Vritra, Vṛtra: 14 definitions
Introduction:
Vritra means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
The Sanskrit term Vṛtra can be transliterated into English as Vrtra or Vritra, using the IAST transliteration scheme (?).
In Hinduism
Purana and Itihasa (epic history)
Vṛtra (वृत्र).—(VṚTRĀSURA). A mighty and fierce asura. Reason for his birth. Vṛtra was the rebirth of emperor Citraketu. Citraketu and his wife Kṛtadyuti prayed to Aṅgiras, as a result of which a son was born to them. That son died in his infancy. But Aṅgiras brought him to life again. Brahmā and Nārada taught Citraketu theosophy. Citraketu sat in contemplation for eight days and changing himself to a Gandharva he flew through the sky. As he was flying, he saw Pārvatī sitting on the thigh of Śiva and laughed aloud. Knowing this Pārvatī cursed him to become an asura. Vṛtrāsura was the rebirth of the emperor according to this curse. (Bhāgavata, Skandha 6). (See full article at Story of Vṛtra from the Puranic encyclopaedia by Vettam Mani)
1a) Vṛtra (वृत्र).—A son of Tvaṣṭri, created out of a sacrificial offering with an ugly appearance to avenge Indra, the murderer of Viśvarūpa. Hari advised Indra on the means to end Vṛtra. In the battle Vṛtra encouraged his soldiers and uttered words of heroism. Ran towards Indra as Kaiṭabha against Hari and had one hand cut off. But in the contest the Vajra of Indra slipped and Vṛka asked him to take up the weapon and fight. He had his other arm cut off. But Vṛka swallowed Indra into his stomach from which Indra escaped and cut off his head. Vṛtra attained Aloka due to his faith in Hari having been born as Citraketu (s.v.) in his previous birth.1 Attained release by satsaṅga. His greed for more territory.2 Killed by Hālāphala avatār. An account of the death in the bhāgavata; an Asura of Kṛtayuga.3 Brought forth sons from his terrible breathing during his fight with Indra in thousands. All followers of Mahendra, those who have realised Brahmā, are happy, dharmic and live in small bodies.4
- 1) Bhāgavata-purāṇa VI. chh. 9-12 (whole); ch. 14 (whole); 17. 38-39; X. 77. 36; Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 72. 83.
- 2) Bhāgavata-purāṇa XI. 12. 5; XII. 3. 11.
- 3) Matsya-purāṇa 47. 51; 53. 20; 249. 67.
- 4) Vāyu-purāṇa 68. 34-6.
1b) A son of Anāyuṣa. Father of Bakas in hundreds who followed Mahendra.*
- * Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa III. 6. 31.
Vṛtra (वृत्र) is a name mentioned in the Mahābhārata (cf. I.59.32, I.65, I.61.41) and represents one of the many proper names used for people and places. Note: The Mahābhārata (mentioning Vṛtra) is a Sanskrit epic poem consisting of 100,000 ślokas (metrical verses) and is over 2000 years old.
The Purana (पुराण, purāṇas) refers to Sanskrit literature preserving ancient India’s vast cultural history, including historical legends, religious ceremonies, various arts and sciences. The eighteen mahapuranas total over 400,000 shlokas (metrical couplets) and date to at least several centuries BCE.
Vedanta (school of philosophy)
Vṛtra (वृत्र) or Vṛtragītā refers to one of the sixty-four Gītās commonly referred to in Hindu scriptures.—Gītā is the name given to certain sacred writings in verse (often in the form of a dialogue) which are devoted to the exposition of particular religious and theosophical doctrines. Most of these Gītās [i.e., Vṛtra-gītā] originate from the Mahābhārata or the various Purāṇas.
Vedanta (वेदान्त, vedānta) refers to a school of orthodox Hindu philosophy (astika), drawing its subject-matter from the Upanishads. There are a number of sub-schools of Vedanta, however all of them expound on the basic teaching of the ultimate reality (brahman) and liberation (moksha) of the individual soul (atman).
General definition (in Hinduism)
Vritra (वृत्र): Means "the enveloper". Vritra, was an Asura and also a serpent or dragon, the personification of drought and enemy of Indra. Vritra was also known in the Vedas as Ahi ("snake"), cognate with Azhi Dahaka of Zoroastrian mythology and he is said to have had three heads. He was son of Twashta who was defeated by Indra's weapons Vajrayudha. He was born out of his father's sacrificial flames and became Indra's mortal enemy.
Vritra is the son of Tvashta. When Vishwarupa, the son of Tvashta, was slain by Indra, Tvashta performed a sacrifice with the intention of obtaining a son who could slay the King of Gods. Due to a mispronounciation, he instead obtained a son who would be slain by Indra instead. This son was Vritra.
According to the Srimad Bhagavata Purana, Vritra was a King named Chitraketu in his previous birth. While coursing the skies in his chariot, he saw the half-woman (Ardha-Nari) form of Lord Shiva and made a disparaging comment on it. For this sin, he was cursed to be born as a demon in his next birth.
Languages of India and abroad
Sanskrit dictionary
Vṛtra (वृत्र).—[vṛt-rak]
1) Name of a demon killed by Indra; (he is supposed to be a personification of darkness); see इन्द्र (indra).
2) A cloud.
3) Darkness.
4) An enemy.
5) Sound.
6) A wheel.
7) Name of Indra.
8) A mountain.
