| Mitra | |
|---|---|
God of friendship, oaths and the morning sun | |
| Member ofAdityas | |
| Devanagari | मित्र |
| Sanskrit transliteration | mitrá |
| Affiliation | Varuna,Deva,Adityas |
| Abode | Devaloka |
| Mantra | Om Mitraya Namah |
| Weapon | Sword |
| Mount | Horse |
| Genealogy | |
| Parents | |
| Consort | Revati |
| Children |
|
Mitra (Sanskrit:मित्रIAST:Mitrá) is aHindu god and generally one of theAdityas (the sons of the goddessAditi), though his role has changed over time. In theMitanni inscription, Mitra is invoked as one of the protectors of treaties. In theRigveda, Mitra appears primarily in thedvandva compoundMitra-Varuna, which has essentially the same attributes as the godVaruna alone,[1] e.g. as the principal guardian ofṛtá "Truth, Order". In the late Vedic texts and theBrahmanas, Mitra is increasingly associated with the light of dawn and the morning sun (while Varuna becomes associated with the evening, and ultimately the night). In the post-Vedic texts – in which Mitra practically disappears[2] – Mitra evolved into the patron divinity of friendship, and because he is "friend", abhors all violence, even when sacred.[3]
TheIndo-Iranian common noun*mitra means "(that which) causes [-tra] to bind [mi-]", hence Sanskritmitram, "covenant, contract, oath",[4] the protection of which is Mitra's role in both theRigveda and in the Mitanni treaty. In post-Vedic India, the nounmitra came to be understood as "friend", one of the aspects of bonding and alliance. Accordingly, in post-Vedic India, Mitra became the guardian of friendships. In mostIndian languages, the wordmitr means 'friend'. The feminine form of the word in languages likeMarathi or Hindi ismaitrin ormitrā.
In theRigveda, the oldest of the Vedic texts, Mitra is mostly indistinguishable fromVaruna, together with whom Mitra forms advandva pair Mitra-Varuna,[a] and in which Mitra-Varuna has essentially the same characteristics as Varuna alone.[1][5][6] Varuna is not only the greater of the two, but also – according toRV 2.12 – the second-greatest of the RigVedic gods afterIndra.[1]: 134 Rigvedic hymns to Mitra-Varuna includeRV 1.136, 137, 151–153,RV 5.62-72,RV 6.67,RV 7.60-66,RV 8.25 andRV 10.132. Mitra is addressed independently in one hymn onlyRV 3.59,[1] where he has hardly any traits that distinguish him from Varuna,[1] and owing to the scantiness of the information supplied in that hymn his separate character appears somewhat indefinite.[1]
Mitra as an independent personage is insignificant. ... One theory holds that the dvandvic union possibly represents anapotropaic application [of "friend"] to the otherwise frightening and dangerous Varuna."[7]
Mitra-Varuna are conceived as young, they wear glistening garments, are monarchs and guardians of the whole world and their palace is golden, with a thousand pillars and a thousand doors. They support (and are frequently invoked next to) heaven and earth, and the air between heaven and earth. They are lords of rivers and seas, and they send rain and refreshment from the sky.[1]
They wet the pastures with dew of clarified butter (ghee), and rain abounding in heavenly water comes from them. Their domain has streams that flow with honey, and their pastures have cattle that yield refreshment. They afflict those that disregard them with disease. They areasuras, and (like allasuras) wield their power through secret knowledge (māyā́), which empowers them to make the sun traverse the sky, and to obscure it with clouds. Their eye is the sun, and they mount their chariot in the highest heavens, which they drive with the rays of the sun as with arms. They have spies that are astute and undeceivable. They are maintainers of order (ṛtá, “truth”), they are barriers against falsehood, which they punish.[1]
They once both emitted their semen into a pitcher at the sight of nymphUrvashi, from which the sagesVashishtha andAgastya emerged.[8]
