Us yug mein jab devta aur asur teenon lokon ke shasan ke liye khuleaam yuddh karte the, swarg ke raja Indra ne ek aisi bhool ki jo yugon tak unka peechha karti rahi. Devtaon ke guru Brihaspati ghayal abhimaan ke kaaran swarg chhodkar chale gaye the, kyunki vijay ke mad mein choor Indra mahaan aacharya ke sabha mein pravesh karne par uthkar unka sammaan karna bhool gaye the. Apne purohit ke bina devta koi yagya nahin kar sakte the, aur yagya ke bina unka bal ghatne laga. Vivash hokar unhone naye purohit ki khoj ki, aur unki drishti asadharan shakti wale ek yuva rishi Vishvarupa par padi.
Vishvarupa divya shilpi Tvashta ke putra the, jo devtaon aur manushyon ke roop gadhte hain, aur unki mata daitya rajkumari Rachana thin. Is prakaar ve devtaon aur asuron dono ke sambandhi the. Prakriti ne unhein vichitra roop diya tha: unke teen sir the. Ek mukh se ve Vedon ka paath karte aur pavitra som peete; doosre mukh se madira peete aur swaadisht bhojan ka aanand lete; teesre mukh se ve ek saath chaaron dishaon mein dekhte, maano aakaash ke konon ko apni aankhon se pi rahe hon. Vidvaan, tejasvi aur tapasvi ve aadarsh purohit prateet hue, aur devtaon ne unse apne yagyon ka netritva karne ki prarthana ki.
Vishvarupa ne sveekaar kar liya, aur kuchh samay tak sab kuchh theek chala. Unhi ne Indra ko prasiddh Narayan-kavach sikhaya tha, Vishnu ke pavitra naamon ka vah kavach jo yuddh mein yoddha ki raksha karta hai. Par kritagyata se adhik prabal rakt ka bandhan nikla. Gupt roop se, jab aahutiyaan daali jaatin, Vishvarupa havi ka ek bhaag asuron ke liye alag rakh dete — apni mata ke logon ke liye — aur chupchaap unke naam par arpit kar dete. Devta balwaan na hue, jabki churaai hui aahutiyon se poshit asur saahasi hote gaye aur swarg ke dwaaron par dabaav badhaane lage.
Jab Indra ko is vishvaasghaat ka pata chala, to bhay ne unka hriday jakad liya. Shatru ko poshan dene wala purohit jeevit nahin reh sakta tha. Karm ke paap ka vichaar kiye bina Indra ne apna vajra uthaya aur krodh ke ek hi aavesh mein Vishvarupa ke teenon sir kaat daale.
Sir girte hi ek aashcharya ghata. Jis mukh ne Ved padhe the aur som piya tha, usse kapinjal pakshiyon ka jhund foot pada; jis mukh ne dishaon ko nihaara tha, usse tittiri pakshi nikle; aur jis mukh ne madira pi thi, usse kalvink gauraiyaan udin. Pakshi cheekhte hue aakaash mein uthe, maano mrit rishi ki teenon vaasnaayein pankh lagakar unke shareer se ud gayi hon.
Tab Indra ke hriday mein vijay ke sthaan par bhay sama gaya, kyunki Vishvarupa brahman the, Vedon ke gyaata, aur brahman ki hatya sabse ghor paap hai. Brahmahatya ka paap jeevant roop dharkar Indra ka peechha karne laga, aur swarg ke raja hote hue bhi ve usse chhutkaara na pa sake. Ant mein unhone prithvi, vrikshon, stree jaati aur jal se prarthana ki ki ve unke apraadh ka ek-ek chauthaai bhaag vahan karein. Prithvi sahmat hui, aur badle mein us par banjar marusthal prakat hue; vriksh sahmat hue, aur unka ras behne laga, jo manushyon ke peene yogya na raha; striyaan sahmat huin, aur unke maasik dharm ka bhaar unka bhaag bana; jal sahmat hua, aur jal par jhaag aur bulbule pavitra kaaryon ke liye ayogya ho gaye. Is prakaar shaastra kehte hain ki Indra ke paap ke chihn aaj bhi sansaar mein dikhaai dete hain.
Par katha yahin samaapt nahin hoti. Jab Tvashta ko gyaat hua ki Indra ne unke putra ka vadh kiya hai — ek aisa yuva jo kisi apraadh ka doshi na tha, tapasya mein nirat, dayaalu aur sanyami tha — to shok prachand krodh mein badal gaya. Aath din aur aath raaton tak unhone yagya ki agni mein aahutiyaan daalin, Atharvaved ke vinaashkaari mantron ka jap karte hue pukaara, "He Indra ke shatru, utho aur bina vilamb apne shatru ka vadh karo!" Agni ke dakshini bhaag se ek aisa praani utha jo parvat jitna vishaal aur pralay jitna kaala tha. Tvashta ne uska naam Vritra rakha, arthaat "dhakne wala," aur use Indra ke vadh ka aadesh diya.
Vritra devtaon ka saamna karne wala ab tak ka sabse bhayankar shatru bana, jisne jeevan ke jal ko hi apni kundali mein jakad liya, aur Indra ko use maarne ke liye kisi bhi vajra se adhik shaktishaali astra ki aavashyakta padi — rishi Dadhichi ki haddiyon se bana vajra. Par vah doosri katha hai. Vishvarupa ka vadh uski shuruaat hai: ek chetaavni ki jo shakti bhay aur krodh mein, uchit-anuchit ka vichaar kiye bina prahaar karti hai, vah apne hi vinaash ke beej boti hai.
Is katha ke paatra
- Indra
- Vishvarupa
- Tvastar
- Vritra
- Brihaspati
