There is another, longer version of this story in MBh 5.9–13, where
Śalya tells the same story to Yudhiṣṭhira. There, a treaty between Indra
and Vṛtra determines that, if Indra should kill Vṛtra, he will suffer
the consequences of brahminicide. Furthermore, it is interesting that
Indra suffers the consequences only after his second brahminicide:
Before killing Triśiras he is warned by a woodcutter about the
consequences. Clearly both decscendents of Tvaṣṭṛ are seen as brahmins
because Tvaṣṭṛ is a brahminic Asura.
I do not know about any older evidence for Vṛtra being a brahmin. This
detail was very likely included to show Indra's inferiority to brahmins
and that even the king of the gods had to bear the consequences of
brahminicide.
It is also noteworthy that Tvaṣṭr, Triśiras, and even Vṛtra are
portrayed as righteous beings following dharma and achieving special
powers by meditation, while Indra is a rogue all the time scheming to
destroy his rivals.
Regarding Triśiras's indo-european relatives cf. Dumezil, Georges. /The
Destiny of the Warrior/. Translated by Alf Hiltebeitel. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 1970.
Best wishes,
Vitus
On 17.11.23 12:53, Tieken, H.J.H. (Herman) via INDOLOGY wrote:
Dear List members,
In /MBh/ 12, 273 Indra kills Vr̥tra. From the latter's body a demoness
Brahmahatyā emerges which clinges to Indra. Hopkins, /Epic Mythology/,
p. 129 writes: "As Vr̥tra is of Brahmanic family, his slaughter is
regarded as 'priest murder'". On p. 131 he writes that this is Indra's
second Brahman-cide, as earlier he had killed Triśiras, another son of
Tvaṣṭr̥ (/traiśīrṣā brahmahatyā/). So I assume that Vr̥tra's
brahminhood goes back to his father Tvaṣṭr̥. I have no idea, however,
where to look for information on Tvaṣṭr̥'s and Vr̥tra's brahminhood,
other than the /brahmahatyā/ passages mentioned above.
Wist kind regards,
Herman
Herman Tieken
Stationsweg 58
2515 BP Den Haag
The Netherlands
00 31 (0)70 2208127
website: hermantieken.com <http://hermantieken.com/>
/The Aśoka Inscriptions: Analysing a corpus/, New Delhi: Primus Books,
2023.
https://primusbooks.com/ancient/the-asoka-inscriptions-analysing-a-corpus-by-herman-tieken/
<https://primusbooks.com/ancient/the-asoka-inscriptions-analysing-a-corpus-by-herman-tieken/>
/
/
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