इन्द्रोऽथ स्वगृहं गत्वा हत्वा शत्रुं महाबलम् । मेने कृतार्थमात्मानं ब्रह्महत्यामचिन्तयन्
Then Indra, having gone to his own house after slaying the mighty enemy, considered himself accomplished, but reflected on the sin of brahminicide.
तं श्रुत्वा निहतं त्वष्टा पुत्रं परमधार्मिकम् । चुकोपातीव मनसा वचनं चेदमब्रवीत्
Hearing that his supremely righteous son had been killed, Tvashta became exceedingly angry in his mind and spoke these words:
अनागसं मुनिं यस्मात्पुत्रं निहतवान्मम । तस्मादुत्पादयिष्यामि तद्वधार्थं सुतं पुनः
Because you have slain my son, a sinless sage, therefore I will produce a son again for the purpose of his slaying.
सुराः पश्यन्तु मे वीर्यं तपसश्च बलं तथा । जानातु सर्वं पापात्मा स्वकृतस्य फलं महत्
Let the gods see my power and the strength of my austerity; let the wicked soul know the great fruit of his own deed.
इत्युक्त्वाग्निं जुहावाथ मन्त्रैराथर्वणोदितैः । पुत्रस्योत्पादनार्थाय त्वष्टा क्रोधसमाकुलः
Having said this, Tvashta, filled with anger, offered oblations into the fire with mantras from the Atharva Veda, for the purpose of producing a son.
कृते होमेऽष्टरात्रं तु सन्दीप्ताच्च विभावसोः । प्रादुर्बभूव तरसा पुरुषः पावकोपमः
When the sacrifice had been performed for eight nights, from the blazing fire, a man appeared suddenly, resembling fire itself.
तं दृष्ट्वाग्रे सुतं त्वष्टा तेजोबलसमन्वितम् । वेगात्प्रकटितं वह्नेर्दीप्यमानमिवानलम्
Seeing his son before him, endowed with brilliance and strength, Tvaṣṭṛ beheld him, manifest with force like blazing fire, shining like a flame.
उवाच वचनं त्वष्टा सुतं वीक्ष्य पुरःस्थितम् । इन्द्रशत्रो विवर्धस्व प्रतापात्तपसो मम
Tvaṣṭṛ, seeing his son standing before him, spoke these words: 'O enemy of Indra, grow in might from the power of my austerity.'
इत्युक्ते वचने त्वष्ट्रा क्रोधप्रज्वलितेन च । सोऽवर्धत दिवं स्तब्ध्वा वैश्वानरसमद्युतिः
When Tvaṣṭṛ spoke these words, blazing with anger, he (the son) grew, standing tall as the sky, radiant like the fire of universal dissolution.
जातः स पर्वताकारः कालमृत्युसमः स्वराट् । किं करोमीति तं प्राह पितरं परमातुरम्
He was born with the form of a mountain, sovereign and equal to Death and Time; he asked his deeply troubled father, 'What shall I do?'
कुरु मे नामकं नाथ कार्यं कथय सुव्रत । चिन्तातुरोऽसि कस्मात्त्वं ब्रूहि मे शोककारणम्
'O Lord, give me a name and tell me my task, O steadfast one. Why are you so anxious? Tell me the cause of your sorrow.'
नाशयाम्यद्य ते शोकमिति मे व्रतमाहितम् । तेन जातेन किं भूयः पिता भवति दुःखितः
'It is my vow to destroy your sorrow today. Why, though I am born, does my father remain afflicted?'
पिबामि सागरं सद्यश्चूर्णयामि धराधरान् । उद्यन्तं वारयाम्यद्य तरणिं तिग्मतेजसम्
'I will drink the ocean at once, crush the mountains to powder, or today I will stop the rising sun with its fierce rays.'
हन्मीन्द्रं ससुरं सद्यो यमं वा देवतान्तरम् । क्षिपामि सागरे सर्वान्समुत्पाट्य च मेदिनीम्
'I will slay Indra along with the gods, or Yama, or any other deity at once; I will uproot the earth and hurl all into the ocean.'
इत्याकर्ण्य वचस्तस्य त्वष्टा पुत्रस्य पेशलम् । प्रत्युवाचातिमुदितस्तं सुतं पर्वतोपमम्
Hearing these powerful words of his son, Tvaṣṭṛ, greatly delighted, replied to him, who was mountain-like in form.
वृजिनात्त्रातुमधुना यस्माच्छक्तोऽसि पुत्रक । तस्माद्वृत्र इति ख्यातं तव नाम भविष्यति
'Because you are now able, my son, to rescue from misfortune, therefore your name shall be known as Vṛtra.'
