Vedic Index of Names and Subjects v1.c3.s21.988

v1.c3.s21.988

Pipru is the name of a foe of Indra in the Rigveda. He was repeatedly defeated by Indra for Rjiśvan.¹ Mentioned as possessing forts,² he is called a Dāsa³ as well as an Asura.⁴ He is described as having a black brood,⁵ and as being allied with blacks.⁶ It is uncertain whether he was a demon, according to Roth’s⁷ view, which is favoured by the use of the word Asura, or a human foe, as Ludwig,⁸ Oldenberg,⁹ and Hillebrandt¹⁰ believe. The name may mean ‘resister,’ from the root *pr*.