वृत्रvṛtra

वृत्र (vṛtra) is a Sanskrit word meaning an enemy, foe, or hostile host, a thunder-cloud, darkness, a wheel, a mountain, a particular mountain. Its 23 recorded definitions are grouped into 11 contexts, among them The Demon Vṛtra, Adversary of Indra, A Mountain / Name of a Mountain, A Cloud or Thunder-cloud.

Root: 1. वृ (1. vṛ)
Etymology: E. वृत् to be or abide, Unādi aff. रक् ।
Definitions: 23

View Declension Tables , 48 forms

Meanings by context

The Demon Vṛtra, Adversary of Indra

12 definitions

a Vedic demon of darkness and drought personifying obstacles to rain and light

— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)

1. An enemy or hostile host. 2. A demon of drought slain by Indra who imprisoned the celestial waters. 3. A thundercloud.

— Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1. An enemy. 2. Darkness. 3. A demon slain by Indra. 4. A cloud. 5. A name of Indra. 6. A mountain. 7. Sound or noise.

— Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1. An enemy, darkness, cloud, mountain, or noise. 2. Indra or a demon killed by him.

— Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1. A demon killed by Indra. 2. Darkness. 3. A cloud. 4. Sound. 5. A mountain. 6. An enemy.

— Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1. An enemy. 2. Darkness. 3. A demon slain by Indra. 4. A cloud. 5. A name of Indra. 6. A mountain. 7. Sound or noise.

— Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1. A demon slain by Indra. 2. An enemy. 3. Darkness. 4. A cloud. 5. A mountain. 6. Sound. 7. A wheel.

— Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1. A coverer, besetter, or encloser. 2. A demon and the chief enemy of Indra. 3. A foe or host of foes.

— Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary

1. An enemy that wards off or holds in check. 2. A coverer, encloser, or Vritra, the demon of drought and darkness.

— Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary

1. The Vedic demon of darkness and drought. 2. A cloud. 3. Darkness. 4. A mountain. 5. An enemy. 6. Sound or noise. 7. A wheel. 8. A wicked person.

वृत्र (vṛtra) [Printed book page 0958-a]
वृत्र (vṛtra) vṛtra, as, m. (probably fr. rt. vṛ;

according to Uṇādi-s. II. 13. fr. rt. 1. vṛt), ‘the

coverer, hider, obstructer (of rain),’ N. 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 influ-

ence, and the pent up clouds being poetically pictured

as mountains or castles are shattered by his thunder-

bolt and made to open their receptacles; as a Dānava

or demon, Vṛtra is the son of Danu, q. v., and is

often associated with other evil spirits, such as Ahi,
Page0958-b+ 79

Śuṣṇa, Namuci, Pipru, Śambara, Uraṇa, whose

malignant influences are generally exercised in pro-

ducing darkness or drought); a cloud (in general);

darkness; a mountain; an enemy; sound, noise;

a wheel; N. of Indra (?); (am), n. a wicked person,

an enemy. —Vṛtra-khāda, as, ā, am, Ved. ‘Vṛtra-

devouring,’ destroying Vṛtra; (as), m. a devourer

of enemies, epithet of Bṛhas-pati. —Vṛtra-ghnī, f.,

N. of a river. —Vṛtra-tara, as, ā, am, Ved. caus-

ing great darkness, (Sāy. = atiśayena lokānām āva-

rakaḥ or vṛtrair āvaraṇaiḥ śatrūn tarati yaḥ,

i. e. overcoming enemies with darkness, Ṛg-veda I.

32, 5.) —Vṛtra-tur, ūr, m., Ved. ‘Vṛtra-conquer-

ing,’ epithet of Indra, conquering enemies (in gene-

ral). —Vṛtra-tūrya, am, n., Ved. conquering

enemies, destruction of enemies; battle (= saṅgrā-

ma according to Naigh. II. 19). —Vṛtra-dviṣ, ṭ,

m. ‘enemy of Vṛtra,’ epithet of Indra. —Vṛtra-

bhojana, as, m. a kind of pot-herb (commonly

called Samaṭh, described by some as a sort of cucum-

ber, = gaṇḍīra). —Vṛtra-vadha, as, m. ‘the kill-

ing of Vṛtra,’ N. of the twenty-fifth and twenty-

sixth chapters of the Bhūmi-khaṇḍa of the Padma-

Purāṇa; of the seventy-ninth chapter of the Uttara-

kāṇḍa of the Rāmāyaṇa. —Vṛtra-śatru, us, m.

‘enemy of Vṛtra,’ epithet of Indra. —Vṛtra-hatya,

am, ā, n. f., Ved. the slaying of Vṛtra, (Ṛg-veda VIII.

