Trita ("the Third") is a minor deity of the Rigveda, mentioned 41 times. He is associated with the Maruts, with Vayu and most especially with Indra, whom he sometimes assists and other times acts in place of when fighting Tvastar, Vrtra and Vala. He is called Āptya , probably meaning "of the water (Apas)."
The Shatapatha Brahmana mentions Trita and his brothers Ekata and Dvita as the sons of Apas or the water deities who were born as a result of Agni's anger with the waters. [1]
Fourfold, namely, was Agni (fire) at first. Now that Agni whom they at first chose for the office of Hotri priest passed away. He also whom they chose the second time passed away. He also whom they chose the third time passed away. Thereupon the one who still constitutes the fire in our own time, concealed himself from fear. He entered into the waters. Him the gods discovered and brought forcibly away from the waters. He spat upon the waters, saying, 'Bespitten are ye who are an unsafe place of refuge, from whom they take me away against my will!' Thence sprung the Âptya deities, Trita, Dvita, and Ekata. - 1:2:3:1
The Shatapatha Brahmana also mentions that they followed Indra just as a Brahman follows the train of a king. [2]
They roamed about with Indra, even as nowadays a Brâhman follows in the train of a king. When he slew Visvarûpa, the three-headed son of Tvashtri, they also knew of his going to be killed.; and straightway Trita slew him. Indra, assuredly, was free from that (sin), for he is a god. - 1:2:3:2
In RV 1.105, Trita fallen into a well begs aid from the gods. Sayana on 1.105 comments that this relates to three rishis, Ekata, Dvita and Trita who found a well, and Trita, drawing water, was pushed down by the other two and imprisoned, where he composed a hymn to the gods, and managed miraculously to prepare the sacrificial Soma; this is alluded to in RV 9.34.4 and described in Mahabharata 9.2095.
RV 8.47 asks Dawn to send away bad dreams to Trita, who eats them and wears them on his body as ornaments; Dvita also receives these bad dreams.
Indra is the king of the devas and Svarga (heaven) in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. Indra's powers are similar to other Indo-European deities such as Jupiter, Perun, Perkūnas, Zalmoxis, Taranis, Zeus, and Thor, part of the greater Proto-Indo-European mythology.
Aditi is an important Vedic goddess in Hinduism.
Prajapati is a Vedic deity of Hinduism.
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Vamana, also known as Trivikrama, Urukrama (transl. far-stepping), Upendra, Dadhivamana, and Balibandhana is an avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu. He is the fifth avatar of Vishnu, and the first Dashavatara in the Treta Yuga, after Narasimha.
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The Shatapatha Brahmana is a commentary on the Śukla (white) Yajurveda. It is attributed to the Vedic sage Yajnavalkya. Described as the most complete, systematic, and important of the Brahmanas, it contains detailed explanations of Vedic sacrificial rituals, symbolism, and mythology.
The Brahmanas are Vedic śruti works attached to the Samhitas of the Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva Vedas. They are a secondary layer or classification of Sanskrit texts embedded within each Veda, which explain and instruct on the performance of Vedic rituals. In addition to explaining the symbolism and meaning of the Samhitas, Brahmana literature also expounds scientific knowledge of the Vedic Period, including observational astronomy and, particularly in relation to altar construction, geometry. Divergent in nature, some Brahmanas also contain mystical and philosophical material that constitutes Aranyakas and Upanishads.
Abtin, or Athwya is a character in Shahnama, who is the father of Fereydun. He is mentioned as the father of Fereydun in the Avesta, having been the "second man" to prepare Ahura-Mazda for the "corporeal world". His name comes from the same origin as "Āptya", a title for water-born deities or heroes in the Rigveda. According to the Shatapatha Brahmana, that the first to bear this title was Agni, and that he subsequently created three Aptyas, Trita, Dvita, and Ekata, when he spat on the waters in anger.
Samudra is a Sanskrit term literally meaning the "gathering together of waters". It refers to an ocean, sea or confluence. It also forms the name of Samudradeva, the Hindu god of the ocean. The word is also present on other languages influenced by Sanskrit.
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Mitra is a Hindu god and generally one of the Adityas, though his role has changed over time. In the Mitanni inscription, Mitra is invoked as one of the protectors of treaties. In the Rigveda, Mitra appears primarily in the dvandva compound Mitra-Varuna, which has essentially the same attributes as the god Varuna alone, e.g. as the principal guardian of ṛtá "Truth, Order". In the late Vedic texts and the Brahmanas, Mitra is increasingly associated with the light of dawn and the morning sun. In the post-Vedic texts – in which Mitra practically disappears – Mitra evolved into the patron divinity of friendship, and because he is "friend", abhors all violence, even when sacred.
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The Thirty-three gods or Tridasha is a pantheon of Hindu deities of current manvantara. The Samhitas, which are the oldest layer of text in the Vedas, enumerate 33 deities classified as devas, either 11 each for the three worlds, or as 12 Adityas, 11 Rudras, 8 Vasus, and 2 Ashvins in the Brahmanas.
Originating in historical Vedic religion, 'Pravargya', also known as 'Ashvina-pravaya', is an introductory or preliminary ceremony to the Soma Yajña.
The Kena Upanishad is a Vedic Sanskrit text classified as one of the primary or Mukhya Upanishads that is embedded inside the last section of the Talavakara Brahmanam of the Samaveda. It is listed as number 2 in the Muktikā, the canon of the 108 Upanishads of Hinduism.
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