Part 13 - Mitra (the Friend of the People)

The Sun-god, in his friendly aspect is called Mitra. As the deity is closely associated with Varuṇa, only a single hymn of the Ṛgvedasaṃhitā is devoted to the deity.^[1]

Mitra is mentioned as the friend of the people in the Vedic mythology:

mitrasya priyatamasya nriṇām/^[2]

Sāyaṇācārya, in his commentary derives the term as:

mitraṃ pramītestrāyakamaharabhimāninaṃ devam/ maitraṃ vā ahaḥ (Taittirīyabrāhmaṇa, 1.7.10.1) iti śruteḥ/^[3]

Again, Yāskācārya interprets the term as:

mitraḥ pramīteḥ/ trāyate/ saṃminvāno dravatīti vā/ medayatervā/^[4]

Mitra is so called because he preserves the whole universe from destruction or because he runs measuring things together.

He is worshipped in the Vedas to bring men together:

janaṃ ca mitro yatati bruvāṇaḥ/^[5]

In his commentary on the respective passage, Sāyaṇācārya states thus:

bruvāṇaḥ asmābhiḥ stūyamānaḥ mitraḥ ca janaṃ sarvaṃ prāṇijātaṃ yatati yātayati pravartayati/ tathā ca śrūyate-mitro janānyātayati bruvāṇaḥ (Ṛgvedasaṃhitā, 3.59.1)/^[6]

He is regarded as the great supporter of the race of the man.^[7] Mitra sustains the beings with his rain-giving aspects and thus, he stands as the friend of the people.^[8] He gives food, wealth and happiness to his devotees and protects them being a friend.^[9] Besides this, he makes his worshippers free from the sin, distress and diseases.^[10] He is invoked as the creator as well as the sustainer.^[11] As the deity lightens the entire world with his

light, he is well delineated as the king:

mitraḥ sūryaḥ namasyaḥ sarvairnamaskaraṇīyaḥ suśevaḥ śobhanasukhaḥ/ sukhena sevya ityarthaḥ/ rājā sarvasya jagataḥ prakāśapradānena svāmī sukṣatraḥ/ kṣatraśabdena balamucyate śobhanabalopetaḥ vedhāḥ sarvasya jagato vidhātā/^[12]

Again, in the Taittirīyasaṃhitā, he is mentioned as the god of concord and agreement:

samayakāmo mitram/^[13]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Ibid., 3.59

[2]:

Ibid., 7.62.4

[3]:

Sāyaṇācārya, Ibid., 1.89.3

[4]:

Nirukta, 10.21

[5]:

Ṛgvedasaṃhitā, 7.36.2; Also vide, Ibid., 3.59.5

[6]:

Sāyaṇācārya, Ibid., 7.36.2

[7]:

cf., mitrasya carṣaṇīdhṛtoʹvo devasya sānasi/ dyumnaṃ citraśravastamam// Ṛgvedasaṃhitā, 3.59.6

[8]:

cf., bruvāṇaḥ stūyamānaḥ śabdaṃ kurvāṇo vā mitraḥ/ prakarṣeṇa sarvaimīyate jñāyate tathā sarvān vṛṣṭipradānena trāyata iti vā mitraḥ sūryaḥ/ janān karṣakādijanān yātayati/ kṛṣyādikarmasu prayatnaṃ kārayati/ Sāyaṇācārya, Ibid., 3.59.1

[9]:

cf., pra sa mitra marto astu prayasvānyasta āditya śikṣati vratena/ na hanyate na jīyate tvoto nainamaṅho aśnotyantito na dūrāt// Ṛgvedasaṃhitā, 3.59.2

[10]:

cf., anamīvāsa iḍyāa madanto mitrajñavo varimannā pṛthivyāḥ/ ādityasya vratamupakṣiyanto vayaṃ mitrasya sumatau syāma// Ibid., 3.59.3

[11]:

cf., ayaṃ mitro namasthaḥ suśevo rājā sukṣatro ajaniṣṭa vedhāḥ/ Ibid., 3.59.4

[12]:

Ibid.

[13]:

Taittirīyasaṃhitā, 2.1.8.4