Sages & Others
Vritra
वृत्र
The Asura Who Held the Waters
Who was Vritra?
Vritra (वृत्र): The Asura Who Held the Waters, one of the sages and supporting figures in the Mahabharata. The mighty Daitya against whom Indra took the thunderbolt made from Dadhichi's bones.
Quick Facts
| Sanskrit name | वृत्र |
|---|---|
| Title / Epithet | The Asura Who Held the Waters |
| Faction | Sages & Others |
| Key traits | vast, contemplative, obstructing, doomed |
| Notable relationships | Slayer: Indra, Whose Bones Killed Him: Dadhichi, Whose Energy Wasted Him: Shiva, Power Within the Bolt: Vishnu |
| Featured in | 20 stories |
About Vritra
The mighty Daitya against whom Indra took the thunderbolt made from Dadhichi's bones. The Mahabharata gives him a second life as a philosopher: before the battle he discourses on penance, on the colours of the soul and on the supreme Brahma, having understood the truth by austerity. A fever born of Mahadeva's energy entered him, his memory left his mouth in the shape of a jackal, and Indra struck him while he yawned, whereupon embodied Brahmanicide came out of his body and fastened on the killer.
In Their Words
The penances I underwent out of greed for dominion have all been consumed. What remains is knowledge.
Vritra
Traits
- vast
- contemplative
- obstructing
- doomed
Story Appearances
Stories Featuring Vritra
18 further tales on this site name Vritra, in canonical reading order.
- The Lineages of Gods and DemonsVaishampayana recites the descent of every creature from Brahma and the daughters of Daksha
- Garuda's Map of the WorldThe four directions described from a bird's back
- Six Duels on the Seventh DayShikhandi with a broken sword, Duryodhana on foot, and a mace that missed
- The Armour of MantrasThe one day Duryodhana stood in front of Arjuna and did not fall
- The King Who Went In AloneDuryodhana charges the whole Pandava army by himself, and Yudhishthira cuts his bow
- Karna Takes the FieldThe vow that kept him out of ten days of war, and the grief that brought him into it
- The Stones and the Golden KingSatyaki kills Sudarsana on the road to Arjuna, and cuts the mountaineers' stones out of the air
- The Duel the Gods ApplaudedAshwatthama and Bhima fight to a standstill and are carried off senseless by their own drivers
- The Anointing of the War GodEvery god brings a gift to a six-day-old commander
- The Duel on the Southern BankTwo pupils of one teacher settle a war with clubs
- The Verdict at the Fallen KingBalarama's plough, Duryodhana's indictment, and the flowers that fell from the sky
- What Gandhari SawThe blind queen, given sight for one afternoon, walks Kurukshetra naming the dead of both armies
- Fortune Changes SidesWhy Sri deserted the asuras, told on a bank of the Ganga
- The Sweat That Became FeverA drop from Shiva's forehead, and the disease scattered through the world
- The Fowler's CryBrihaspati teaches Indra how to subdue an enemy without fighting him
- The Fourth Portion of VishnuSanatkumara tells the defeated Vritra what holds up the universe, and Bhishma tells Yudhishthira who Krishna is
- The Naked Priest of VaranasiHow a king outbid Indra for a brother nobody wanted
- The Battle No One Else Can FightKrishna names the enemies still living in Yudhishthira's flesh
Character Arc
- The DiscourseHe speaks of penance, colour and Brahma before the fight
- The FeverHis memory leaves him as a jackal and meteors fall on either hand
- The YawnIndra hurls the bolt at the one moment he cannot answer
Key Relationships
Places in Vritra's Story
Drawn from the stories Vritra appears in.
Related Characters
Others counted among the Sages & Others.