would not embrace
such a death? There are only two glorious ways of dying. One of the
yogi who controls his Prana and gives up his body while focusing on
the Supreme Soul and the other of the warrior fighting in the forefront
of battle giving up his life heroically."

However, facing inevitable defeat, the demons did not

pay heed to Vritras words even though they were
loaded with the essence of Dharma. The gods
meanwhile continued to attack the fleeing demons.
Vritra then stood before Indra and directly challenged
him: "What kind of Dharma is this that you attack from
behind those who flee the battlefield? You claim to be a
great god but kill those in retreat? Come! I stand
before you. Attack me."

Vritra Welcomes a Noble Death

A mighty battle then ensued between the two. Initially Vritra gained
the upper hand but eventually Indra started prevailing. It was then
that Vritra experienced Gods grace in its true measure and was
drenched in a surge of bhakti towards the Supreme Lord Narayana. In
this state of mind he addressed Indra:
"The thunderbolt that you carry has been sharpened by the power of
Lord Vishnu and the austerities of sage Dadheechi. Since you have
come here in accordance with Lord Vishnus will, there is no doubt that
I shall be killed. O Indra! Your thunderbolt will cut not me but my
attachment to sensual pleasures. Concentrating my mind on the lotus
feet of the Lord Vishnu I will ascend to the higher worlds inhabited by
great saints. Indeed I know the nature of our dear Lord Vishnu.
Whenever people like us make an effort for achieving material objects
like power and money He renders these efforts fruitless. We should
understand that it is Gods grace that makes a person suffer loss in his
enterprises. This grace is exclusively reserved for His true bhaktas.
Like a child who does not drink at his mothers breast but plays with

toys forces her to take away the toy and instead thrust her nourishing
breast in his mouth does not represent injustice but only the mothers
extreme affection so does our beloved God, when we start playing and
obsessing with wealth, snatches away our riches and instead gives us
the supreme gift of Himself."

Vritra the Greatest Poet

Finally Vritra, overwhelmed with emotion, uttered his deepest
emotions in a language so picturesque that it would be of envy to the
most talented poet:

"O lotus-eyed Lord, as baby birds who have not yet grown
wings look out for their mother, as hungry little calves tied
to a post anxiously wait for their mother to feed them, like
a wife whose husband is away from home is tormented by
intense longing for her spouse, so does my heart yearn to
see you!"

Thus saying Vritra, longing for the highest death available to a living
being, plunged himself towards Indra who cut off his arms. But when
the king of gods lifted his thunderbolt, Vritra opened his mouth and
swallowed up Indra along with the elephant he rode. Indra soon
opened his stomach from inside and came out. Then he rushed and
killed Vritra by cutting off his head with a mighty swoop. A light
emerged from the demons fallen body and merged into the Supreme
Soul.

Indras Second Brahma-Hatya

Indra became king once more. All were happy but Indra was worried
about the Brahma-Hatya he had once more incurred. His fears were
justified and the Brahma-Hatya appeared before him in the form of an
old woman drenched in blood with her breath smelling of fish. The
terrified Indra ran but she chased him calling out: "Wait! Wait!" The
witch followed him wherever he went and eventually he hid in the
stem of a lotus in the Manasarovara Lake. There he remained for a
thousand years until some wise Brahmins sought him out and took
him back. The venerable Brahmins then made him perform the
Ashwamedha Yajna, the supreme Vedic ritual which cleansed Indra of
the sin of Brahma-Hatya.

Concluding Remarks about Vritra

How could Vritra a demon meet such a glorious end? How was he able
to recall the Supreme Lord in his last moments this being difficult for
even the most accomplished of yogis? The answer lies in a previous
life of his, where he was a great bhakta named Chitraketu who was
cursed by Goddess Parvati because he had crticized Lord Shiva. In the
end we realize that Vritra was blessed even more than Indra. The
latter reaped only material success, while Vritra was blessed with the
ultimate gift selfless Bhakti towards Lord Narayana.
The story of Indra and Vritra occurs in the Shrimad Bhagavata Purana,
Canto 6, Chapters 7-17.

This article by Nitin Kumar.

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References & Further Reading:

G. P. Bhatt & J. L. Shastri (tr). The Bhagavata Purana (5 Volumes): Delhi, 2002.

Saraswati, Swami Akhandananda. Bhagavata Darshan (Collection of Discourses in

Two Volumes): Mumbai, 2003.

Saraswati, Swami Akhandananda (tr). Shrimad Bhagavata Purana (2 Volumes):

Gorakhpur, 2004.

Swami Prabhupada, A.C. Bhaktivedanta. Srimad Bhagavatam (47 Volumes):

Mumbai.

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