89, 5.) —Vṛtra-hatha, as, m., Ved. slaying Vṛtra,

slaying enemies. —Vṛtra-han, ā, m. ‘Vṛtra-killer,’

epithet of Indra; killer of enemies, victorious. —Vṛ-

trahan-tama, as, m., Ved. ‘most mighty slayer

of Vṛtra,’ epithet of Indra; a very victorious person.

—Vṛtrāri (°ra-ari), is, m. ‘enemy of Vṛtra,’ Indra. [ID=44717]

— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872)

an Asura slain by Indra

वृत्र (vṛtra) [Printed book page 756-1]
Vṛtra, an Asura, slain by Indra. § 17 (Uttaṅka): I, 3, †810

(°sya hantā, i.e. Indra).—§ 96 (Aṃśāvat.): I, 65, 2541

(mahāsuraḥ, son of Danāyus).—§ 130 (do.): I, 67, 2680

(mahāsuraḥ, incarnate as king Maṇimat).—§ 221 (Caitra-

rathap.): I, 170, 6485 (the thunderbolt of Indra (vajraṃ

V°nibarhaṇam) broke into thousand pieces on the head of V.).—

§ 277 (Jarāsandhavadhap.): II, 23, 914 (°-Vāsavayor iva,

sc. saṃyuge).—§ 317 (Arjunābhigamanap.): III, 12, 568

(°-Vāsavayor iva, sc. yuddhaṃ).—§ 320 (Saubhavadhop.):

III, 16, 681 (°-Vāsavayoḥ…yathā, sc. yuddhaṃ).—§ 330

(Indradarśana): III, 37, 1469 (from fear of V. the gods

imparted all their might to Indra).—§ 331 (Kairātap.): III,

39, 1608 (°-Vāsavayor iva, sc. yuddhaṃ).—§ 384 (Agastyop.):

III, 100, 8692, 8693 (°vadhe), 8695, 8699 (headed by V.

the Kālakeyas defeated the gods; Tvaṣṭr then constructed

the thunderbolt (vajra) for Indra); 101, 8714, 8721, †8726,

†8730 (°vadha°, Indra slew V. with the vajra); 103, 8769,

8770 (nihataṃ).—§ 402 (Tīrthayātrāp.): III, 120, †10264

(jahi…V°ṃ yathā Devapatiḥ).—§ 413 (do.): III, 135,

10693 (°ṃ hatvā Śacīpatiḥ).—§ 443 (Nivātakavacayuddhap.):

III, 168, 12073 (Bala-V°au, vanquished by Indra).—§ 444

(do.): 171, 12150 (°sya vadhe).—§ 539 (Kumbhakarṇādi-

vadha): III, 287, 16428 (°saṅkāśaṃ Kumbhakarṇaṃ).—

§ 544 (Yudhiṣṭhirāśvāsa): III, 292, 16605 (nihataḥ).—

§ 550 (Samayapālanap.): IV, 10, 356 (°-Vāsavayor iva, sc.