-tram Leather.
Derivable forms: vṛtraḥ (वृत्रः).
Vṛtra (वृत्र).—m.
(-traḥ) 1. An enemy. 2. Darkness. 3. A demon slain by Indra. 4. A cloud. 5. A name of Indra. 6. The name of a mountain. 7. Sound, noise. E. vṛt to be or abide, Unadi aff. rak .
Vṛtra (वृत्र).—m. 1. The name of a demon slain by Indra,
Vṛtra (वृत्र).—[masculine] coverer, besetter, encloser, [Name] of a demon, the chief enemy of Indra; [neuter] ([masculine]) i.[grammar] foe or host of foes.
1) Vṛtra (वृत्र):—[from vṛ] m. (only once in [Taittirīya-saṃhitā]) or n. (mostly in [plural]) ‘coverer, investor, restrainer’, an enemy, foe, hostile host, [Ṛg-veda; Taittirīya-saṃhitā]
2) [v.s. ...] m. Name of the Vedic personification of an imaginary malignant influence or demon of darkness and drought (supposed to take possession of the clouds, causing them to obstruct the clearness of the sky and keep back the waters; Indra is represented as battling with this evil influence in the pent up clouds poetically pictured as mountains or castles which are shattered by his thunderbolt and made to open their receptacles cf. [especially] [Ṛg-veda i, 31]; as a Dānava, Vṛtra is a son of Tvaṣṭṛ, or of Danu q.v., and is often identified with Ahi, the serpent of the sky, and associated with other evil spirits, such as Śuṣṇa, Namuci, Pipru, Śambara, Uraṇa, whose malignant influences are generally exercised in producing darkness or drought), [Ṛg-veda] etc. etc.
3) [v.s. ...] a thunder-cloud, [Ṛg-veda iv, 10, 5] (cf. [Naighaṇṭuka, commented on by Yāska i, 10])
4) [v.s. ...] darkness, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
5) [v.s. ...] a wheel, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
6) [v.s. ...] a mountain, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
7) [v.s. ...] Name of a [particular] mountain, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
8) [v.s. ...] a stone, [Kātyāyana-śrauta-sūtra [Scholiast or Commentator]]
9) [v.s. ...] Name of Indra (?), [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
10) [v.s. ...] n. wealth (= dhana), [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.] ([varia lectio] vitta)
11) [v.s. ...] sound, noise (= dhvani), [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
Vṛtra (वृत्र):—(traḥ) 1. m. An enemy; darkness; cloud; mountain; noise; Indra; a demon killed by him.
[Sanskrit to German]
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.
Kannada-English dictionary
Vṛtra (ವೃತ್ರ):—
1) [noun] absence of natural laight; darkness.
2) [noun] an adversary; an enemy.
3) [noun] a cloud.
4) [noun] name of a demon, slain by Indra, the chief of gods.
5) [noun] a sound; noice.
6) [noun] a wheel.
7) [noun] name of a mountain.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Starts with (+12): Vritrabhojana, Vritradruh, Vritradvish, Vritraghataka, Vritraghna, Vritraghni, Vritragita, Vritraha, Vritrahamtama, Vritrahan, Vritrahant, Vritrahantar, Vritrahantri, Vritrahatha, Vritrahatya, Vritrahay, Vritrahaya, Vritrakhada, Vritranashana, Vritraputra.
Full-text (+165): Vritrahan, Vritrari, Vritradvish, Vritraha, Vritrashatru, Vritrabhojana, Vritratara, Vritraputra, Vritravairin, Vritratur, Vritraripu, Vritranashana, Vritravidvish, Vritrahatha, Vritratva, Vritrahatya, Vritrakhada, Vritrashanku, Vritraghni, Vritraturya.
Relevant text
Search found 109 books and stories containing Vritra, Vṛtra, Vrtra; (plurals include: Vritras, Vṛtras, Vrtras). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Nighantu (critical study) (by Gopalakrishna N. Bhat)
Part 10 - Meghanamani (Megha Nama) < [Chapter 3 - First Adhyaya (chapter) of the Nighantu (study)]
Part 8 - Dhananamani (Dhana Nama) < [Chapter 4 - Second Adhyaya (chapter) of the Nighantu (study)]
Rig Veda (translation and commentary) (by H. H. Wilson)
Nirukta and the Vedic interpretation (study) (by Shruti S. Pradhan)
Page 46 < [Chapter 4 - Group “D”]
Page 195 < [Chapter 1 - Group “A”]
Page 134 < [Chapter 1 - Group “A”]
Warfare and Military System in Vedic Literature (by Rinki Deka)
Arms and Armours < [Chapter 2 - Military System as Revealed in the Vedic Texts]
Principles of Division of Booty, Seized in War < [Chapter 4 - Principles and Ethics related to the Warfare]
Principles of War Ethics < [Chapter 4 - Principles and Ethics related to the Warfare]
Garga Samhita (English) (by Danavir Goswami)
Verse 5.24.40 < [Chapter 24 - The Killing of the Kola Demon]
Verse 8.13.78 < [Chapter 13 - A Thousand Names of Lord Balarāma]
Vaishnava Myths in the Puranas (by Kum. Geeta P. Kurandwad)
The Legends and Myth of Indra < [Chapter 2 - Varieties of Myths]
The concept of Varaha-Avatara (incarnation) < [Chapter 4 - Significance of Vaishnava Myths]
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