भ्राता तव महाभाग त्रिशिरा नाम तापसः । त्रीणि तस्य च शीर्षाणि ह्यभवन्वीर्यवन्ति च
'Your brother, O illustrious one, is the ascetic named Triśiras; he had three heads, each endowed with great power.'
वेदवेदाङ्गतत्त्वज्ञः सर्वविद्याविशारदः । संस्थितस्तपसि प्रायस्त्रिलोकीविस्मयप्रदे
'He was learned in the Vedas and their branches, master of all knowledge, steadfast in austerity, and a source of wonder to the three worlds.'
शक्रेण तु हतः सोऽद्य वज्रघातेन साम्प्रतम् । विनापराधं सहसा छिन्नानि मस्तकानि च
'But today he has been slain by Indra with the thunderbolt; his heads were suddenly cut off without any fault.'
तस्मात्त्वं पुरुषव्याघ्र जहि शक्रं कृतागसम् । ब्रह्महत्यायुतं पापं निस्त्रपं दुर्मतिं शठम्
'Therefore, O tiger among men, slay Indra, who has committed this crime, sinful with the guilt of Brahmin-slaying, shameless, wicked, and deceitful.'
इत्युक्त्वा च तदा त्वष्टा पुत्रशोकसमाकुलः । आयुधानि च दिव्यानि चकार विविधानि च
Having spoken thus, Tvaṣṭṛ, overwhelmed with grief for his son, fashioned various divine weapons.
ददावस्मै सहस्राक्षवधाय प्रबलानि च । खड्गशूलगदाशक्तितोमरप्रमुखानि वै
He gave him mighty weapons for the slaying of the thousand-eyed one: sword, spear, mace, dart, and foremost among tomaras.
शार्ङ्ग धनुस्तथा बाणं परिघं पट्टिशं तथा । चक्रं दिव्यं सहस्रारं सुदर्शनसमप्रभम्
He gave the Śārṅga bow, an arrow, a club, a pattiśa, and a divine discus with a thousand spokes, equal in brilliance to Sudarśana.
तूणीरौ चाक्षयौ दिव्यौ कवचं चातिसुन्दरम् । रथं मेघप्रतीकाशं दृढं भारसहं जवम्
He gave two inexhaustible quivers, a most beautiful armor, and a chariot resembling a cloud, strong, swift, and able to bear great weight.
युद्धोपकरणं सर्वं कृत्वा पुत्राय पार्थिव । दत्त्वासौ प्रेरयामास त्वष्टा क्रोधसमन्वितः
Having prepared all the weapons for battle, Tvaṣṭṛ, filled with anger, gave them to his son, O King, and sent him forth.
ब्रह्मणः समाराधनाय त्वष्ट्रा वृत्रोपदेशवर्णनम् व्यास उवाच कृतस्वस्त्ययनो वृत्रो ब्राह्मणैर्वेदपारगैः । निर्जगाम रथारूढो हन्तुं शक्रं महाबलः
To propitiate Brahmā, Tvaṣṭṛ instructed Vṛtra in the proper rites. Vyāsa said: Vṛtra, having performed the auspicious rites with learned Brāhmaṇas, mounted his chariot, mighty in strength, and set out to slay Indra.
तदैव राक्षसाः क्रूराः पुरा देवपराजिताः । समाजग्मुश्च सेवार्थं वृत्रं ज्ञात्वा महाबलम्
At that very moment, the fierce Rākṣasas, who had previously been defeated by the gods, came together, having learned of Vṛtra's great power, to serve him.
इन्द्रदूतास्तु तं दृष्ट्वा युद्धाय तु समागतम् । वेगादागत्य वृत्तान्तं शशंसुस्तस्य चेष्टितम्
When Indra's messengers saw him advancing for battle, they quickly went and reported all that had occurred and his actions.
दूता ऊचुः स्वामिञ्छीघ्रमिहायाति वृत्रो नाम रिपुस्तव । बलवान्स्यन्दने रूढस्त्वष्ट्रा चोत्पादितः किल
The messengers said: Lord, your enemy named Vṛtra is swiftly approaching here, powerful and mounted on a chariot, said to have been created by Tvaṣṭṛ.
अविचारेण नाशार्थं तव क्रोधान्वितेन वै । पुत्रघाताभितप्तेन दुःसहो राक्षसैर्युतः
Without reflection, and driven by anger for the sake of your destruction, tormented by the killing of his son, he comes, intolerable and surrounded by Rākṣasas.