View source for Mitra (Hindu god)

{{Short description|Vedic deity}}
{{about|the [[Rigvedic deities|Vedic deity]] Mitra|other divinities with similar names|Mitra}}
{{Infobox deity<!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Hindu mythology-->
| type = Hindu
| image = Mithra et accessoires du culte.jpg
| caption = A wooden statue - possibly a [[cult image]] of Mitra - from [[Tajikistan]], held in the [[National Museum of Antiquities of Tajikistan|Archaeological Museum]] in [[Dushanbe]]
| name = Mitra
| Devanagari = मित्र
| Sanskrit_transliteration = {{IAST|mitrá}}
| god_of = God of friendship, oaths and the morning sun
| abode = Devaloka
| mantra = Om Mitraya Namah
| weapon = [[Sword]]
| affiliation = [[Varuna]], [[Deva (Hinduism)|Deva]], [[Adityas]]
| mount = [[Horse]]
| member_of = [[Adityas]]
| mother = [[Aditi]]
| father = [[Kashyapa]]
| consort = Revati
| children = {{ubl|[[Vashishtha]] and [[Agastya]] (from [[Urvashi]])|Utsarga, Arishta and Pippala (from Revati)}}
}}
{{Hinduism}}

'''Mitra''' ({{langx|sa|मित्र}} {{IAST3|Mitrá}}) is a [[Deva (Hinduism)|Hindu god]] and generally one of the [[Adityas]] (the sons of the goddess [[Aditi]]), though his role has changed over time. In the [[#inscrip|Mitanni inscription]], Mitra is invoked as one of the protectors of treaties. In the [[Rigveda]], Mitra appears primarily in the ''[[dvandva]]'' compound ''Mitra-Varuna'', which has essentially the same attributes as the god [[Varuna]] alone,<ref name="VR">{{cite book |last=MacDonell |first=Arthur Anthony |title=A Vedic Reader |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1917 |pages=78–83, 118–119, 134}}</ref> e.g. as the principal guardian of {{IAST|[[ṛtá]]}} "Truth, Order". In the late Vedic texts and the [[Brahmana|''Brahmana''s]], 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 &ndash; in which Mitra practically disappears<!-- while Varuna is relegated to a subsidiary position --><ref>{{cite book |last=Visuvalingam |first=Elizabeth-Chalier |year=1989 |chapter=Bhairava's royal Brahmanicide |title=Criminal Gods and Demon Devotees: Essays on the guardians of popular Hinduism |location=New York, NY |publisher=State University Press |page=200}}</ref> &ndash; Mitra evolved into the patron divinity of friendship, and because he is "friend", abhors all violence, even when sacred.<ref>{{cite book |last=Dumézil |first=Georges |title=Mitra-Varuna: An essay on two Indo-European representations of sovereignty |year=1990 |isbn=0-942299-13-2 |publisher=Zone Books |location=Cambridge}}</ref>

==Onomastics==
{{sister|project=wiktionary|text=Look up '''''[[wikt:Mitra|Mitra]]''''' and '''''[[wikt:मित्र#Sanskrit|मित्र]]''''' in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.}}
The [[Indo-Iranian languages|Indo-Iranian]] common noun [[wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-Iranian/mitrás|*''mitra'']] means "(that which) causes [-tra] to bind [mi-]", hence Sanskrit ''mitram'', "covenant, contract, oath",<ref>{{cite book |last=Mayrhofer |first=Manfred |title=Etymologisches Wörterbuch des Altindoarischen |language=DE |trans-title=Etymological Dictionary of Old Indo-Aryan |volume=II |location=Heidelberg |publisher=Winter |year=1996 |pages=354–355}}</ref> the protection of which is Mitra's role in both the [[Rigveda]] and in the Mitanni treaty. In post-Vedic India, the noun ''mitra'' 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 most [[Languages of India|Indian languages]], the word ''mitr'' means 'friend'. The feminine form of the word in languages like [[Marathi language|Marathi]] or Hindi is ''maitrin'' or ''mitrā''.

