The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and Upanishads v1.c23.s1.45

v1.c23.s1.45

Vala is a pale figure compared to Vṛtra: he is mentioned in the myth of the Paṇis: Bṛhaspati or Indra takes from him the cows which he had in his forts, his fences are burst by Indra, or his hole is opened. The word means literally covering, and is found often in this sense or in some cognate meaning. The fold of Vala is also mentioned, and he is clearly simply the personification of the pen in which the cows are supposed to be kept, as is indicated by the fact that he is not said to be slain, but to be pierced, broken, or cloven. In the post-Vedic mythology he appears in the epithet of Indra, ‘piercer of Vala’, and is deemed brother of Vṛtra, with whose myth, however, he had, it is clear, little originally to do.²