Vritrasuran:

[soundararajan50]

Once, Devendra failed to pay respects to his guru Brihaspathi when the latter entered Devendran’s court during a dance performance given by the apsaras. Brihaspathi decided that it was best to leave a place where one is not respected. Brihaspathi vanished from Devendran’s view permanently. As soon as Brihaspathi left, Devendran lost his power as there was no one else who could counsel him like Brihaspathi. The Asuras took advantage of this situation and attacked Devendran. Indran rushed to Brahma for advice.
‘Hire Viswaroopan the son of Twashtar as your guru till Brihaspathi returns,’ adviced Brahma.
Per Lord Brahma’s advice, Indran sought Viswaroopan and requested him to be his guru.
‘I am involved in ascetic practices; if I become your counsellor I may lose my tejas,’ said Viswaroopan.





‘Please kindly help me. Only you can help me,’ pleaded Devendran.
Viswaroopan agreed after analyzing the situation as he came to the conclusion that helping a person was more important than following through with ones ascetic practices.
With the help of Viswaroopan, the Devas won the war against the Asuras.

Viswaroopan started to perform Yagams as the Devas get nourishment only from the offerings offered as oblation in the Yagam. Eventhough Viswaroopan offered oblation to each Deva, they never received the offerings. Devendran secretly investigated Viswaroopan. He found that Viswaroopan’s father Twashtar had married an Asura lady called Rachana. As a result Viswaroopan was half Asura. Viswaroopan had been approached by his Asura uncle for help. Viswaroopan had agreed to help the Asuras. Eventhough he chanted manthrams to offer oblation to the Devas aloud, mentally he chanted a second manthram to provide nourishment to the Asuras. Since the manthram chanted silently is more powerful, all the offerings were enjoyed by the Asuras. As soon as Devendran discovered this, he killed Viswaroopan by cutting off each of Viswaroopan’s three heads. Viswaroopan had one head to drink soma juice, one to drink sura juice and one to eat food.

As soon as Viswaroopan died, Twashtar became very angry. He performed a Yagam to obtain a son who could kill Devendran but while chanting the manthram Twashtar mispronounced the manthram which altered the meaning as, ‘I must get a son who would be killed by Devendran!’
From the sacred fire Vritrasuran appeared. Devendran was afraid of Vritrasuran and sought the advice of Perumal. Lord Vishnu informed Devendran to use the bones of Rishi Dadichi to make the Vajra weapon and use this weapon to kill Vritrasuran.
Indran obtained the bones from Rishi Dadichi. Rishi Dadhichi sacrificed his bones willingly. With the power of the Vajra weapon, Devendran stood fearlessly before Vritrasuran.

Normally a sinner and a killer of a Brahmin will not be able to stand before me,’ said Vritrasuran. ‘You can stand with confidence before me because you have obtained the Lord’s blessings. Don’t think that I do not have the Lord’s blessings. I too am His devotee but I pray in solitude. I know that my time is up and that I will be killed. I could have asked the Lord to help me kill you and probably He might have agreed to help me but unlike you I don’t believe in seeking the Lord’s blessings to destroy someone! I only pray to always take birth as the Lord’s devotee. I don’t ask for heaven, the beautiful Patalam or even the Brahma Lokam from the Lord. I don’t even ask Him to grant me Moksham. All I want is a life in which I can serve the Lord’s devotees, chant His divine names and work for the Lord. Neither can you, nor the Lord of death and not even your Vajra weapon have the ability to take my life. My life can be taken only if it is the wish of the Lord. I don’t mind death since it is per His wish. I am waiting for the Lord’s company like a young bird which yearns to be with its mother, like a calf longing to go to its mother and like a lady wishing to see her husband who is away on a trip,

Vritrasuran used three examples to show the way he was longing to be with the Lord. The three examples also contain significance.
The eaxmple of the chick shows that we are incable of reaching the Lord by our efforts and hence can get His company only if He comes to us. A new born chick canonot fly and waits for its mother to come to it.
The calf has capacity to go after its mother but the cowherds tie it away from its mother thus preventing it from going to its mother. Our relatives are the cowherds and they tie us with bonds of affection which keeps us away from the Lord.
The Lady cannot be controlled by anyone and can go after her husband but she waits patiently because of her faith in him. Sita Piratti waited with faith for Lord Rama to come to her rescue. Like that we must wait for the Lord with complete faith in Him.