Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c9.4938

c9.4938

When Tvaṣṭā heard that his righteous son was killed by Indra unreasonably, he became angry and began to make burnt offerings with spells and incantations of Atharvaveda. This offering continued for eight days. On the eighth day at night, an extremely bright male person arose from the fire pit. He rose higher and higher as the flame of fire. Then that figure of power asked Tvaṣṭā. "Father ! what is my name? What have I to do for you? What is the reason for your grief?" He said that he was prepared to drink up the ocean dry or smash the mountains, or prevent the sun and the moon from moving or any such thing for the sake of his father. The father ordered him to kill Indra. From that day onwards Vṛtra got ready to kill Indra. (Devī Bhāgavata, Skandha 6).