==In the Vedas==
In the [[Rigveda]], the oldest of the Vedic texts, Mitra is mostly indistinguishable from [[Varuna]], together with whom Mitra forms a ''[[dvandva]]'' pair Mitra-Varuna,{{efn|In Sanskrit ''[[dvandva]]'' compounds, the shorter name always appears first, regardless of seniority, hence 'Mitra-Varuna' even though Varuna is the more important of the two.<!-- explanation of Duchesne-Gillemin: "Mitra coming first in the pair although he is the less important of the two, simply because in Sanskrit the shorter term in a compound always comes first" -->}} and in which Mitra-Varuna has essentially the same characteristics as Varuna alone.<ref name="VR"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Lüders |first=Heinrich |series=Varuna |volume=I |title=Varuna und das Wasser |language=DE |trans-title=Varuna and the Water(s) |editor-last=Alsdorf |editor-first=Ludwig |location=Göttingen |publisher=Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht |year=1951}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Lüders |first=Heinrich |series=Varuna |volume=II |title=Varuna und das Rta |language=DE |trans-title=Varuna and the Rta |editor-last=Alsdorf |editor-first=Ludwig |location=Göttingen |publisher=Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht |year=1959}}</ref> Varuna is not only the greater of the two, but also &ndash; according to ''RV'' 2.12 &ndash; the second-greatest of the RigVedic gods after [[Indra]].<ref name="VR"/>{{rp|134}} Rigvedic hymns to Mitra-Varuna include [[Mandala 1|RV 1]].136, 137, 151–153, [[Mandala 5|RV 5]].62-72, [[Mandala 6|RV 6]].67, [[Mandala 7|RV 7]].60-66, [[Mandala 8|RV 8]].25 and [[Mandala 10|RV 10]].132. Mitra is addressed independently in one hymn only [[Mandala 3|''RV'' 3]].59,<ref name="VR"/> where he has hardly any traits that distinguish him from Varuna,<ref name="VR"/> and owing to the scantiness of the information supplied in that hymn his separate character appears somewhat indefinite.<ref name="VR"/><blockquote>Mitra as an independent personage is insignificant. ... One theory holds that the dvandvic union possibly represents an [[Apotropaic magic|apotropaic]] application [of "friend"] to the otherwise frightening and dangerous Varuna."<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=York |first=Michael |title=Mitra |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Hinduism |year=2005 |publisher=Routledge |page=503 |editor1-last=Cush |editor1-first=Denise |editor2-last=Robinson |editor2-first=Catherine |editor3-last=Foulston |editor3-first=Lynn |editor4-last=York |editor4-first=Michael}}</ref></blockquote>

===Combined descriptions===
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.<ref name=VR/>

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 are [[asura|''asura''s]], and (like all ''asura''s) wield their power through secret knowledge (''{{IAST|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|''{{IAST|ṛtá}}'']], “truth”), they are barriers against falsehood, which they punish.<ref name=VR/> 

They once both emitted their semen into a pitcher at the sight of nymph [[Urvashi]], from which the sages [[Vashishtha]] and [[Agastya]] emerged.<ref name="G">{{cite book |last=Goodman |first=Hananya |date=2012-02-01 |title=Between Jerusalem and Benares: Comparative studies in Judaism and Hinduism |publisher=State University of New York Press |isbn=978-1-4384-0437-0 |lang=en |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XF_a3cfrcLQC&q=agastya+vasistha+urvasi+rgveda&pg=PA218}}</ref>

===Asuras and devas===
Although they are Asuras, Rigvedic Mitra-Varuna are also addressed as [[Deva (Hinduism)|''devas'']] (e.g., ''RV'' 7.60.12). Mitra is also a ''deva'' (''mitrasya...devasya'', ''RV'' 3.59.6) in ''RV'' 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 following ''ṛta'', order and stability and of observances (3.59.2b, ''vrata''). Again like Varuna, Mitra is the sustainer of mankind (3.59.6a, said also of [[Indra]] in 3.37.4c) and of all gods (3.59.8c, ''[[Visvedevas|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 (deity)|Soma]] 1.91.3; [[Vishnu]] 1.156.1). A characteristic unique to Mitra is his ability to marshal the people (''{{IAST|yātayati}}'', ''{{IAST|yātayáj-jana}}''), an attribute that appears to be peculiarly his.<ref name="VR"/>

===Distinct characteristics===
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, and [[Vishnu]] (''RV'' 1.154) takes his three steps by those regulations.<ref name="VR"/> Agni is kindled before dawn to produce Mitra, and when kindled is Mitra.<ref name="VR"/>

In the ''[[Atharvaveda]]'', Mitra is again associated with sunrise, and is contrasted with Varuna's association with the evening.<ref name="VR"/> In the [[Brahmana|''Brahmana''s]], the [[exegesis|exegetical]] commentaries on the Vedas, the associations with morning and evening lead Mitra to be connected with the day, and Varuna with night.<ref name="VR"/> Also in ''[[Shatapatha Brahmana]]'', Mitra-Varuna is analyzed as "the Counsel and the Power" &ndash; Mitra being the priesthood ([[Purohita]]), and Varuna the royal power ([[Raja|Rājān]]).

