Miter (god)

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Mitra ( Sanskrit : मित्र Mitra m. , Contract, companion, friend ) denotes an ancient Indian, Vedic deity of contract and friendship as well as guardian of the cosmic order. In pre-Vedic times, however, Mitra's significance is much higher and fades more and more with time.

Mitra, the god of contract, is the son of the goddess Aditi and therefore one of the seven Adityas and is usually invoked along with his twin brother Varuna . Only one hymn in the Rig Veda is dedicated to him. With Varuna and Aryaman he forms an early Vedic triad. It brings about unity, agreement, reconciliation and comparison between people, especially between married couples. In general, it stands for everything that connects people and does not separate them from one another (non-enmity). He sees all deeds of people like the sun, which is his omniscient eye and can declare guilty or innocent.

Mitra represents the heavenly light in the daytime, while Varuna predominates as the moon in the night sky. Like him, he is a guardian of truth, of loyalty, of justice and of duties towards the gods ( rita ). Together with Varuna, he encourages the pious and punishes the wicked. Both maintain and oversee heaven and earth. Like Varuna, the god does not allow himself to be deceived. However, he clearly has lighter features than his brother Varuna. He is a benevolent, peaceful, and kind God. According to the Atharvaveda , Mitra is entitled to the light ram offerings as god of the day, while Varuna receives the dark offerings. Mitra supervises friendship, leads people to the light and enables them to be happy with one another. He also has a good relationship with people and is considered a mediator between them and the gods. He also embodies the sacred alliance between gods and humans at the beginning of the cosmic cycle.

Its Persian or Roman equivalent is Mithra (s) .

literature

  • Storm, Rachel, Encyclopedia of Eastern Mythology , Reichelsheim 2000, Mitra
  • Gerhard J. Bellinger, Knaurs Lexikon der Mythologie , Knaur, Munich 1999, Mitra
  • Gonda, Jan, 1. The religions of India, Veda and older Hinduism , W. Kohlhammer Verlag Stuttgart 1960, Varuna and the other Adityas
  • Georges Dumézil : Tumult No. 18, Vienna; Turia and Kant, 1993, ISBN 3-85132-054-9 , collection of articles
  • Georges Dumézil: Mitra-Varuna: An Essay on Two Indo-European Representations of Sovereignty . Cambridge 1990, ISBN 0-942299-13-2 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Gerhard J. Bellinger, Knaurs Lexikon der Mythologie , Knaur, Munich 1999, Mitra
  2. ↑ a b c Gonda, Jan, 1. The religions of India, Veda and older Hinduism , W. Kohlhammer Verlag Stuttgart 1960, Varuna and the other Adityas
  3. ↑ Rigveda 3.59 de sa 
  4. ↑ Gerhard J. Bellinger, Knaurs Lexikon der Mythologie , 1999, Mitra
  5. ↑ Storm, Rachel, Encyclopedia of Eastern Mythology , Reichelsheim 2000, Mitra