Although they are Asuras, Rigvedic Mitra-Varuna are also addressed asdevas (e.g.,RV 7.60.12). Mitra is also adeva (mitrasya...devasya,RV 3.59.6) inRV 3.59, which is the only Rigvedic hymn dedicated to Mitra independently from Mitra-Varuna. Despite the independent dedication, Mitra still retains much the same characteristics as Varuna in that hymn. Like Varuna, Mitra is lauded as a god followingṛta, order and stability and of observances (3.59.2b,vrata). Again like Varuna, Mitra is the sustainer of mankind (3.59.6a, said also ofIndra in 3.37.4c) and of all gods (3.59.8c,devān vishvān). Elsewhere, when Mitra appears not paired with Varuna, it is often for the purpose of comparison, where other gods are lauded as being “like Mitra”, without the hymn being addressed to Mitra himself (Indra 1.129.10, 10.22.1–2 etc.;Agni 1.38.13 etc.;Soma 1.91.3;Vishnu 1.156.1). A characteristic unique to Mitra is his ability to marshal the people (yātayati,yātayáj-jana), an attribute that appears to be peculiarly his.[1]
In some of their aspects, Varuna is lord of the cosmic rhythm of the sun and other celestial spheres, while Mitra brings forth the light at dawn, which was covered by Varuna the previous evening. Mitra is also independently identified as being force by which the course of the sun is regulated (ṛta);Savitr (RV 1.35) is identified with Mitra because of those regulations, andVishnu (RV 1.154) takes his three steps by those regulations.[1] Agni is kindled before dawn to produce Mitra, and when kindled is Mitra.[1]
In theAtharvaveda, Mitra is again associated with sunrise, and is contrasted with Varuna's association with the evening.[1] In theBrahmanas, theexegetical commentaries on the Vedas, the associations with morning and evening lead Mitra to be connected with the day, and Varuna with night.[1] Also inShatapatha Brahmana, Mitra-Varuna is analyzed as "the Counsel and the Power" – Mitra being the priesthood (Purohita), and Varuna the royal power (Rājān).
Mitra appears in post-VedicHindu scriptures like theRamayana, theMahabharata, and thePuranas. However, his role becomes greatly diminished and little is said of him other than that he is a solar deity and anAditya, (the sons of the goddessAditi, fathered by the sageKashyapa).[9][10] According toBhagavata Purana, Revati (lit. 'prosperity') is the name of Mitra's wife and the couple has three sons—Utsarga, Arishtha and Pippala.[11]
The pairing of Mitra withVaruna is still present;[10] ayajna dedicated to them byVaivasvata Manu is mentioned in these scriptures. An instance of rivalry between Varuna and Mitra also occurs:
Other significant references to Mitra include the legend ofPrithvi, where he acted as milkman of the gods to milk the cow-form of theearth goddess; his fight with Praheti in theDevasura war; and his worship byPandava KingYudhishthira and Akrura.[12][full citation needed]
Indic Mitra is first attested in a 14th century BCEMitanni inscription in which an Indo-Aryan king ofMitanni invokes the gods Mitra,Indra,Varuna, and theNasatyas as guarantors of his sworn obligations.[13]
In theAtharvaveda, Mitra is associated with sunrise, and accordingly, Mitra is worshipped in the sunrise prayers of the Hindus. The morningupasthaana prayer, recited to the risen sun after contemplation on the sacredGayatrimantra, is a collection of Vedic verses addressing Mitra.[citation needed]
Mitra is co-worshipped in theMitrotsavam Hindu festival of the Sun godSurya, whose orderly traversal of the sky is ensured by Mitra (e.g.RV 1.35) and Mitra-Varuna (e.g.RV 8.25.8).
Mitra is also worshiped in Bengal in the month of Agrahayan (November- December). Worship begins onKartikSankranti, the last day of the Bengali calendar month Kartik; and after worshiping the Mitra Dev (locally called Itu Thakur) for the full month, it[clarification needed] is abducted into water on the day of Agrahayan Sankranti.
This puja is celebrated like aVrata especially by women. On the first day, adherents bring a clay pot full of soil and plant many kind of seeds and plant roots in it. Every Sunday of the month they worship and sprinkle water on it. On the final day they abduct Itu Thakur in water before sunset.[clarification needed]
The classic work on Hindu polytheism