==In Post-Vedic texts==
Mitra appears in post-Vedic [[Hindu scriptures]] like the ''[[Ramayana]]'', the ''[[Mahabharata]]'', and the [[Puranas]]. However, his role becomes greatly diminished and little is said of him other than that he is a solar deity and an [[Ādityas|Aditya]], (the sons of the goddess [[Aditi]], fathered by the sage [[Kashyapa]]).<ref name=W>{{cite book |last=Williams |first=George M. |year=2003 |title=Handbook of Hindu Mythology |publisher=Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC Clio |isbn=978-1-85109-650-3 |pages=214 |via=Internet Archive |url=http://archive.org/details/isbn_9791576071068}}</ref><ref name=H>{{cite book |last=Hopkins |first=Edward Washburn |date=June 1968 |title=Epic Mythology |publisher=Biblo & Tannen Publishers |isbn=978-0-8196-0228-2 |lang=en |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-H0eiuvcG5IC&q=+mitra&pg=PA89}}</ref> According to ''[[Bhagavata Purana]]'', Revati (lit. 'prosperity') is the name of Mitra's wife and the couple has three sons—Utsarga, Arishtha and Pippala.<ref>{{cite book |last=Daniélou |first=Alain |date=Dec 1991 |title=The Myths and Gods of India |quote=The classic work on Hindu polytheism |series=Princeton Bollingen Series |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-59477-733-2 |lang=en |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=glwoDwAAQBAJ&dq=mitra+revat%C4%AB&pg=PT162}}</ref>

The pairing of Mitra with [[Varuna]] is still present;<ref name=H/> a [[yajna]] dedicated to them by [[Vaivasvata Manu]] is mentioned in these scriptures. An instance of rivalry between Varuna and Mitra also occurs:
: Both Mitra and Varuna became enamored of the celestial nymph [[Urvashi]], and Varuna was moved to emit his seed into a sacred pitcher. This caused Mitra's seed to fall from her womb into the same sacred pitcher and he cursed her for lack of fidelity. From the mixed seed, the seers [[Vashishtha]] and [[Agastya]] were born, who are considered to be the sons of both Mitra and Varuna.<ref name=G/><ref name=H/>

Other significant references to Mitra include the legend of [[Prithvi]], where he acted as milkman of the gods to milk the cow-form of the [[Bhūmi|earth goddess]]; his fight with Praheti in the [[Hindu mythological wars#The Devasura War|Devasura war]]; and his worship by [[Pandava]] King [[Yudhishthira]] and Akrura.<ref>Cologne Sanskrit Dictionaries: The Purana Index</ref>{{full citation|date=April 2023}}

==In inscriptions{{anchor|inscrip}}==
Indic Mitra is first attested in a 14th&nbsp;century&nbsp;BCE [[Indo-Aryan superstrate in Mitanni|Mitanni inscription]] in which an Indo-Aryan king of [[Mitanni]] invokes the gods Mitra, [[Indra]], [[Varuna]], and the [[Nasatya]]s as guarantors of his sworn obligations.<ref>{{cite book |last=Læssøe |first=Jørgen |year=1963 |title=People of Ancient Assyria: Their inscriptions and correspondence |publisher=Routledge |page=86}}</ref>

==In living tradition==
In the ''[[Atharvaveda]]'', Mitra is associated with sunrise, and accordingly, Mitra is worshipped in the sunrise prayers of the Hindus. The morning ''upasthaana'' prayer, recited to the risen sun after contemplation on the sacred [[Gayatri]] [[mantra]], is a collection of Vedic verses addressing Mitra.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

Mitra is co-worshipped in the [[Mitrotsavam]] Hindu festival of the Sun god [[Surya]], 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 on [[Kartik (month)|Kartik]] [[Sankranti]], the last day of the Bengali calendar month Kartik; and after worshiping the Mitra Dev (locally called Itu Thakur) for the full month, it{{clarify|date=December 2019}} is abducted into water on the day of Agrahayan Sankranti.

This puja is celebrated like a [[Vrata]] 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.{{clarify|phrase "they the abducted"?|date=November 2019}}

==See also==
* [[Hindu deities]]
* [[Mithra]]
* [[Mitra]]
* [[Mitra–Varuna]]
* [[Mithraism]]
* [[Rigvedic deities]]

==Footnotes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|25em}}

{{Hindu Culture and Epics}}

[[Category:Hindu gods]]
[[Category:Asura]]
[[Category:Rigvedic deities]]
[[Category:Mitra]]