Vedic Mythology c5.s2.23

c5.s2.23

With the liberation of the waters is connected the winning of light, sun, and dawn. Indra won light and the divine waters (3, 34⁸). The god is invoked to slay Vṛtra and win the light (8, 78⁴). When Indra had slain the dragon Vṛtra with his metallic bolt, releasing the waters for man, he placed the sun visibly in the heavens (1, 51⁴. 52⁸). Indra, the dragon-slayer, set in motion the flood of waters to the sea, generated the sun, and found the cows (2, 19³). He gained the sun and the waters after slaying the demons (3, 34⁸. ⁹). When Indra slew the chief of the dragons and released the waters from the mountain, he generated the sun, the sky and the dawn (1, 32⁴; 6, 30⁵). The sun shone forth when Indra blew the dragon from the air (8, 3²⁰). Though the sun is usually the prize of the conflict, it also appears as Indra’s weapon, for he burns the demon with the rays of the sun (8, 12⁹). Without any reference to the Vṛtra fight, Indra is said to find the light (3, 34⁴; 8, 15⁵; 10, 43⁴) in the darkness (1, 108⁸; 4, 16⁴). Indra is the generator of the sun (3, 49⁴). He placed the sun, the brilliant light, in the sky (8, 12³⁰). He made the sun to shine (8, 3⁶. 87²), and made it mount in the sky (1, 7³). He gained the sun (1, 100⁶. ¹⁸; 3, 34⁹) or found it in the darkness in which it abode (3, 39⁵) and made a path for it (10, 111³).