saṃyuge).—§ 551 (Kīcakavadhap.): IV, 22, 727 (haniṣyāmi

V°ṃ Devapatir yathā).—§ 552 (Goharaṇap.): IV, 58, 1868

(°-Vāsavayor iva, sc. yuddhaṃ); 59, 1903 (°-Vāsavayor iva,

kiratoḥ śarajālāni).—§ 555 (Indravijaya): V, 9, 275, 277,

279 (°-Vāsavayoḥ, sc. yuddhaṃ), 280, 281, 282 (Jṛmbhikāṃ

V°nāśinīṃ), 284 (°-Vāsavayoḥ, sc. yuddhaṃ), 285, 289

(°vadhepsavaḥ) (Tvaṣṭṛ created V. who assailed Indra); 10,

290, 296, 299, 303, 306, 307, 309, 310, 322, 323, 326, 327,

329, 330, 331, 334 (hate) (notwithstanding the compact with

V, Indra wilily slew him); 13, 412 (tvadvīryanihate); 16,

500 (hataḥ), 504, †512 (nihataḥ); 17, 522 (°āsuravadhena).—

§ 555 (Sainyodyogap.): V, 18, 555 (°ṃ hatvā yathā…

Śakraḥ).—§ 565 (Gālavacarita): V, 109, 3791 (atra—i.e. in

the south—vṛttena V°o 'pi Śakraśatrutvam īyivān).—§ 568

(Vidulāputraśāsana): V, 134, 4562 (Indro V°vadhenaiva

Mahendraḥ samapadyata).—§ 573 (Ambopākhyānap.): V,

177, 7024 (jahi…yathā V°ṃ Purandaraḥ).—§ 578

(Bhīṣmavadhap.): VI, 45, 1706 (Vṛtra-Vāsavayor iva,

only B.); 48, 1913 (yathā vā V°-Vāsavau, sc. ayudhyetāṃ).—

§ 584 (do.): VI, 84, 3721 (°syeva Purandaraḥ, sc. vadhā-

Page756-b+ 63

kaṅkṣī).—§ 585 (do.): VI, 90, 4029 (yathā vai V°-Vāsavau,

sc. saṅgrāme vyavatiṣṭhetāṃ).—§ 586 (do.): VI, 100, 4553

(°o devacamūṃ iva, sc. dravayate), 4580 (°-Vāsavayoḥ, sc.

yuddhaṃ).—§ 587 (do.): VI, 110, 5138 (yathā V°ṃ

Purandaraḥ, sc. avārayat); 111, 5183 (yathā V°-Mahendrayoḥ,

sc. yuddhaṃ).—§ 589 (Droṇābhiṣekap.): VII, 3, 93

(Śatakratum ivācintyaṃ purā V°eṇa nirjitaṃ).—§ 592

(Saṃśaptakavadhap.): VII, 30, 1310 (Indraṃ V°balād iva).

—§ 597 (Pratijñāp.): VII, 84, 2992 (Vāsavam iva (read

with B. °asyeva) V°ṃ hantuṃ prayāsyataḥ).—§ 599c (Jaya-

drathavadhap.): Formerly the Asura V. had defeated the

gods; headed by Indra they then applied to Brahmán, who

applied to Viṣṇu, who said that Tvaṣṭṛ, in days of yore,

had performed ascetic penances for a million of years, and

that he had created V. with the permission of Maheśvara

(i.e. Śiva); “you go to Śiva on the Mandara mountain.”

So they did, and Śiva gave to Indra his armour cased in

which Indra slew V.: VII, 94, 3457 (Daityena), 3458,

3459, 3461, 3462, 3464, 3472 (only B.), 3473 (°camūṃ),

3475.—§ 599 (do.): VII, 102, 3814 (jahi…yatha V°ṃ

Purandaraḥ); 118, †4690 (°endrayor yuddham iva); 124,

5008 (yathā V°vadḥe purā).—§ 600 (Ghaṭotkacavadhap.):

VII, 153, 6633 (°hatyai yathā devāḥ parivavruḥ Purandaraṃ);

159, 7089 (yathā V°ṃ Purandaraḥ, sc. pratyudyayau); 179,

†8177 (yathā Śakro V°vadhe).—§ 603 (Nārāyaṇāstramok-

ṣap.): VII, 196, 9038 (nihate…yathā V°e mahāsure);

200, 9323 (vajraṃ V°e yathā Hariḥ, sc. vyasṛjat).—§ 604

(Karṇap.): VIII, 5, 143 (Mahendreṇa yathā V°ḥ, sc. nihataḥ).

—§ 605 (do.): VIII, 14, 565 (yathā devāsure yuddhe V°-

Vāsavayor iva, sc. samāgamaḥ).—§ 608 (do.): VIII, 66,

†3356 (°e hate bhagavān ivendraḥ); 67, †3375 (°eṇa Vajrīva,

sc. sametya); 69, †3398 (Marutpatir V°m ivāttavajraḥ, sc.

ahaniṣyat); 71, †3592 (jahi…Purandaro-V°m iva);

73, 3675 (°ḥ prāpyeva Vāsavaṃ); 83, †4260 (°ṃ nihatyeva

Sahasranetraḥ); 87, 4391 (Indra-V°āv iva), 4406 (do.);

89, †4530 (Mahendra-V°āv iva samprajaghnatuḥ); 91, 4798

(śiro jahāra V°sya yathā Mahendraḥ); 94, 4948 (yathā purā

V°vadhe Śatakratuḥ); 96, 4983 (hato Vajrabhṛtā).—§ 611

(Śalyap.): IX, 17, 954 (°vadhe yathendraṃ).—§ 613 (Gadā-

yuddhap.): IX, 33, 1925 (Śakro V°m ivāhvayan).—§ 615u

(Skanda): IX, 46, 2709 (jaghānāśu V°ṃ Devapatir yathā).

