Vedic Mythology c5.s2.18

Language: English

c5.s2.18.1

Having dealt with Indra’s personal traits and his character, we now come to the great myth which is the basis of his nature. Exhilerated by Soma and generally escorted by the Maruts he enters upon the fray with the chief demon of drought, most frequently called by the name of Vṛtra, the Obstructor (§ 68) and also very often styled *ahi* the ‘Serpent’ or ‘Dragon’ (§ 64). The conflict is terrible. Heaven and earth tremble with fear when Indra strikes Vṛtra with his bolt (1, 80¹¹; 2, 11⁹. ¹⁰; 6, 17⁹); even Tvaṣṭṛ who forged the bolt trembles at Indra's anger (1, 80¹⁴). Indra shatters Vṛtra with his bolt (1, 32⁵. 61¹⁰; 10, 89⁷). He strikes Vṛtra with his bolt on his back (1, 32⁷. 80⁵), strikes his face with his pointed weapon (1, 52¹⁵), and finds his vulnerable parts (3, 32⁴; 5, 32⁵). He smote Vṛtra who encompassed the waters (6, 20² &c.) or the dragon that lay around (*pariśayānam*) the waters (4, 19²); he overcame the dragon lying on the waters (5, 30⁶). He slew the dragon hidden in the waters and obstructing the waters and the sky (2, 11⁵), and smote Vṛtra, who enclosed the waters, like a tree with the bolt (2, 14²). Thus ‘conquering in the waters’ (*apsujit*) is his exclusive attribute. Indra being frequently described as slaying Vṛtra in the present or being invoked to do so, is regarded as constantly renewing the combat, which mythically represents the constant renewal of the natural phenomena.

c5.s2.18.2

For many dawns and autumns Indra has let loose the streams after slaying Vṛtra (4, 19⁸) or he is invoked to do so in the future (8, 78⁴). He cleaves the mountain, making the streams flow or taking the cows (1, 57⁶; 10, 89⁷), even with the sound of his bolt (6, 27⁴). When he laid open the great mountain, he let loose the torrents and slew the Dānava, he set free the pent up springs, the udder of the mountain (5, 32¹· ²). He slew the Dānava, shattered the great mountain, broke open the well, set free the pent up waters (1, 57⁶; 5, 33¹). He releases the streams which are like imprisoned cows (1, 61¹⁰) or which, like lowing cows, flow to the ocean (1, 32²). He won the cows and Soma and made the seven rivers to flow (1, 32¹²; 2, 12¹²). He releases the imprisoned waters (1, 57⁶. 103²), released the streams pent up by the dragon (2, 11²), dug out channels for the streams with his bolt (2, 15³), let the flood of waters flow in the sea (2, 19³), caused the waters pent up by Vṛtra to flow (3, 26⁶; 4, 17¹). Having slain Vṛtra, he opened the orifice of the waters which had been closed (1, 32¹¹). His bolts are dispersed over ninety rivers (1, 80⁸). References to this conflict with Vṛtra and the release of the waters are extremely frequent in the RV. The changes on the myth are rung throughout the whole of one hymn (1, 80). Another deals with the details of the Vṛtra fight (1, 32).

c5.s2.18.3

That this exploit is Indra's chief characteristic, is shown by the manner in which the poet epitomizes the myth in the two first verses of the latter hymn: ‘I will proclaim the heroic deeds of Indra, which the wielder of the bolt first performed: he slew the dragon lying on the mountain, released the waters, pierced the belly of the mountains’. The physical elements are nearly always indicated by the stereotyped figurative terms ‘bolt’, ‘mountain’, ‘waters or rivers’, while lightning, thunder, cloud, rain (*vṛṣṭi*, *varṣa*, or the verb *vṛṣ*) are seldom directly named (1, 52⁵· ⁶· ¹⁴ &c.)¹⁹. The rivers caused to flow are of course often terrestrial (BRV. 2, 184), but it cannot be doubted that waters and rivers are in the RV. very often conceived as aerial or celestial (1, 10⁸; 2, 20⁸. 22⁴ cp. BRV. 2, 187). Apart from a desire to express the Vṛtra myth in phraseology differing from that applied to other gods, the large stores of water (cp. *arṇas*, flood) released by Indra would encourage the use of words like ‘streams’ rather than ‘rain’. The ‘cows’ released by Indra may in many cases refer to the waters, for we have seen that the latter are occasionally compared with lowing cows. Thus Indra is said to have found the cows for man when he slew the dragon (5, 29³ cp. 1, 52⁸). The context seems to shew that the waters are meant when Indra is described as having, with his bolt for an ally, extracted the cows with light from darkness (1, 33¹⁰).

c5.s2.18.4

But the cows may also in other cases be conceived as connected with Indra's winning of light, for the ruddy beams of dawn issuing from the blackness of night are compared with cattle coming out of their dark stalls (p. 47). Again, though clouds play no great part in the RV.²⁰ under their literal name (*abhra* &c.) it can hardly be denied that, as containing the waters, they figure mythologically to a considerable extent under the name of cow (*go*: § 61), as well as udder (*ūdhar*), spring (*utsa*), cask (*kavandha*), pail (*kośa*) and others. Thus the rain-clouds are probably meant when it is said that the cows roared at the birth of Indra (8, 59⁴).