Introduction
Mitra is an ancient god of the Rigveda, whose name means "friend" and also "contract" or "agreement". He is the god of friendship, alliances, oaths and honest dealings between people, and of the light of day. He is one of the Adityas, and one of the oldest gods of the Indo-Iranian tradition.
The Adityas are the sons of Aditi. The Rigveda names six (Mitra, Aryaman, Bhaga, Varuna, Daksha and Amsha in hymn 2.27), and later texts list eight or twelve. In the Puranas, the twelve Adityas correspond to the twelve months of the year, and each rides in the sun's chariot in its month. The lists vary.
Family
- Father: Kashyapa
- Mother: Aditi
- Siblings: Vishnu, Surya, Indra, Varuna, Aryaman, Bhaga, Dhata, Amsha, Pushan, Tvashtri, Savitri (aspect of Surya), Garuda, Aruna
Mitra and Varuna
Mitra is mostly praised with Varuna in the Rigveda, and the pair Mitra-Varuna are the twin sovereign gods, who uphold the cosmic and moral order (rita). Mitra is the friendly, orderly aspect of sovereignty, and Varuna the awesome aspect. Mitra and Varuna are said to have fathered the sages Vasishtha and Agastya, born from a jar after the sight of the apsara Urvashi.
Hymns
Mitra has one hymn to himself (RV 3.59), which praises him as the god who "calls people to their work" and who sustains heaven and earth. In the Vedic ritual, Mitra is the god of the day and Varuna of the night.
Indo-Iranian and comparative connections
The name Mitra corresponds to the Iranian Mithra, a major god of the Avesta, and the name occurs in the Mitanni treaty of the fourteenth century BCE. The Roman cult of Mithras is a separate development, and its links with the Indo-Iranian god are much debated.
In the Puranas
In the Puranas, Mitra is a son of Kashyapa and Aditi, and an Aditya. He has little independent worship, but is one of the twelve forms of the sun.
Meaning
Mitra represents trust and friendship as the foundation of society. The Sanskrit word mitra is still the common word for friend in many Indian languages.