—§ 615 (Gadāyuddhap.): IX, 55, 3128 (°-Śakrāv ivāhave);

56, 3156 (Cakro V°m ivāhvayan); 57, 3198 (°-Vāsavayor iva,

sc. yuddhaṃ), 3212 (do., do.); 58, 3251 (māyayā cākṣipat

tejo V°sya Balasūdanaḥ); 61, 3395 (Indreṇeva hi V°sya

vadhaḥ), 3402 (hate).—§ 623 (Rājadh.): XII, 15, 438 (Indro

V°vadhena Mahendraḥ samapadyata).—§ 641 (do.): XII, 98ζ,

3660 (had been slain by Indra, C. has by error Vṛttaṃ).—

§ 692 (Mokṣadh.): XII, 280, 10002 (Daityena), 10004

(10005), 10014; 281, (†10082), 10085, 10086, 10092 (V.

was instructed by Sanatkumāra about Viṣṇu).—§ 693 (do.):

XII, 282, 10098, 10101 (vinihataḥ), 10102 (nirjitaḥ).—

§ 693b (Vṛtravadha): XII, 282, 10104, 10106, 10107,

10109, 10110 (Asurendrasya), 10115 (dharmabhṛtāṃ varaḥ),

10116, 10117, 10118, 10126, 10127, 10128 (Daityapatiṃ),

10131, 10132 (viśvātmā); 283, 10143, 10147, 10151

(Daityaṃ), 10152, 10153, 10193, 10202 (from his blood arose

śikhaṇḍas), 10204 (nihataḥ), 10207 (copious description of

Indra's slaying V.).—§ 694 (Mokṣadh.): XII, 284, 10208

(°vadhāt), 10209.—§ 694b (Jvarotpatti): XII, 284, 10266

(dharmabhṛtāṃ varaḥ), 10267, 10270 (V. was overtaken with

fever (cf. also § 693b), then Indra slew him with his vajra;

V. ascended to the world of Viṣṇu).—§ 717b (Nārāyaṇīya):

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XII, 343, VII), ††13213 (Tvāṣṭrotpāditaṃ, the slaughter

of V. narrated in accordance with § 555).—§ 719b (Gautamī-

lubdhaka-vyāla-Mṛtyu-Kālasaṃv.): XIII, 1, †32 (°ṃ hatvā

Devarāṭ).—§ 778b (Saṃvartta-Maruttīya): XIV, 9, †246

(tridivaṃ prāg jahāra).—§ 779b (Aśvamedhikap.): In ancient

times the earth was encompassed by V.; the seat of smell

thus having been taken away, bad odours arose, and Indra

hurled his thunderbolt at V.; V. then entered the waters,

and taste thereby being taken away, Indra again hurled his

thunderbolt at him. So it happened successively with light

(colour and form), wind (touch) and ether (sound). Then V.

suddenly entered Indra, who was then overcome with stupe-

faction (moha); Vasiṣṭha having restored him to consciousness

by the Rathantara sāman, Indra in his own body slew V.

with his invisible thunderbolt. This religious mystery was

recited by Indra to the maharṣis and by them to Kṛṣṇa:

XIV, 11, 298 (Indrasya saha V°eṇa yuddhaṃ), 299, 301, 302,

304, 306, 308, 310, 311.—§ 785 (Anugītāp.): XIV, 76,

2195 (°eṇeva Śatakratoḥ, sc. yuddhaṃ). Cf. Asura, Asura-

śreṣṭha, Asurendra, Daitya, Daityapati, Daityendra, Dānava,

Dānavendra, Ditija, Surāri, Tvāṣṭra, Viśvātman.

Vṛtraśatru, Vṛtrahan, Vṛtrahantṛ, Vṛtranisū-

dana = Indra, q.v.

[ID=12384]

— Index to the Names in the Mahabharata

An asura of the Krita Yuga, son of Tvashtri, created to fight Indra, by whom he was killed.

— The Purana Index

A Mountain / Name of a Mountain

2 definitions

a mountain

— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)

A particular mountain

— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)

A Cloud or Thunder-cloud

1 definition

a thunder-cloud

— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)

A Name of Indra

1 definition

An epithet of Indra

— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)

A Stone

1 definition

a stone

— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)

A Wheel

1 definition

a wheel

— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)

An Enemy, Foe, Obstructor

1 definition

An enemy, foe, or hostile host.

— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)

Darkness

1 definition

darkness

— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)

Sound or Noise

1 definition

sound

— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)

Vṛtra, son of Anāyuṣa

1 definition

A son of Anayusha and father of Bakas.

— The Purana Index

Wealth

1 definition

wealth

— Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899)

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Definitions on this page come from 12 works: Benfey Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Cappeller Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Index to the Names in the Mahabharata, Lanman's Sanskrit Reader Vocabulary, Macdonell Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1872), Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (1899), Shabda-Sagara Sanskrit-English Dictionary, The Purana Index, Vaidya Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Wilson Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Yates Sanskrit-English Dictionary. Text from the Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon.